Gender Equality Plan for Building Employer Branding of a Research Institution

Abstract

The aim of this article is to discuss the possibility of using gender equality plans (GEPs) to build a brand, especially the employer branding (EB) of a research institution. The example of the GEP of the Central Mining Institute-National Research Institute (GIG-PIB) has been used in this article. The research methodology includes an analysis of the existing data and a survey involving all the GIG-PIB employees, not only those in research and scientific positions. The computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) research covered five key areas associated with gender equality, such as work–life balance, gender balance in management and decision-making bodies, gender equality in recruitment and career development, gender mainstreaming in the research process and measures to combat gender-based violence. This article presents the results of the survey. The analysis of the results shows that the opportunities for professional, scientific and personal development were positively assessed by the staff of GIG-PIB. Such favourable opinions of employees are an important element of building a competitive advantage based on the brand of the research institution and its Employer Branding.