On 3 December new rules came into force to promote respect for gender equality in the workplace and to reward the most virtuous companies.
This is Law No. 162/2021, which amends the Code of Equal Opportunities (Legislative Decree 198/2006).
Here are some of the most significant changes:
– the mandatory writing of a periodic report on the situation of staff (Art. 46 Legislative Decree No. 198/2006) to be carried out every two years by companies with more than 50 employees and no more than 100; smaller companies will be able to write this report, but they will not be obliged at this;
– in the event of a false or incomplete report, a pecuniary administrative penalty of between € 1,000 and € 5,000 will be applied by the National Labour Inspectorate;
– from 1 January 2022 the “certification of gender equality” will be established to certify the employers’ policies and concrete measures to reduce the gender gap with regard to growth opportunities in companies, equal pay for equal work, and policies for the management of gender differences and the protection of maternity (Art. 46 bis Legislative Decree 198/2006);
– for companies which, at 31 December of the year preceding the reference year, will hold the certification is awarded a reward score to participate in national and regional European projects for the granting of state aid and those companies that in 2022 will have this certification will be granted tax exemptions.
