Work Life Bliss – How One Woman Made a Career of It

Listening to Emma Grey speak at a business event recently, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind this is a woman whose got it ‘sorted’. Calm, modulated, articulate and harbouring the uncanny ability to slam you with ‘aha’ moments, I sat in a quasi-meet-the-swami mode, undulating between the fact that this is just a regular Aussie mum like me, but also an author, an entrepreneur, and someone who might just have some ‘answers’.

Answers to what, you ask? Well… stress. Weight gain or loss. Lack of libido. Anxiety. Depression. Substance abuse. Juggling ninety balls a day and dropping eighty. Tension. Read more

Paid Parental Leave Scheme

New information for both employers and employees about the Paid Parental Leave Scheme has been released by the Federal Government.

As part of the 2009/10 Federal Budget, the Australian Government is introducing the Paid Parental Leave (PPL) Scheme. The scheme will be made available for parents who are primary carers of children that have been born or adopted on or after 1 January 2011.

An eligible person will receive taxable PPL payments at the level of the Federal Minimum Wage, currently $543.78 a week, for a maximum period of 18 weeks. In most cases, the person will receive the payment through their employer.

An income test of $150,000 will apply based on the primary carer’s adjusted taxable income in the previous financial year.

PPL will cover employees, including casual workers, as well as contractors and the self-employed. If a primary carer returns to work before they have received all of their PPL entitlement, they may be able to transfer the unused part of their PPL to another caregiver (usually the father) who meets eligibility requirements.

Eligible families can choose whether to participate in the scheme depending on their individual circumstances. Families electing to participate in the scheme will not receive the Baby Bonus (except in multiple birth cases) or Family Tax Benefit Part B during the 18 week PPL period. The dependent spouse, child housekeeper and housekeeper tax offsets also will not be available during this period.

New mothers who are not eligible for PPL will continue to receive, if eligible, the current forms of family assistance (including the Baby Bonus).

To be eligible for the PPL Scheme, the primary carer must:

• have continuously been in the workforce for 10 out of the 13 months prior to the birth or adoption date of the child

• have completed a minimum of 330 hours of paid work within a 10 month period.

The FaHCSIA website has a range of information on the scheme, including:

• Q & A for employers

• Booklets on Australia’s Paid Parental Leave Scheme – Supporting working Australian families (PDF, 0.43MB)

• Implementing Australia’s Paid Parental Leave Scheme – employer, employee and community consultations (PDF, 0.207MB).

Source: business.gov.au

Australians leading the way in a return to Global Financial Optimism

As we emerge from the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) relatively unscathed, Australians are looking differently at life and leading the way in a return to Global Financial Optimism (GFO). An international study commissioned by American Express, has shed some light on this trend and identifies the rise of the ‘Potentialists’, a resilient group who are looking for a more well-rounded and enriching life in the wake of the GFC.

Social researcher Mark McCrindle explains, “Potentialists are the one in five Australians who demonstrate a clear ambition to live a rounder life – one that mixes traditional career success with a refreshing appetite for new experiences. They are looking to make more of what they have, rather than always wanting more and display an optimistic attitude that has previously been most associated with Generation Y.” Read more

Former Banker Leads Not for Profit Organisation

Some executives are climbing to the top of the corporate ladder only to find once they get there, they are unfulfilled. No longer content to spend their entire working lives chasing a bigger salary and the corner office, they are leaving the corporate world behind to take up roles in not for profit organisations.

After 25 years in banking, including her most recent role as a Vice President with Citibank, Kate Frost (pictured) joined a colleague in the not for profit sector six years ago. Today Kate Frost is CEO of the YWCA in NSW and despite earning only a fraction of what she use to earn in banking, Kate says she has never been happier. Read more

Australia’s Women Friendly Workplaces 2009

Australia’s outstanding organisations for supporting women at work have been shortlisted in the lead-up to the 2009 Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) Annual Business Achievement Awards (BAAs).

The EOWA’s Business Achievement Awards recognises those organisations that provide excellent workplace initiatives and conditions, as well as individual leaders who are setting the scene for diversity and the advancement of women in their workplaces.

Initiatives from the organisations shortlisted for a 2009 BAA include the following: Read more

Having a baby and the career you want too

With the announcement of paid parental leave coming into force in early 2011, Australia’s leading gender diversity expert, Maureen Frank, has released my mentor – parental leave a practical guide for employees on how to plan for, and transition back from, parental leave. Maureen has also shared with us her top tips for returning to work after parental leave (see below).

Ms Frank said, “Paid parental leave will make a big difference, but as some of the doubters have raised, on its’ own, it won’t be enough to keep good women in the workforce and reduce the economic impact of women leaving. We need to get practical and educate women on how to come back to work and most importantly, help them believe that they can do it!”

From an employer’s perspective, Emberin’s my mentor – parental leave program tackles head on the issues associated with women not returning from parental leave and will go some way to help reduce this significant cost to business.

The parental leave guide has been developed in the same style as Maureen Frank’s highly successful my mentor suite of programs, as a self-paced course delivered by DVD, CD and workbook, and can be easily undertaken in an intensive day or over a couple of weeks.

The program has been developed in partnership with Telstra and Swinburne University of Technology and has been created specifically to help organisations provide a guide for their employees on how to manage parental leave, both personally and professionally. Read more