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About us

Parents At Work has partnered with UNICEF Australia to improve work life wellbeing, inclusion and equity outcomes for families by introducing a set of certifiable National Work + Family Standards for employers.

Parents At Work is a membership-based organisation providing work and family education and policy advisory services. Parents At Work aim to bridge the work and home divide by embedding flexibility, wellbeing, parental transition and wider caring services to enable workplaces and their people to thrive. As advocates and change drivers, we partner with UNICEF and other human rights agencies to improve gender equality and work life wellbeing outcomes.
UNICEF (The United Nations Children’s Fund) is the world’s largest organisation working to protect children/ the world’s largest children’s charity. Across 190 countries, they work to ensure every child has access to clean water, health care, education and a safe place to grow up. Active in Australia since 1966, UNICEF Australia amplify children’s voices, defend their rights, and help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

Leading Companies Supporting Family Friendly Workplaces

Businesses setting the standard across the globe

Founding Partners
Supporting Partners
Strategic Partners
Novartis Australia
Genea
Macquarie Group Logo

Patron

Ann Sherry

Chair of UNICEF Australia

“As Chair of UNICEF Australia, I am delighted to offer my support for the Family Friendly Workplaces initiative. As a business leader, I have always been driven to progress equality, and have consistently championed the importance of work/life balance and staff wellbeing in the organisations I have led.

 

More than ever, flexibility and family inclusive workplaces are vital for working parents, to ensure children’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing is met.

 

The flow on effects of this initiative are significant – we know that family friendly workplace practices benefit children, but they also promote inclusion and gender equity, increased workforce participation for women and caring opportunities for men. The productivity gains are not just for individual businesses, but for the wider economy.

 

We all benefit when children are supported to thrive, and given every opportunity to achieve their potential.”

 

 

Our patron, the honourable Ann Sherry AO has written a letter of endorsement for the Family Friendly Workplace standards, encouraging the business leaders of Australia to step up and make a call to improve their employees and their business’s wellbeing. You can view Ann’s letter via the button below.

LETTER OF ENDORSEMENT

AMBASSADORS

Family Friendly policies: “positively impact workers’ abilities to reconcile work and family responsibilities – as well as advance the well-being and development of their children.”

Family Friendly Workplaces provide a certification program to embed these policies into businesses, and provide training and tools for employers, managers and employees for ongoing implementation, measurement and management.

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Alan Docherty

Group Executive Financial Services & Chief Financial Officer, Commonwealth Bank

Why Family Friendly?

“When people with diverse family needs feel supported in their workplace, not only do they benefit but their families and the broader community benefits too. As one of Australia’s largest employers, we have an important role to play fostering a culture of care, equality and respect so that our people can be at their best at work and at home.”

Alan Docherty

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Alison Hernandez

APAC Managing Director, Randstad RiseSmart

Why Family Friendly?

“As a working parent for the past 18 years, I have experienced first-hand that ‘the juggle’ is real. I am now at the life stage where focus shifts to elder care and navigating support from afar for parents in the UK. Fortunately I have had the benefit of working in a supportive and inclusive culture at Randstad RiseSmart which has enabled me to pursue my career ambitions whilst also accessing the flexibility I need to make it work. As the leader of a fast growing career mobility business across Asia Pacific with a team of over 300, I am committed to supporting our people to not only bring their best self to work, but to bring their best self to their family and significant others. The lines between work and family continue to converge, each impacting the other. Our focus in creating a family friendly environment also extends to our program participants and we apply a holistic work/life framework that helps them to shape their future and secure their new beginning.”

Alison Hernandez

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Anne Hollonds

National Children's Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission

Why Family Friendly?

Anne Hollonds commenced as National Children’s Commissioner in November 2020.

Before her appointment to the role, Anne was the Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, an independent statutory authority of the Australian Government responsible for conducting research and providing advice on child and family wellbeing.

For more than 23 years Anne has been a Chief Executive Officer of government and non-government organisations focussed on policy, service delivery and research in health, education and social services, including the Benevolent Society and Relationships Australia NSW.

Anne is proud to be supporting Family Friendly Workplaces as an Ambassador.

Anne Hollonds

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Dr Brian Babington

CEO, Families Australia

Why Family Friendly?

“The Family Friendly Workplaces initiative is a ground-breaking and practical opportunity for workplaces to better support employees and their families in all their marvellous diversity. Families Australia is proud to be a Strategic Partner and to see the initiative being launched during National Families Week 2021 which highlights the vital role that families play in our society and our lives.”

