GHD strides forward with gender equality

GHD is one of 90 companies to receive the Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) citation from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) in Australia.

This is the second year that GHD has received this citation, which acknowledges the company’s continuing evolution in creating a diverse and inclusive workforce.

WGEA Director Libby Lyons says, “The initiatives demonstrated by this year’s EOCGE recipients showed that more employers were taking a sophisticated and whole-of-organisation approach to supporting women and men’s equal participation at all levels of the workplace.”

Phil Duthie, GHD’s General Manager – Australia, a WGEA Pay Equity Ambassador and a member of Consult Australia’s Male Champions of Change group, says, “Despite more rigorous criteria, it is great to see real change happening in a historically male-dominated industry, with Jacobs and AECOM joining GHD and Arup in being awarded the citation.”

In reflecting on progress over the past year, Phil says, “I am particularly proud of the strides we have made with flexible working to support men and women to balance work and personal commitments.”

Research shows that flexible working helps attract and retain a diverse workforce. Earlier this year, a unified flexible working policy was created by GHD’s Diversity & Inclusion Group, comprising a cross-section of people from across the Australian business.

Phil adds, “Change takes time, and one of the biggest pieces is creating a shift in the cultural acceptance of flexible working as a legitimate and valuable way of delivery quality outcomes for our clients and business.

“We’re seeing more people with flexible working and part time contracts applying for management and other key positions, which is fantastic. From a company point of view, it’s a real win-win situation as we have a more comprehensive list of applicants for roles.”