Rather, she thinks about her days as having 24 hours that she can balance between her personal and work lives, and her weeks as seven days that can also be carved up. 

Working across different timezones for Microsoft, she still works more than a 40-hour week but will take time out during the day for a few hours to do something else and catch up on the weekend.

Once a quarter, she blocks out a week where she puts herself on “leave from meetings” to focus on the big picture. She uses the time to focus on strategy, as well as team development and getting across the latest trends in the industry. 

As Director, Specialty Technology Unit at Microsoft, this approach to work is one Wise shares with her team, encouraging them to find what works best for them and being honest about how it’s working out for her.  

“I’m transparent about my challenges and success, and this gives them permission to do the same,” Wise tells Women’s Agenda.  

Microsoft’s approach to hybrid work and flexibility is bucking the trend of the push to get employees back to the office Monday to Friday. Team members can choose between working remotely for less than 50 per cent of their normal work week, or they can work remotely 100 per cent of the time if they have manager approval. 

The flex work policy is centred around recognising individual needs and promoting work-life balance. It also aims to support employees to work during the hours that are best for them in delivering according to expectations. It supports wellbeing and adaptability, but also productivity in recognising that people have individual approaches to getting their best work done. 

A blog post published more than four years ago by Kathleen Hogan, Executive Vic President and Chief People Officer, outlining the approach to flexibility still stands – again bucking the trend of some other tech firms to increasingly get people back to working in more traditional ways. “Moving forward,” she wrote in October 2021, “it is our goal to offer as much flexibility as possible to support individual workstyles while balancing business needs and ensuring we live our culture,” 

Increasingly, we’re seeing how workers want the best of both worlds when it comes to remote working and time spent in the office. Microsoft describes this as the “hybrid paradox”, noting figures from its 2021 Work Trends Index, a study of more than 31,000 workers in 31 countries, finding that 70 per cent of workers wanted flexible work to stay, but more than 65 per cent craved having more face to face time with their teams. 

For Elena Wise, staying flexible on how and when she works enables her to get the most out of her time, and to be constantly thinking about the future. She’ll dedicate headspace for planning, thinking and learning, and try to block out Mondays as meeting-free days – unless she needs to travel or there’s an urgent issue. “I use this time to get on top of key actions for the week ahead, and to upskill on some of our latest AI training, which really helps given how quickly the technology is moving.” 

With a career spanning some of the world’s largest organisations and biggest markets, including AMEX, PayPal and Google and ten years spent in Japan, Wise has developed her work style to be able to respond to needs across international borders. 

Asked how she establishes herself in new cities and markets, she recalls making her first international move and being given the advice always to give such a move at least six months because wherever you go, you’ll need time to adjust culturally and there will be times when you just want to pull the pin. “Patience is key,” she says. “Building relationships and trust is crucial and learning from different perspectives enriches your experience.” 

Wise says she spends time meeting people one-on-one both in work and social contexts, joining local business chambers, clubs and expat groups, and notes the importance of staying connected with current past colleagues and contacts. 

Wise is a pioneering woman in tech, now one of Microsoft’s most senior leaders in Australia and having spent years in senior leadership positions, including as country manager and GM Japan of PayPal and Country Manager of Google Technical Services in Japan and Korea. 

Looking broadly across the tech industry, she wants to see more companies pushing the focus beyond diversity and hiring to focus on inclusion, and understand women’s needs and perspectives. 

“There is a need to provide flexibility and tools for women to work in ways that suit their personal and professional goals, and not expect them to fit into rigid or traditional, often male-dominated or male-created, models,” she says. 

Wise wants to see more male allies getting involved in women’s networks and agendas to understand the experiences women have. She highlights one particularly positive experience of this at Microsoft, where she is seeing strong interest from male employees seeking guidance or support for partners experiencing menopause, which is one of the areas their Families Employee Resource Group is currently focusing on. 

“Companies in all sectors need to support women throughout their life cycle better, not just when they are having children, but also when they are caring for elderly parents, managing illness, or experiencing menopause, for example,” she says. 

