Long live the office? The future for flexible work as the work from home era changes
More and more employers are issuing rules on the future of working from home. So what next for the office, and how will employers support flexibility? The future of remote work and work from home (WFH) options have been garnering plenty of headlines in recent weeks, as large employers issue new rules on flexible […]
Leave loudly, you won’t get that time again: Chief winemaker and Dad Tim Pelquest-Hunt
As the Chief Winemaker of Orlando Wines based in Barossa Valley, Tim Pequest-Hunt knows all too well the “one shot to get it right” that comes with the science and magic of turning grapes into wine. A classically trained singer who got into a career in winemaking after working part-time in a local […]
Lessons from Australia: how family-friendly policies support gender equality
Published this week in a special edition Essays on Equality: The politics of childcare, from the Global Institute of Women’s Leadership, is Lessons from Australia: how family-friendly policies support gender equality from founder and CEO of Family Friendly Workplaces and Parents At Work Emma Walsh. Chaired by Hon Julia Gillard AC, the publication features a […]
The sick day and office ‘perks’ need an overhaul to support mental health
The need for and the way we use a ‘sick day’ changed dramatically during the pandemic. For some employees, access to paid sick leave remains challenging due to the workplace culture or environment and due to employee shortages. Meanwhile, with the rise of flexible and remote work options, many employees feel the pressure to […]
Best practice advice from UNICEF to support Family Friendly Workplaces certification
In their latest report ‘Integrating Child Rights across the ASX’, UNICEF Australia provides leading organisations with recommendations on how to increase their focus on safeguarding children. With less than 1% of companies having a specific commitment to respecting children’s rights further than child labour, there are opportunities for Australian companies to do better. One […]
Workplaces have the power to help end family and domestic violence
We know that employers play a key role in supporting those experiencing domestic and family violence. But with the shift in working from home, the access to a physical “safe space” in a workplace that survivors were accessing prior to the pandemic has significantly reduced. During periods of lockdown, when Australians were required to […]
Finally, we’re seeing big policy promises that will transform Australia
The last few weeks have seen once-in-a-generation policy promises announced that could significantly transform the future for families in Australia, as well as our overall economic prosperity with improved women’s workforce participation. These policy changes have come from state and federal governments, and cover early childhood education, paid parental leave and other areas encouraging […]
How some of Australia’s largest companies are supporting working parents
Last week was the United Nations’ Global Parent’s Day (June 1). To mark the occasion, UNICEF Australia and Parents At Work released a new research report highlighting Australian workplace policy progress around supporting working families. Progress has been slowly improving over the last few years as companies look to make flexible work practices mainstream, […]
New report evidences key enablers and benefits of Family Friendly Workplaces
Flexible work and gender-neutral policies key priorities for family focused Australian employers Highlights The Report from Parents At Work and UNICEF Australia has found that to bridge the work and family divide workplaces are investing in greater flexible work practices and more inclusive paid family leave policies is a key enabler of family friendly […]
Lion’s renewed approach to supporting victims of domestic and family abuse
A Family Friendly Workplace Case Study Domestic and family abuse is one of the most prevalent human rights abuses in Australia and New Zealand. This impacts on our community, individuals and the workplace. Our workplace may well be the safest place that some of our team members have, and in that context we can […]