The Australian Women in Resources Alliance (AWRA) launched the Guide to Flexible Work on 8 March to coincide with International Women’s Day.
The practical tool was designed to help employers attract and retain more female employees by providing guidance on how to effectively implement flexible work arrangements in the workplace.
It outlined 13 types of flexible work options, including job sharing, flexible working hours and expanded leave, explained the benefits that each option offered to both the employee and the organisation, and also noted key implementation considerations.
The guide additionally included examples of workplace policies and templates, useful legal tips and real case studies of resource companies that had successfully introduced flexible work arrangements.
AWRA spokesperson Tara Diamond said that although in recent years the Australian resource industry had overhauled its recruitment and human resources practices to increase workforce diversity, putting flexible work into practice still remained a challenge for many employers.
“Flexibility can be particularly challenging at resource industry workplaces that involve remote locations, projects operating on a 24-hour basis and often with health and safety rules restricting the practical ability to have multiple rosters or other options for flexible work,” she added.
“AWRA’s Guide to Flexible Work helps resource employers think outside the box and consider the broad range of modern flexible work options that may suit their workplaces and appeal to a greater pool of employees – both female and male – to ultimately benefit organisational culture and performance.”
Federal Minister for Employment and Minister for Women Michaelia Cash, who endorsed the guide, commented, “With the jobs of the future set to be more flexible and agile, the ability for employers in male-dominated industries to implement valuable and practical options for workplace flexibility will be vital to their success in attracting and retaining more diverse workforces.
“…Through our strategic partnership with [the] AWRA initiative, collectively we are helping remove barriers for women to enter the resource industry, and in particular increase their representation in on-site and operational roles.”
The Guide to Flexible Work is available via www.amma.org.au
AWRA is an Australian Mines and Metals Association initiative that aims to increase female participation in the resources industry.
More reading
Awards to celebrate industry’s social contribution
Diversity report shows little change
Optimism in gender participation
Women in male industries could boost GDP
Celebrating women working in mining