The list of Australian companies actively prioritising gender equality has risen to 120, with the Workplace Gender Equality Agency releasing its 2022 list of employers of choice.
The 2022 Employers of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) employ around 300,000 people in total, having met a range of stretch criteria which show they are advancing equality for their employees.
Despite food and beverage being the largest manufacturing sector in the country and employing more than 275,000 people, only seven EOCGE companies come from the industry; Diageo (4 years), Kellogg Australia (2 years), Lion (5 years), PepsiCo (12 years), Pernod Ricard (1 year), Unilever (5 years), and Woolworths (1 year).
WGEA director Mary Wooldridge said the employers of choice come from an evidence-based assessment that shows they are advancing an embedding gender equality into the workplace and business practices.
“The bar for certification is raised each year to challenge companies to continue maintaining leading practice standards in workplace gender equality,” Wooldridge said.
Kellogg ANZ managing director Anthony Holme said the company had been investing in a pipeline of female talent and developing future female leaders. In 2021, 46 per cent of new hires were female, up from 43 per cent in 2020.
“We have made strong process and are proud to be a leading change maker. I’m delighted Kellogg’s has been acknowledged as one of the best employers in Australia for our commitment, dedication and the action we have taken to accomplish gender equality. This includes our achievement in addressing the gender pay gap,” Holme said.
Companies need to meet a range of stretch criteria designed to measure the actions being taken to advance gender equality outcomes for employees. What sets these companies apart is a number of factors:
- lower gender pay gaps: EOCGEs have an average gender pay gap of 18.9 per cent compared to 23 per cent for others. They conduct pay audits annually, and track and report gender equality metrics to their boards.
- higher proportion of women on boards: 35 per cent of EOCGE employers have women on their boards, compared to 28 per cent in others.
- longer periods of parental leave: 14 weeks on average; compared to 10.7 weeks, with leave available to new employees as soon as they join an EOCGE organisation.
- superannuation on parental leave: 100 per cent of EOCGEs pay super on employer-funded parental leave, including 18 per cent who are also paying it on the government scheme; compared to 81 per cent and 7 per cent respectively in non-EOCGE employers.
- more male managers are taking parental leave: Nearly 29 per cent of all managers taking primary carer’s leave in EOCGE organisations were men, compared to 15 per cent in non-EOCGE organisations.
“Critically, these organisations are delivering on a formula that sees better support structures in place for working families; stronger actions to address pay inequalities; and strategic recruitment and promotion practices that help to encourage the full participation of women at work,” Wooldridge said.
WGEA worked with the University of Queensland to research the EOC cohort. Wooldridge said the results prove their actions are paying clear dividends.
“Our WGEA Employers of Choice are closing their pay gaps faster, have a higher proportion of women in management, a stronger pipeline of women moving into senior management, a higher representation of women on their Boards and a higher proportion of female employees working full-time than other employers,” she said.
National Association of Women in Operations CEO Louise Weine said companies with higher diversity in management gained 38 per cent more of their revenue from innovative products and services than those companies with lower diversity,
“And mixed gender teams can better manage group conflict compared to homogenous teams, and better maximise creativity amongst those team members,” she said, adding that company profit and shared performance is almost 50 per cent higher when women are well represented in senior positions.
“Diversity is a key ingredient for better decision-making,” she said. “Diverse teams can leverage a greater variety of perspectives and are likely to consider information more thoroughly and accurately,” Weine said.
