Employer of the Year: TAL
TAL has won the Employer of the Year for its range of pro-active steps over the past 12 months to address gender imbalances within the workplace, with Chief People and Culture Officer Andy Moffat stating the changes are not fleeting but part of the organisation’s internal culture.
TAL was praised by the judges of the Money Management and Super Review Women in Financial Services Awards for its active support of women in the workplace including closing pay gaps and offering greater working flexibility for all TAL employees.
Moffat said that while these efforts have begun with providing equity for women inside TAL it was part of a larger set of initiatives focused on inclusion and diversity at TAL.
He said closing the pay gap between male and female employees separated them from other employers but they did not want to be singled out for that effort alone.
Alex Coward, TAL’s General Manager, Organisational Effectiveness, said the changes made within TAL benefitted all employees and the moves “were not pro-women but were just the right thing to do”.
“The aim was to create equity and inclusion, not positive discrimination, and the catalyst for that was closing the pay gap.” Coward said.
Moffat said this inclusion would extend to TAL looking at the further hiring of older and experienced workers, those with disabilities and making efforts to remove unconscious filters in the way it hires and promotes staff in the organisation, a fact noted by the judges who stated “importantly the program is ongoing and there are positive current and future initiatives in train”.
The judges commended AMP Horizons and The Flex program as a “positive and proactive program to promote women undertaking a career in financial planning” while the BT Financial Group, which set up the Stella Network, was regarded as “a very strong supporter of women and recognises the challenges many face in juggling work and home pressures”.
The Tasmanian Retirement Benefits Fund was noted for its support for flexibility and career progression for women and for “a number of specific initiatives focused on female employees, including communication strategies, women in leadership and an environment that supports all individuals to contribute their best”.
Finalists
AMP Horizons
BT Financial Group
Retirement Benefits Fund
