Australia’s leading independent law firm, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, has been named an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) for 2018-19.
Areas assessed in order to achieve a citation include leadership, learning and development, gender remuneration gaps, flexible working and other initiatives to support family responsibilities, employee consultation, preventing sex-based harassment and discrimination, and targets for improving gender equality outcomes.
WGEA Director Libby Lyons said: “Every employer committed to gender equality embarks upon their own unique journey towards achieving the equal participation by women and men in their workplace. The WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation provides a rigorous and sophisticated roadmap to guide employers along the path.”
Corrs CEO, and WGEA Pay Equity Ambassador, Gavin MacLaren said: “Delivering our gender equality strategy is a key priority for me and is critical to our success as a firm. The WGEA citation is a pleasing endorsement of the positive steps we have taken to date, however there is still much to be done.”
As part of its strategy to promote gender equality and address pay equity, Corrs recently took an industry-leading step to make superannuation contributions to employees during both paid and unpaid parental leave.
This change in policy now sees Corrs make contributions for a period of up to 12 months to employees taking either paid or unpaid primary carers or secondary carers leave. Corrs provides 18 weeks paid leave for the primary carer and three weeks for the secondary carer, again legal industry best practice.