T-Mobile again awarded the Company of the Year: Equal Opportunities prize

• First place finish in 2008 repeated this year

Prague, 7 October 2010 - T-Mobile has again been awarded the prestigious Company of the Year: Equal Opportunities prize. The winner was announced on 6 October 2010 by the Gender Studies non-governmental organization, which has presented this prize every year since 2004. Dozens of important local companies across the entire Czech Republic took part in the contest.

This year T-Mobile received a positive evaluation particularly for its equal opportunity system, diversity, employee surveys, increased number of women in management positions, and its cooperation with NGOs.

The goal of the Company of the Year: Equal Opportunities project is to not only award companies which set trends in the area of human resources and prove the quality of their personnel policies and programmes aimed at equal opportunities, but also to improve motivation and raise employers' awareness with respect to these issues. In addition, the project evaluates measures promoting diversity and balance between professional and private life, which are areas the contest has been mostly focusing on for several years.

"We are very happy to receive the award. However, this does not mean that we are going to stop focusing on these areas. Quite on the contrary - we are working hard on their development. For example, we have increased the number of flexible working arrangements and organized events promoting the balance between professional and private life our employees," says Barbora Stejskalová, Human Resources Director at T-Mobile.

The evaluation of the contestants also concentrates on feedback and the possibility of further consultations. Each participant receives a number of tailored recommendations. The Company of the Year: Equal Opportunities project thus not only awards prizes but also provides know-how in the areas of equal opportunities and balancing professional and private life.

Since the last time it won the prize, T-Mobile has managed to develop various programmes in this area. Apart from flexible working arrangements and preventive health programmes, the company has recently also focused its attention on communicating with employees on long-term leave, particularly parental leave, via a new information channel. The offer of employee benefits was extended with services contributing to better balance between professional and private life, such as baby-sitting and household cleaning services. All possibilities are communicated by the company to its employees also at various events, e.g. the Well-Balanced Life fair and a one-day event in which employees could bring their children to work.

Each year, the Company of the Year: Equal Opportunities contest is open to a wide range of interested companies. Programmes promoting equal opportunities described in the contestants' application forms are evaluated in two rounds. In the first round, potential candidates are selected by Gender Studies. In the second round, the selected candidates are evaluated by a professional jury composed of five experts. There is a minimum one-year break for winners, i.e. companies that win awards in a given year may not participate in the contest in the following year.

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.