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Bupa Australia recognised as an employer of choice
Monday, 22 March 2010
Bupa Australia has been acknowledged for the second year in a row for its dedication towards creating opportunities for women.
The citation from the Federal Government's Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) - which highlighted Bupa as an 'Employer of Choice for Women'* - is recognition of the company's strong focus on providing equality of opportunity.
The company operates under the trusted and respected brands, MBF, HBA, Mutual Community and Clearview.
Bupa's Director of Human Resources, Penny Lovett, said the company was dedicated to creating a workplace environment that was conducive to providing support for people so that they could reach their full potential.
"This acknowledgement from EOWA shows Bupa's commitment towards gender equality and creating opportunities for women. As an employer it's essential that we are able to attract and retain the very best people to deliver on our promise of being a leading healthcare provider," Lovett said.
"At Bupa, we are focused on providing all of our people with equality of opportunity - regardless of sex, background or age - so that they can have a rewarding and long career with us."
Almost half of Bupa's senior leaders are female, and the company has implemented a range of career development programs that provide support for people across the organisation.
"It is important to note that half of the participants in our international secondment program to date have been female, and half of the successors to key roles within our organisation are also female," Lovett said.
"Additionally, a large number of our senior female employees make use of flexible working or part time employment arrangements so that they can strike the right balance between their professional and personal life."
Bupa has developed the following initiatives in line with its commitment to being an employer of choice:
- Employees that demonstrate strong potential participate in a range of mentoring and coaching development programs
- Flexible, family-friendly policies allow employees to take generous parental leave, purchase additional leave, and job share. Additionally there are provisions made for emergency leave and flexibility is provided for parents through 'bring kids to work' days
- Programs that address employees' health and wellness are available, as are childcare referral services.
The citation from EOWA is the latest acknowledgement of the company's best practice approach towards creating a positive workplace culture. The company has previously been recognised as the Australian Human Resources Institute's 'Best Employer 2004', Australian HR Magazine's Employer of Choice (less than 1000 employees) 2006 and 2007, and Australian HR Magazine's Best Talent Development Program 2007. The company also received the HR Leadership Award for Best HR Strategy Plan 2009, and the Australian Human Resources Institute's 'Responsible Restructuring' Award 2009.
* The Employer of Choice for Women citation is awarded to non-government organisations with more than 100 employees that have demonstrated that they have policies and practices that support women across the organisation and these have had a positive outcome for both women and the business.
* Bupa Australia operates the trusted and respected brands MBF, HBA, Mutual Community and ClearView