Just as there is no one working style that will work for everyone, there is no set communication style for leading a successful team. 

“As leaders, we need to adapt our language and approach for different audiences/team members to help get the best outcomes – be those different genders, cultural backgrounds, or generational adjustments.”

Women’s Agenda spoke to Elena Wise to learn more about flexible work, thanks to our partnership with Family Friendly Workplaces.

This year Microsoft will be measuring their policies against the National Work + Family Standards as part of the Family Friendly Workplace Certification, having been certified for the previous two years already. Microsoft says it’s important employers pursue family-friendly workplace accreditation to demonstrate a commitment to work-life balance, gender equality, and employee well-being, and also for attracting and retaining the best talent and enhancing a company’s reputation. 

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But how these giant shifts in work will contribute to future economic prosperity will depend on whether men and women access flexible working equally. And massive gaps are continuing between businesses that do offer flexibility and those that don’t.

That’s according to new research out today by Chief Executive Women and Bain & Company, which has issued a plea for business leaders to take the lessons from COVID and embrace flexibility as a strategic performance driver across management and teams. They are calling on flexibility to be practiced at scale, rather than in an ad-hoc way. They are urging leaders to encourage it without preconditions or judgement, for it to be adopted by men and women across all levels of companies, and for flexibility to be pursued without impediments to workplace participation, progression, learning and/or effectiveness.

The research, based on a survey of 2000 Australians, highlights an increased appetite for flexible work from employees now and into the future. It finds that “equal take up of flexibility” is seen as the most effective way for overcoming gender equality barriers at work — followed by unbiased recruitment and promotion and leadership.

However, the research also notes that there is now — and will be well into the future — gaps in the flexibility that different workplaces are offering.

For one, some industries and workplaces have greater barriers to overcome around flexibility, especially those relying on shift work and functions requiring people to be physically present.

And in other cases, some workplaces will continue to hold on to more traditional forms of measuring the outputs of staff, assessing performance and productivity based on rigid notions of availability.

The CEW research, conducted in partnership with global consultancy firm Bain & Company, found that 63% of respondents believe their company is more flexible than it was three years ago — a great improvement, but one that highlights how despite the pandemic one-third of employees don’t believe their companies have improved on flexible arrangements.

Meanwhile with two-thirds of respondents saying they expect their workplaces to become more flexible post the pandemic (including 60% of women and 66% of men), there is a gap once again regarding those who don’t believe this to be so.

This is all despite the finding that 95 per cent of respondents would take up more flexible arrangements over the next three years, if offered.

In better news, CEW’s survey found that 80 per cent of respondents believe flexibility is viewed more favourably now, than it was before COVID.

Announcing the results of the report today, CEW President Sam Mostyn AO says that flexibility must be provided equally to men and women in order to maximise the economic benefits it can offer. To make it happen, she says that senior male leaders demonstrating how they’re working flexibility will be key.

She suggests that business should take a scorecare approach to measuring the uptake of flexible working options, which is is regularly reported back to senior leaders — just as they would receive scorecards on customer satisfaction levels or workplace safety.

Meanwhile, Bain & Co partner Agathe Gross highlighted another concern from the survey — that flexibility may hinder career progression.

“The research clearly shows employees want more flexibility, but they’re also concerned about career opportunities and promotions if they do work flexibility,” she said.

“While we know flexibility has many benefits, we do need to be aware of these unintened consequences.”

Mostyn writes in the report that if leaders and organisations can be “purposeful” on how they build dynamic workplaces, then they will have an opportunity o fully realise the potential of Australia’s highly educated and talented workforce — that will lead to greater participation and contribution across the full economy.

“Companies have an opportunity to reset culture and accelerate expectations and policies urround flexible work,” she writes. “As we come out of the pandemic, how we choose to work will influence our productivity and performance as an economy.”

