June Networking Event -Gender Equality and the workplace – Best practice tips for managing volunteers and staff – Workplace Gender Equality Agency Award Winner - Has Ended
DO Details
Join our June networking event presented by Arc @ UNSW. The presentation will give insights about Gender Equality, Volunteering and help participants to workshop ideas for their own volunteer and staff programs.
Arc @ UNSW is a student organisation located at the University of New South Wales aiming to make sure students love university life and enabling them to fulfil their potential. Arc offers 28 volunteering programs, run and developed by student coordinators. The placements vary in length and required commitment and include a range of opportunities from helping out other non-for-profit organisations to event management, design, publications or trips around Sydney area. Each year Arc engages up to 1000 volunteers.
Arc has been acknowledged as Workplace Gender Equality Employer of choice 4 years in a row and their leaders recognise that being a fair and equitable workplace for volunteers and their staff is not only a ‘right thing to do’ but it also brings a number of benefits to an organisation. To ensure that Arc’s inclusive culture is fostered and well understood by everyone, all student coordinators and volunteers receive training at the beginning of their engagement. A large part of this program focuses on equity principles, inclusiveness and ways to deal with any signs of discrimination, harassment or bullying. Additionally, all student coordinators receive a great support throughout the year by targeted mentoring and a program of personal and professional development training sessions.
In 2015, world leaders agreed to 17 goals for a better world by 2030. Goal number 5: Gender Equality aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
Australia, along with many countries worldwide, has made significant progress towards gender equality in recent decades, particularly in education, health and female workforce participation. However, the gender gap in the Australian workforce is still prevalent; women continue to earn less than men, are less likely to advance their careers as far as men, and accumulate less retirement or superannuation savings. At the same time, men have less access to family-friendly policies such as parental leave or flexible working arrangements than women. The program is about creating safe, healthy and productive workplaces for volunteers and staff, avoiding harassment and discriminatory practices within an organisation including capacity building and training volunteers on their rights and responsibilities.
Arc’s HR Manager, Joanna Zolnierkiewicz will share Arc’s best practice on how to become a workplace for volunteers where equality is amongst top strategic priorities. She would also decipher the path to achieving the WGEA accolade and present a concise checklist to follow. The session will end with some interactive exercise focused on unpacking the complexities of implementing workplace equality strategies and bring the group’s collective mind to solving this complex yet topical problem.
Presenter
Joanna Zolnierkiewicz, HR Manager, Arc @ UNSW
Materials from the workshop will be emailed to attendees after the event where appropriate.
For enquiries about either the networking event or membership with The Centre for Volunteering, please contact the Membership team on 9261 3600 or membership@volunteering.com.au
