Gender Equality Plan (GEP)

Organization: VIZOFTX s. r. o.
Version: 1.0
Effective date: 1 November 2025
Approved by: Michal Zajac (Managing Director, Co-Founder) & Monika Zajacová (Managing Director, Co-Founder)

0. Management Statement

The leadership of VIZOFTX s. r. o. is committed to systematically promoting gender equality and creating a fair, safe, and inclusive working environment. This plan sets a binding framework of measures and indicators for the period 2025–2027 and is publicly available on the company’s website in the section “About Us → Documents.”

1. Scope and Purpose

This GEP applies to all persons working for VIZOFTX s. r. o. (employees, shareholders/partners, temporary collaborators, external vendors/contractors when working for VIZOFTX). Its aims are to:

ensure the minimum process requirements under the Horizon Europe framework,
introduce specific measures across the five recommended areas,
define measurable objectives, responsibilities, and the method of monitoring.

2. Background and Definitions

Gender equality: equal rights, opportunities, and treatment regardless of sex or gender identity.
Gender mainstreaming: integrating a gender perspective into all policies, processes, and decisions.
Gender-based violence (GBV), including sexual harassment: any behavior of a sexual or gender-motivated nature that is unwelcome and causes intimidation, humiliation, or creates a hostile environment.

3. Minimum Process Requirements

3.1 Publication

This GEP is formally approved by the Managing Directors and published on the official VIZOFTX s. r. o. website.
A signed PDF version is available for download; in case of updates, a change log will be provided.

3.2 Dedicated Resources

Responsible person (GEP Lead): Michal Zajac (interim). By 31 January 2026 ensure rotation or co-responsibility with the Managing Director to avoid conflicts of interest.
Budget: at least 1% of annual overhead (or at least €150 per year, whichever is higher) for trainings, external consulting, and implementation of measures.
External expertise: where needed, contract an independent consultant for trainings and an annual process audit (at least once per year).

3.3 Data Collection and Monitoring

Disaggregated data: we record data on employment status, remuneration, contract types, and participation in decision-making disaggregated by sex/parenthood status (to the extent permitted by law and with the consent of the individuals concerned).
Indicators: see Section 6 and Annex A (indicator table).
Reporting: one internal report per year (by 31 February) and a short public summary on the website.

3.4 Training and Awareness-Raising

Mandatory e-learnings: “Unconscious Bias,” “Inclusive Leadership,” “Prevention of Sexual Harassment” — at onboarding and every 2 years thereafter.
Leadership workshop: a 2-hour interactive workshop on inclusive decision-making once a year (may be online).
Onboarding: the GEP and the Code of Ethics are part of the introductory documentation.

4. Areas and Specific Measures

4.1 Work–Life Balance and Organizational Culture

Flexible work (time/place) as default, considering project needs and occupational safety.
Transparent calendar and scheduling of meetings during core hours (10:00–15:00).
Parenthood support: option of part-time arrangements, temporary task reallocation upon return from parental leave.
Internal communication norms: courtesy; late emails sent with delayed delivery.

Targets 2025–2027:

at least 90% of meetings held in core hours;
100% flexible work arrangements wherever the nature of work allows.

4.2 Gender Balance in Leadership and Decision-Making

When expanding the team: ensure that at least two different evaluators participate in hiring decisions; if team size does not allow this, invite an external advisor.
Leadership provides an annual overview of the composition of governing and advisory roles.

Targets:

Maintain/strengthen gender diversity in statutory bodies.
When headcount exceeds 5 FTE: at least 40/60 women/men representation in broader leadership (middle management) by end of 2027, where the labor market allows.

4.3 Equality in Recruitment and Career Progression

Standardized job ads: gender-inclusive language, only essential requirements.
Shortlists: strive for gender-balanced shortlists; if not feasible, document the reasons.
Pay transparency: include salary bands; annual audit of the gender pay gap (if N≥3 in comparable roles).
Mentoring and development: each employee has an annual development plan.

Targets:

100% of job ads include a salary band;
annual pay-equity audit;
bias-aware selection process time (bias-free hiring toolkit in Annex C).

4.4 Integration of the Gender Dimension in Research and (where relevant) Teaching

In project proposals, mandatory assessment of the relevance of the gender dimension (Gender Dimension Checklist).
In technical CV/AI projects, assess dataset representativeness, bias risk, and impacts on different user groups.
Document decisions and mitigations in project deliverables.

