ࡱ> ~` wBbjbj C`3:@````7778(84\8<yY8:8:999:::XXXXXXX$w[h]Y^>::^>^>Y``993YAAA^>`R99XA^>XAA6*U"W98 Pnc7>"X<IY0yY@Vf^?^8WW"^W:;A<=A:::YY.A^:::yY^>^>^>^>11`````` 10 October 2005 Pru Goward Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Paid Work and Family Responsibilities Submission Sex Discrimination Unit Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission GPO Box 5218 SYDNEY, NSW, 2001 Dear Commissioner, Submission to HREOCs 2005 Discussion Paper on Striking the Balance: Women, men, work and family Thank you for the opportunity to provide views on behalf of the member companies of Diversity Council Australia Limited [Council] to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Discussion Paper on Striking the Balance: Women, men, work and family. Diversity Council Australia has strong credentials in the area of work and family that give us a unique perspective in relation to work and family issues. We are the only national, non-government, non-profit employer representative organisation dedicated to the promotion of productive equitable employment practices including efforts to balance work and family. The Council is also a leader in the ACCI/BCA National Work & Family Awards and has been so since 1992. These awards recognise excellence in work and family initiatives and showcase small, medium and large organisations with outstanding flexible working arrangements that meet the needs of the business and its employees. The Council is also working with the National Diversity Think Tank on moving the debate on the issues on work and family caring responsibilities forward enabling policy-makers and workplaces to take a different and more effective approach to helping employees balance their responsibilities. A Work and Caring Roundtable will be held on Tuesday 25th October 2005 where opinion leaders from leading universities, businesses and community groups debate and workshop the issues, share information and identify forums where the issues can be further explored. In this The Council has based its brief submission attached on its awareness of employment practices and initiatives within member companies and ongoing consultancy projects, as well as its involvement with the National Work & Family Awards and the National Work and Caring Roundtable. We suggest it may be beneficial for HREOC to hold face to face consultations with employers on work and family issues and offer the Councils assistance in arranging such consultations over the next few months if appropriate. Diversity Council Australia hopes that HREOC finds its comments useful. The Council and I look forward to working with the Commission to encourage workplaces to recognise the rewards for everyone that can flow from a better balance between work and caring responsibilities. Yours sincerely, Rohan Squirchuk [Ms] Managing Director Attachments Diversity Council Australia on Striking the Balance Australias workplaces have changed significantly over the past few decades. There has been a marked shift away from the sole male breadwinner to where couples increasingly share the breadwinning role. Female workforce participation has grown substantially and women are in jobs and in workplaces that would never have been dreamt of in the 1960s. As a result significantly more people in the workforce have some kind of family responsibilities that they have to manage around work commitments. However, balancing work and family can be a real challenge for many employees and employers but there are real benefits for both in getting it right. Key principles for debate on work and family Diversity Council Australia believes that the following principles should underpin the debate about work and family: Employers must acknowledge the realities of todays workforce: Employees have responsibilities outside of work, e.g. children, parents, grandparents or other family members/friends that may need support. Half of the workforce is women, many of whom have family responsibilities. Parents play a crucial role in development of the next generation: The community, including business and government, must play a role in protecting and nurturing children and supporting those who care for them. Workplaces that encourage parents to devote time to their children should be applauded. A more family-friendly and flexible workplace offers real business benefits: Improves staff satisfaction/morale, productivity and therefore profitability. Improves staff retention and reduces turnover, therefore reducing the cost of having to replace experienced staff. Provides employers with a real edge in attracting talent. Failure to consider greater workplace flexibility to accommodate work and family is short-sighted: Employers are missing out on talented, experienced and committed workers by refusing to consider part-time work. Employers must consider requests for flexible working arrangements to avoid a claim of discrimination. The ageing population and skills shortages means employers need to look at greater flexibility to make the most of the available workforce. Positive workplace change is taking place Many organisations are already making changes to accommodate the work and family needs of their employees. Here are just a few initiatives in some workplaces today that are leading the way in this area: Training for employees with focus on taking responsibility for personal life Paid parental leave. Part-time work, job share, flexible working hours and working from home. In-house childcare or childcare referral services. Recognition that work for charity days repays business in terms of reputation and employee commitment. Provision of financial advice and access to a mortgage broker. Mobile car service at the workplace arranged by employer and paid by car owner. Extension of programs to family members - Employee assistance - Dietitian advisory services to entire family - Defensive driving courses for all employees and their partners Purchase of double cab trucks often the work vehicle is the only one I the family. Early retirement with reduced worker hours and maintenance of full superannuation. Lunchtime forums on - Mental health - How to make a will - Single parenting - Cooking for kids ATTACHMENT ONE 鱨վ Diversity Council Australia Diversity Council Australia has proven expertise in helping employers recognise the value of mutual respect: We help to improve the productivity and profitability of workplaces around Australia and we have been doing this for over 20 years. Our clients value our expertise and practical approach. Our highly skilled and experienced staff help employers meet their responsibilities as an employer and minimise risks. If employers receive a complaint of discrimination or inappropriate workplace behaviour we can help you handle it properly. Employers dont need to go anywhere else we have expertise in all areas of diversity and equal employment opportunity (EEO). Membership provides benefits Membership of Diversity Council Australia is open to all employers. Members receive: priority assistance in dealing with incidents regular opportunities to network and gauge best practice comprehensive information to help manage diversity, and discounted services with some free training or consulting. Our services Diversity Council Australia can assist with all workplace diversity and EEO needs, tailored to each organisation: Consulting: Auditing and measuring workplace