Dr Brian Babington

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Emma Walsh

CEO, Parents At Work

Why Family Friendly?

“People want to work for organisations that consider and respond to their family responsibilities outside of work. Your organisation’s culture has an impact on the health and wellbeing of your employees and therefore the wellbeing of your business.”

Emma Walsh

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Grainne O'Loughlin

CEO, Karitane

Why Family Friendly?

“The first 2,000 days shape a child’s future. In this time children develop many of the skills and abilities that help them grow into productive adults. Bonded attachment is fundamental for a child’s brain development and their ability to form relationships and is proven to have better education outcomes as well as reducing the risk of mental illness. This is a critical time for children, parents and families. What we were seeing through our parenting services, even before coronavirus, was an increase in stressed and anxious working parents needing support. The struggle of the juggle is very real! Family Friendly Workplaces support us raising safe, confident and resilient children as well as achieving the business benefits of diversity, productivity and attracting and retaining people.”

Grainne O'Loughlin

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Jason Clarke

Chief Customer Officer, Commercial Lines, QBE

Why Family Friendly?

“At QBE, our purpose is to give people the confidence to achieve their ambitions. This extends to our own people, who are at the heart of what we do. We recognise that becoming a parent is a significant milestone, and through our commitment to being a family friendly employer enables our people to thrive at home and at work. Being a family friendly workplace is not just the right thing to do – it makes perfect business sense, with family-friendly workplaces delivering positive outcomes for society, business, our economy and our families.”

Jason Clarke

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Lisa Annese

CEO, Diversity Council of Australia

Why Family Friendly?

‘I, and many other leading employers, have long recognised the productivity and business benefits of supporting parents, through family-friendly policies like paid parental leave and flexible working. As well as being the right thing to do, these policies attract and retain talented employees. They protect the significant investment it takes to train and develop staff before they become parents. And of particular importance to me is the fact that family policies – ones that allow both women and men to experience work-life balance – help female employees stay in paid work, and go a ways to reducing the gender pay-gap. It’s time every workplace understood, and embraced the benefits of family friendly workplaces.’

Lisa Annese

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Margaret Dreyer

Partner, Audit and Assurance, Deloitte

Why Family Friendly?

At Deloitte, we want to ensure that all of our people have the opportunity to have a great career experience and reach their full potential. We recognise that supporting working families is critical to attracting and retaining great talent and ensuring that our people can effectively integrate work and life. We also recognise that through enabling the right conditions for our parents to thrive, we will positively contribute to their mental health and wellbeing. This in turn will positively impact the mental health and wellbeing of the children and families within the communities in which we live and work.

Margaret Dreyer

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Richard Tew

CEO, Novartis

Why Family Friendly?

“At Novartis, we understand that one of our greatest strengths is our people, and being a family friendly workforce has been absolutely critical to that. As a working father myself for almost 20 years, and someone who still has a young daughter at home, I have seen immense change in both people’s expectations and the standards of workplace flexibility when it comes to supporting families in all their different forms.

At Novartis we talk about ‘our unbossed people’ which is reflected both in the culture of our people and the policies we have in place. These support flexible working, paid parental leave, equal pay and beyond. Because by supporting our people to be there for the moments that matter in their family lives, we are building a more diverse, innovative and happier workplace.”

Richard Tew

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Tony Stuart

CEO, UNICEF Australia

Why Family Friendly?

“As CEO, I’m proud that UNICEF Australia has partnered with Parents At Work to deliver the Family Friendly Workplaces initiative.
UNICEF has shared a global call to action for workplaces to be redesigned to be more family friendly. Australia is playing a leading role in responding to this call through the introduction of this initiative, and the first set of national Work and Family Standards.

We know that family friendly workplaces will drive real impacts for families and the community – they benefit children, improve gender equality, and boost productivity for businesses and the economy.

It is so important we enable working parents and carers the flexibility to play the nurturing, responsive role we know children need.

There is no greater contribution we can make as a workplace or as a community, than that which allows every child the opportunity to thrive.”

Tony Stuart

Strategic Partners

With thanks to

DR Care SolutionsDads Group

Stillbirth Foundation Australia

The Father Hood

Working Parents Connect

Pink Elephants

Baby Loss Project

She Births®

Beam

Birth Beat

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