Gender equality and balance

The table below shows the gender balance in the company, as well as the percentage of women's salaries compared to men's, as of December 31, 2023.

Results 

As of December 31^st 2023, the gender balance at House of Control was 36% women and 64% men. This represents a 2% increase in the number of women in the organization since 2022. As shown in the table above, women at House of Control earned 82% of men's fixed salaries in 2023. This is a decrease of 5% from the previous year. We still have more men than women in leadership roles. This is an area we are focusing on and will address further in this report.

Job levels and salaries

It is important for House of Control to offer employees an attractive salary that matches market levels and is perceived as fair. In this connection, we have partnered with Korn Ferry to create a salary benchmarking framework for the various roles in the company. This has given us a total overview of roles, levels and grades, across our locations. This framework provides predictability, both for the employees and the company, and helps to attract and retain talent. The data matches salaries for similar grades and roles against the rest of the market, giving us further control over equal pay. The Korn Ferry process laid the foundation for the salary process in 2023.

Gender balance – temporary employees, part-time employees, parental leave and recruitment 

The overview below shows the gender balance in employment, leave, and recruitment in 2023. As the table indicates, we make limited use of temporary employees. The exception in 2023 was two temporary positions, both adapted to accommodate studies. One of these temporary positions will transition into a permanent role in 2024.

During 2023, women took an average of 10,56 weeks more parental leave than men. During 2023, we had two women and one man on parental leave. We will detail the measures we have implemented to ensure men take their share of parental leave in sections 2.3 and 2.4.2.

In 2023, six women and three men were hired. Measures were implemented throughout the year to recruit more women into the company. The rationale behind these measures will be discussed in section 2.2.

Salary differences between woman and men at different job levels in per cent 

The salary grades in the company are based on the Korn Ferry framework. A thorough process and review of all roles in the company were conducted, considering the complexity, competency requirements, and responsibilities of the roles. The grades were determined based on the expertise and experience of Korn Ferry's consultants, in collaboration with internal company resources.

As Table 1 below shows, women at House of Control have higher fixed salaries than men in 3 out of 11 grades. In some grades, there are only men or only women (see Table 2), making information about salary differences irrelevant. In grade 13, 14, and 17, women's percentage of men's salaries has decreased slightly since 2022. Conversely, the percentage has increased in grade 16 and 18. As of December 31, 2023, we had no employees in grade 19.

Table 1

Table 2 shows that there are fewer women than men in the highest grades in the company. This is related to the higher proportion of men in leadership roles. The risks associated with this and our strategies for addressing it will be discussed in sections 2.3 to 2.4.2 of the report.

Table 2

Our work for equality and against discrimination

Principles, procedures and standards 

At House of Control, our goal is to develop and attract the most talented people. This means recruiting employees who reflect the society we live in, regardless of gender, background, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, identity, age, or disability. We have zero tolerance for discrimination, and our commitment to equality is reflected in all our personnel processes, including recruitment, promotion, salary and working conditions, development opportunities, accommodations, and work-life balance.

Our efforts to promote equality and prevent discrimination are embedded in our values, ethical guidelines, LMS and measurement systems, employee handbook, salary processes, and HSE procedures.

How we work to ensure equality and prevent discrimination in practice

In addition to our focus on equality and diversity, it is important for the company to hire the most qualified candidate for each role. We are pleased that our recruitment efforts in 2023 resulted in more female hires than male, and we see this as an important step towards creating a more inclusive and balanced workplace. Furthermore, we have adapted the workplace to accommodate various physical challenges, and we are glad to support all employees in their daily work.

The psychosocial work environment is important to us, and we are continuously working to improve our processes in this area. The Work Environment Committee held three meetings in 2023, where key figures and action plans for both the physical and psychosocial work environment were reviewed. The work of the committee is ongoing, and the current members will serve until December 31, 2025.

Regular pulse surveys are conducted in the organization using a system called Peakon. These bi-monthly measurements allow employees to anonymously influence and provide feedback within the system. The surveys cover various topics, including equality and diversity, among others. By directly collecting feedback from all employees, we gain insights into their perspectives on leadership, work environment, motivation, development opportunities, job satisfaction, and engagement. This enables us to react proactively and ensure that plans and initiatives are implemented in response to current feedback on a regular basis.

The outcomes of these surveys are continuously addressed by both managers and HR, including discussions in monthly HR meetings and team workshops. The results are on the agenda for Work Environment Committee meetings and are communicated organization-wide through our shared platform, Workplace.

In House of Control, there is a high degree of flexibility, with arrangements in place to ensure a good balance between work and leisure, including options for home office when necessary and flexible working hours.

Our culture is characterized by a strong sense of trust, influence, openness, and employee relations, regardless of one's role within the company. This culture is closely linked to our core values, which were developed collaboratively by all employees. From this, we identified four foundational pillars that define who we are, how we operate, and what we stand for. We are the Yes-team who believes in growth, with a power of action built on confidence.  Our values guide how we treat each other, ensuring equal opportunities for professional growth, opportunities to influence at all levels, and a safe environment where everyone can freely express their opinions and be their authentic selves. Our values also set expectations for workplace attitudes and behaviors, binding us internally and externally with our customers, partners, and stakeholders.

Our values are integrated into our Learning Management System (LMS) as a core objective, enabling all employees to align their individual goals with the overall goals. This ensures that our core values are rooted throughout the organization and that each employee can contribute to our collective vision in a meaningful way.

As mentioned in sections 1.3 and 1.5, we have established a framework for salary benchmarks within the company. Annual grade reviews are conducted in collaboration with company leaders and Korn Ferry consultants to ensure that each role is appropriately classified. The agreement with Korn Ferry is currently valid until end 2024, and we aim to continue this collaboration to maintain oversight and control of equal pay moving forward.

