Posts tagged Flexible Work
What we learned from the pandemic: Simple steps to make inclusive education more accessible
What we learned from the pandemic: Simple steps to make inclusive education more accessible

The recent federal election result has delivered a loud and clear message across the country that we want our political leaders to commit to policies that enable equality, fairness, and compassion. That needs to extend to our children and young people, including appropriate support in educational settings. Shorna Moore of Melbourne City Mission (MCM) and Sally Lasslett of MCM and Hester Hornbrook Academy (@MelbCityMission) explain how the incoming federal government can enact simple policy changes to support all students back to the classroom after concerning data shows that a growing number of vulnerable young people have disengaged from their education following the pandemic.

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Remote learningPower to Persuadeeducation, Flexible Work, young people, Disability, mental health
Working from home: Opportunities but also risks for supporting gender equality
Working from home: Opportunities but also risks for supporting gender equality

As lockdowns become ‘the new normal’ in Australia, working from home, at least for some workers, is also becoming normalised. While working from home provides many women with the much-needed flexibility they need, there is also potential for a further eroding of gender equality, both in the workplace and the home. In today’s analysis, Sally Moyle (@SallyMoyle) and Helen Innes, both with the National Foundation for Australian Women (@NFAWomen) Gender Lens on the Budget team, explain how the government should be responding to the rapid changes in work-from-home practices. This analysis is drawn from their Federal Budget 2021/22 analysis on work from home policies. You can read a summary of NFAW’s infrastructure analysis here, and an overview of how the budget is analysed here.

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Womens Policy Action TankWomen's Policy Action Tankemployment, Flexible Work, COVID-19, Gender equality, Work-Life Balance
Fathers face a flexibility stigma: Time for policy and cultural change to support fathers using flexibility
Fathers face a flexibility stigma: Time for policy and cultural change to support fathers using flexibility

The government has a strong focus on supporting women back into paid employment following the arrival of children. However, current initiatives don’t go far enough to remove barriers for many mothers to engage in career-oriented employment. In today’s analysis, Ashlee Borgkvist (@ashb_6) of the University of Adelaide (@UniofAdelaide) examines the barriers men face in accessing paid parental leave and explains how increasing uptake will result in better outcomes for mothers, fathers and children.

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Womens Policy Action TankWomen's Policy Action Tankemployment, Children, gender pay gap, Flexible Work
Flexible working: innovations and issues

Australia’s Fair Work Act 2009 provides employees in the national workplace relations system with a legal right to request flexible working arrangements. And while this practice is welcomed by employers, it may be more difficult to implement in practice. UNSW Canberra’s Public Service Research Group academics Dr Sue Williamson and Dr Meraiah Foley, as well as Central Queensland University’s Dr Linda Colley, explain some of the policy’s innovations and challenges experienced by employers when they assist employees in achieving balance between work and their personal lives.

This article was originally published on The Mandarin.

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Innovation, Issues, Policy and governancePower to PersuadeFlexible Work
Reigniting conversations about gender equality in the APS
Reigniting conversations about gender equality in the APS

How has the Australian Public Service (APS) been progressing and embedding gender equality, and are its efforts working? In the report Embedding Gender Equality in the Australian Public Service: Changing practices, changing cultures, UNSW Canberra's Dr Sue Williamson explains how the Australian Public Service Gender Equality Strategy has started an important conversation about the nature of equality, and where the APS may improve to achieve its goals. This piece was originally published in The Mandarin.

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Policy and governance, IssuesPower to Persuadesocial inequalities, Gender Inequity, Flexible Work