. Chapter 6 Work and Family Policies and Practices Glenda Strachan, John Burgess and Lindy Henderson Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 6-1

. What are work and family policies? Work and family policies are workplace policies that promote working arrangements enabling employees to attend to family responsibilities without jeopardising their livelihood. There is no single definition as the concept is evolving. Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 6-2

. Work and family policies A broad consensus of desirable policies and practices has emerged (Burgess and Strachan 2005): Income security –an appropriate rate of pay –a regular and secure income Employment security –predictable hours –ongoing employment, whether full-time or part-time –the ability to take career breaks (for example, maternity or carers leave) Access to care arrangements Access to flexible leave –leave in addition to standard leave entitlements –parental leave and leave in emergencies –the ability to switch between different types of leave Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 6-3

. Flexible working times –the ability to vary working hours –the ability to start and finish at suitable times –the ability to make use of flextime, job-sharing and other innovations –the ability to vary the above arrangements over the course of the working life Control over unfriendly working hours –the ability to vary or avoid long, unpredictable, unsocial working hours –minimising of changes to schedules at short notice. Access to training and a career path Innovative work arrangements which may include working from home and study leave Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity Work and family policies (cont.) 6-4

. Work and family policies and managing diversity Work and family policies have easily found a place within the broader policy of managing diversity and form a major component of organisations’ equity and diversity programs in Australia. These policies appear as the non-gendered face of employment equity as they are made available to both female and male employees. Because they recognise individual differences, they fit comfortably with policies and practices that emphasise individual rather than collective priorities. They acknowledge the value of a diverse workforce by recognising that employees have a variety of needs, including the need to meet family obligations. While work and family policies may benefit all employees, in practice it is women that stand to gain the most from them. Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 6-5

. Work and family policies in Australia Unpaid maternity and parental leave Paid maternity and parental leave in some organisations Carers leave, personal leave and sick leave A range of work arrangements may be available for permanent employees, e.g. part- time work, job sharing, annualised hours, self- rostering, working from home, variable start and finish times. Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 6-6

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. Business benefits of work and family policies ‘Women can be disadvantaged by traditional methods of work and work regulation, and we also recognise that women are a great source of talent (as are men), and that in order to harness this talent we would need to ensure that we have practices in place to attract and then retain talented women, who might also have other responsibilities outside of the workforce.’ (Mounties Community Club in the Sydney suburb of Mt Pritchard, with over 400 employees, nearly two-thirds of them women). ‘To ensure that we can attract and retain the best staff we have put in place strategies that allow us to provide career paths and training path ways as well as flexible and family friendly working conditions to enable women with family responsibilities to participate fully in the workplace and also be able to fulfil their family role.’ (Churches of Christ Homes and Community Services). Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 6-9

. Fair Work Act 2009 Statutory conditions include maximum weekly working hours (38 per week); the right of employees to request flexible employment arrangements if they have children below school age; up to 12 months’ unpaid parental leave; 4 weeks’ paid annual leave; and 10 days’ personal/carers leave. The legislation provides a more secure foundation for work and family provisions and ensures that these can no longer be negotiated away and can be expanded through collective agreement. A paid parental leave scheme announced in the 2009 Federal budget to operate from January weeks paid leave is provided at the federal minimum wage rate. Access to the scheme depends on length of employment and income. Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 6-10

. Work and family policies in practice How work and family policies are perceived and how enthusiastically they are embraced remains variable. It differs between enterprises, depending on the extent to which flexibility in regard to working hours and other matters is compatible with the structure of the business, whether the existing structure can be modified and whether the organisation is prepared to change (Charlesworth, Campbell & Probert 2005). Although organised labour may endorse work and family provisions in principle, these are sometimes an early casualty in the bargaining process, especially in a deregulated bargaining environment (Kumar & Murray 2002; Whitehouse & Frino 2003). Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 6-11