Gender equality statement

Approved by: Chief Innovation Officer
Organisation: The Floow Limited
Effective date: September 2026
Review frequency: Annually

1. Our commitment

The Floow Limited is committed to providing an inclusive, respectful and equitable working environment in which all employees have equal opportunity to develop, contribute and progress, regardless of sex or gender.

We recognise that gender equality is an important component of a diverse and innovative organisation. As a technology, data and research organisation, we are committed to identifying and addressing barriers to equality in our practices, organisational culture, leadership, and research and innovation activities.

This Gender Equality Plan (GEP) sets out The Floow's commitments, responsibilities and approach to monitoring gender equality. It is intended to support our compliance with applicable UK legislation and relevant international good practice, and provides an appropriate framework for our participation in European research and innovation programmes, including Horizon Europe where applicable.

The Plan is approved by senior management and is published publicly available on The Floow website (this webpage).

2. Scope

This GEP applies to The Floow Limited and its employees, managers and decision-makers. It is also relevant to hr processes, research and innovation activities, and relationships with external partners and collaborators.

The Floow operates internationally and recognises that requirements and cultural contexts relating to gender equality may differ between jurisdictions. We therefore seek to apply the principles of equality, dignity, respect and non-discrimination consistently while complying with applicable local requirements.

3. Governance and dedicated resources

Responsibility for implementing this GEP rests with The Floow's senior management, supported by the relevant functions responsible for HR, compliance and organisational governance.

The Floow:

  • maintain appropriate management responsibility for gender equality and implementation of this plan;

  • use policies and practices to ensure equality, diversity and inclusion is considered across its operations;

  • review progress against this Plan at least annually; and

  • update the Plan where monitoring, legislation, organisational circumstances or good practice indicate that changes are appropriate.

4. Data collection and monitoring

The Floow monitors gender representation and relevant employment indicators alongside its organisation chart to identify potential inequalities and assess progress.

Subject to applicable data protection and privacy requirements, monitoring includes sex/gender disaggregated information relating to:

  • overall workforce composition;

  • representation across different organisational groups (e.g. innovation team activity);

  • management and senior leadership positions;

  • HR practices; and

  • where appropriate and lawful, other indicators relevant to identifying potential gender inequalities.

Data is handled in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and The Floow's information governance requirements. Reporting uses appropriately aggregated information and will not disclose personal or confidential employee information.

The Floow annually review gender equality indicators and use the findings to identify areas requiring further action.

Where material and persistent imbalances are identified, management consider where able appropriate measures to address potential barriers to equal opportunity.

5. Awareness and training

The Floow is committed to maintaining awareness of gender equality and the potential impacts from unconscious or implicit bias on workplace decisions.

The organisation make available appropriate policies relating to equality with awareness across all staff and decision-makers. This includes:

  • gender equality and equal opportunities;

  • fair and objective HR processes;

  • an inclusive and respectful workplace; and

  • prevention and handling of harassment and inappropriate behaviour.

6. Work-life balance and organisational culture

The Floow recognises that work-life balance and organisational culture can influence equality of opportunity and career progression.

The Floow support an inclusive working environment through measures including:

  • flexible working arrangements where operationally practicable;

  • appropriate support for employees with caring responsibilities;

  • equal access to parental and family-related leave in accordance with applicable legislation and company policy;

  • consideration of flexible working and family responsibilities in workforce planning and management;

  • promotion of a respectful and inclusive workplace culture; and

  • monitoring of organisational practices to identify potential barriers affecting different groups of employees.

The Floow seek to ensure that taking parental leave, flexible working or other legitimate family-related arrangements does not unfairly disadvantage employees in progression, remuneration or access to development opportunities.

7. Gender balance in leadership and decision-making

The Floow recognises the importance of diverse representation in leadership and decision-making.

We:

  • monitor gender representation within management and leadership;

  • seek to ensure that HR processes are fair, transparent and based on objective criteria;

  • provide equitable access to development and progression opportunities;

  • investigate potential barriers if monitoring identifies persistent gender imbalances.

The objective is to ensure equality of opportunity, rather than to impose recruitment or promotion decisions based solely on gender.

