JourneyOnline
UnitingCare Health is one of only 10 organisations in Queensland, out of 99 throughout Australia, to achieve an Employer of Choice for Women citation this year.
Awarded annually by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace agency the citation recognises organisations for achieving “outstanding outcomes for women”.
This year six new prerequisites were introduced to the selection process which “raised the bar” in achieving employer of choice status. These included a minimum of six weeks paid maternity leave after 12 months of service; the ability for female managers to work part-time and the percentage of female managers being at least 27 per cent of the industry average.
Each year, UnitingCare Health cares for around 100 000 patients in its five hospitals (the Wesley, St Andrew’s War Memorial, Sunshine Coast Private, St Stephen’s Maryborough and Hervey Bay) situated around Brisbane and regional Queensland.
With a workforce of more than 3 500 the organisation has focussed on developing business practises that encourage flexibility in areas such as rostering practices and part-time work and that foster a good work/life balance for staff members.
CEO UnitingCare Health Richard Royle said Uniting Care had a strong commitment to providing assistance to its employees who have young children and also those who are caring for elderly family members.
“It’s a growing trend in our organisation,” he said.
“Flexible work practices are essential as an employer of choice – we rely on our staff to deliver an outstanding service and in return we endeavour to make it as easy as we can for them to come and work for us.
“We embrace diversity and value the contribution that every one of our employees makes to our organisation,” he said.
Director of EOWA Anna McPhee said that Employer of Choice for Women status have moved beyond simply writing policies.
“For these organisations creating equity is about changing culture, changing expectations, breaking down the outdated myths about women and finally valuing the massive contribution women make to the workplace whether they are working part-time or full-time, working from home or in the office, starting their careers or nearing retirement,” she said.
In congratulating UnitingCare Health, an agency of UnitingCare Queensland, Anne Cross, CEO of UnitingCare Queensland said that this achievement demonstrated the absolute commitment that the organisation has to equity for women in the workplace.
“In achieving this recognition for the sixth consecutive year, UnitingCare Health has clearly demonstrated an ongoing commitment to creating a workplace which provides employment choice for all our staff and in particular the many women who work in our hospitals,” she said.
Photo : UNITING CHURCH NEWS
