Viva Energy has more than doubled the number of women in operations roles at its Geelong refinery in four years after introducing programs to make frontline jobs more flexible.
“COVID-19 has increased awareness of the benefits of flexible working across our workforces,” the Champions of Change Coalition, which advocates for greater gender balance in the workplace, noted in a report published on Tuesday. Scott Wyatt, chief executive of Viva, said the proportion of women in operations roles at the company’s Geelong refinery had surged to 23 per cent from 9 per cent. The proportion of women across the site, including engineers and maintenance staff, had risen to 24 per cent from 16 per cent.
One of the major obstacles to increasing flexibility for frontline staff is the industrial relations system, but companies making changes point to the ability to incorporate flexibility into enterprise agreements during the negotiation process.