Against the backdrop of a highly uncertain global economic environment, we need to draw on all the talent and investment in both women and men to reinvigorate our economy. This is our catalyst to create powerful, lasting change.

So what next? Both business and policy leaders are at a crossroads to deliver on a vision that may have seemed fanciful just prior to COVID. Everything’s changed. Now’s the time to take the good bits of what we’ve learnt, and use it to make work actually work for all of us.

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Flexible workplace policies designed to improve gender gaps in employment and pay might actually make things worse for women.

Flexible work has been on offer to both men and women in many companies for decades. However, it is usually women who are in non-standard employment such as part-time work, often to meet the demands of children, sick parents or partners needing extra care.

Flexible arrangements might support women in maintaining a work-life balance. But policies that make it easier to transition to a part-time job or take leave may actually be weakening their position in the labour market and their lifetime earnings potential, therefore widening gender gaps in pay.

This highlights the need for equal policies for women and men.

COVID-19 and the labour market

The world changed under COVID-19 and the movement towards more flexible work may be one of the silver linings of the pandemic.

This International Women’s Day (March 8), we are in a unique position to tap into the learnings from the COVID-19 lockdowns, during which many men and women were working from home and sharing housework, home-schooling and childcare responsibilities.

Research shows Australian fathers stepped into more involved roles in the household during the lockdowns and have maintained higher levels of involvement in housework and childcare as things return to normal.

Job flexibility and gender pay gap

New research from the Melbourne Institute suggests flexible work conditions such as part-time hours could be a driving factor in the career decisions of women, but not men, and a key reason why the gender divide in employment is not narrowing.

Gender differences in labour force participation, wages and working hours in Australia are very similar to those in the Netherlands, so a study from there offers valuable insights for policymakers in Australia.

Researchers (including one of us, Jordy Meekes) used data from Statistics Netherlands to analyse how men and women respond to job loss.

The study found women remained unemployed for longer than men. When they did find new jobs, women also experienced a larger reduction in working hours than men, which reduced their annual earnings.

It appears women tend to put more emphasis on job flexibility than men, an explanation for why it is hard for women to return to the workforce. Women may even be willing to pass up job opportunities in favour of the flexible work conditions they rely on to balance work and family life.

Women remain largely responsible for the organisational and physical work of making sure kids are completing homework, lunches are prepared and attending numerous after-school activities.

Since work and school schedules are seldom aligned, someone has to do the juggle. To keep the family humming, mothers spend more time on housework and care and less time on employment after the birth of the first child.

Part-time mothers

The career penalty for women that comes with having a child in the current system is felt long beyond the period of maternity leave.

It is commonly acceptable for women to return to work in a part-time capacity. And it is often women who are culturally and socially expected to use flexible conditions to leave work and care for a sick child, for example. Less so for men.

The Melbourne Institute study found men who worked part-time in their previous role took longer to secure another job and were more likely to have to take a pay cut than men who worked full-time.

Men who previously worked part-time earned on average 10% less in the new job. This finding suggests employers attach a penalty to part-time work for men, explained by the fact it is relatively uncommon for men.

Equal policies for women and men

Our beliefs about gender norms are shifting but this is not reflected in workplace and government policies on paper or in practice.

A review of existing policies is an important step in determining how suitable workplace policies are to support all employees.

Having written policies to support diversity and inclusion or flexible work practices is positive but it is not a sign of success. Particularly if, in practice, only a small number of employees can avail of the benefits – and at what cost?

The COVID-19 lockdowns, while challenging for many, have given us an insight into what flexibility could truly look like for men and women alike.

Leah Ruppanner, Associate Professor in Sociology and Co-Director of The Policy Lab, The University of Melbourne and Jordy Meekes, Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research, The University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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And although it has not been the most productive period for many, especially those with caring responsibilities, there is no doubt it has triggered a shift in our collective thinking. It’s shifted the way we think about working and has brought to light the idea that work doesn’t have to be a place we go, but something we do.

For Kristen Hilton, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) Commissioner, there’s two side of the coin to the recent increase in flexible working arrangements we’ve seen since the pandemic began.

