News and Announcements

Smartgroup is proud to be 2022 Employer of Choice for Gender Equality

“Each year, we accept applications for our WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) citation from those employers who are raising the bar when it comes to driving change, creating the circumstances that allow all people, regardless of their gender, to thrive. “- WGEA Director, Mary Wooldridge

Smartgroup are proud to have retained the Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation for our second consecutive year. As an inclusive employer that is passionate about gender equality, we are honoured to be among 104 employers who have been awarded with this citation by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency today, bringing the list of total citation holders to 120.

Our passion for advancing gender equality and fostering a workforce that is free from discrimination and inequities remains close to our hearts, and despite the COVID-19 pandemic providing unprecedented disruptions for businesses across the globe, we have continued to show our commitment to accelerating progression through:

• Broadening of Smartgroup’s Parental Leave Policy to build better support structures for all working families
• Promoting flex work options to support caring responsibilities
• Reviewing our recruitment practices to ensure fairness in remuneration and equal employment opportunities
• Signing the Diversity Council Australia pledge to stand against gender-based and sexual harassment in the workplace
• Gender-Based and Sexual Harassment training for all team members and leaders
• Gender equality surveys to all Smartgroupers
• Diversity events (incl. International Women’s Day)

How do organisations apply?

Organisations that are interested in applying for the Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) citation, must meet the following criteria which covers 7 focus areas:

• Leadership, strategy and accountability
• Developing a gender-balanced workforce
• Gender pay equity
• Support for caring
• Mainstreaming flexible work
• Preventing gender-based harassment and discrimination, sexual harassment and bullying
• Driving change beyond your workplace

So, what’s in the report?

The report is structured to capture information on the breakdown of gender in roles, promotions, training, salary comparisons for like for like roles, access to programs such as Parental Leave and Flexible Working, as well as what policies and strategies we have in place to improve gender equality in our workplace.

Smartgroup enthusiastically works on this comprehensive report, and for more than just compliance to the legislation - we see it as a great opportunity to review our practices and to measure our improvements, year on year.

Each year, WGEA then publishes the annual key findings from the reporting data in the WGEA Gender Equality Scorecard. The dataset is based on reports submitted for the period 1 April to 31 March.

Click the image to see the full Australia’s Gender Equality Scorecard

In a survey conducted across Smartgroup in 2021, 91% of team members agreed that their immediate managers genuinely supported equality between genders. Every team member has a role to play in fostering an inclusive workplace that reflects the diversity of our customers and community.

We’re proud to see that our teams live and breathe our Smartgroup values and culture and share our vision. To read more about Smartgroup’s steps towards becoming more inclusive, click here >