Mainstreaming flexibility

Mainstreaming flexibilityOn Thursday, 8 October, almost 100 industry representatives attended the latest seminar in the Property Council’s Leading Women in Property event series.Keynote speakers Sally Herman- Chairman, Urbis and Troy Roderick- Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Telstra Corporation Limited, gave attendees an insight into the flexible work practices of two different organisations.Sally Herman focused primarily on the journey undertaken by Urbis to make flexibility a part of everyday work practices. Upon taking the role of Chairman of the Board of Urbis, Sally sought to challenge the organisation to create a more flexible and diverse workplace for all employees. Formal policies and procedures are now in place, with the benefits starting to show through higher rates of retention for women, and more men taking advantage of the flexibility on offer.Troy Roderick then stepped the audience through the chronology of Telstra’s journey towards creating a flexible workplace, quoting some amazing statistics on the progress the organisation has made over the past seven years. Continually reinforced through his presentation was the need to make flexibility and diversity everybody’s business. Telstra has done this through incorporating diversity into their vision statement and ensuring all jobs are able to be undertaken flexibly. ‘Trust’ was also a key theme, with Telstra replacing much of the paperwork involved for individuals seeking to work flexibly, with a simple statement that parties must agree to. This trust has been central to Telstra’s success so far.Following their presentations, Renaye Peters- Director, Conrad Gargett & Chair of the Property Council’s Queensland Women and Diversity Committee, moderated a discussion with the panel and audience members. A number of topics such as performance management, overcoming those reluctant to change, and the role of leaders in the industry, were discussed.The Property Council would like to thank our two speakers, Sally Herman and Troy Roderick, as well as our moderator, Renaye Peters, for giving up their time and sharing their insights on this important topic.Thanks must also go to the Leading Women in Property event series sponsor, architectus, and to our venue hosts, Allens Linklaters, for their support.Sponsor:Hosts: