Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Promote gender equality and the position of women and men in the Republic of Serbia; contribute to strengthening the role of women in business decision-making and society in general.
One of the keystones of NIS’s business is the improvement of a gender-equal culture within the company and a work environment where the equality of all employees is unconditionally respected. This includes creating an atmosphere where all employees have equal opportunities to fulfil their full potential.
In a team of more than 13,500 employees, one-third are female. Considering the fact that the oil industry is traditionally perceived as “male-dominated,” this statistic demonstrates that gender equality is indeed a cornerstone of NIS’s sustainable development.
NIS promotes the training and professional development of all its employees, and there is no differentiation in salaries based on gender within the company. Women are well represented on all management levels – from entry-level jobs to top executive positions. NIS is a company that encourages women to pursue careers directly related to the exploration, production, refining, and distribution of oil and petroleum products. As a result, nearly 20 percent of the total number of engineers in the company are women.
The company offers to its employees numerous benefits in order for them to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Thus all the employees in the company, to whom the work process allows, have the right to work from home two days a month. Additionally, our female colleagues who are undergoing IVF and have doctor’s recommendation to rest, have the right to work from home during the procedure, while pregnant women and those in postpartum have the possibility to work from home for more than two days per month.
A phased return to work is provided for employees returning from maternity leave, where during the first two weeks after returning, they work 50% of their regular hours but receive full pay. Additionally, single parents of children up to 12 years old, upon providing proof of their status, have the right to work from home for more than the specified two days per month.
Workers on maternity leave, child care leave, or special parental leave are reimbursed for the difference between the benefit amount determined by the municipal authorities and the basic salary of the employee for the month preceding the first month of the leave, increased by benefit for the years of service, insofar such difference does not exceed five average salaries in the Republic of Serbia, i.e. the maximum basic salary for contribution payments.
Women are significantly represented in talent programmes and professional internship programmes organised by the company. In 2023, NIS conducted the seventh season of its internship programme “NIS Calling,” which involved 35 interns, with more than 65% of them being female. The third season of the new talent program for youth, “NIS Energy,” was also implemented. This is a one-year paid program focusing on crucial business positions. In this program, 25 participants are engaged, with more than 50% of them being female.
In the field of sustainable development, NIS collaborates with various partners within the local community. The goal is to enhance the company’s capabilities for better integration of sustainable development aspects into business activities.
One of the focuses during 2023 was on collaboration with the NGO “Women’s Centre Milica”. This association works on improving the position, quality of life, and health of women.
The donation given by NIS is aimed at implementing a project to create a web application for communication and information for patients with breast cancer and other gynaecological cancers. On World Breast Cancer Day – 24 October 2023, NIS collaborated with the Association to conduct a lecture on breast cancer prevention for a total of 42 NIS’s employees.