On the one hand, COVID-19 has forced us to be innovative, and some employers are saying we won’t go back to how it used to be. And that’s great for those who would like to see their work life become more flexible, whether that means working remotely or mixing up days spent in the office and at home.

 But on the other hand, we are in this highly stressful period of economic downturn.

“I’m nervous women will feel forced to accept conditions that they would’ve said no to 18 months ago,” Hilton told Women’s Agenda’s founding editor Angela Priestley earlier this week, in a webinar about flexible work.

Hilton says there’s also been a drop of women looking for work during this period. And with new changes from the federal government that has brought about the premature end to free childcare, the situation has suddenly become even more difficult for women.

Hilton advises that for women who need flexible working arrangements, it’s important to be confident in negotiations with employers from the very start.

“Don’t think you have to prove your value first when you start a job and then later ask to work flexibly,” she said. “It often means you will end up working five days but being paid for four.”

And flexible work doesn’t just mean working from home, according to Hilton. Flexible working arrangements encompass a broad range of situations, including working part time or changing the layout of your working week. It includes job-sharing arrangements and a mix of working from home and the office.

For employers, Hilton says a shift in the way we think about productivity is needed to get the most out of flexible working arrangements and trust in employees is essential.

The idea of “clocking in and clocking off” can prohibit workplaces from functioning at their most productive.

“We need to start moving away from the idea that being at work from 9-5 means you are the most productive worker,” she said. “Some of the most productive and engaged people are the ones working in a part time capacity.”

The best way to attract more women into the workforce is by increasing the availability of flexible working arrangements. It’s reality that’s been highlighted by Victoria Police, who have worked with the VEOHRC for a number of years around different gender equality initiatives.

Hilton says the key advice the VEOHRC gave to Victoria Police to attract more women, was about implementing strategies that helped to create a less rigid workplace. And it worked.

In the past 18 months, the uptake of flexible work at Victoria Police has increased 20 per cent – and the best part of the story is that 11 per cent of those people are men.

It’s a significant achievement for the organisation, who are seemingly bucking a trend that sees more men than women denied flexible working arrangements. In fact, research suggests men have their requests for flexible arrangements denied twice as often as women.

Hilton says it’s because there’s still a lot of stigma attached to flexible work.

“It’s accepted that many women might want to work flexibly and that is often accommodated by companies and organisations, but for men, it’s different.”

For people working in any industry, an uptake in flexible working arrangements will often come down to the conversation an employee will have with their manager.

“It can be a challenging conversation for an employee to have,” Hilton says. “But the idea is we need to try to separate performance from flexible work.”

“It’s about producing certain content and having an agreement about what needs to get done.”

“Having open conversations is the key to how we get to that point.”

Watch our recent chat with Kristen below:

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So in 2020, the nature of Flexible Working Day has shifted radically. It’s no longer simply an ambitious endeavour to dispel some long-held myths surrounding the effectiveness and importance of flexible workplaces, and advocate against ‘flexism’. Flexible Working Day is now a critical debate about what really matters – people’s wellbeing – and the effectiveness with which a company’s staff is able to achieve results for customers and clients, from wherever they are.

We’ve all seen by now copious ‘How To’ lists, assisting employees to adapt to working remotely due to the extraordinary circumstances COVID-19 has created, and the new restrictions placed on how most of us go about our days.

But what does it really take to drive fundamental change in the way traditional workplaces operate?

Truly flexible workplaces requires systemic change, not Band-Aids – and here’s why:

Flexible working for mental health and staff wellbeing
Every employee is on a personal journey of his or her own. What drives them will evolve over the course of their careers as their circumstances and life stages change, and it’s vital that workplaces recognise this.

Staff will thrive best when their workplace is a truly ‘safe’ space in which to work, and bold moves towards more flexible workplaces across a range of industries will help build that. Flexible workplaces and the level of trust implicit in them, as much as they inspire staff on a personal level, also gives them the freedom to achieve their potential, allowing them to thrive.

