Leading pharma and medtech companies named WGEA Employers of Choice for Gender Equality

People & Culture: AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Philips and Thermo Fisher Scientific have been recognised by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) among the 115 Employers of Choice for Gender Equality.

These companies have been acknowledged for their proactive efforts in addressing critical factors contributing to workplace gender inequality.

“The actions of EOCGE employers provide an example to others about how they can start improving gender equality in their workplace,” WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge stated.

“One new citation-holder increased men’s uptake of parental leave by 400% by removing the labels of ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ carer, expanding the leave to 20 weeks, and actively promoting the stories of men and women taking parental leave to create a workplace culture that encourages and supports all employees to share caring responsibilities at home.

“Others have prioritised strategies and actions that improve the balance of women and men in key leadership positions or have found innovative ways to address pay, recruitment or promotion inequities.”

Johnson & Johnson ANZ highlighted its purpose “to profoundly impact health for humanity. We use our size, scale and diversity to change lives and communities, advancing equitable care, and putting better health within reach. We are really proud of our culture of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion that has contributed to this milestone.”

Matt Moran, Managing Director of Philips ANZ, said “Our remarkable average total remuneration gender pay gap of 7.5% significantly surpasses the industry average of 21.7%, highlighting our continuous efforts to build a more inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and accepted for who they are.

“This not only reinforces our values and commitment, but also reaffirms our strategic priority to promote personal development, inclusion and diversity, setting the stage for us to be the premier employer for those who share our passion and a socially responsible partner to our customers.”

The list of 115 EOCGE citation holders cover nearly 505,000 employees. The cohort includes 8 employers that have secured the citation for the first time, 81 employers that successfully renewed their citation for 2023-25 and 26 that are mid-way through their two-year citation.

Wooldridge added, “What they all have in common is a desire to take action to improve workplaces so that all employees can achieve their full potential. Where they hit roadblocks, they take note and plan new strategies to address them.

“In taking action to improve gender equality, EOCGE employers unlock enormous benefits for their business. Employees are more likely to join and to stay in organisations that prioritise a culture of equality and inclusion. Research also shows that businesses with greater gender balance in leadership roles are more profitable and productive.”

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