Gender Transformation in Australia - Case Study Example

Gender Transformation in Australia Student’s Name Course Title Instructor’s Name Due Date Introduction In Australia, a lot of focus has been put on the distribution of men and women in the workplace. Imbalances are still widely experienced despite the government’s efforts to eradicate this problem. Over the years, Women in Australia have achieved important milestones but there are still large gaps when it comes to areas of wealth, superannuation, income and paid and unpaid work. The participation of women in the workforce has increased by over 10% to 58.2% (World Bank 2011). However, the gender gap is still significant, and there is still a lot of work to ensure gender equality. Importantly, women in Australia today are more likely to work in occupations that require highly qualified skills than before. Moreover, 35% of women in Australia are professions or associate professionals compared to 29% of men. The major advances by women have however not reduced the wage gap. Women are paid lower compared to men, and both men and women of the same level and skills are paid differently. Women empowerment has been a term commonly used. Sweetman ( 2001, 08) suggests that empowerment is commonly misunderstood, while others saying it is women’s access to money while others say it is women’s control over money. Explanation of the chosen topic Gender transformation examines the problem of gender inequality that has affected the Australian labor force over the years. According to McDonald, Peter and Siew-Ean Khoo (2003, 158), women and discrimination in employment have has been widely debated over the years as they have been discriminated when it comes to employment opportunities. Women have been victims of violence especially in the workforce, poorly paid and have been under-represented in leadership positions. These inequalities have been due to harmful gender stereotypes and myths that need to be changed. This paper will examine employee relations on a particular industry in Australia, giving reasons for choosing that particular industry. The paper will then analyze employee relation changes that include compliance and legislative changes from both the employer’s and employee’s perspective. The paper will further discuss the impact of these Employee relations changes from both the employer’s and employee’s perspective. Finally, the paper will analyze the effectiveness of these changes within the Australia employment climate. Description of the industry The paper will focus on the mining and construction industry. However, there are some industries such as the gas and utilities sector that are also dominated by men. The mining and construction industry is notorious for gender segregation. Fatalities are common in these industries with the number of deaths rising every year and poor working conditions being the order of the day. These industries have proven to be challenging for women advancement. The industry is preferred because the talent management systems are pro-male bias that leads to only recruitment of male individuals. These industries tend to be dominated by men that allow for masculine stereotypes to be used in the selection process. Due to the reliance on masculine stereotypes, women have often found excelling in these industries a difficult task. Analysis of ER changes from the employer and employee perspective The gender equality act of 2012 The gender Act was enacted in 2012 after the amendment of Act 179 of the Australian Constitution (World Bank 2012, 15). The new legislation aims at improving and promoting gender equality, improving competitiveness and productivity and eliminating discrimination based on gender. The act requires that employers publish reports that contain information on gender equality. The reports should also be available to the public except when the information is personal, based on remuneration or any kind that is considered private. The Act also introduces the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. The agency improves and promotes gender equality in employment positions, and enhances and promotes research in order to improve gender equality. The act further focuses on employment matters that include the recruitment procedure and selection of persons for employment. In addition, the act touches on issues such as training and development, service conditions, dealing with sex-based harassment and pregnant employees who need special care. According to World Bank (2012, 16), the legislation further prescribes the gender equality indicators. These include utility and availability of terms of employment, gender composition, and equal remuneration. The gender equality agency further issues guidelines for the achievement of objectives, reviews compliance with the legislation and collects information used in developing statistics on gender equality. The act also touches on matters such as resignation, acting appointment, tenure of directors, disclosure of interest, termination of employment and appointment among others. Employee engagement The global recession led to the volatility of the economy with Northern Europe and North America experiencing slow growth. These conditions have led to more focus on employees and employee engagement. Employees and their behaviors have become so critical to the survival of the organization. Employees are required to provide their discretionary effort in order to ensure that better results are achieved during recession, rapid growth and stagnation. According to McDonald and Siew-Ean Khoo (2002, 153), engaged employees are better suited to run the affairs of the business because they have a strong commitment and connection to the business and understand the business strategy of the company. Moreover, improving