Agility to better serve clients and customers
Empowering employees as much as possible within the workplace gives them a sense of control over their jobs and careers. If they feel that they are making their own decisions – manifesting their own destinies – they are going to be happier, which in turn creates a positive energy that will be reflected in client interactions and relationships.

Versatile work arrangements enable staff to be more responsive and dynamic than those which rely on a more traditional ‘business hours’ model. A flexible workplace fosters a high level of mutual respect and honest dialogue amongst the team and between staff, clients, and stakeholders, which in turn enables businesses to constantly improve the way they serve clients and business.

Work-life blend
More than ever before, remote working is blurring the lines between ‘home’ and ‘work’. So how businesses support their staff over the course of their careers is vital if, as a community, we are to see any lasting change.

There are valuable in-roads being paved for both men and women in this domain. Women have historically shouldered the heavy burden of being primary carers for both children and ageing parents, which has inevitably affected their careers. But this imbalance didn’t evolve necessarily because men didn’t want to help; the expectations on them regarding workplace attendance and performance have been very different, and just as demanding. The truth is, everyone deserves flexibility – regardless of gender. 

Truly flexible working is an integrated work-life blend, not simply having the freedom to take time off for an appointment or your child’s school concert. For employers, there needs to be a more fluid approach and a commitment to crafting solutions which aid staff in managing their work-life blend which also benefit clients. 

Technology platforms and systems to support a shift to remote working
Technology certainly provides us with tools which we can use to facilitate flexibility and increased productivity/connectivity.

Embracing technology to facilitate flexible working produces a variety of benefits, including the streamlining of workflow, improving and enhancing internal and external communications, and being able to service clients better and more efficiently.

Company change needs to be driven by leadership
Business leaders – CEOs, Founders, and Boards – are in a better position now, more than ever before, to reimagine and redefine the boundaries around what workplaces look like, and how they function.

Many organisations pay lip service to the idea that employees can ‘work flexibly’, but this comes from the default position that the main arrangement will be a traditional, business hours, in-office model, with anything outside of that being categorised as ‘flexible’.

As a business leader, it’s vital that I champion and empower my entire team by making their working environment as positive and flexible as it needs to be for them to get their jobs done, enabling them, in turn, to give back to our clients, our industry, and the community at large. Everyone prospers.

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The European multinational software corporation managing business operations and customer relations has introduced the new supporting and awareness measures to both assist victims and create awareness around the issue. 

The employees who initiated the movement are members of the SAPs Business Women’s Network. They pushed for 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave, free counselling and mandatory family and domestic violence training for managers. Previously the statutory requirement of 5 days unpaid leave was the only option. They believed it wasn’t enough. 

Debbie Rigger, Head of Human Resources, SAP Australia and New Zealand said in a statement, “In Australia, the issue of family and domestic violence is all too common and seeking help can be a difficult and scary experience. We believe we have a responsibility to support our staff when they need it most.”

“Anyone suffering from family and domestic violence shouldn’t have to worry about work,” Rigger continued. “This time will allow staff the time to seek medical attention, counselling, legal advice, support or new accommodation in a time of need. Family and domestic violence comes in many forms – from violence to coercive control – and can impact people from all backgrounds. We hope this creates an environment where staff feel supported to speak up and seek help.”

The policy also offers all employees who face family and domestic violence the ability to change their work arrangements – including hours, patterns and location of work. Employees who need to provide care or support to a member of their household or immediate family because of family and domestic violence  are also entitled to the flexible work arrangements.

As part of the policy, any employee experiencing family and domestic violence and their family can access free, confidential counselling through SAP’s Employee Assistance Program. New training has also been developed which all managers will be required to attend, to help employees understand family and domestic violence, including how to spot the signs of people who may be suffering and ways they can offer support or assistance.

The policy also entitles all employees who face family and domestic violence, or who need to provide care or support to a member of their household or immediate family because of FDV, the ability to change their work arrangements – including hours, patterns and location of work.

