Our week at work, October 4-10

By Josephine Asher
Westpac CEO Gail Kelly may be up on the top shelf of power with Beyonce, but Australia is reportedly dragging the chain when placing women in executive positions.
The Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency has found there has been little progress within the top 200 ASX listed companies in the last eight years.
In 2002 women filled 8.2 per cent of board seats compared to just 8.4 per cent in the 2010 Census.
And Minister for the Status of Women Kate Ellis has lashed out at the results, calling for businesses to stop “shutting women out” of key decision making.
But one organisation making a bold move for women during the official launch of the 2010 Australian Census of Women in Leadership this week has been ANZ.
The bank’s CEO Mike Smith announced a $4,000 child care allowance to women returning to work from maternity leave and superannuation payments on all paid parental leave taken by staff.
“We’ve concluded at ANZ that if we are going to make any sustainable, long-term progress in gender equity in our leadership teams this is an area where we simply have to do more,” Smith says.
During the launch, Smith joined a panel taking questions from the audience and spoke about the value of diversity within business.
He said more women at the top would remove some of the ‘macho culture’ as well as reduce male aggression.
“Men will fight each other and can be very aggressive. Women are more pragmatic …they can introduce a level of calm,” he says.
If perks and benefits like child care allowance can entice workers to stay in their current jobs long term, many more organisations would be wise to jump on the same wagon, considering the results of a recent social study.
Gen Y-ers aged 20-24 are three times more likely to change jobs in a year than their Generation X and Baby Boomer colleagues, according to social researcher Mark McCrindle’s research.
He says the trend will force bosses to change the way they manage to a more collaborative style where power is shared and workers’ career progression is a top priority.
Enter the “new wave office”. Is it rewarding staff or a subtle bribe to keep them with the company?
Australia’s best offices are equipped with fun and luxurious mod-cons, creating a resort-like environment and turning office space into a small amusement park.
Organisational psychologist Shelley Rogers says companies are needing to think about how they retain their talent.
“When a company really understands what engages and motivates their staff and they deliver the kind of support to do that, they are going to get increased engagement,” she says
In other news…
The Advantage Job Index shows continued strength with a 3.29 percent increase in online job advertisements on the major three Australian job boards.
Hays Recruitment claims the rate of hiring activity is on the rise in its newly released quarterly report.
Health care professionals remain in high demand but recruiting overseas medical staff continues to assist local efforts. Retail and sales staff are again in demand in a welcome reprieve from after-effects of the GFC.
See a list of the most sought-after skills here.