or maintaining engagement among employees has become complex especially in the construction and mining industry. Slow business has left companies to provide high-quality services in order to attract the few clients in the market. There are also new ways of engagement of employees that companies have to adopt in order to obtain a competitive advantage. Therefore, employee engagement and focus have become a strategic priority. Organizations in the construction and mining sector measure employee engagement using various variables. According to Michelson, Grant, Jamieson, and Burgess (2008, 203), customer ratings, productivity, quality and absenteeism among others are used to evaluate employee engagement. Employees are today seeking for a career trajectory, a solid reputation and reward for performance. They have therefore tried to achieve these goals through employee engagement. Employees are also adopting a culture of collaboration in order to improve their innovation and reduce the time they take to accomplish their tasks. Michelson, Grant, Jamieson, and Burgess (2008, 203) also discuss the idea that employees are pushing for performance based pay rather than the talent based pay in order for a reward for being engaged to the company Employers, on the other hand, are calling for the adoption of short-term contracts that focus on mutual value exchange and performance. In addition, employers have focussed on employee engagement because it is difficult to attract and retain the required talent (Macey and Scott A. Young, 2011 165). Employers, therefore, aim at redefining the value of employees in order to balance technological, demographic and economic challenges in order to win over most clients in the market. Consequently, employers focus on a healthy and strong engagement culture that is based on leadership excellence, a strong reputation and performance orientation (McDonald and Siew-Ean Khoo). Impact of the changes from the employer and employee perspective The passing of the Gender Equality Act in Parliament has a strong foundation in achieving gender equality in Australia. The move has been welcomed by the Sex Discrimination authority, the Australian Human Rights Commission, employers, and employees. The legislation is expected to have several impacts to both the employees and the employers. Employees are likely to have equal opportunities when it comes employment positions. Women are likely to be given equal opportunities just like men in the male-dominated industries. Employees have further welcomed this piece of legislation because they are more protected under the Act and also by agencies. Consequently, Women have also benefited from this legislation as they can receive equal remuneration just like their male counterparts. The legislation has also impacted positively on caring and family responsibilities that enhanced participation of women in the jobs. According to Gregory (2003, 154), employees are also guaranteed a safe working environment especially those in male-dominated industries. According to Rosenfeld (2012, 402), the gender equality Act prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. These workplace policies and discrimination laws allow employers to enact policies that are fair and consistent across the whole organization. Employers’ non-discrimination policies have developed policies on hiring, termination, promotion and compensation. The Act has allowed employees to include sexual orientation and gender identity among the non-discrimination policies. Employers are also including the non-discrimination policies in the employees’ handbook and also the business code of conduct. Websites and job announcements also have these policies integrated to enhance their view of being non-tolerant to employee discrimination. The Gender Equality Act improves competitiveness and productivity in business by improving gender equality in the workplaces and also employment. The Act has been instrumental in improving communication between employers and employees on issues regarding gender equality. Women have the opportunity to access all industries and occupations that include having leadership roles in these industries. The act has also seen the removal of barriers that previously made it difficult for women to enter these industries. Chow, Ngan-ling,Segal, and Tan (2011, 77) claimed that the Act provides for a fair opportunity to all women in job opportunities. Employee engagement has been critical to companies to address the new demographic, marketplace and technological realities that have emerged in the Australian market. Organizational performance and high workforce performance is essential for survival of any business in the construction and mining industry. Customer satisfaction is one important feature of employee engagement. Engaged employees understand the importance of providing a positive customer experience and also exhibiting commitment through providing quality goods and service. Customers also tend to be loyal to organizations whose employees are engaged. These customers feel pride and develop an emotional attachment to the organization because their customer expectations are met. Mitchell, Richard, and S. Deery (1999, 68), postulate that customer loyalty in turn leads to a good reputation of the firm and hence increased revenues. Employers are also likely to experience efficiency in the business due to improved performance employee. Engaged employees value efficiency and accomplish tasks and ask for new ones in order for the business to succeed. These employees put the needs of the business ahead of their needs. Effectiveness of these changes in the Australian working environment The Australian working environment has experienced several changes that have seen a change in its work environment. According