Corrs named EOWA Employer of Choice for Women

08 March 2010

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Corrs has received an Employer of Choice for Women citation from the Federal Government's Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) for the fourth successive year.

Corrs is one of a select group of organisations nationally to receive the citation, which recognises organisations embracing gender diversity and taking steps towards generating positive outcomes for women and the business in areas such as pay parity, workplace flexibility, parental leave and proportion of women at senior levels.

Today’s citation adds to the firm’s growing list of acknowledgements in the employment area, which include: being the top ranked law firm in BRW’s list of 50 Great Places to Work in Australia and voted the leading law firm in the Asia Pacific region for work/life balance in ALB magazine’s ALB 2009 survey.

Partner and Chief Executive Officer, John Denton, believes recognition by EOWA is an important endorsement of the firm’s continuing efforts to create an inspiring workplace for all staff. “The citation provides an independent benchmark for the firm and our initiatives,” he said.

Corrs is determined to build on its achievements to date: 38% of its Board and 35% of the Partners and Senior Managers are women; more than 17% of its workforce is part-time (including sixteen men); 74% of its workforce takes advantage of some form of flexible working practice or remote working tool; and the majority of scholarships and post-graduate study opportunities are granted to women.

Current initiatives include:

• Executive coaching program designed to assist women to maximise their career potential
• An organisational KPI and process to ensure that more than 50% of candidates in the partnership pipeline are women
• More flexible working options through a new Flexibility@Work program to accommodate the individual circumstances of employees
• Expanding its mentoring program to include junior lawyers and business services staff
• “Jugglers Forum” – provides employees with the opportunity to share ideas and experiences on effectively “juggling” work, family and community commitments.

Denton notes it is particularly encouraging that nearly 13% of the organisations receiving the EOWA citation this year were law firms. “The profession as a whole is tackling issues such as career path hurdles for women, workplace diversity and flexible working arrangements for both genders. This is a positive step for our profession and its commitment to achieving cultural change and bridging the gap between policy and practice in this area".