Polish listed companies have less and less time to prepare for new duties related to gender balance in boards and supervisory boards. By the end of June 2025, they must adopt resolutions regarding gender balance policy, and from June 30, 2026 specific goals will apply: at least 40 percent. participation of non -depressed sex in non -performance advice or 33 percent. in the company's bodies together. Meanwhile, only four companies from the WIG140 index meet the requirements of the directive today. The 30% Club data shows that women occupy an average of 14.6 percent. positions in the boards of these companies and 25.3 percent in supervisory boards. In WIG20 companies, the situation looks even worse – the participation of women in boards has dropped to 12.5 percent.
– Not all companies see the importance of this issue. Some do not yet know how to go about it – says Ewa Jakubiak, senior partner at Page Executive. – And if someone tries to implement it strength, without understanding the sense of these changes, it will not work.
Large companies started earlier. The smaller ones still lack the strategy
Although some international organizations operating in Poland have already been able to test similar solutions in other markets, many local family companies are just beginning to orientate that the new requirements will apply to them. – Family companies or smaller organizations with Polish capital often need primarily education and support. This is not a topic that appears naturally in their daily agenda – explains Jakubiak.
It is not about putting a woman in the board
According to the expert, the biggest mistake would be to treat the directive as letters to tick off. – This is not about one woman appeared somewhere and you could say: done. It is about building a approach in which we have a real balance at the stage of creating a list of candidates. And this means a change in thinking, system support for women in development and recruitment – he emphasizes.
– When companies operate under the pressure of regulation, not by conviction, it is easy to find apparent actions. This can lead to frustration – and on the side of women and the organization – he adds.
It is also a recruitment challenge. In some industries, it is difficult to find a woman with competence to the highest level of management. Jakubiak recalls an example of a process in the energy sector, when she managed to find only two candidates in the entire labor market who had the appropriate competences and were open to the interview.
– Sometimes women just don't have the opportunity to get to this stage of their career, and sometimes they give up themselves. Some simply do not need to enter the race for C-Level positions-he emphasizes. – And this is also fine, if it is a choice, not system restrictions.
The rest of the article is under video material
Jakubiak also reminds that the directive talks about the balance of sex – and therefore also applies to industries in which men are under -represented. – This happens in many areas, such as HR or the Beauty industry. There, it is also worth taking care of greater variety – he emphasizes.
Stereotypes and invisible barriers
The problem is not just recruitment. Stereotypes are still coming back in conversations with employers. – There are questions about children or fears that a woman will take release or cannot withstand pressure. This still lines, especially in more conservative structures – says Jakubiak. In her opinion, this shows how much not only formal but also mental changes are needed.
External support helps to break the schemes
More and more companies are choosing to support external recruitment companies that can provide balanced lists of candidates and objectively assess competences. – As partners, we are able to introduce greater transparency and diversity already at the shortlist stage – notes Jakubiak.
Equality is not only a social value, but also a business advantage
Sustainable boards are not only a matter of justice but also efficiency. – Studies show that companies with greater variety achieve better financial results and make more thoughtful decisions. This affects both organizational culture and real business results – says the expert.
Positive changes are already happening
Although many organizations are only at the beginning of this path, Ewa Jakubiak also notices positive signals. – We have more and more educated women, fathers more involved in the education of children, and the inalienable parental leave begins to change the proportions. Remote work has also opened new opportunities for many women who had previously given up professional aspirations – he emphasizes.
It is not the directive that creates a trend. She just organizes him
Ewa Jakubiak points out that the best organizations are not waiting for regulations, but they build conscious, various teams themselves. – The directive is only the letter of the law. The trend, in order to take care of sex balance, has already existed, but now it takes a specific shape and maybe it will finally reach where he has not been so far – he sums up.
Poland is still below the EU average. According to Eurostat data, women constitute about 15 percent. members of companies in Poland, while throughout the European Union it is an average of 32 percent. This shows that the regulation itself is not enough – a change of approach at the level of entire organizations is needed. Much, however, depends on whether organizations treat it as an opportunity, not a problem to solve. -It can't be a task for HR. Here you need awareness of the entire board and a real understanding why this change is needed – says Jakubiak. – Otherwise we will actually stay with a list to tick off. And with frustration on both sides of the table.
