Zagorje Development Agency is becoming a part of the international MAMFORCE community of responsible employers by joining the project “WorkLife 4U.” The aim of the project, which also recently welcomed a globally successfully company, Procter & Gamble, is to reduce the impact of stereotypes about male and female roles at work, in the family and society and also to facilitate the reconciliation of business and family obligations for each individual.
An audit leading to the MAMFORCE standard evaluates existing business practices and examines employee experience to identify sources of unconscious biases that support stereotypical expectations about the gender roles of women and men. Measuring the status quo allows for improvements to create an organisational culture of equity in which everyone can be successful regardless of differences and life circumstances. This achieves better productivity and innovation due to the positive impact of greater employee engagement and diversity of ideas thanks to better gender balance and general diversity.
Regarding their interest in getting involved in the project and achieving MAMFORCE standards, the Agency commented:
“As a development agency, we face the challenges of doing business under public sector requirements, and in parallel creative development based on thinking beyond the set framework.
Our goal is to develop a business culture based on diversity and inclusion, which will result in the creation of the highest quality services for our clients. In such a culture, which accepts, supports, and develops the diversity of our employees, we want to show by example that the public sector also analyses, evaluates, and applies good practices that encourage creating a favourable business environment”.
The public sector must be involved in projects like these, that work to improve the working climate, inclusion and thus efficiency. We are glad that Zagorje Development Agency recognised the advantages for its business, as well as the transfer of good practices to its clients”, said the project manager and author of the MAMFORCE standard Dianna Kobas Deskovic on the occasion of the beginning of cooperation on the project.
The implementation of the project “WorkLife 4U” is co-financed by the European Commission with the REC program (Rights, Equality and Citizenship). The project coordinator is the Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, and the partners are the Croatian Association of Counties and Spona Code.
The value of the project is 324,518.06 EUR, of which the European Commission participates with EUR 241,675.13. The project is implemented in the period from June 1, 2020, to May 31, 2022.
