Healthcare companies have featured prominently in the 2017-18 Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) citation by the federal government's Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).
The WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation started in 2014. The 2017-18 citation list includes just 120 Australian-based companies.
The citation is aligned with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 and recognises the increasing importance of gender equality to an organisation’s success.
Criteria for the citation cover 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.
The companies to receive the citation included Medibank, Baxter Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson, Benetas and Mercy Health.
The citation was the third year in a row for Baxter Healthcare.
General manager of Baxter Australia and New Zealand, Steven Flynn, said the company was proud to be recognised as a leader in diversity and gender equality.
“We treat diversity and gender equality as a key business issue and central to our culture of employee engagement, inclusion and collaboration,” said Mr Flynn.
“We are proud to have implemented a number of gender equality initiatives that involve women and men as active and equal partners.
“Our policies on flexible working arrangements, paid paternity leave and pay equality support our employees and help deliver on our mission to save and sustain lives.”
“We’re thrilled to have been granted the Employer of Choice for Gender Equality by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency," said Doug Cunningham, managing director of Johnson & Johnson Pacific.
"We’re proud of our extensive support programs, initiatives and policies that enable both women and men working within our companies to thrive in their careers and personal lives."