Australian media first: Seven West Media an employer of choice for gender equality
Seven West Media is the first media company in Australia to be named an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).
Seven West Media is one of only 12 new change-making organisations across Australia to receive the highly regarded citation in 2022, after being assessed against extensive and rigorous criteria.
The citation is a significant recognition of the company’s industry leadership and an important endorsement of its commitment to drive positive change and achieve gender equality in the workplace.
Seven West Media managing director and chief executive officer, James Warburton, said: “Diversity and inclusiveness are at the core of our values and part of our business strategy at all levels. We are focused on achieving gender equality across our business. Currently 52% of our people are female across on-screen and off-screen roles, and female representation accounts for 51% of our senior leadership positions.
“Being recognised as among the best employers for women is an important milestone for Seven West Media and one that we are immensely proud of, but our work is not done. This is just part of our continued evolution to create a supportive, flexible and fair workplace for all people to be recognised and to thrive.”
Seven West Media chief people and culture officer, Katie McGrath, said: “Creating a safe environment and richly diverse culture is critical for any high-performing company. We’ve taken progressive action to increase the representation of women in senior positions and we are whole-heartedly committed to ensuring ongoing gender balance at all levels throughout Seven West Media, including during recruitment and career development opportunities.
“The WGEA citation builds on our continued responsibility to promote diversity, equality and inclusion while actively engaging with communities across Australia. The latest citation comes after Seven West Media was again the proud broadcast partner of UN Women Australia for International Women’s Day. We are also the official media partner of White Ribbon Day and we recently registered our intent to develop our inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan with Reconciliation Australia.
“Our extensive charity activities also positively contribute towards a better Australia, with Seven West Media donating over $34 million a year in airtime support to over 140 organisations across the country. Our 2021 Good Friday Appeal raised $18 million for Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, and over $48 million was raised during Channel 7’s Perth telethon last year,” she said.
Seven has implemented a number of people-focused policies and support systems to improve gender equality. These include policies to eliminate gender remuneration gaps, targets to improve gender equality outcomes, flexible working, gender neutral paid parental leave, employee consultation and initiatives to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination.
One hundred and twenty Australian companies sit alongside Seven West Media as WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality, including Accenture, Allianz, Blackmores, Deloitte, ING, Kellogg, Medibank, PwC, Telstra, Woolworths and more.
WGEA director, Mary Wooldridge, said: “Each year, we accept applications for our WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) citation from those employers who are raising the bar when it comes to driving change, creating the circumstances that allow all people, regardless of their gender, to thrive.
“After passing through our evidence-based benchmarking evaluations, our EOCGE citation holders are officially recognised as some of the best employers in Australia, who are committed and dedicated to action in achieving gender equality.
“Critically, these organisations are delivering on a formula that sees better support structures in place for working families; stronger actions to address pay inequalities; and strategic recruitment and promotion practices that help to encourage the full participation of women at work,” she said.
“We extend our congratulations to these leading employers, and look forward to working with them closely to accelerate positive change across Australian workplaces.”
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topics
gender equality
James Warburton
Katie McGrath
Mary Wooldridge
Seven West Media
WGEA
Workplace Gender Equality Agency
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