As noted, we have procedures and guidelines in place to promote equality and prevent discrimination. Additionally, we have implemented an anonymized reporting procedure that provides a safe environment for employees to report misconduct. Our procedures are accessible on our shared Google Drive and are clearly communicated to all employees. They are also reviewed during the onboarding program for all new hires.

How we will ensure equality and prevent discrimination going forward

As of today, we have 7 different nationalities represented in the company. Diversity extends far beyond nationality, and we aim to increase our focus on diversity and equality in our recruitment processes. In 2022, a proposal was made to inform our recruitment partners that we do not wish to have insights into age, gender, or ethnicity when candidates are submitted to us. This practice was implemented in some recruitment processes, however not in all. This decision was due to the fact that in certain processes, it is beneficial to have insight into gender to ensure gender balance within teams. In 2024, we aim to implement concealed recruitment more extensively so that we can work more effectively to promote diversity in our processes. Information about this will be included in our job advertisement templates to make it visible to all applicants.

Furthermore, we will continue to actively work with the results of the pulse surveys to ensure transparency and inclusivity in our processes. These surveys serve as a metric for evaluation by our stakeholders, and we are dedicated to addressing their feedback.

The Work Environment Committee will continue to conduct its quarterly meetings, where pulse survey findings, regular statistics, as well as any issues related to the physical and mental work environment, will remain on the agenda.

We will actively engage with our values as a tool to promote desired behaviors and as guidance when collaborating with both internal and external partners. Through our LMS system, we have established a platform that fosters personal development while strengthening the organization's culture and core values. This system enables employees to set specific goals aligned with the company's strategy, objectives, and values, while providing leaders with the ability to support and track individual progress in a systematic manner. In this way, we promote a work culture where all employees work towards common goals with a clear understanding of how their contributions contribute to the company's success and an inclusive work environment.

We want a broad perspective and representation of employees, customers and the market among our managers. Not least, diversity among managers is important for the company's reputation and the ability to attract and retain skilled employees. In Visma Dialog, we will increase focus on employee development through a competence and development module. In addition, it will be possible to carry out a strategic assessment and development of employees towards future leadership roles, where leadership talents will be mapped. The aim is to focus on female management talent, to ensure gender equality in promotions and newly created management roles.

To further support diversity and differences within the company, we aim to enhance mutual understanding among employees. Therefore, we strive to encourage participation in Tracom's Social Styles program, a preference model that teaches how one's behavior influences others and provides techniques for understanding others' behavioral preferences. This program will improve communication and positively contribute to a culture of collaboration and inclusivity.

At House of Control, we will continue our co-operation with Korn Ferry to ensure equal pay and prevent discrimination. As in previous years, this will form the basis for our yearly salary processes. 

Regarding parental leave, we have previously covered salary based on the coverage rate from NAV. To encourage men to also take full parental leave and thereby support women in returning to work sooner, thus avoiding career and salary setbacks, we have adjusted the parental leave salary coverage to full payment effective January 1^st 2024. Additionally, employees will receive full pay for the two weeks leave related to childbirth. 

In our company, women's salaries average 82% of men's salaries. This represents a decrease from the previous year, partly due to a higher proportion of male leaders compared to female leaders. We are aware of this challenge and, in addition to the above measures, will continue to focus on ensuring equal pay for equal work.

We have identified the following risks of discrimination and barriers to equality: 

• The survey showed that the proportion of women in leadership positions is lower than that of men. Initiatives to promote female leadership talents will be implemented to ensure equality in promotions
• Increase the proportion of women and diversity in the company overall
• Unconscious biases and lack of understanding of diverse preferences can affect our decisions. Awareness through Tracom's social styles can help us address this effectively

The following measures to prevent discrimination and promote equality have been implemented

• Continuous review of statistics, physical, and psychological work environment in the Work Environment Committee
• Pulse surveys conducted bi-monthly to ensure transparency and inclusivity. All employees have the opportunity to provide feedback on how they perceive the company prioritizes diversity and whether they experience discrimination. Regular workshops and initiatives based on pulse survey results are implemented
• Actively work with our values, focusing on diversity, attitudes, and behavior
• Salary benchmarks from Korn Ferry to close any gaps and ensure equal pay
• Full coverage in parental leave
• Increased opportunities for training and career development through Visma Learn

Additionally, regular assessment of gender distribution status within the company is conducted.

Upcoming initiatives and planned activities

• Inform our partners that we do not seek insight into age, gender, or ethnicity of candidates. The exception will be where it is appropriate to prioritize gender balance in the department
• Promote female leadership talents through competency modules and career development
• Introduce more activities in the offices to emphasize diversity
• Reduce the gap in salary disparities in grades where women earn less than men's share of pay
• Implement Tracom's Social Styles to support diversity and inclusion efforts, and increase awareness of unconscious biases

Additionally, we will increase visibility of initiatives and planned activities through communication on the Workplace platform and during all-hands meetings.

Results of the work so far and expectations going forward

Over the past three years, we have achieved significant reductions in the gender pay gap across  various job grades, with women's salaries either matching or approaching those of men in most levels. We are firmly committed to continuing this positive trend to ensure all employees experience fair and equal opportunities.

As mentioned in the report, we have identified areas for improvement and increased focus going forward. Our current approach to gender equality and non-discrimination, along with our implementations and future plans, will further strengthen our dedication and attention to gender equality, diversity, and gender balance within the company.

For information contact: 

Sara Ringås