POF is pleased to be recognised as an Inclusive Employer for 2021 – 2022 in the Diversity Council of Australia (DCA)’s latest Member Index. We are the first Intellectual Property firm to have been awarded this status since the DCA began the Index in 2017. The DCA surveyed 53 members covering 23,812 employees as part of their Index. We are proud of this achievement, and to be recognised for our efforts towards diversity and inclusion both within our firm, and the IP profession.
In tandem with this achievement, we have also made a number of substantial changes to our parental leave policy. We believe these changes better address the needs of our staff and their wellbeing, and reflect our commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace. The new policy aims to improve workforce participation rates by women, narrow the pay and superannuation gap, and allows families to better combine work and caring responsibilities. Titles such as primary and secondary carers have also been done away with, allowing both women and men the same opportunity in accessing parental leave. We are proud of these changes for what they can provide for our staff and their families.
We have many other initiatives for diversity and inclusion on the horizon too, such as Public Holiday substitution so that our staff may observe any cultural or religious days that are significant to them in lieu of others that may not apply. We have also established a Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee within the firm, to take the helm in shaping and implementing these and future initiatives.
We are proud to be recognised as an Inclusive Employer, and remain committed to ensuring we remain a diverse and inclusive firm.
