Some suggested considerations you could give to each of the seven Employment Matters are:

Recruitment and Selection

• What is your organisation’s recruitment experience overall this year (eg recruiting across all occupations or only some, retrenching etc)?
• Are your recruitment processes transparent, easily reproducible and accessible for a diverse pool of candidates? Are these processes delivering you a diverse range of successful job candidates, including women?
• How many men and women have you recruited during the reporting period?
• Are women recruited to a range of different job types/classifications?
• Are women appointed to jobs in numbers that reflect their availability in the employment market place for the particular role?
• Are women applying to work in your organisation?
• Does your internal recruitment process include quality female candidates?
• Does your external recruitment contractor (eg recruitment consultant, labour hire company) source female candidates?
• Do quality female candidates make it to the short list?
• Are there any innovative recruitment strategies that could be undertaken?
• Do answers to these questions indicate there are any issues for women in this employment matter?

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Promotions, Transfers and Terminations

• How have you enhanced the employability of men and women in your organisation?
• Are female employees provided with the same promotion and transfer opportunities as their male colleagues?
• Are women:
  • Promoted in the same proportion (relative to their numbers in your organisation) as men?
  • Promoted beyond certain critical job grades at a similar rate to men?
  • Transferred horizontally across your organisation at a similar rate to men?
  • Provided with opportunities for decision-making at a similar rate to men?
  • If these rates differ between female and male employees, why is this so? For example:
    • Are women provided with training and development opportunities that will assist them to improve their performance/develop skills required?
    • Have you identified female employees who are (and are not) interested in career opportunities, including promotion?
• Have policies been reviewed to ensure women’s opportunities for promotion are not hindered by their family responsibilities (for example, policies that require interstate transfer for promotion)?
• Do women receive the same opportunities as men to work overseas? Interstate? Interdepartmentally?
• How many men and women have left your organisation during the reporting period? Have exit interviews been conducted to find out why women are leaving?
• Do women leave the organisation at the same rate as men? If more women than men leave, why is this happening?
• Do answers to these questions indicate there are any issues for women regarding this Employment Matter?

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Training and Development

• Are female employees provided with the same opportunities to participate in training and development as male colleagues?
• Is the proportion of female employees participating in training and development similar to that of male colleagues (considering their numbers in the organisation)? 
• What resources are devoted to training and developing female employees compared with their male colleagues?
• Are female employees trained for jobs or careers in a similar way to their male colleagues? For example:
  • Does ‘on the job’ training differ between females and males?
  • Are mentoring/coaching opportunities made available to both female and male employees?
  • Do men and women in similar positions have access to comparable types of training and development opportunities?
  • If participation rates, resource expenditure or type of training offered differ for female and male employees, why is this so? For example:
    • Is there a formal consistent approach to offering training and development across the organisation?
    • Are training and development opportunities allocated to staff objectively (eg on the basis of their duties, skill development needs, career interests etc)?
    • Is training held at a time that makes it difficult for employees with family responsibilities to attend?
• What training regarding Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) is provided? Who accesses/participates in these initiatives? (for example, CEO, senior managers etc)
• Do answers to these questions indicate there are any issues for women regarding this Employment Matter?

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Work Organisation

• Are female employees provided with the same opportunities as their male colleagues to:
  • Work in different organisational areas (for example, line or operational roles as well as support and administration roles)?
  • Different types of employment (eg casual, part-time, full-time etc)?
• Are women employed mainly in:
  • Certain areas or levels of your organisation (eg clerical, administration, support roles etc)?
  • Certain types of employment (eg casual, part-time etc)?
    
• If women are employed mainly in certain areas/types of employment, why is this so? For example, are women given the same opportunities as men to:
  • Access regular, ongoing, and permanent employment?
  • Gain experience in different organisational areas?
  • Work in different organisational areas or levels?
  • Have you identified which female employees would, and would not, like to work in different areas/types of employment?
  • Do they have opportunities to participate in training and development?
  • Do they have access to a career path (if interested)?
  • Do they have access to benefits (eg types of leave)?
  • Along with all employees with family responsibilities, able to access regular and predictable working hours, where practicable?
  • Able to work flexibly, for example, as part-time, job share or home based, should they require it?
• Do answers to these questions indicate there are any issues for women regarding this Employment Matter?

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Conditions of service

• Have women been provided with the same opportunities as their male colleagues to access employment benefits? For example:
  • Remuneration/pay/salary?
  • Employer superannuation contributions?
  • Different types of leave (eg study, carers’, annual, sick leave etc)?
  • Worker’s compensation?
  • Share options?
  • Cars?
• How many women compared with men access these benefits?
• If access to these benefits differs between men and women, why is this so? For example:
  • At what level in your organisation does access to these benefits start?
  • Does your organisation link remuneration and employment benefits to objective performance measures?
  • Are all staff trained in how to use these performance measures?
• Do answers to these questions indicate there are any issues for women regarding this Employment Matter?

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Dealing with Sex-based Harassment

• Do you have a policy in place to prevent and respond to harassment?
• Does your staff have access to a range of complaints handling processes, which are formal and informal, internal and external?
• Do informal methods of resolution exist in your workplace?
• Are staff utilising the complaints process?
• Are all staff aware of your harassment free workplace policy?
• Do all staff have the skills required to recognise harassment and effectively manage grievances?
• Do your managers take all complaints seriously and investigate?
• Does your organisation follow up on actions and issues?
• Do answers to these questions indicate there are any issues for women in this employment matter?

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Dealing with Pregnant and Potentially Pregnant Employees and Employees who are Breastfeeding

Does your organisation provide:

• An inclusive workplace for women who are pregnant and those who have returned from maternity leave?
• Accessible information on workplace arrangements for pregnant employees and employees who are breastfeeding? Are employees aware of these arrangements?
• Non-discriminatory recruitment and promotion processes in relation to pregnant and breast feeding employees? Do staff use these processes?
• Ways for female employees to return to work while continuing to breastfeed their newborns, for example by the use of flexible working hours or by the provision of private facilities (other than a toilet) for the expression of milk?
• Pregnant staff with flexibility to attend doctor’s appointments?
  
• Do answers to these questions indicate there are any issues for women regarding this Employment Matter?
• Is there anything else that you need to change to recruit and retain valuable female staff?

In addressing these seven Employment Matters, you may also wish to consider the extent to which informal practices have been formalised into written policies and communicated to all staff.