SDN Children’s Services has been formally recognised as an employer of choice for women by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA).

The award was announced by the Federal Minister for the Status of Women, The Hon. Kate Ellis, on the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, and allows SDN to use the EOWA ‘Employer of Choice for Women’ citation.

“The citation is an important acknowledgement of SDN’s efforts in creating a workplace with clear gender equity and positive workplace practices for women,” SDN’s CEO, Ginie Udy, said.

The award is presented to non-government organisations that have policies, practices and organisational structures which support the advancement of women in the workplace.

‘Supporting women and families through the availability of part-time work, the provision of child care and paid maternity leave are initiatives SDN has implemented for two reasons. These commitments reflect our mission and values as an organisation, but they actually make good business sense as well. We have reduced recruitment costs by being known as an employer of choice for women in our sector. Our values have helped our bottom line and this formal recognition is great,’ Ms Udy said.

With a workforce that is 93 per cent female, SDN recognises the advantages of recruiting and supporting women in the workplace, particularly in key leadership and management roles. The President of the Board, CEO and most of the Members of the Board and senior management team are all women.

There are 2500 non-government organisations in Australia with more than 100 staff members that are required to report annually to EOWA on their workplace practices for women.

SDN is one of only 98 out of these organisations to be formally recognised through this award for advancing opportunities for women in the workplace.

SDN has a long history of championing employment rights for women and has established policies and practices to ensure this is a reality, including gender pay equity, six weeks paid maternity leave (in addition to the government’s paid leave), discounted child care fees for staff, flexible start/finish times and part-time senior management positions. SDN’s family-friendly practices support a genuine work-life balance for all staff.