The University's path to the label 

In November 2023, Tallinn University of Technology signed the Diversity Charter, which was originally initiated by the University's Department of Law equal treatment promotion project "Diversity Enriches". Diversity and inclusion have been values held by the university for decades, and joining the Diversity Charter allowed the university to publicly express its support for this cause. 

At the beginning of 2024, a new round of applications for the quality label was opened, so applying for it was the next logical step for the university. To apply for the label, it was necessary to complete a self-assessment questionnaire and submit an action plan for the next two years, detailing activities the university will actively engage in over the upcoming two years.

Future steps to promote diversity at the University  

We will continue to actively raise awareness about diversity and inclusion by organizing various training sessions on diversity topics for employees, celebrating different days (such as Diversity Day, Women in Science Day, and International Day of Persons with Disabilities), and training leaders to better prevent, identify, and resolve potential issues within their teams. Additionally, all employees have access to an online course “Creating a Diverse, Open and Caring Work Environment” on the university's e-learning platform Coursy. 

To ensure that documentation and information regarding equal treatment is easily accessible and more visible, we will create bilingual pages for the University's intranet and homepage, providing necessary information for both employees and students. 

We will continue to map the state of equal treatment through biennial employee satisfaction surveys, which will include questions about possible unequal treatment and the support employees need for improvement. Additionally, we will maintain the annual review and publication of average salaries, with a separate report on the gender pay gap. Based on these analyses, additional measures will be developed to reduce the gender pay gap at the University. 

To better advise employees and students, we plan to create a network of equal treatment counsellors within the University. Since the University is large and has colleges in other Estonian cities, it is important to have advisors in units, who are ready to listen and, if necessary, refer employees and students to experts. The counsellors will receive the necessary training. 

The coordinator of the equal treatment field at the university is Well-Being Centre, which can be contacted with proposals and questions via e-mail: tooheaolu@taltech.ee. 

The Respecting Differences label is issued by the Estonian Human Rights Centre in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, and can be applied for by all Estonian companies, public sector organizations, and NGOs that value employees regardless of their differences and peculiarities. The label, issued since 2018, is both a recognition and a development opportunity for employers who value diversity and strive to create an inclusive work environment. The label is valid for two years, after which it can be renewed. This year marks the fourth time the label has been awarded.