Strategies and measures

Once you have determined strategies and measures based on your workplace gender audit results and consultation, document your agreed strategies and measures with reference to the relevant workplace gender audit results.

These should be grouped according to workplace gender equality indicators, as outlined in the Act:

• Gender composition of all levels of the workforce
• Gender composition of governing bodies
• Equal remuneration for work of equal or comparable value across all levels of the workforce, irrespective of gender
• Sexual harassment in the workplace
• Recruitment and promotion practices in the workplace
• Availability and utilisation of terms, conditions and practices relating to family violence leave, flexible working arrangements and working arrangements supporting workers with family or caring responsibilities
• Gendered segregation within the workplace

It is important that your defined entity can make ‘reasonable and material’ progress towards achieving gender equality through the strategies and measures in your GEAP, in accordance with s16 of the Act. Bear in mind that you will be required to publicly report to the Commissioner on your ‘reasonable and material’ progress in 2 years’ time. Example strategies and measures are included in Appendix D.

For each individual strategy or measure, clearly state who in your defined entity holds responsibility for implementation as well as timelines for completion. Accountability should be assigned at management or leadership level. We recommend that accountability for individual strategies and measures be shared across the defined entity, so it is important to nominate several leaders/managers to be responsible for implementing components of the GEAP within their division or area.

In addition, at the overall GEAP level, as outlined in 'Leadership and resourcing your GEAP', your defined entity should assign and document which individual or individuals hold overall accountability for implementing your GEAP and for driving ‘reasonable and material’ progress as a whole.

The Commission recommends considering the following gender pay equity principles (which were developed by the Equal Workplaces Advisory Council) when developing the strategies and measures in your GEAP:

• Establishing equal pay for work of equal or comparable value: Equal or comparable value refers to work valued as equal in terms of skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions. This includes work of different types
• Freedom from bias and discrimination: Employment and pay practices are free from the effects of unconscious bias and assumptions based on gender
• Transparency and accessibility: Employment and pay practices, pay rates and systems are transparent. Information is readily accessible and understandable
• Relationship between paid and unpaid work: Employment and pay practices recognise and account for different patterns of labour force participation by workers who undertake unpaid and/ or caring work
• Sustainability: Interventions and solutions are collectively developed and agreed, sustainable and enduring
• Participation and engagement: Workers, unions and employers work collaboratively to achieve mutually agreed outcomes

You are encouraged to include one or more strategies or measures relating to people who may experience intersectional gender inequality due to Aboriginality, age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation and other attributes. This might be, for example, to improve systems and processes to be able to collect more meaningful data to inform your next GEAP.

Example strategies and measures are included in Appendix D, and further information on intersectional gender inequality is available on our website.

You may wish to include references to any best practice and/or emerging good practice research that has informed the strategies and measures included in your GEAP. This may include examples across different jurisdictions, industries or relevant workplaces.

• Establish specific targets for gender composition at all levels of the workforce considering the results of your workplace gender audit, employee consultation and the diversity of the defined entity’s service users
• Report gender composition findings and targets back to the defined entity
• Identify and implement advancement strategies, such as: mentoring, scholarships, development and education pathways, secondment opportunities

• Establish targets for the gender composition of members of your governing body considering the results of your workplace gender audit
• Ensure clear policy and process guidelines around recruitment of governing body members and include actions that would reduce any barriers to the recruitment of diverse applicants
• Build in maximum tenure periods into the governing body’s terms of reference to ensure accountability and input continues to incorporate diverse perspectives

• Allocate a specific budget for resolving any pay discrepancies identified through gender pay gap analysis
• Reduce your gender pay gap by at least five per cent¹ within the next four years
• Increase the transparency of progression and remuneration increases and appraisal processes

• Implement a process that provides a victim-centric² approach to case management of sexual harassment complaints, including establishment of workplace contact officer roles with whom workers discuss experiences and concerns confidentially
• Create an internal awareness campaign about sexual harassment policies and internal complaint mechanisms, as well as a link to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission’s complaint processes (should internal systems fail to achieve a satisfactory outcome for the complainant)
• Set up anonymous reporting processes for instances of sexual harassment in the workplace and ensure that reporting processes include adequate response and support mechanisms
• Commit to reporting of sexual harassment complaints to the governing body as a standing workplace health and safety agenda item
• Commission a specialist organisation to run organisation-wide training to ensure employees know that sexual harassment is unlawful and harmful, to raise awareness of what constitutes sexual harassment and what to do if
  it happens to you or you witness it happening to someone else – as well as management responsibilities when a complaint is received
• Establish a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment with reference to the positive obligations in the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and any health and safety obligations in enterprise agreements

• Set a target for the proportion of applications or recruitment shortlists that are gender balanced and take into consideration intersectional gender inequality
• Set targets for recruitment of diverse candidates at specific levels
• Review recruitment processes to attract greater gender diversity in candidates. For example, through reviewing language in job descriptions, composition of interview panels, shortlisting, and appointment processes
• Communicate a transparent process for secondment and acting opportunities

Family Violence Leave

• Review and communicate family violence leave policies and processes to ensure they are victim-centric and in line with sector best practice, noting your organisation’s EBAs may contain relevant processes relating to leave and flexible working arrangements
• Build a culture of checking in consistently to ensure that staff making complaints or disclosures are supported, that issues raised are always taken seriously and dealt with appropriately and effectively
• Ensure there is a clear process to reallocate personal/sick leave to family violence leave if required
• Commission a specialist organisation to run training for managers, HR and other key staff on how to support and respond to an employee experiencing family violence

Flexible working

• Set a policy for all roles to be offered on a flexible basis by default (or ‘if not, why not’ basis)
• Create a campaign to encourage the use of informal flexible working³ (beyond remote working) to increase access and utilisation of flexible working

Family or Caring responsibilities

• Ensure parental leave policies do not discourage a particular gender from taking up parental leave
• Ensure there are processes in place to encourage people of all genders to take carers leave as required

• Target specific cohorts as part of recruitment and secondment arrangements.
• Establish traineeships and scholarships to support more diverse entry into non-traditional career pathways
• Create an internal awareness campaign to help people understand the gendered segregation of occupations within the workplace, workforce and industry and the impact gender stereotypes can have on decisions about role type and level