BOQ GETS NOD AS ENDORSED EMPLOYER OF WOMEN

BANK of Queensland (ASX:BOQ) has become the first bank in Australia to get the nod from Diverse City Careers (DCC) as an endorsed employer of women.

The social enterprise helps women find employment in non-traditional industries through a jobs site with screened companies.

DCC co-founder Valeria Ignatieva says the company is leading the way on implementing supportive workplace practices.

"The BOQ company values align perfectly with DCC's ethos of 'we believe in a better way of working' and we're delighted to welcome them on board," Ignatieva says.

Women represent 24.1 per cent of key management personnel with only 6.5 per cent in CEO roles in the financial sector, according to figures from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

After tackling a number of issues, the number of women in leadership positions increased from 27 per cent to 32 per cent at BOQ in five months. The company has set a target of 50 per cent by 2020.

BOQ managing director and CEO Jon Sutton (pictured) says women have long been under-represented across many industries.

"When running a company, the amount of revenue generated is only one indicator of performance," Sutton says.

"Other elements such as the customer experience, the role the business plays in the wider community and the opportunities it provides to its employees are all equally important, and a balanced combination of all these ingredients is what's really needed for success."

Sutton says the company will also trial flexibility at its call centres to improve the work-life balance of both men and women.

"For years, this has been put into the 'too hard basket' at BOQ, but it goes to show that when an organisation makes the commitment for this to happen and empowers leaders to explore the 'what if?' that positive change can happen," he says.

"With a pilot launching soon, I look forward to sharing our success, and learnings too, in the coming months."

DCC co-founder Gemma Lloyd (pictured) says the organisation was impressed with BOQ's high level of female participation, particularly in technology at 50 per cent.

"While flexible working is only one small component of the overall employee experience, BOQ have taken a flexible approach to all other areas of the business, proving clear career progression paths and support for their staff," Lloyd says.

"This flexibility to create an environment where people genuinely love coming to work is exactly what drives employee engagement and of course profitability."

BOQ joins other DCC endorsed employers including Accenture, Dropbox, Minter Ellison, Aecom, Aurizon, Origin Energy, Curtin University and AustralianSuper.