Holden Achieves Employer of Choice for Women Again in 2012

SYDNEY – March 14, 2012: For the first time since 2008, Holden has been named a 2012 Employer of Choice for Women.

Holden was awarded the highly-sought after citation today in a ceremony held by the Federal Government’s Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA).

The prestigious Employer of Choice for Women citation is awarded to companies and organisations that have policies and procedures to recognise and advance their female workforce, resulting in a positive outcome for both women and the business.

Holden continues to innovate in the automotive and manufacturing sectors, by implementing a range of initiatives that advance workplace diversity and flexibility.

Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mike Devereux said the citation was a proud achievement for Holden, which has long championed workplace diversity and worked to improve the representation and experiences of women in the automotive industry.

“The award acknowledges the continued efforts of many people across Holden who recognise the importance of gender diversity,” he said.

“Our progress in the areas of women in manufacturing, workplace flexibility, parental leave, gender pay equity and leadership engagement were pivotal elements of our application.

“Workplace diversity is something I have championed at Holden and one of my key priorities is to drive an inclusive culture that supports and retains women in Holden’s workforce.”

Currently, women account for almost 13 per cent of Holden’s total workforce, 20 per cent of the salaried workforce and 15 per cent of the leadership group.

Senior HR Manager for Organisational Capability Kirsten Makin said Holden had implemented a range of new initiatives to increase diversity in the workforce.

“We were the first Australian automotive manufacturer to introduce 14 weeks’ paid parental leave for employees with more than two years’ service in 2002, which has played a significant role in helping Holden attract and retain female employees,” she said.

“Since then, we’ve introduced key initiatives like the Holden Diversity Committee, which forms a major part of our decision making. The committee serves as a company think-tank to help us address gender equality issues and improve workplace flexibility.

“Workplace diversity is embedded in everything we do as an organisation and has become part of our everyday practice and culture - every function at Holden now has a diversity plan.

“To receive EOWA’s 2012 citation is really encouraging. It’s fantastic to have formal recognition of our progress towards a flexible and inclusive workplace culture at all levels of our organisation.

“We’ve already identified future focus areas for Holden, which include achieving best practice in the areas of workplace flexibility and pay equity beyond 2012.

“The requirements put forward by the EOWA are great benchmarks and we’ll continue to not only meet these criteria but exceed them to ensure we remain an employer of choice.”

2012 is the fifth year Holden has been named Employer of Choice for Women – Holden previous received the citation in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.