SAP have also announced they will be running an awareness campaign across all offices to promote the new policies, and to assist people to understand the signs of family and domestic violence and where they can seek help if they need it.

Riggers said she is “proud that SAP has listened to its employees and introduced extra measures to support any staff who experience family and domestic violence.”

In Australia, 1 in 4 women have experienced emotional abused by a current or previous partner and 1 in 6 have experienced physical and or sexual violence by a current or previous partner. The policy changes at SAP indicates the power of an internal women’s networking group within a large company to create change. 

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The first, silver bullet in my mind, is to change the dynamic in homes: evening out the distribution of unpaid work – and particularly caring – is the fundamental challenge.

Employers can help facilitate this shift by introducing policies specifically designed to encourage fathers to take extended parental leave and ensuring the organisational culture supports that. Governments too can provide policy settings around paid parental leave and childcare that better enable families to balance work and family.

Individuals can help create change by being mindful of the distribution of responsibilities, rather than simply accepting traditional gender roles. (And while I’m loath to “fix women” for the structural inequities that dog them, I do genuinely believe many women would benefit from lowering the bar – significantly – on the home front.)

But that aside, the other silver bullet that will change the picture for Australians at work is flexibility. Not as a pseudonym for a special arrangement for mums or getting paid less to work all hours around the clock. Rather, giving staff true autonomy about how their job is performed.

It requires trust and certainly some engagement and logistics but creating an organisational culture in which flexibility is embedded is absolutely feasible.

And today, on National Flexible Working Day 2019, is a day to consider that.

If you search the #FWD2019 hashtag on social media the flood of images and stories being shared by individuals and organisations about how they are embedding flexibility in their work practices is heartening.

Duncan Debono from our Advisory team works from home once a week, which enables him to be part of his two children's school drop-offs and pick-ups. We recognise that flexible working requires a flexible mindset for both employer and employee. @FlexWorkDay #FWDay2019 pic.twitter.com/zPx96aD84R

— GHD (@GHDspeaks) May 22, 2019

As part of @FlexWorkDay here's some pics of @yasgrigaliunas when she spent a year travelling with her family while working part-time. At WBGS we run a flexible & agile environment and we are proud to sponsor #FWDay2019! #GenderFlexGap #FlexWorkFullLife #TackleFlexism pic.twitter.com/gvEDlT9wCe

— World's Biggest Garage Sale (@WBGS_Global) May 21, 2019

We celebrate Flexible Work Day as we assist @QldPolice Officers to achieve a positive work life balance to the benefit of the whole Community. #qpue members should call us for advice. Our Industrial Team are waiting #FWDay2019 @FlexWorkDay pic.twitter.com/D5esoF9Lxo

— Mick Barnes QPU (@MickBarnesQPU) May 21, 2019

Listening to The Hon Courtney Houssos discuss flexible working. “Focus on outcomes rather than simply hours in the office”#fwday2019 #FlexWorkFullLife #TackleFlexism pic.twitter.com/yGjsMZsDR8

— Amplify HR (@AmplifyHRAu) May 21, 2019

Happy @FlexWorkDay! @Employsure is a huge supporter of flexible workplaces and recognises the diverse ways our team can contribute to practicing what we preach for our #SME clients. #FWDay2019 #GenderFlexGap #FlexWorkFullLife #TackleFlexism pic.twitter.com/GbFkAX6u38

— Employsure (@Employsure) May 21, 2019

Flexible Working Day was founded by Vanessa Vanderhoek in 2017 and two years later has the support of businesses including ING, Hall & Wilcox, Holden, BHP, Perpetual, Stockland and many more.

The scale of the event is proof that creating change is possible.

I’m an ambassador for FWD2019 because aside from believing it’s a game-changer for all Australians – regardless of age, gender or life stage – I’ve been the beneficiary of true flexibility and it’s been a key enabler in my career.