8. Recruitment and career progression

The Floow is committed to fair and non-discriminatory HR practices. Recruitment and progression processes are based on objective and relevant criteria, including skills, experience, qualifications, performance and role requirements.

The Floow:

  • use inclusive and appropriately worded recruitment materials without gender bias;

  • seek diverse candidate pools where practicable;

  • apply consistent selection criteria;

  • monitor gender representation through company org chart changes;

  • provide equitable access to training, and professional development;

  • ensure that remuneration and benefits are determined without influence of sex/gender; and

  • review evidence of gender differences in HR processes and take appropriate action where potential barriers are identified.

9. Gender dimension in research and innovation

As a technology, data and research involved organisation, The Floow recognises that consideration of gender can be relevant not only to workforce composition but also to the design, development and application of research and innovation.

Where relevant to the subject matter, The Floow consider the gender dimension in:

  • research questions and methodologies;

  • data collection and analysis;

  • development and evaluation of algorithms, models and analytical approaches;

  • product and service design;

  • user research and testing;

  • interpretation of research findings; and

  • dissemination and application of research and innovation outcomes.

For projects where gender is relevant to research questions, The Floow seek to ensure that potential differences between women and men, and relevant gender-related factors, are appropriately considered in the research design and analysis.

This does not mean that a gender dimension would be artificially introduced into research where it is not relevant to the research question or technical subject matter.

10. Gender-based violence, harassment and victimisation

The Floow operates a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination, harassment, bullying, victimisation and other inappropriate workplace behaviour.

This includes sexual harassment and gender-based harassment.

Employees are expected to treat colleagues, customers, partners and other stakeholders with dignity and respect. Concerns or allegations will be treated seriously, confidentially where possible and in accordance with company policies and procedures.

The Floow maintains appropriate procedures for raising concerns and managing complaints, including its grievance and disciplinary processes.

The organisation takes reasonable steps to prevent harassment and inappropriate behaviour through appropriate policies, staff wide awareness of these, and management responsibilities.

No employee will be disadvantaged for raising a genuine concern or participating appropriately in an investigation.

11. Objectives and monitoring

The Floow's gender equality objectives are:

  1. maintain an inclusive workplace in which employees have equal opportunities regardless of gender;

  2. monitor gender representation and relevant employment indicators annually;

  3. identify and address evidence of gender-related barriers in HR and leadership processes;

  4. provide all staff policies and guidance concerning gender equality;

  5. promote fair and transparent HR processes;

  6. support work-life balance and an organisational culture that does not disadvantage employees with caring responsibilities;

  7. consider gender dimensions in relevant research and innovation activities; and

  8. prevent and appropriately address gender-based discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment.

Progress against these objectives is reviewed by senior management alongside existing policy reviews. Where monitoring identifies a significant and persistent disparity, appropriate measures will be considered and incorporated into relevant organisational plans or policies.

12. Reporting and review

The Floow undertake an annual review of the implementation of this Gender Equality Plan.

The review considers available gender-disaggregated workforce data, position against objectives, staff awareness, HR processes to ensure covered in HR policy and processes, and any significant issues or actions arising during review periods.

The Plan is reviewed at least annually and updated where necessary to reflect:

  • changes in legislation or regulatory requirements;

  • organisational changes;

  • monitoring findings;

  • emerging good practice; or

  • requirements associated with relevant research and innovation funding programmes.

Personal and confidential employee information will not be published as part of the public reporting of this Plan.

13. Related policies and documents

This Gender Equality Plan should be read alongside The Floow's relevant policies and procedures, including those relating to:

  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion;

  • All HR, flexible working and leave policies;

  • Grievance and Disciplinary policies and Procedures;

  • Anti-Harassment and Bullying;

  • Whislteblowing;

  • Health, Safety; and

  • Data Protection and Information Security.

14. Senior management commitment

The Floow Limited's senior management endorses this Gender Equality Plan and is committed to providing the appropriate resources, oversight and organisational support required for its implementation.

The Plan remains publicly available through The Floow's website and is reviewed annually.

Approved by: The Floow Limited Senior Management
Date: September 2026
Next scheduled review: September 2027