Zurich has joined the government’s Think, Act, Report initiative.

Over 2.2 million employees now work for businesses that promote gender equality at work.

Think, Act, Report, introduced in September 2011, encourages companies to think about gender equality, take action to promote opportunities in their workplaces, and report on what they are doing.

Jo Swinson, minister for women and equalities, said: “The government’s voluntary initiative Think, Act, Report is going from strength to strength, and I am delighted to welcome Zurich as our latest signatory. This means that over 2.2 million employees are now covered by the scheme.

“I am pleased that companies are now taking more action to encourage and support talented women in their workforce, and many are making that information public. These companies recognise the importance of transparency as a way of attracting, recruiting and retaining female talent.”

Sophie Spink, head of UK government and industry affairs and corporate responsibility, said: “By signing up to Think, Act, Report, Zurich is reaffirming its commitment to gender equality, reflecting the work we are doing to support women to reach the highest levels within our organisation.”

Think, Act, Report empowers companies to be open about how many women they employ, and about what jobs they do; to break down the culture of secrecy around promotions and pay that allows discrimination and inequality to persist. Collecting, analysing, and reporting this information is essential to tackling the gender pay gap and addressing the barriers to women in the workforce.

The initiative is voluntary and flexible, and is supported by other companies such as Tesco, Bupa, HSBC, Shell and Vodafone. Businesses choose to participate, choose which measures are useful for them to look at – recognising that this will be different for each business – and choose what information to share publicly, and how to do so.