While much of today’s conversation in the tech world revolves around artificial intelligence, every company is made up of people. Especially in an era defined by distributed organizations, hybrid work models, and increased operational autonomy, investing in people is fundamental – not just as an ethical imperative, but as a core driver of business growth.
It was with this understanding that NetCom embarked on a journey which, in 2025, led to the attainment of Italy’s Gender Equality Certification. This credential is a concrete and verifiable acknowledgment of NetCom’s commitment to building a fair, inclusive, and people-oriented workplace.
How to Manage Human Capital: Engagement and Inclusion Matter
Fostering a workplace where people feel valued, engaged, and empowered is a strategic lever for attracting talent, reducing turnover, and boosting productivity.
The evidence is clear: there is a direct link between employee engagement and organizational performance, just as diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) strategies are proving increasingly decisive. Companies with a diverse workforce report profitability levels 35% higher than average and are 70% more likely to enter new markets successfully. Even more telling is the data on gender equality: when women occupy more than 30% of leadership roles, the chances of outperforming industry peers on financial performance increase significantly.
Yet, the reality is mixed. For instance, only 21% of employees describe themselves as highly engaged at work. Talking about inclusion and engagement isn’t enough, though; what’s needed is a shift from intent to action – measurable, concrete, and transparent.
This is where standardized frameworks and certifications come into play. Gender equality certification represents a fundamental step forward, enabling companies to move beyond principles and base their human capital management strategy on clear, verifiable metrics.
Gender Equality Certification: Why It Matters Today
Obtaining Gender Equality Certification means committing to a process that extends well beyond symbolic intentions. In line with UNI/PdR 125:2022, organizations must implement a comprehensive human capital management system for gender equality, based on measurable goals and specific KPIs spanning all relevant inclusion and equity domains.
Certification is grounded in objective criteria, covering key areas such as organizational culture and strategy, governance, HR processes, opportunities for growth and inclusion, pay equity, and work-life balance and parental protection.
Within these areas, organizations must track over time essential indicators such as female career advancement rates, gender pay gaps, participation in training programs, the percentage of women in management and STEM roles, and more.
The certification process also requires the involvement of a third-party body accredited by Accredia, which conducts documentary and operational audits. Upon approval, certification is valid for three years and subject to ongoing checks and regular monitoring of KPIs, so that gender equality becomes a lasting part of the business model, not just a box to tick.
Tangible Benefits for Human Resources Management and Beyond
Gender equality certification is more than a formality: it is a strategic investment yielding concrete advantages on multiple fronts. From a business perspective, certified companies benefit from concrete incentives, such as a 1% reduction in social security contributions (up to €50,000 per year), as well as bonus points in public tenders and reduced financial guarantees.
From a human resource management perspective, promoting a stronger female presence and inclusive policies results in tangible improvements: higher employee engagement, lower turnover, and a more positive workplace culture, driving benefits in productivity and performance.
Reputational gains may be even more significant: a company that demonstrates through data and process its commitment to inclusion becomes more attractive not only to talent, but also to investors and partners who prioritize sustainability and social responsibility
NetCom and Gender Equality Certification: Part of a Broader Journey
In September 2025, NetCom obtained Italy’s Gender Equality Certification, the result of a process launched in 2022 to address, in a systematic way, all those aspects that turn equity into a structural reality: pay parity, balanced teams, interventions to make workplaces truly inclusive, and real measures for work-life balance.
This has been a cross-functional journey involving all areas of the company – from Legal to HR – and has allowed NetCom to turn a long-standing value-driven culture into a formalized, measurable standard. The goal is not just to maintain certification, but to keep improving the indicators on which it depends.
As part of this journey, NetCom has established – although not required by regulations – a gender equality steering committee made up of two women, as a deliberate organizational choice. This decision further strengthens the company’s governance on gender equality, ensuring more effective and representative oversight, fully aligned with the inclusive values and sense of responsibility that have guided the entire project.
At NetCom, gender equality is not an isolated initiative. Just a month before obtaining certification, in August 2025, the company adopted an Organizational, Management and Control Model under Legislative Decree 231/2001, explicitly including gender discrimination among the monitored risks. The synergy between these two measures further strengthens substantive compliance, based on auditable policies and the integration of inclusive principles into business processes.
Today, NetCom’s journey continues with a structured internal training plan: over 500 employees have already participated in sessions on the 231 Model, and upcoming modules will focus on gender equality. At NetCom, compliance goes beyond simple regulatory fulfillment; it is a matter of shared culture and responsibility.