Events
UPCOMING EVENTS
How to become a family-inclusive employer?
To support Australian employers understand how to become a more family-friendly workplace, we offer free webinars throughout the year.
These online education sessions deepen employers’ understanding, knowledge and capability on how to be a family-inclusive employer.
Guest speaker:

Event Details
Time: 12pm – 1pm AEDT
Best Practice Parental Leave
We will be joined by Deloitte National Director DEI – Kate Furlong and Cube Group Head of People & Culture – Kim Annesley. They will share their experiences of building the business case for change, designing a fit for purpose parental leave transition experience as well as the impact for individuals and their respective businesses.
We will be covering:
- Understanding the current state of parental leave policies and practices, what changes have we seen in the last couple of years
- The impact of parental leave on employees and organisations.
- Strategies for creating an inclusive parental leave policy and parental leave support that considers diverse family structures and needs.
- The role of employers and colleagues in supporting parents during and after leave.
- Insights from Deloitte and Cube Group, in particular how regardless of size they have both developed and embedded best practice approaches that are having a real impact.
Event Details
Time: 12pm – 1pm AEDT
Supporting Menopause at Work / Reproductive Wellbeing in the Workplace
Details to be confirmed
Event Details
Time: 12pm – 1pm AEDT
Best Practice Carers Policy and Support
Details to be confirmed
Event Details
Time: 12pm – 1pm AEDT
PAST EVENTS
Creating Neuroinclusive Workplaces
Organisations that lead with compassion to create inclusive workplaces for both neurodistinct employees and carers of neurodistinct family members are opening up a world of opportunity for both their people and their business.
In this session we will be joined by Natalie Phillips-Mason (she/her) the founder of Inclusive Change, a Change Management consultancy with a focus on creating neuroinclusive workplaces. Natalie comes from a mixed neurotype family herself and believes that we all have a right to belong in a workplace.
Joining Natalie will be Jean Capdevielle, Director, Bid and Value Marketing at Thales Australia. Jean leads the Accessibility and Neurodiversity Stream within Thales Australia alongside an amazing Employee Resource Group focused on making the workplace more inclusive.
Understanding and supporting neurodiversity is key to DEI strategy and employee advocacy. What’s more, for employers, there is an opportunity for organisations to support and embrace the neurodistinct workforce and their allies.
How to become a family-inclusive employer?
To support Australian employers understand how to become a more family-friendly workplace, we offer free webinars throughout the year.
These online education sessions deepen employers’ understanding, knowledge and capability on how to be a family-inclusive employer.
Guest speaker: Courtney Pond, Group Inclusion & Diversity Manager at the NRMA.
Event Details
Time: 12pm – 1pm AEDT
October 2022
VIRTUAL Work&Care Summit
How to become a certified Family Inclusive Workplace
The Summit will recommend immediate opportunities and actions for organisations to create a caring Australia that is family inclusive and shift the dial on carer’s paid work participation, engagement and productivity.
Summit attendance is recommended for CEOs and C-suite, HR & DEI professionals, unions and industry associations.
This virtual inaugural event will bring together the care sector, community groups and certified Family Inclusive Workplace employers to explore and discuss:
- The diverse challenges carers face in the workplace
- The rationale to bridge the work and care divide
- The roadmap for employers to support carers at work
Speakers Include:
Bronnie Taylor, Minister for Women
Anne Hollonds, National Children’s Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission
Senator Barbara Pocock, Greens Party
Danielle Wood, CEO, Grattan Institute
Kristine Ziwica, Author, Leaning Out
Dr Janin Bredehoeft, Research & Analytics, WGEA
Melanie Evans, CEO, ING
David Bryant, CEO, Mercer
Alison Hernandez, APAC Director, HSM Advisory
Grainne O’Laughlin, CEO, Karitane
- Michael Woodhouse, Director, The Benevolent Society
- Jenna Leo, Founder, Like Family
- Andrea Christie-David, Founder, Leo
Melissa Bowden, HR Director, Workday
Event Details
Time: 9.30am-12.30pm
To read more about the Summit including the panel session topics visit the Summit website here.
June 2022
Report Launch
12 Months On: Examining the Benefits of Family Friendly Workplaces
A celebration of one year since the launch of the National Work and Family Standards and Family Friendly Workplaces certification.
The Bridging the Work and Family Divide Report examines the impact of family friendly workplaces and forms the basis of a social impact framework being developed as a catalyst for change to support all families in the workplace.
The event brought together certified organisations, alongside government and other business leaders, gender equality and family advocates. Together they recognised the progress made and the 70 organisations who have been certified as Family Inclusive Workplaces™.
Speakers
- The Hon. Matt Kean, NSW Treasurer
- Ann Sherry AO, Chair, UNICEF Australia
- Emma Walsh, CEO, Parents At Work
- Pip Dexter, Talent and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Executive Lead
- Melanie Evans, CEO, ING Australia
- Shiona Watson, Chief People Officer, QBE Insurance
Event Details

