Alcoa: Top Employer for Gender Equity

For the 16^th consecutive year, Alcoa of Australia has been named an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality* (EOCGE) by the Federal Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). 

Vanessa McBride is a Cadet Group Leader at Alcoa of Australia’s Huntly Mine, a member of the Alcoa Women’s Network and a keen mentor to other women in the workplace.

The EOCGE citation is a voluntary leading practice recognition program and a prestigious acknowledgment of organisations that encourages, recognises and promotes active commitment to achieving gender equality in their workplaces.

Criteria for the citation cover leadership, learning and development, gender remuneration gaps, flexible working and other initiatives to support family responsibilities, employee consultation, preventing sex-based harassment and discrimination, and targets for improving gender equality outcomes. Criteria are regularly strengthened to reflect best practice.

Alcoa of Australia Chairman and Managing Director Michael Parker said he was proud Alcoa was recognised as an example of best practice in gender equality. He said there was still a tremendous amount of work to be done to close the gender gap and that Alcoa was continually investing in this important work.

“At Alcoa we are investing in attracting, retaining and advancing women in our business to address the gender balance and importantly, we are working hard to change the culture of a traditionally male dominated industry,” Mr Parker said.

“There is no one single strategy which will make the change. It is complex and requires many approaches. As a leader, I intend to stay the course and continue creating an inclusive environment and culture in our workplace where we can attract and retain the best people and fully engage them in the business. Achieving a gender balance is the right thing to do and it is a key strategy for sustainable long term advantage.”

Mr Parker is a Workplace Gender Equity Agency (WGEA) Pay Equity Ambassador, a member of CEOs for Gender Equity, the global sponsor of the Alcoa Women’s Network and has taken a pledge to be a ‘Catalyst for Change’ in the advancement of women through recruitment, development and retention.

Alcoa’s WGEA 2017 statistics highlighted the key advancements the company has made in the last 12 months which reinforce its Employer of Choice for Gender Equity standing. Alcoa has 14% female workforce participation; successful flexible work practices which see 25% of the overall female workforce work part-time; 21% of promotions awarded in the past year have been to women; and the company continues to retain 100% of women following parental leave.

WGEA Director Libby Lyons said trends in this year’s recipients include entrenching organisation-wide flexible work practices, tailored parental leave policies to support use by women and men, programs to increase women in leadership, initiatives to attract women into male-dominated roles and robust analysis and correction of gender pay gaps.

“This year, I am particularly delighted to see some of the innovative and exciting initiatives by our EOCGE citation holders on such issues as flexibility, paid parental leave, supporting women in leadership and addressing gender pay gaps,” Ms Lyons said.

“I congratulate all the 2017-18 citation holders for their commitment and recognition of benefits improved gender equality can bring to their business. These employers are setting the benchmark for other Australian workplaces to follow.”

For the full list of 2018 citation holders categorised by either state or industry visit the WGEA website.

* The EOCGE citation commenced in 2014, replacing the predecessor citation, Employer of Choice for Women, then managed by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency.

ENDS

Media contacts:
Alcoa   Sonia Nolan | 0401 034 103 | sonia.nolan@alcoa.com.au  or Jane McGuire | 0410 694 676 | jane.mcguire@alcoa.com.au
WGEA Murray Black | 0438 071 876 | murray.black@wgea.gov.au


About Alcoa:
Alcoa (NYSE: AA) is a global industry leader in bauxite, alumina and aluminium products, with a strong portfolio of value-added cast and rolled products and substantial energy assets. Alcoa is built on a foundation of strong values and operating excellence dating back nearly 130 years to the world-changing discovery that made aluminium an affordable and vital part of modern life. Since inventing the aluminium industry, and throughout our history, our talented employees have followed on with breakthrough innovations and best practices that have led to efficiency, safety, sustainability and stronger communities wherever we operate. Visit us online on www.alcoa.com, follow @Alcoa on Twitter and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Alcoa.