Equality and diversity

Sparebanken Sør emphasises equality and diversity. The bank has implemented this work by participating in the pilot project «Equality in the workplace". This certification process has raised Sparebanken Sør's awareness of challenges and improvement measures, better embedding of equality work, concrete improvement measures and clarification of specific actions to be carried out on equality and diversity.

We have made changes to several procedures within our seven focus areas to ensure that we embed higher equality in our processes. This work has been performed with the assistance of an external project group, and has led to a certification process in spring 2018, in which the bank's procedures in the area were reviewed by an external assessor from the Centre for Equality.

The bank still has work to do in the area of equality and diversity. It is important that we recognise this and even more important that we actually do something about it.

An equal working environment is a prerequisite for the bank's future operations. Throughout the project the bank has been measured and obliged to report on: embedding of equality work, recruitment, equal pay, an inclusive working environment, workplace adaptation, the number of full-time jobs offered and life-phase flexibility. We are a major employer in the region and strive to attract the best and most highly qualified people. This requires equality and diversity.

• We have initiated measures to ensure that equality work is implemented.
• We have appointed a dedicated Equality Committee to "keep us in line“. (This will require all of us, in particular managers and employee representatives, to be particularly aware of and committed to this work.)
• The bank has also drawn up an action plan regarding equality in Sparebanken Sør over the next three years.