May 2022
Family Friendly Workplaces Education Sessions
How to become a certified Family Inclusive Workplace™
Family Friendly Workplaces is running free education sessions for workplaces about how to become certified as a Family Inclusive Workplace. Hosted by our Founder, Emma Walsh the webinar will run for 45 minutes and will provide the opportunity to ask questions. Join other business leaders and HR leaders as you learn about what is involved in the process to Family Inclusive Workplace™ certification.
What will we be covered?
- An Introduction and background to Family Friendly Workplaces
- The 4+2 Pillars to Family Inclusive Workplaces
- An overview of The National Work + Family Standards
- The business case for action
- A step by step guide on what’s involved in the certification process
- Q&A question time
February 2022
Webinar Event
How to become a certified Family Inclusive Workplace™
Family Friendly Workplaces strive to reduce the tension that exists between work and family by embedding and promoting policies and practices that genuinely support employees to thrive at work and at home. Never has there been a better time to get certified.
Family Friendly Workplaces is running free education sessions for workplaces about how to become certified as a Family Inclusive Workplace. Hosted by our Founder, Emma Walsh the webinar will run for 45 minutes and will provide the opportunity to ask questions. Join other business leaders and HR leaders as you learn about what is involved in the process to Family Inclusive Workplace certification.

Event Details
Please note: A recording to this event will be made available by request.
SEPTEMBER 2021
Employer Roundtable
The Case for Action on Gender Equal Parental Leave
Increasingly organisations continue to examine and improve their family leave policies to better support new parents, however, the question remains:
What should a best practice parental leave program deliver employees and leaders in a post covid world?
In this next roundtable, we explore and share:
- What makes a competitive parental leave policy in the context of our new ‘future of work’ paradigm, in a post covid world
- How to develop a gender equal policy
- How to measure the impact of a parental leave policy
- Discuss examples of latest thinking around developing parental leave programs
- Why your parental leave policy is vital to your gender equality strategy
Join the Parents At Work team and special guests as they share their experience designing world leading parental leave policies. Our special guests include:
- Alison Kitchen, Chair, KPMG – Alison is a vocal spokesperson on improving Government PPL and will speak to KPMG’s new 26 weeks label free new policy
- Danielle Wood, CEO, The Grattan Institute – Danielle is launching a ‘hot off the press’ research paper on improving Paid Parental Leave

Event Details
Please note: This exclusive by invitation only online roundtable is limited to 25 participants. Please email [email protected] to request attendance or to go on the waitlist.
AUGUST 2021
Employer Roundtable
The future of work has arrived. It’s more fluid and unpredictable than anyone could have imagined. So how are organisations adapting their approach to operate in a new virtual, agile and hybrid workplace where the usual office based, clock on clock off rules no longer apply?
- What are the implications for individual and team-based collaboration, performance and wellbeing?
- How can flexible hybrid working be structured to deliver maximum success?
- How are leadership teams rising to the challenge to embed hybrid working approaches across their business?
- What challenges and wins have been experienced across workplaces that can be shared from other organisations?
Hear from experts including:
- Deloitte Consulting: Elise Sharpley, Partner, Deloitte
- QBE Insurance: Catherine McNair, Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing
- Flex We Are: Ariane Virtue, Partner

Event Details
Please note: This exclusive by invitation only online roundtable is limited to 25 participants. Please email [email protected] to request attendance.
JUNE 2021
Briefing and Education Sessions
These sessions are to help employers understand more about what it takes to be certified as a Family Friendly Workplace, including details of the simple step by step process it involves. The education sessions will be led by Family Friendly Workplaces Certifiers who will provide time for a Q&A discussion to give you the opportunity to ask any questions you have.
This session is for leaders, HR and D&I professionals who are serious about having their organisation certified and would like to begin the initial steps.

Event Details
MAY 2021
Rethinking the Work + Family Divide
How workplaces are embracing being family inclusive
Learn what some of Australia’s first certified Family Friendly Workplaces are doing to bridge the work and family divide, close the gender equality gap, tackle discrimination, improve flexible working as well as overall wellbeing of their workplaces.
Moderated by Angela Priestley, Founder of Women’s Agenda the panel includes:
- Eleanor Debelle – Interim Chief Customer Officer – QBE AUSPAC
- Alison Hernandez – Managing Director – APAC, Randstad RiseSmart
- Lisa Annese – CEO, Diversity Council of Australia

Event Details
FAMILY FRIENDLY WORKPLACES:
NATIONAL WORK + FAMILY STANDARDS
Launch of a new recognition framework
New Work + Family Standards provide employers with a benchmark of best practice guidelines that support employees meet their work, family and wellbeing needs, developed in partnership by Parents At Work and Unicef Australia. The Family Friendly Workplaces recognition framework certifies employers as a Family Inclusive Workplace™.
Join moderator Annabel Crabb as she talks to a panel of leaders in corporate Australia who are dominating the charge, including:
- Ann Sherry, Chair, UNICEF Australia
- Alan Docherty, CFO, Commonwealth Bank
- Steven Worrall, MD, Microsoft Australia
- Clare Harding, CSO, Deloitte
For more information visit www.familyfriendlyworkplaces.com.au

Event Details