AECOM sets out to close gender pay gap

Infrastructure firm AECOM has increased its female leadership by 26 per cent over the past 12 months.

Infrastructure firm AECOM has increased its female leadership by 26 per cent across the past 12 months, in a bid to bridge the gender diversity gap in leadership positions.

AECOM Australia and New Zealand chief executive Lara Poloni says the company has a goal of 20 per cent female leadership by 2020 as part of its 2015 gender pay strategy.

“I’m delighted that we have managed to increase female leaders by more than a quarter in just 12 months, and in doing so helped to close the overall gender pay gap at AECOM,” Poloni says.

AECOM reduced the gender pay gap by 3.4 per cent between May last year and May this year across its Australian workforce of 2750, while achieving an equal gender split in this year’s undergraduate intake. Last year, AECOM was one of just 90 organisations across Australia to receive a Workplace Gender Equality Agency citation and has introduced programs including unconscious bias awareness training, workplace flexibility and mentoring circles.

MONEY OR YOUR TIME

Employment law firm McDonald Murholme managing director Alan McDonald says the Fair Work Commission’s decision to allow Australians to cash out their annual leave by taking the money instead of time off will be a win for businesses looking to reduce annual leave.

He says the decision could lead to increased working weeks but could be detrimental to employees.

“There is a risk that employers may exploit this change by pushing employees to take the money, not the time,” McDonald says.

He says this is a concern for private sector employees such as truck drivers and disability workers who need time to recover from long hours of difficult and stressful work.

Yet the commission states employers can’t force or pressure an employee to choose the cash option, and a written agreement has to be made each time annual leave is cashed out.

McDonald says employees should be careful to avoid surrendering their four weeks of entitled leave, and ensure they take a break and continue to enjoy a high standard of living and positive work-life balance.

SMALL BUSINESS INSIGHTS

The Australian Institute of Management will be hosting a forum in Adelaide on Friday on running a small business, discussing marketing, employee engagement, customer centricity, culture and innovation. The Golden Rules of Small Business forum will hear from Metricon general manager Richard Bryant, business leader and mentor Ron Read and others discussing moments that have made the most profound impact in their careers and how they have shaped their conduct. Details: www.aim.com.au.

HAPPY TO STAY WORKING

Working Australians are a happy bunch, with 84 per cent of respondents to a Robert Half survey saying they enjoy their job. And those who are unhappy are doing something about it — with 76 per cent actively looking for another role.

Robert Half Asia Pacific senior managing director David Jones says the results show job satisfaction and ensuring employees are happy in what they do means they are likely to stay, while companies with high levels of dissatisfaction may have a retention problem.

“Unhappy workers are likely to pursue another job opportunity, increasing a company’s turnover, which brings additional costs in terms of sourcing and replacing staff,” Jones says.

When asked to list the top three things they like most about their job, 74 per cent said work-life balance, 58 per cent mentioned salary and bonus, and 57 per cent listed colleagues and managers.