The Share Equality Mark of the Ministry of Labour recently rewarded the leading mining company in Greece for the exemplary implementation of corporate culture policies of equal treatment of both sexes, equality in decision-making and reconciliation of professional and private life, regardless of gender or other kind of discrimination between employees.
Hellas Gold (a 100% subsidiary of Eldorado Gold Corporation) operates the Kassandra Mines in northeastern Halkidiki and is one of the most emblematic foreign direct investments in Greece, employing more than 1,000 direct and 600 indirect workers, with 84% of the staff coming from the Municipality of Aristotle.
With an increased sense of responsibility towards people, the company has proceeded to the creation of a working environment that promotes inclusion, equality and the integration of diversity in the working environment, implementing a single strategy for the development of a modern and pioneering corporate culture that promotes equal treatment of both sexes, equality in decision-making and the reconciliation of professional and private life regardless of gender or any other kind of discrimination between workers.
In an effort to achieve this innovative philosophy for Greek standards, Hellas Gold has developed a system of initiatives and policies that defines – in a transparent and meritocratic way – the framework for the training, evaluation and development of its executives and staff, with the ultimate goal of creating an efficient and at the same time fair and inclusive working environment, which promotes and values diversity, personal development and innovation.
Among the most important policies that Hellas Gold implements with great success are:
•Specific indicators and targets on the representation of women in the organisation’s workforce and gender equality. The company’s performance is recorded every 6 months and actions are underway in the context of continuous improvement.
•Continuous training of executives on leadership issues that strengthen inclusion practices.
•Implementation of research on inclusion issues on an annual basis and continuous evaluation and comparison of results.
•Active Policy against Violence and Harassment.
•Process of interviewing and publishing jobs in a transparent and inclusive way based on gender or other status.
•Reporting mechanism that allows employees to report any incident of harassment safely.
•Upgrading the interview process and the publication of open jobs transparently and without determinations that may exclude candidates based on gender or other characteristics.
•Supporting parenthood with opportunities for flexible working hours and/or remote work for men and women.
•Awareness campaigns on issues of inclusion and inclusion of diversity and participation in international women’s empowerment programs in the industry, such as International Women in Mining.
By implementing these policies, Hellas Gold invests in the continuous development and improvement of employment practices, in order to ensure a positive working environment that promotes professional and ethical excellence.
That is why the company was rewarded – one of the first 18 companies – with the SHARE Equality Mark of the Ministry of Labour, for the promotion of practices and initiatives for gender equality and any kind of discrimination between employees, as it successfully responded to the evaluation criteria and obtained the positive recommendation of the independent Evaluation Committee, which implements the European program in Greece.
Signing of the “Diversity Charter”
At the same time, Hellas Gold recently signed the “Diversity Charter”, an initiative of the European Commission, the Cell of Alternative Youth Activities (KEAN) and the Diversity Charter Greece, to promote equality and diversity in Greek businesses.
By accepting the terms dictated by the “Diversity Charter”, Hellas Gold reaffirms in practice its commitment to the development of an inclusive and equal opportunity working environment. The driving force for the undertaking of this initiative is the common belief of the entire management team of the company, that the right to diversity is a key criterion for the professional well-being and development of people, but also of the organization itself that invests in a culture of high performance and meritocracy.
It is worth noting that to date Hellas Gold has invested almost 25 million euros in social actions and projects in the Municipality of Aristotle, supporting the development and prosperity of the region, while within the framework of the new Investment Agreement it plans additional investments of about 70 million euros in projects of social care and local development that will be a legacy for future generations.