to Teicher (2002, 30), these changes have mostly affected employers and employees, and the human resource function that has reconsidered its tools in recruitment, promotion, and termination. Mishra, Sarkar, and Singh. (2012, 08) agree that the legislation enacted by the Australian Parliament, the gender equality act, has been well-received by both employers and employees. The piece of legislation has improved and promoted gender equality in the workplace environment. The Act has ensured that women and men at the same level receive the same pay for their skills and efforts. The employees supported this act because it has removed all the barriers that hinder women from accessing certain areas of occupation. The gender Act has also promoted employers to abandon the vice of discrimination based on gender in relation to employment matters. Moreover, employees have been compelled by the enactment to desist from discrimination based on caring and family responsibilities that have for a long time been the norm in the construction and mining industry. Consequently, communication between the employer and employee has improved pertaining to matters of gender equality in the workforce. Employees are now capable of conversing freely with their employers on such matters. The competitiveness and productivity in the mining and construction industry have improved thanks to this piece of legislation. Gender equality has attracted diverse talent that has led to innovations and technologies that have improved businesses all over Australia. Engaged employees are motivated and inspired to go beyond their job descriptions top meet their goals. Such employees are committed and emotionally connected to their work. Consequently, engagement is linked to performance. Teicher (2002, 35) says that organizations that focus on employee engagement perform better than organizations that do not embrace engagement performance. Companies that engage in employee engagement exercise also have their customers satisfied. The program involves looking into the needs of customers and responding to them effectively. Consequently, the customers are likely to be loyal to these firms as they get value for their money. Employees who are engaged in their work and work hard are always willing to go the extra mile for the organization. Employee engagement links the organizational effectiveness and engagement. Organizations that adopt employee engagement and focus on employees have a higher labor productivity thus having a competitive advantage. Teicher (2002, 37) suggests that employees who are engaged in their duties have a high probability of remaining with their current employers. Studies show that employees who are not engaged in their work are likely to leave their jobs four times more than employees who are engaged. Employees who are engaged stay in most cases with their employers because they continuously learn not only within but also without the organization. Such employees are also properly trained to accomplish their tasks efficiently. The employees are also given an opportunity to learn continuously which motivates them. According to Walker (2012, 222), employees who are also engaged participate in team building activities organized by the organized by the organizations they work for in order to enhance their communication and interpersonal skills. Consequently, these meeting enhance cooperation and reduce conflict in the organization. Engaged employees are also encouraged to contribute ideas to their respective organizations in order to improve their work conditions. In Australia, motivation has been the key to employee engagement. Employees in the country are motivated by purpose, autonomy, and mastery. The female employees in the workplace have been given a chance to run projects, grow and a sense that their tasks are critical to the organization. Engagement of employees has also seen the number of women in the workplace increase. Walker (2012, 222) says that the concept of employee engagement has led to more confidence in women as they are given a sense of belonging in organizations. Moreover, organizations have focussed on employee welfare today. Bilimoria, Diana, and Linley Lord (2014, 10) state that women are no longer discriminated against as before as they have acquired increased knowledge, empowerment, awareness and advancement in their careers. Focus on employee has also led to the abolishment of masculine stereotypes that were the order of the day in most human resource departments. Moreover, the increase of women in the employment sector has led to the emphasis on employee welfare such as family responsibilities, maternity leaves, safe working conditions and better remuneration. Employee engagement has also led to improved relationship between men and women in organizations. Cases of women being abused have significantly reduced with majority of the workforce focussing on accomplishment of goals. In Conclusion, Australia has always had differences in outcome and opportunity between men and women that led to discrimination and prejudice on women. However, these social structures have weakened and women today are having more leverage in work, education and even family. Women in Australia are today more engaged in their work and even education in all sectors of the economy. Women today hold leadership positions in Australia than before and their level of success and leadership has significantly improved. However, Australia is still prevalent to gender inequality, especially in the political system and labor force. It is, therefore, important that more efforts are put in place in order to counter this traditional vice that has denied women a chance to be leaders and become successful to the organization. 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