Diversity from the top down

And the importance of leadership in achieving this outcome

Lisa Annese Diversity Manager

24 May 2012

Diversity
There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequals Aristotle

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 our differences 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.Indigenous 6.Disability 7.Emerging Issues

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A FOCUS ON: GENDER

24 May 2012

The Business Case

Women in Law As of October 2010, there were 23,760 solicitors practising in New South Wales. 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%, and 2.3% 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

24 May 2012

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 to diversity in the workplace. Cost of replacing a 4 th 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

24 May 2012

The Business Case

Gender
? Graduate intake ? Critical mass ? Clients: General Counsel & teams

Other Diversity Dimensions

? Cultural diversity ? Age

24 May 2012

Women: What are the Diversity Issues?

24 May 2012

Women: What are the Diversity Issues?

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.
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

24 May 2012

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) 9% years not working 18% occupational segregation 35% gender discrimination - 3% current employer tenure - 10% industry segregation - 14% share in part-time employment
DCA/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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Women: What are the Diversity Issues?

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 celebrating diversity

From 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 24 May 2012 11

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 Leadership Team 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.

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