culture Developing and evaluating policies and strategies to make the most of diversity Legal implications and practical strategies Investigating and managing complaints of inappropriate behaviour Mediation, conciliation and other dispute resolution assistance. Education: We provide quality education for employees on all aspects of diversity and EEO including general awareness, prevention of inappropriate workplace behaviour, Contact Officer and investigations training, EOWA program development, managing disability issues and work-life balance. We tailor education programs to suit each audience no matter who or where they are, or what they do. Member services: Diversity Council Australia members receive exclusive benefits: Priority advice and support on all aspects of diversity, especially 'live' issues Regular provision of useful information delivered via email, bi-monthly newsletter and our web site  HYPERLINK "http://www.dca.org.au" www.dca.org.au Opportunities to network and gauge best practice including member briefings on hot diversity issues A telephone contact advisory service to seek early referral and resolution of workplace issues. Diversity Council Australia also sponsors the ACCI/BCA National Work & Family Awards and the Women, Management & Employment Relations Conference. Our clients Diversity Council Australia has a diverse client base across all industries and sectors in Australia. Our founding members who are clients include: ANZ Banking Group Limited AXA Australia AMP Limited BHP Billiton Boral Limited Coles Myer Limited IBM Australia Orica Rio Tinto Limited Westpac Our team At Diversity Council Australia, our senior staff have enviable reputations and strong business and legal backgrounds in the fields of EEO and diversity. Our consultants have extensive backgrounds in human resources, training, investigations and policy development. Contact us Diversity Council Australia has offices in Sydney and Melbourne and associates in Brisbane and Perth. If you would like to know more about how we can help you call us in Melbourne on (03) 8663 2600 or Sydney on (02) 9699 5399 or visit our web site at  HYPERLINK "http://www.dca.org.au" www.dca.org.au How the CEOE Ltd was formed Diversity Council Australia was formerly known as the Council for Equal Opportunity in Employment Ltd (CEOE Ltd). In July 1984 the Federal Government established a pilot program into affirmative action, involving 28 companies and three tertiary institutions. The program was operated under Senator Susan Ryan (Minister advising the PM on womens affairs) and was adminstered by the Office of the Status of Women and was to run for a year. The Business Council of Australia became involved as many of their members participated in the pilot. Following the pilot the Business Council was keen to demonstrate the business community's commitment to self-regulation in the area of equal opportunity for women. In cooperation with the Confederation of Australian Industry now the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry it announced in September 1985 that it would establish a Council for Equal Employment Opportunity. Then BCA President Bob White said at the time, The council believes that this dramatic and positive self-regulation initiative, will foster the continuing goodwill of business and secure a genuine commitment by the private sector to affirmative action programs. The Council was established to develop and promote programs within industry to provide equal opportunity for women and men. It had the backing of a number of Australias largest companies and represented the collective, voluntary approach to bringing about equal employment opportunity in the private sector, based on the experience developed during the pilot affirmative action program. It was to be financed by member companies and provide a cost effective service to members including: Training for company personnel Access to a network of expertise from other companies Individual company consultancy Advice on the requirements of Federal and State legislation on discrimination in employment, equal opportunity and affirmative action. It was intended to run for a period of five years, by the end of which it was assumed all companies would already have affirmative actions in place. During the past 20 years however, the nature of, and demand for, the CEOE Ltds expertise and services has expanded to include all aspects of the diversity of people and talent. In July 2005 the CEOE Ltd changed its name to Diversity Council Australia. ATTACHMENT 2 The ACCI/BCA National Work & Family Awards The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and Business Council of Australia (BCA) National Work & Family Awards recognise excellence in work and family initiatives. Held since 1992 they showcase small, medium and large organisations with outstanding flexible working arrangements that meet the needs of the business and its employees. The Awards are a collaboration between ACCI, BCA, the federal Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Diversity Council Australia, the Office of the Employment Advocate and the major corporate sponsor of the Awards is IBM. The Awards are also sponsored by the Office of Small Business in the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources. Aims and Objectives of the Awards The ACCI/BCA National Work and Family Awards: Demonstrate and promote the business benefits of flexible working arrangements Recognise organisations that accommodate employees' work/life needs with productive outcomes Provide an opportunity for companies to review and benchmark their working arrangements Provide case-studies and model policies and initiatives that serve as useful tools for other employers. Award Categories In 2005, a new Award category has been introduced. In addition to the Gold Award for the most outstanding private sector organisation in the area of work and family, a separate Gold Award is being presented to the most outstanding public sector organisation in the area of work and family. The separate Gold Awards for the public and private sectors recognise the leading role that each sector has played in the field of work and family and allows organisations facing similar environments and challenges to compete with each other. The award categories for 2005 are: Gold Award - Private Sector: recognises overall outstanding achievement in the private sector in providing for the work/life needs of employees. Gold Award - Public Sector: recognises overall outstanding achievement in the public sector in providing for the work/life needs of employees. Large Business Award: for the most outstanding private sector applicant with more than 500 employees. Medium Business Award: for the most outstanding private sector applicant with 50 - 500 employees. Small Business Award: for the most outstanding private sector applicant with less than 50 employees. Rising Star Award: recognises the most improved work and family private sector organisation. Regional and Rural Award: for the most outstanding private sector applicant in a regional or rural community. Finalists have been announced in all categories. Winners for the ACCI/BCA National Work & Family Awards 2005 will be announced at a special presentation dinner on Thursday 24 November 2005 at the Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. 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