In short, it’s the right thing to do.
Providing a workplace culture that recognises and supports people as whole individuals (not just workers) leads to improved health and wellness. It means they can be full participants in their lives. In the words of a Cubie’s recent LinkedIn post: “I don’t think I would be an effective parent if Cube Group didn’t have such flexible working practices.” We know that when team members feel supported in their family responsibilities, they are more likely to be confident, focused, and engaged at work. More broadly, as one of the estimated 99% of SMEs that make up Australia’s economy, we know that the actions we take have an impact on society. Our policies have the ability to support a balanced, productive and happy life for Australians. We’re committed to making the right choices, even when they’re challenging. It’s good for families, it’s good for business, and it’s good for the community.
This way of working is more than just a badge– it’s embedded in our culture and is part of who we are. The Family Friendly Workplace certification is an external indicator of something we’ve been doing internally for years – creating a culture that supports Cubies to bring their best selves to work.
The certification also signifies Cube’s dedication to challenging the norms and stereotypes surrounding parenting and family responsibilities. It is important for us to ensure that people of all genders, ages, and roles have equal opportunities to balance their professional and family responsibilities. Cube will continue to lead positive change and use business as a force for good.
We’re really proud to offer a suite of family friendly initiatives that support our team, including:
The result of these initiatives is individual. But we’ve heard a common theme – employees feel supported and psychologically safe. We experience high productivity, innovation and employee engagement, and low absenteeism, negativity and turnover.
Even though we have no in-office mandate, our CBD office is filled with laughter, collaboration and productivity. We think that speaks volumes considering the news cycle has been dominated by “return-to-office” mandates for months.
Being family friendly is greater than the sum of our individual policies. Each individual policy means something different to each individual, but our overall workplace culture is one where flexibility is encouraged so people can make their work-life their own. Some feedback has been:
New parents:
Cube’s generous parental leave policy is designed to benefit all parents, regardless of their tenure or gender. We receive a lot of positive feedback on this policy, particularly from those who are often excluded in these policies – those with less than 12 months tenure, fathers who traditional have been identified as “secondary carers”, same sex couples and other “non-traditional” family units. Our policy means that Cubies get to fully experience all the key moments as new parents without the stress of workplace expectations.
One Cubie shared, ‘Over this time we’ve already experienced countless precious moments as a new family, and I’ll cherish these irreplaceable memories forever. This time has also enabled me to be fully immersed in all aspects of caring responsibilities alongside my partner as we learn the ins and outs of parenting together.’
Cubies have the flexibility to return to work in ways that best suit their needs. Return to work plans are fully customisable and sometimes include working different or reduced hours, working a few days a week, or working remotely.
Flexible working for all:
At Cube, we don’t anchor talent and value to locations. Over the years, we have seen our team flourishing while working from different locations, at different schedules. Daily, our people (including our leaders) work in ways that best accommodate their personal, family, and professional needs. We have seen people working flexible hours (e.g., early starts and finishes, hours in the morning and late at night) to accommodate changes in family and/or personal responsibilities. This could also mean work from anywhere: At home, cafes, interstates, or a place with completely opposite time-zone, so that Cubies can balance work with holidays and visiting loved ones. Our focus is on achieving business outcomes, rather than adhering to rigid hours and fixed locations.
Family & Culture:
Beyond offering flexible work options to everyone, we also provide the flexibility to exchange a public holiday for alternative time off. This offers our team the ability to celebrate holidays and cultural events that are important to them, rather than mandating they take time off for holidays that may not be relevant to their culture or family.
We know that encouraging our team to bring their whole selves to work leads to a healthier, happier company culture. That means understanding that individuals have lives, families, and responsibilities outside of the office. Increasingly research shows that employees who have the flexibility to live a full life outside of work offer more commitment, creativity and loyalty when they’re AT work. A great workplace culture is an opportunity for a smaller firm to stand apart from its competitors.
But the benefits extend beyond just individual business outcomes. Empowering individuals to embrace a balanced and full life leads to feelings of psychological safety and improved mental health – and that has a community impact.
The participation of SMEs in prioritising such culture is also essential for creating a more family-friendly economy. After all, the majority of Australians don’t work in the big-name firms that typically make these policy announcements. They’re working in small- to medium-sized businesses.
These considerations make up some of the rationales for our policies, but we’ll summarise by ending where we started – having a family-friendly workplace is simply the right thing to do.
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