Family-Friendly Monash
University
Michelle Waters & Jo O’Neil
Monash University is now rated one of Australia’s most family-friendly institutions.
| “Research shows that organisations with the best work culture attract the most talented staff ” |
In a national survey to identify best practice in implementing flexible work strategies Monash was ranked ninth in an Australia-wide benchmarking survey of 205 organisations (www.worklifebalance.com.au). Australia’s biggest tertiary institution was also the only university featured among the top 10 in the survey. It came behind the ABC, ANZ Bank, Australia Post, the Federal Police and Ford but in front of 196 other organizations.
Conducted by the consultancy group Managing Work/Life Balance, the survey
ranked the institutions according to criteria that included how they encourage diversity, improved the flow of internal communication, employed a high number of women in senior positions and had some form of paid parental leave. The consultants say that research shows that organisations with the best work culture attract the most talented staff. Those with policies encouraging a balanced lifestyle also reduce turnover and absenteeism, retain staff after parental leave, and improve morale.
Monash
offers its women employees 12 weeks paid maternity leave, with up to a year
unpaid, while men are eligible for five days paid paternity leave. After this
they can access unpaid parental leave for up to a year. Monash also has a
pre-natal leave and breastfeeding policy and an Expectant Parent’s Kit and a
new parent information exchange was introduced last year to assist with the
transition back to work for the increasing numbers of staff returning after
parental leave. The ratio of staff returning to those who didn’t increased
from 82 per cent in 1999 to 91 per cent in 2002.
Monash’s “Work Life Family Unit” coordinator, Michelle Waters, said more staff are using flexible work arrangements since a strategy to promote this was launched in late 2000. “There has been a 25 per cent increase in the uptake by staff of voluntary reduced working year, with the use of home-based work for general staff, flexible start and finishing times and job share arrangements also increasing.”
"And it’s not just women who are taking advantage of flexibility – men are also making more use of these arrangements. The aim is to help staff balance the competing demands of work, life and family while enhancing their effectiveness in the workplace.”
For more details, visit the Work Life Family Unit website at:
www.adm.monash.edu.au/sss/pc/equity/worklife/
Michelle Waters, who is quoted in this article, manages the Work Life Family Unit for Monash University, Australia. She is responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of the university’s Work Life Family Strategy, high quality integrated policy, programs, flexible work options, and equity in employment.
'Populate and Publish’
In what is believed to be a first for an Australian university, Faculty of Science academics returning from maternity leave can now apply for a $15,000 grant to assist them in their research endeavours. The initiative aims to help female academics maintain the momentum of their research programs.
Professor Margaret Clayton, convenor of the faculty’s equity committee, said the faculty recognised that the experimental work of science disciplines placed a particularly high demand on staff members’ time. “This grant offers targeted support for female academics engaged in teaching and research positions in the faculty that will make it easier for them to take maternity leave without an adverse impact on their careers. At the moment, women are seriously under-represented in the academic staff of the Faculty of Science, and this is one of several initiatives through which the faculty aims to address gender imbalance. This grant creates an environment where young women academics can feel comfortable about having a family and keeping their career” Professor Clayton said.
Source: Monash Memo, 10 February, 2003 Margaret Clayton is a Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University. She is a WISENET member.