Novartis now certified as a Family Friendly Workplace

Human Resources: UNICEF Australia and Parents At Work, alongside 23 founding and supporting partner organisations, have come together to develop a set of National Work + Family Standards, and create the Family Friendly Workplaces certification.

The Family Friendly Workplaces initiative has the backing of some of the country’s biggest employers, including Novartis, Deloitte, QBE and Microsoft.

According to research commissioned by Parents At Work where 1,000 employees from across Australia were surveyed about combining work and family (May 2021), 35% of employees were actively looking or considering leaving their employer due to difficulties combining their job with family life.

Richard Tew, Country President and General Manager of Novartis Australia & New Zealand, said “At Novartis we talked about our ‘unbossed people’ which is reflected both in the culture of our people and the policies we have in place. These support flexible working, paid parental leave, equal pay and beyond. Because by supporting our people to be there for the moments that matter in their family lives, we are building a more diverse, innovative and happier workplace.”

Evidence shows that gender equality in the workplace is beneficial for businesses and has been correlated with better corporate performance. Many businesses are recognising that family-friendly policies can contribute to achieving gender equality and thus business profits, by enhancing the recruitment and retention of female employees.

Employment policies can vastly impact the well-being of both workers and their families. The extent to which working parents are able to reconcile work with family responsibilities is increasingly recognised as influencing their ability to provide and care for their children. This is particularly the case for workers in vulnerable situations and low-income families.

Developing robust implementation and monitoring systems will ensure that policies are effective and contribute to the well-being of working parents and their children.