Gender Equality Standards

Gender composition of the workforce

Supporting gender equality in the designated relevant employer’s workplace

Supporting and achieving gender equality in the designated relevant employer’s governing body

In relation to employees of the designated relevant employer, ensuring equal remuneration between women and men

Availability and utility of employment terms, conditions and practices relating to flexible working arrangements for employees and to working arrangements supporting employees with family or caring responsibilities

Ensuring employees are consulted and have input on issues concerning gender equality in the designated relevant employer’s workplace

Prevention of, and appropriate response to, sexual harassment, harassment on the ground of sex or discrimination in the designated relevant employer’s workplace

Workplace Overview section

Question 1.1

To meet GEI1, you must have a formal policy or strategy to support gender equality in the workplace. Your policy or strategy might cover areas, such as:

• recruitment
• retention
• performance management
• promotions
• talent identification of high potential employees
• succession planning
• training and development

gender equality KPIs for managers

Governing Bodies section

Question 1.5(E)

To meet GEI2, you must have a formal policy or strategy to support gender equality in your governing body.

There may be circumstances where employers have no control over their governing body composition. The employer may:

• have their board positions appointed by government
• have their board positions elected by vote
• have a board overseas
• have a board with a membership-based requirement or other type of special appointment rules
• be an owner-operator or family business, or
• have another acceptable reason for having no control over their board composition.

In these cases, employers can select ‘No - do not have control over governing body/appointments’ in response to the relevant item in the Questionnaire. This will constitute meeting GEI2 for that employer.

Action on Gender Equality section 

To meet GEI3, you must have a formal policy or strategy to support equal remuneration between women and men. Your policy or strategy might cover areas, such as:

• remuneration objectives and targets for reducing the gender pay gap
• who is accountable for pay equity outcomes
• requirements to conduct and report on a gender pay gap analysis
• processes for determining pay, bonuses and discretionary payments, correcting pay inequalities and raising complaints about pay
• how pay is advertised and determined at recruitment.

The gender pay gap is a measure of how women’s and men’s contributions are valued in the workforce. It is the difference in average or median earnings between women and men.

Flexible working arrangements section

Question 3.1

Support for Carers section 

To meet GEI4, you must have formal policies or strategies to support:

• flexible working arrangements for employees, and
• employees with family or caring responsibilities.

A carer refers to, but is not limited to, an employee’s role as the parent (biological, step, adoptive or foster) or guardian of a child, or carer of a child, parent, spouse or domestic partner, close relative, or other dependent or friend.

Employee consultation section

To meet GEI5, you must have a formal policy or strategy in place to support consultation with employees on issues concerning gender equality in the workplace.

Employee consultation is a formalised way to collect information about your employees’ views on the workplace, what is working well and what could be improved.

Sexual harassment section

To meet GEI6, you must have a formal policy or strategy to support the prevention of, and appropriate response to, sexual harassment, harassment on the ground of sex or discrimination in your workplace.

The provisions in a policy and/or strategy for prevention and management of sexual harassment is important for setting workplace culture and achieving a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace.