We have seen a market driven push for companies to embrace diversity and inclusion (D&I) policies over the last few years, which reflects a key shift in social and cultural norms for many organisations. Increasingly, consumers, staff and senior business leaders expect proactive steps to be taken for D&I objectives. Research demonstrates a strong business
The first time a global client asked me for a template employment diversity form, I didn’t know what they were after.
They wanted to track their workforce’s diversity attributes (asking every person about race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disabilities, etc.) so that they could track performance on their broader diversity targets. This is typical practice
Care or career – it doesn’t have to be a choice
Do you know which one of your nearest eight colleagues provides unpaid care for a loved one? The number of working adults who juggle unpaid carer’s responsibilities is high, hidden, and growing. Most working Aussies will have unpaid care responsibilities intrude regularly throughout their
There was an ever so slight increase in the proportion of women in senior management roles. And I guess the
It is an indisputable fact that women are not equally represented in leadership roles or management positions in Australian companies and governments, not even close. Even in 2016, this is the case in almost all arenas of business and politics and is most certainly a global issue, although Australia even appears to lag in this indicator among developed nations. This flows through to an under-representation of women on boards of directors of Australian public companies. Earlier this year consultant Conrad Liveris found that there were fewer women in CEO and chair roles in ASX 200 companies than there were men named either John, Peter or David in such roles. What an alarming statistic! In this note we consider whether this under-representation is caused by a failure to recognise that women as much as men are able to achieve and sustain appropriate business outcomes and conclude that this is a matter that good corporate governance can resolve.
Continue Reading A perspective on the unequal representation of women in leadership
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, the 2017 campaign message asks us to #beboldforchange and to “take action to drive change for women to forge a better working world”.
The campaign’s aims are admirable and worthy of support. But I find myself querying whether such a campaign really helps our workplaces become more holistically diverse and inclusive.
Continue Reading Playing the numbers game – diversity and inclusion
The workplace gender equality reporting requirements have been criticised for being too onerous on employers. But changes are afoot. On 25 February 2015, Senator Eric Abetz, the Minister for Employment, and Senator Michaelia Cash, the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women, announced changes aimed at reducing the complexity of the reporting requirements.
Continue Reading The devil is in the detail – the new gender reporting requirements
What is happening?
The expanded gender diversity reporting requirements for businesses with over 100 employees, introduced by the previous Labor Government in the form of the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (Cth) (WGE Act), are likely to be back on the agenda with Federal Parliament resuming this week.
Continue Reading The Future of Gender Diversity Reporting Requirements