Lisa Annese

7/31/2019 Lisa Annese

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Diversity from the top

down

24 May 2012

And the importance of leadership in

achieving this outcome

Lisa Annese

Diversity Manager


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Diversity

24 May 2012

There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequalsAristotle

What we achieve inwardly can affect outer realities

Plutarch

What we have to do... is to find a way to celebrate our diversity and debate ourdifferences without fracturing our communities

Hillary Clinton


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Diversity dimensions

Anything that makes one person different to another. Listed below are the

most commonly recognised of the diversity dimensions:

1.Gender

2.Culture

3.Age

4.LGBT status

5.Indigenous6.Disability

7.Emerging Issues

24 May 2012


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A FOCUS ON:

GENDER

24 May 2012


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The Business Case

Women in Law

As of October 2010, there were 23,760 solicitors practising in New SouthWales. Of these 10,915 (45.9%) were female and 12,845 (54.1%) were male. Since 1988, the number of female solicitors rose by 451.5% and the number of

male solicitors rose by only 64.1%. Growth rate between 2009 and 2010 was 3.9% with the number of female

solicitors rising by 5.5% and male solicitors by 2.6%.

Average annual growth for female solicitors since 1988 has been 8.1%, and2.3% for males.

NSW Law Society 2011

Attrition from legal practice is higher for women than men. By 2007/8: 41% women who held an employee practising certificate in 1998 as their

first PC no longer held one. 23% women who held a practicing certificate in 2003/4 as their first PC no

longer held one.Centre for Applied Social Research RMIT, Report to Victoria Law Foundation, July 2010

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The Business Case

A diverse workforce, a diversity accepting culture, diversity friendly policies and

processes influence employee engagement, loyalty and tenure. It makes good business sense as well as being socially just to commit todiversity in the workplace.

Cost of replacing a 4th year solicitor:

? $61,400 for a small firm? $71,600 for a medium firm?

$100,000 for a large firm? Modest as it is based on 1998 data

Cost of Turnover in Law Firms, Law Institute Journal 1998

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The Business Case

Gender

? Graduate intake

? Critical mass

? Clients: General Counsel & teams

Other Diversity Dimensions

? Cultural diversity

? Age

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Women: What are the Diversity Issues?

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2. Lack of mainstreamed flexible career paths

Single key obstacle to progression. Need to move away from tinkering to real

transformation.

A complex issue that examines job design.

Accept existence of the flexible career ghetto.

Lack of investment in management capability.

A need to move from policy to practice. Requires real leadership.

24 May 2012

Value the caregiver: they make better managers?Generic management capability (overall)

?Work/life capability (78%)?Creating more satisfied employees (51%)

?Able to advance and grow part-time employees (61%)?Results true for males or females

DCA Working for the Future 2010


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Women: What are the Diversity Issues?3. Pay Equity

Gender pay gap (17.6%) between males & females.

Over a lifetime, this accumulates to an earnings deficit of:? $1.5 million for all women on average; and

? $1.8 million for those with bachelor degrees or higher;

? Across OECD, Australia lies in joint seventh place with the Netherlands, at 17-18%.NATSEM (AMP) Australian Women & the Gender Divide

Reasons

8% experience (years) - 3% current employer tenure

9% years not working - 10% industry segregation 18% occupational segregation - 14% share in part-time employment

35% gender discriminationDCA/KPMG Pay Equity Report 2010

Closing the gap between male and female pay inequity will:

Boost Australias GDP by 11% and increase economic activity by 20%.Goldman Sachs JB Were, Australias Hidden Resource 2011

AC Neilson Poll in September 2010 reveals that: 76% Australians agree that steps should be taken to close the pay gap.

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24 May 2012

4. Harassment and discrimination? Sex-based/sexual/pregnancy/parental status

? Rise of social media incidents? Still exists despite high risk to organisation

5. Child-care and other dependent care issues

? Affordability? Accessibility? Capacity to manage emergencies?

School holidays, managing respite? Stress and employee challenges

6. Assimilation into dominant culture versus valuing and celebratingdiversityFrom basic to advanced?Colour-blind (managing individuals)?Melting pot (assimilating different groups)?Multicultural (engaging individuals from all groups)?Level Playing Field (enabling individuals from all groups)

Dr Jane OLeary (UQLD) Not to be reproduced without permission


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Leadership The only solution

Published an ASX compliant diversity policy and set targets for:

%] proportion of women on the Board to be maintained

? 33% proportion of women on the Board to be maintained

? 35% of women in the partnership by 2015

? 40% women in senior management by 2015

Plus? bi-monthly board reporting on different divisions? measurement of women in the partnership pipeline? support for women in pipeline through various programs

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Engaging the LeadershipTeam to get results

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Engaging the Leadership Team to get results

Working through action plan with a Diversity Council.

Flexibility training for all partners.

Investing in Melbourne Business School Gender Equality Project, focusing on: Unconscious bias; Workplace flexibility; Building resilience.

Coaching and mentoring of females in partnership pipeline & existing partners.

Broadening the focus of diversity to include other diversity dimensions.

Making diversity simply the way we do business.

Accountability.

24 May 2012

Documents

Lisa Annese