Index looks at corporate policies and operations, personnel and culture, supply chain, marketing practices, and community engagement
A new index aimed at tracking workplace practices supporting women in organisations launched in Hong Kong last week.
The Women Workplace Index is a public disclosure database containing the workplace representation and practices of about 250 companies from various sectors.
The data comes from pilot research carried out among Hong Kong-listed organisations between 2022 and 2023.
The first batch of data from 50 companies will be released by late May, with updates from additional 50 companies every two months.
"Hong Kong is our initial focus, with plans to expand to other Asian countries and regions. We believe that Hong Kong is in an ideal position to lead efforts in Asia," said Nicole Yuen Shuk-kam, founder of the Women Workplace Index, as quoted by The Standard.
How the index works for women
The data has been gathered through questionnaires voluntarily filled out by organisations, The Standard reported.
The questions inquire about a company's corporate policies and operations, personnel and culture, supply chain, marketing practices, and community engagement.
The index then determines if the company provides adequate protection of women's rights at work. If not, the organisation will be provided policy and training to address the issue.
Among its listed goals include encouraging disclosure among organisations, improving best practices through benchmarking women workplace policies and performance, as well as accelerating changes across organisations.
The Women’s Workplace Index will also act as an accreditation scheme, to certify companies based on the extent of their disclosures.
According to the organizers, the index is planning to expand its coverage across Asia between 2024 and 2026. It aims to cover listed companies and major employers in all the Asian nations.
