Where Does Your Company Stand on Gender Equality?
"Steps Towards Equality" – a self-assessment questionnaire designed to help you check in where your organisation stands on the path toward gender equality.
The Bulgarian Foundation for Business and Human Rights has launched the project “The Office as a Space for Strength and Empowerment.” The initiative is part of the “Force” programme of the Bulgarian Fund for Women and is funded by the European Union.
As part of the project, we conducted an analysis of the policies of 20 companies in Bulgaria, focusing on diversity, gender equality, and the prevention of gender-based violence. The assessment was carried out by experienced experts in the field of gender equality, all of whom have undergone specialised training in the application of the Gender Benchmark methodology developed by the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA).
We are pleased to share with you a selection of questions that can serve as a basis for a self-assessment of your organisation’s policies and practices in the areas of diversity, gender equality, and prevention of gender-based violence.
The self-assessment questionnaire is a valuable tool for organisational development. It enables companies to identify both their strengths and areas for improvement. Beyond that, it can serve as a foundation for structured training programs and the development of internal policies.
Based on your results, your organization may be invited to participate in upcoming training sessions organised under the project. These sessions focus on building capacity, sharing best practices, and providing practical guidance to support progress in gender equality, creating safe workplaces, and fostering an inclusive organizational culture.
The questions cover two key sections of the Gender Benchmark methodology.
If you would like to receive more information about the upcoming training that we will be organising under this project on the topics of diversity, gender equality, and prevention of gender-based violence, please contact our team. Participation is free of charge and open to anyone interested.
1. Has your company made a public commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment (e.g., by signing the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles or making a senior-level commitment)?
2. Does your company have a dedicated strategy for advancing gender equality, or are gender equality and women’s empowerment integrated into your broader corporate strategy?
3. Has your company set publicly stated goals—with defined deadlines—for achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace?
4. Does your company regularly monitor and publicly report on progress toward these workplace gender equality goals?
5. Does your company include specific, time-bound gender equality targets within its supply chain policies or practices?
6. Does your company track progress toward achieving gender-related goals within its supply chain?
7. Does your company have a designated employee or team with direct responsibility for achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment goals?
8. Has your company conducted self-assessments, third-party evaluations, or certifications to assess progress toward these goals?
9. Does your company publicly disclose the human rights impacts it has identified and prioritized?
10. Does your company consult with women or women’s groups as part of its human rights risk identification and assessment processes?
11. Does your company have a gender-sensitive internal mechanism that allows employees to report complaints?
12. Is there an external grievance mechanism available to communities or individuals potentially affected by your company’s operations?
13. Does your company have systems in place to collect, analyze, and monitor data related to gender-based complaints?
14. Does your company require its suppliers to provide grievance mechanisms for their workers?
15. Does your company have publicly available policies addressing violence and harassment in the workplace?
16. Does your company provide employee training on the prevention of violence and harassment?
17. Does your company take additional proactive steps to prevent violence and harassment in the workplace?
18. Is there a formal mechanism in place to handle complaints related to violence and harassment?
19. Does your company collect, analyze, and monitor gender-disaggregated data related to complaints and responses to workplace violence and harassment?
Would you be interested in participating in free training sessions on gender equality and the prevention of sexual harassment and violence in the workplace, offered through our project?
Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire. Your personal data will be collected solely for the purposes of this analysis. Once you have finished the self-assessment, please click "Send" to receive a copy of your responses at the email address you provided in the contact form. The results may also highlight some of the topics that will be covered in the upcoming training.
If you are interested in participating in the planned training on gender equality, diversity, and addressing violence, please do not hesitate to contact the team at the Bulgarian Foundation for Business and Human Rights (BFBHR). The training is free of charge and open both to representatives included in the survey and to companies interested in working on specific aspects of these issues..
By providing your personal data, you consent to our privacy policy and agree to receive information about future initiatives and activities organized by us.
This project is implemented under the “Force” programme with the financial support of the Bulgarian Fund for Women and the European Union. The views and opinions expressed, however, are solely those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Bulgarian Fund for Women, the European Union or the European Commission Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers. Neither the Bulgarian Fund for Women, the European Union, the European Commission, nor any of their respective structures or entities can be held responsible for these actions or outcomes.
