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The National Australia Bank was among just a handful of large organisations to be highly commended on their flexible work practices at the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) Work and Family Awards ceremony last night. Now into their 10th year, the awards recognise organisations that provide a more family-friendly work environment for their employees. The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and the Council for Equal Opportunity in Employment Ltd (CEOE) facilitate the awards. Commenting on the National's win, organiser and judge, Rohan Squirchuk - CEOE managing director - said the National had adopted an impressively integrated approach to implementing flexible work practices which were now enabling the organisation to tap into a more diverse pool of talent. Over the past 12 months, the National has established a Diversity Guiding Coalition - a group of senior executives who are responsible for driving change in the areas of flexibility and diversity. They have also been instrumental in beginning a process of cultural and behavioural change to encourage more flexible work practices. The Diversity Guiding Coalition is chaired by the National's CEO and Managing Director, Frank Cicutto. The National has also revised and introduced new policies to enable flexibility. Its revised recruitment policy ensures that all future positions advertised externally allow for flexible work arrangements. It has also developed a formal telecommuting policy that will enable staff to work from home. Not content to simply encourage flexible work practices, a scorecard has been implemented in all divisions within the National - its purpose being to track targets. Measures on flexibility and balance have also been introduced into the organisation's 360 degree management feedback tool which forms part of the company's approach to performance assessment. Other factors that have contributed to the ACCI commendation are: - The formation of a Jobshare Forum dedicated to increasing jobshare opportunities and providing information to those managing job share roles. The Forum was the brainchild of an innovative group of employees at the bank.
- The establishment of a Diversity website designed to enable and encourage flexible work practices.
- Regular promotion of flexible work arrangements via the National's in-house publications, television station and other internal media.
- The appointment of a "flexibility champion" to find innovative ways of structuring roles to balance personal and business needs.
According to Executive General Manager, People & Culture, Peter McKinnon, the outcome of these initiatives has resulted in a significant culture shift in the organisation, "to the point where work/life balance and flexibility are more greatly valued and increasingly modelled by many senior managers". Mr McKinnon says the National's commitment to improving work/life balance continues. "We have commissioned research to determine our people's career and life aspirations. This will help us develop new policies and targets in line with people's career and workplace aspirations. "Further research will be conducted during 2002 to enable us to gauge employee views on a number of work/life issues and identify areas requiring further improvement."
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