Major banks sign up for family-friendly workplace scheme

Some of Australia’s biggest banks have put their names to a new campaign from UNICEF and Parents at Work to improve the level of support for families in the workplace.

It will see best practice guidelines shared across some of Australia’s biggest employers, with guidance given on equitable family policies and ensuring gender parity in parenting, among other aspects.

The Family Friendly Workplaces scheme is endorsed by the likes of CBA, Westpac, Macquarie Bank, APRA, ING, Suncorp and HSBC, as well as other major employers outside the banking sector, such as Deloitte, Johnson & Johnson, Optus and AstraZeneca.

Speaking to HRD, Parents At Work CEO Emma Walsh said the initiative was born off the back of new research which revealed how many parents still struggle to juggle their work and family life.

Emma Walsh, CEO of Parents at Work, told our sister publication, HRD, that many Australian parents were struggling to find the balance between work and life.

“Our research of 6,000 Australian families reported some really startling statistics around the work/life tension people were feeling,” she said. “62% of people said work/life tension and the conflict they were experiencing was really having a significant impact on their mental and physical health, and that it was having an onflow effect to their family life.”

“The view from the workplaces involved in the research and a number of community family organisations was that there really were no workplace standards in place for employers to benchmark against or aspire to.”

“If you want to attract the best people into your workplace, the number one thing that you should be doing is offering the ability for that person to combine their work and home life as easily as possible because the two are so blended now,” she said.

“Employers really need to think about are whether they are helping or hindering their employees to balance their lives.”

Commonwealth Bank CFO Alan Docherty added: “When people with diverse family needs feel supported in their workplace, not only do they benefit but their families and the broader community benefits too.”

“As one of Australia’s largest employers, we have an important role to play fostering a culture of care, equality and respect so that our people can be at their best at work and at home.”