This is a story I’ve told before but indulge me. Six years ago the founder and then-publisher of Women’s Agenda, Marina Go, approached me about editing this platform for six months while Angela Priestley went on parental leave with her first child. I was about five months into a stint of parental leave of my own with my second daughter when Marina and I met.

After flagging the job, virtually in the same breath, Marina followed it up with a sentence that changed everything.

“You have two very small children and I know childcare is a nightmare so why don’t you have a think about how you might be able to make the job work and we can come up with an arrangement that will work? I believe you’ll be able to make it work, it might just look a bit different.”

That conversation about flexibility started from a position of ‘Yes, we can’. As a result, I could.

I took on a big job and was able to perform because my output was valued more than the time I spent in the office. I was empowered and trusted to perform and true flexibility allowed me to do that … and I knew then, as I know now, that that flexibility was a gift not afforded to everyone.

Imagine what would be possible if more of us were offered genuine flexibility? That’s a future I am excited about.

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The same report shows that while women could be on par with men in most management roles within the next two decades, at the current rate of change women won’t reach parity at the CEO level until 2100.

The Gender Equity Insights 2019: Breaking through the Glass Ceiling’ report examines the gender pay gaps across occupations and industry sectors covering more than 4.1 million employees in Australia.

“Over the last five years, we’ve seen more women taking up senior management and leadership positions across Australian organisations, and the representation of women in management roles is currently very close to their share in the full-time labour force,” report author and BCEC Associate Professor Rebecca Cassells says. “However, women still face an additional barrier in terms of the pay that they can access when moving into management roles, and the number of female CEOs is increasing far too slowly, with parity not expected anytime this century.”

The research reveals that men are paid more than women at every level of management. The highest paid 10% of men take home a total salary of at least $598,745, compared to $436,369 for the highest paid 10% of women: a difference of $162,000.

The report also found that women are more likely to hold management positions at the lowest levels but earn at least $31,000 less than their male colleagues every year.

“For those women that do make it to the top, we are seeing an added glass ceiling,” Cassells says. “Women in top-tier leadership positions are taking home smaller pay packets compared to their male counterparts. Simply breaking through the glass ceiling doesn’t provide women with the same wage opportunities. It’s clear there are still barriers in place that prevent women from reaching their full potential.”

The research, which examines the role of workplace environments and policy initiatives in improving the representation of women in the workforce and in narrowing the gender pay gap, verifies a number of intuitive conclusions.

“We found strong evidence that more generous employer-funded paid parental leave schemes are associated with better rates of worker retention,” Report co-author and BCEC Director Professor Alan Duncan says. “Companies that offer at least 13 weeks of employer-funded paid parental leave halve the share of female managers who leave the company while on leave, compared to those who access only the government paid parental leave scheme.”

Employer-provided onsite childcare increases the retention of female managers during parental leave by 18.9%.

The availability of flexible work arrangements had a similarly positive impact.

“The share of women in part-time management roles almost doubled when the company’s flexible work policies were held to account by their boards, from 7.5 percentage points to 13.6 percentage points,” Professor Duncan said.

The share of female full-time managers increases by an average of 8.6 percentage points for  companies with a female CEO. Moving from all-male to gender-equal company boards increases the share of full-time female managers by 7.3 percentage points and the share of part- time female managers by 13.7 percentage points.

Gender pay gaps at different levels of management seniority combine to reduce the share of full-time female managers by an average of 9.9 percentage points, and the share of part-time female managers by 7.9 percentage points.

WGEA Director Libby Lyons said that the report confirms the importance of employers taking action.

“These findings reveal that if you change the working conditions available to employees, the choices women can make change too. By offering paid parental leave schemes and flexible work arrangements, more women are able to choose to return to work,” Lyons says. “Children starting primary school this year will enter a workforce where they are likely to see gender balance at most management levels. Yet they will have to live to be almost 90 to see women reach equality at the CEO level. So the evidence is there and we must keep pushing hard to break down the barriers women still face in Australian workplaces.”

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