Targets:

100% of projects demonstrably assess the gender dimension;
for projects with impact on people: include a chapter “Ethics & Gender Impact.”

4.5 Measures Against Gender-Based Violence and Sexual Harassment

Zero-tolerance policy (Annex B).
Reporting channels:
- internal: gep@vizoftx.sk (access for both Managing Directors),
- external: independent ombudsperson/mediator (contracted partner, contact on the website).
Investigation procedure: prompt, confidential, with no retaliation; if a complaint concerns a Managing Director, the person concerned is excluded from the process and the case is handled by the other Managing Director plus the external mediator.
Support for victims: option of paid leave, flexible work, referral to professional support.

Targets:

100% of complaints resolved within 30 days;
annual prevention training and mandatory e-learning at onboarding.

5. Governance, Roles, and Responsibilities

GEP Lead: coordinates implementation, data collection, trainings, reporting; proposes revisions.
Company leadership: approves budget, goals, and annual reports; guarantees independence of complaint investigations.
External consultant: provides trainings, methodological support, and an annual compliance audit.

6. Indicators and Targets (Selected)

Area	Indicator	Target 2025	Target 2026	Target 2027
Publication	GEP published and signed	Yes	–	–
Resources	% of budget for GEP	≥1%	≥1%	≥1%
Training	% of people trained (bias/prevention)	100% at entry	100%	100%
WLB	% of meetings in core hours	85%	90%	90%
Recruitment	Job ads with salary band	100%	100%	100%
Pay	Gender pay-gap audit (if N≥3)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Research	Projects with Gender Dimension Checklist	100%	100%	100%
GBV	Complaint closure time	≤30 days	≤30 days	≤30 days

Note: with small staff sizes we will use qualitative assessment and data anonymization in line with GDPR.

7. Implementation Timeline

Q4/2025: formal approval and publication of the GEP; selection of an external consultant; setup of the email gep@vizoftx.sk.
Q1/2026: core trainings and onboarding e-learnings; first annual data collection (for 2025).
Q2–Q3/2026: pay-equity audit (where relevant), revision of recruitment templates, pilot of the gender checklist in projects.
Q4/2026 and Q4/2027: annual review and update of the GEP.

8. Reporting and Revision

Annual internal report (by 31 February) includes: indicator performance, findings from trainings and reports, and an improvement plan.
The GEP is revised at least annually, or upon significant team expansion or new legislation.

9. Personal Data Protection

Collection and processing of personal data follow GDPR and Slovak legislation.
Outputs are aggregated and anonymized; raw data are accessible only to authorized persons.

10. Contacts

General questions and reports: gep@vizoftx.sk
External ombudsperson: (to be added after contract execution, no later than 31 January 2026)

Annex A – Indicator and Annual Reporting Standard

Workforce structure by gender and working time;
Training participation;
Salary bands and audit (if N≥3 in comparable roles);
Representation in decision-making processes;
Recruitment indicators (shortlists, time-to-hire, candidate sources);
For research projects: assessment of the gender dimension, bias mitigations;
For GBV: number of reports, method of closure (no personal data), time to resolution.

Annex B – Zero-Tolerance Policy on GBV and Sexual Harassment

Any unwanted sexual or gender-motivated behavior, comments, touching, gestures, or digital communication are prohibited.
Reporting is possible anonymously (external form) or via gep@vizoftx.sk.
Whistleblower protection: strict prohibition of retaliation.
Procedure: acknowledgment of receipt (within 3 working days), preliminary assessment (within 10 days), investigation (within 30 days), measures and feedback.
Sanctions: from warning to termination of cooperation; where relevant, referral to the authorities.

Annex C – Recruitment and Selection Toolkit (Short Version)

Inclusive job-ad template;
Standardized questions free of gender bias;
Matrix-based, skills-oriented candidate evaluation;
Mandatory note: “This position is open to all individuals regardless of sex, gender identity, age, ethnicity, disability, or any other protected characteristic.”

Annex D – Gender Dimension Checklist for Projects

Is the outcome/product used by people or does it affect population groups?
Are input data representative and balanced?
How do the needs/user journeys of women and men (and other gender identities) differ?
What bias risks exist and what mitigations are we implementing?
How will we continuously validate and report the gender dimension?

Signatures of the Management

………………………………………
Michal Zajac
Managing Director, Co-Founder
Date: …1.10.2025………

………………………………………
Monika Zajacová
Managing Director, Co-Founder
Date: …1.10.2025…