Dive Brief:

• Global giant SAP has become the first multinational technology employer to be awarded the worldwide Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) certificate, a way to recognize its global commitments and actions in achieving and sustaining gender diversity and equality in the workplace, according to the company.

• The EDGE Certification, which is a methodology that evaluates a corporate commitment to gender equality that focuses on "rigor and business impact,"  was initially launched at the World Economic Forum.

• It's not SAP's first EDGE recognition. It began its worldwide certification process in March 2016 after it became the first tech company in the U.S. to achieve EDGE Certification in January. Global certification, which requires that countries that comprise 80% of an organization be included, was awarded after a third-party review of company data, gender practices and employment policies, and employee survey results in an additional 12 countries, according to SAP.

Dive Insight:

Considering that workplace gender inequality is an especially tough challenge for STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) employers, this award appears to put SAP as a pacesetter in fighting workplace bias.

SAP reports that it has a board-level commitment to reach 25% of its leadership positions filled by women by the end of 2017. By Q2 2016, women make up 24.1% of the company's leadership and 32.5% of all employees. In addition, SAP conducted a pay equity analysis on its U.S. employee base, delivering "make up" raises to ensure pay parity. Finally, SAP announced a machine-learning tool that detects biases in job postings.

By now, it's clear that gender equality is not just a good thing to do — it represents a competitive advantage and is a "strategic differentiator," as SAP's CHRO Stefan Ries puts it. No doubt more employers will continue to follow SAP's example in this area.