Workplace Flexibility

Employers have a clear role in managing how this new, flexible way of working unfolds across Australia. By taking early and strategic action and setting clear work and life boundaries, employers will not only reap the benefits of flex by improving retention and growing their talent pools, but they can also support their employees to enjoy the benefits while limiting negative consequences.

Australian workplaces have embraced flexibility like never before. In fact, according to the results from the 2021 WGEA employer census, four in five workplaces now have a formal flexible work policy or strategy.

It was the greatest workplace experiment we never expected to have. Now, many workplaces are reopening across our biggest cities and employers are grappling with the question: what does flexible work look like from here?

Ahead of Mother’s Day earlier this month, the Agency’s Director Libby Lyons wrote an OpEd for the Sydney Morning Herald. You can read the full piece in this article.

Whilst this situation is extraordinary, working from home and flexible working arrangements are not new concepts and, in fact, are key enablers of achieving workplace gender equality. The Agency has developed comprehensive resources to help you plan and implement these arrangements. 

When we talk about men and women balancing work and caring, it can be all too easy to frame the discussion in adversarial absolutes. For instance, when we discuss the gender pay gap and inequality in the workplace and at home, some might take the easy option of saying it is mainly due to men focusing on their careers and not “pulling their weight” at home.