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Expert opinion
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Fair and flexible employers: Best (16) in class.The overriding message is clear. If things need to be done to improve the work/life dynamic, employers and employees have shown a willingness to get together and talk about how this can be achieved, and a capability to make a difference.
Celebrating best practice
The Victorian Government is committed to this approach - employers and employees working together to solve problems. That is why it set up a Working Families Council in 2007. One of the Council’s roles is to promote employers who have successfully introduced initiatives that assist working families. Since April 2009 the Council has been on the lookout for employers that put words into action – corporate role models that offer fair and flexible working conditions. And at a celebration on 23 June 2009, the Minister for Industrial Relations announced the first winners of the Victorian Government’s Fair and Flexible Employer Recognition Awards.
As Chair of the Council it was a fantastic experience to read so many great applications, and to find 16 outstanding employers (the “Top 16”) which have taken to heart flexible work practices as a way of meeting business and employee needs. What’s more, it was refreshing to see that the final 16 were from diverse organisations (eg from construction to clothing, and from hardware to health) and of diverse size.
What does it take to be best in class?
To be in the running for the “Fair and Flexible” award, having great flexible work options is a given, and in the Top 16, employers offer a broad suite of initiatives which include flexible leave packages, paid and unpaid parental leave, pre-natal leave for medical appointments, maternity, paternity and adoption leave, carer’s leave, leave without pay and religious, ceremonial and cultural leave.
They also offer job sharing arrangements, working from home and shift swap options to help workmates meet personal commitments.
Some employers provide priority car parking for pregnant staff and a ‘return to work’ bonus after a period of maternity leave that could be used to subsidise child care costs, or help employ additional staff to address work load when a staff member returns to work part time.
To be best in class, the Top 16 also demonstrated a level of tailoring, ie how they are matching their business needs with their workforce needs. For example we noted that health and well being programs are fast becoming the norm for organisations keen to attract and retain skilled staff in a competitive work environment, and one employer had introduced ‘dating at mid life’ seminars (which were extremely popular!).
What particularly caught the judges’ notice was innovation. We learnt that flexible work practices were being used in some surprising industries and locations. A hardware store in regional Victoria had built shifts around school hours. A manufacturing company had, despite GFC pressures, worked out how to match a ‘just in time’ supply chain, with the working hour preferences of their staff.
What’s the motivation?
These employers know the benefits, even during an economic downturn, of becoming more flexible to adapt to Victoria’s changing workforce. Offering greater workplace flexibility makes an employer more attractive to employees, which in turn, creates a more stable, loyal workforce. This improves productivity and staff retention rates which are a major cost for employers. Attracting and retaining staff is particularly important in small, regional businesses where flexible working hours allow parents to drop kids at school and leave in time to collect them.
The big tick
Already these employers are reaping the business rewards of their best practice, and the Council has added another dimension by helping to build their reputation as employers of choice. More specifically the Top 16 employers which have been recognised as being ‘fair and flexible’ are be able to use a specially developed brand mark, similar to the “Tick” campaign used by the National Heart Foundation. This can be used in advertising campaigns creating a valuable marketing and recruitment tool for the organisation.
Fair and flexible employers will be also be recognised in Government publications, promoted in the mainstream media and featured on the Victorian Government’s ways2work website - the most wide ranging and up to date on-line resource in Australia to help parents and carers return to work.
Congratulations Top 16 on leading the way!
To find out more about the awards go to: http://ways2work.business.vic.gov.au/employers/awards,-grants-and-programs/employer-recognition-program/winners
Jill Hennessy, Chair Working Families Council