advised her employer that she was pregnant her employer stopped offering her shifts on the grounds that there was no light work available. Minna had to move back in with her parents, sell all her belongings and considered having an abortion because she was no longer receiving an income. Given that young mothers, women from CALD backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are more likely to be in casual jobs the challenges and negative impacts that casual and contract workers experience are also likely to be especially relevant to these groups. (h) Flexible workers Separate from casual and contract workers, the National Review heard that employees on flexible work (ie part-time work, jobshare, working from home, changes to start and finish times etc) experienced negative attitudes from managers and colleagues (eg perceived as being less committed, capable and serious about work in comparison to full-time employees), unconscious bias as well as direct forms of discrimination because they did not work I continuously have had to deal with prejudiced statements on what a part-time person can do. There is still very much a culture of ‘part-time person: part-time brain’. The company has recently confirmed that there will be no possible career progression within the company for any part-time senior staff. They have raised this on the grounds that because I am not able to participate in late afternoon events such as Friday evening staff drinks I am not able to fully mentor junior staff and am hence not supportive of the existing office culture. The management of my company have coined this in the following part-time staff are not a terms: ‘that constructive part of the current office Given this recent culture’. position statement I have been forced to resign from my job. My husband is a manager in the department and there appears to be the view that flexible working arrangements are not appropriate for managers. When he approached his boss about the possibility of working four a days a was given reluctant verbal approval to week…he his request. He was told how working four days a week would negatively impact on the workplace. He was made to feel guilty about requesting flexible working arrangements. Flexible workers also said that they were threatened with dismissal by their employers if they did not work the hours specified. Further, there was a common perception that part-time work reduces the likelihood of reaching top management and creates additional barriers for women reaching leadership positions.
advised her employer that she was pregnant her employer stopped offering her shifts on the grounds that there was no light work available. Minna had to move back in with her parents, sell all her belongings and considered having an abortion because she was no longer receiving an income. Given that young mothers, women from CALD backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are more likely to be in casual jobs the challenges and negative impacts that casual and contract workers experience are also likely to be especially relevant to these groups. (h) Flexible workers Separate from casual and contract workers, the National Review heard that employees on flexible work (ie part-time work, jobshare, working from home, changes to start and finish times etc) experienced negative attitudes from managers and colleagues (eg perceived as being less committed, capable and serious about work in comparison to full-time employees), unconscious bias as well as direct forms of discrimination because they did not work I continuously have had to deal with prejudiced statements on what a part-time person can do. There is still very much a culture of ‘part-time person: part-time brain’. The company has recently confirmed that there will be no possible career progression within the company for any part-time senior staff. They have raised this on the grounds that because I am not able to participate in late afternoon events such as Friday evening staff drinks I am not able to fully mentor junior staff and am hence not supportive of the existing office culture. The management of my company have coined this in the following terms: ‘that part-time staff are not a constructive part of the current office culture’. Given this recent position statement I have been forced to resign from my job. My husband is a manager in the department and there appears to be the view that flexible working arrangements are not appropriate for managers. When he approached his boss about the possibility of working four a days a week…he was given reluctant verbal approval to his request. He was told how working four days a week would negatively impact on the workplace. He was made to feel guilty about requesting flexible working arrangements. Flexible workers also said that they were threatened with dismissal by their employers if they did not work the hours specified. Further, there was a common perception that part-time work reduces the likelihood of reaching top management and creates additional barriers for women reaching leadership positions.
SWP_Report_2014.docx