GENDER EQUALITY PLAN 2024

Foreword 

Aeteos commitment for gender equality constitutes the grounds for building an internal diverse environment that faces current social challenges.

With yearly provisions for actions, this Gender Equality Plan was accepted by our Executive board on 2024-01-08 and is valid until 2027-01-08.

Introduction

Striving for gender equality generally means striving to attain the same possibilities, rights, and obligations for both women and men. In practice, it consists of redistributing resources and opportunities so that they are shared by men and women equally, preventing sexual harassment, creating conditions that allow for combining work and parenthood, and integrating a gender perspective into education. Achieving equality requires an active and continuous effort. This gender equality plan functions as a guide to action and also as a policy document for the company. Our Executives are responsible for the equality issues and will monitor the Company’s activities and ensure that the gender equality plan is followed.

It is to mention that our board of directors, ensuring gender balance in both leadership and decision-making, is representing equally women and men and is setting in example for all other departments.

Recruitment, wages and work processes

The Company should work towards an equal gender division within all employment categories. An equal gender division, according to Aeteos gender equality plan, is achieved when at least 40% of each gender

is in place in a given category. All of the means suggested aim to achieve gender 1equality both directly, by recruitment of new staff, and also indirectly by encouraging staff members of underrepresented genders to apply for openings within the department.

In addition to striving for an equal gender representation in employing

staff and setting wages, the Department shall aim for equality concerning each individual’s work processes.

Our Goals is to have an equal gender distribution within all employment categories, to ensure that gender does not affect individuals’ wages and to ensure that all staff have equal access to information regarding work.

To make this possible, we will announce vacant positions to attract potential employees of the under represented gender and documenting how this is done, formulate announcements of vacant positions in a way that does not give undue advantage to the overrepresented gender.

When recruiting a new employee, always acknowledge the gender equality

plan; after the recruitment, be prepared to report on how this was done 

When deciding on wages, always take the equality aspects into consideration in order to avoid differences in wages due to gender. An employee should always be able to demand a motivation for the received wage.

Work processes of importance for research, pedagogical activities and rules, shall be available for all employees. Primarily, this means that the Company will strive towards supplying all important information in English. A special focus shall be placed on responsibilities and roles amongst decision-makers and other relevant staff, in order to ensure that new employees can work effectively and according to the rules.

Education and Competence Development

The Company should encourage all employees to pursue continuous competence development regardless of gender. This can include specific courses for the underrepresented gender, promotion of specific employees, employment rotation, etc.

The Company will offer relevant education to employees who, within their positions, lack education or competence development opportunities.

To make an equal environment possible it is important that the Company be able to offer education and working conditions that enable those with children to combine studies and work with parenthood.

This means that schedule seminars, lectures, and meetings that are part of the Company general agenda so that they do not extend into the evenings, maintain contact with employees on parental leave and encourage both male and female employees to take parental leave.

Sexual Harassment

According to the Gender Equality Law, sexual harassment is

“unwelcome behavior related to gender, or unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature which violates/humiliates the work integrity of an employee”.

Violating/humiliating behavior related to gender involves not only actions of a sexual nature, such as unwelcome physical contact or pressure to have sex, but also actions such as stalking, intimidating, or causing physical humiliation. It can also include hurtful comments about physical appearance or attempts to diminish others by dominating them. Furthermore, it can include ignoring, freezing out, or not cooperating with someone because of his or her sex.

Any individual in the Department who feels that he or she is being exposed to sexual harassment or other violations/humiliations of the character described above can contact Company’s Executive.

If the Company learns that an employee is being exposed to sexual harassment or other violations, it is responsible for investigating the circumstances and taking any required action to address such violations/humiliations and prevent them from occurring in the future.

Reports of such violations should be treated confidentially and urgently. The employee should be protected against any harassment related to having filed a complaint. Disciplinary measures can be taken against any employee or employer who is found guilty of such harassment. If the

employer is not fulfilling his or her duties, according to the gender equality committee law, the employer has to pay the employee an indemnity for the violation caused by the omission.