DCA supports Quality Part-Time Work Roundtable
DCA was delighted to be invited to be the partner in an important policy event exploring the issue of quality part-time work. The NSW Quality Part-Time Work Round Table held in 2009 was presented by the NSW Office for Women’s Policy and DCA. It brought together key players with the capacity to enact real change from such diverse areas as business, universities and state and commonwealth agencies. Here is an overview of the key areas of discussion at the event.
Part-time work currently accounts for close to a third of jobs in the Australian economy and its prevalence has been increasing amongst both men and women and across all age groups. Close to half of all women in the work force work part time, making the availability of quality part-time work – secure worthwhile work which reflects the skills, training and expertise of workers, and offers equivalent opportunities for job satisfaction and career development to jobs undertaken on a full time basis – a critical issue for women’s workforce participation.
The Honourable Verity Firth MP, Minister for Women and Minister for Education and Training, opened the Round Table and the leaders in policy development and practice from federal, NSW and Victorian arenas were invited to present and participate. Some of the key themes reflected across the proceedings include:
- The lack of quality part-time work contributes to considerable underutilisation of women’s skills and capabilities in the workforce.
- The status of part-time work in workplaces and the broader community needs to be elevated and we need to have new conversations about how we conceptualise work.
- Part-time work is not only a women’s issue. The part time workforce is diverse and reflects a diverse range of issues.
- Management capabilities need improvement in order to realise quality part-time work in practice.
- Individuals, business and government all have a role to play in improving the quality of part-time work available in NSW.
Participants workshopped ideas about how to improve the availability of quality part-time work. The following key ideas were collectively identified:
- Keep issues of quality work on agenda within organisations and more broadly
- Position flexibility as ‘a way of working’ for everyone not just for family-friendly reasons
- Publicise examples of where quality part-time work is working well
- Educate management and build and support management capabilities within organisations
- Engage senior management
- Develop better diversity indicators and performance measures within organisations and more generally, to track the productivity benefits delivered by flexible work practices, and make managers accountable
- Develop rewards or awards linked to diversity practice i.e. set competitive challenges around areas such as reconfiguring work teams to encourage flexible work practices
- Jointly share research and funding and ensure this is channeled into the hands of practitioners
- Look at ways of disseminating good ideas and resources to workplace practitioners
- Remove any institutional or systemic barriers that prevent women and men from accessing leave, part time work and other flexibility provisions for family and other reasons
- Change superannuation arrangements so that workers are paid on hours regardless of number or type of work
- Alter the tax system so that it better supports women’s workforce participation.
The New South Wales Office for Women’s Policy is developing a forward agenda to address the availability of quality part-time work in New South Wales. This agenda will build on the issues and ideas generated through the Round Table, and will include identifying ways to assist business to implement good practice in this area.
For a full copy of the report on the event (including key statistics on part-time work) or to view the presentations and a list of participants from the day, visit: http://www.women.nsw.gov.au/women_and_work/new_south_wales_quality_part_time_work_round_table.
