Here’s a big tip for those of you charged with measuring and monitoring gender balance in your organization: the new Guidelines for Gender Balance Performance and Reporting Australia developed by Women On Boards will save you loads of time and money and give you access to leading practice tools (finally!) all in place.  Read More

If you're thinking of working from home, then here's another free resource that you might want to review before you give up your desk in the office.  We've heard a lot about why people want to work from home... now this infographic from Internet Provider gives us an insight into some of the challenges you might face if you do.

A survey of 24,000 workers in 95 different countries highlighted some of the most common challenges for those working from home, and found that :

- 59% were impacted by children or family demanding attention
- 43% had trouble concentrating on work issues when in the home environment;
- 20% suffered from bad postur;e
and maybe this one relates to me... 12% were impacted by pets demanding attention!!

It seems to me that none of the obstacles are so significant as to avoid working from home; though some consideration of these issues BEFORE you make the big move could certainly help you with planning the transition, and maybe even save you some heartache down the track. Read More

Kate Malonyay lived – and died – about 200 metres from my home in Sydney.  I didn’t know Kate, but I’ve walked past her home hundreds – if not thousands – of times.  As the news broke first that her bruised body had been found, alone, in her apartment, after work colleagues raised the alert, my heart sank.  As the story evolved, and her ex-boyfriend jumped to his own death yesterday to evade arrest for her alleged murder, I felt anger.  What sort of selfish and gutless bastard is this guy, to take away the life, the promise, the joy that this woman brought to the world? Read More

An article this week in AFR titled “Women Lagging in MBAs” caught my interest and has had me pondering ever since whether or not it’s a problem that only 35 per cent of students in Australian MBAs. A decade or so ago when I was completing an Executive MBA, there were just 8 women in my final year cohort of 32. At the time I had little awareness of gender balance; it had simply not appeared in my consciousness as yet. Though I do recall some discussions about the 1:3 ratio and my personal feeling was it had advantages. Read More

This clip featuring Steve Jobs is doing the rounds again – and I love it for it’s simplicity, brevity (just 2 minutes!) and practicality.  Success is all about being prepared to give it a go, to reach out, to take risks, says Jobs.  What do you think? Read More

Parenting and work – and how to combine the two – are critical issues for our communities.  Since launching the Make Care Fair petition three years ago, a lot has changed in the world of childcare, paid parental leave and the needs of parents.  And given the election that has been called in Australia on September 14, we would love to understand your CURRENT views: Read More

I'll be at the 4^th Women on Boards Conference on 8-10 May 2013 and wonder if you'd like to join me?  For more information about the conference, click here, but in a nutshell, the conference will provide women with an unparalleled opportunity to learn, network and hear from global experts to drive their careers in the workplace and boardroom. This year the conference will feature five international speakers.   Read More

I’m embarrassed to say it’s been a month since my last post.  A productive and very fruitful month, and all the same I’m frustrated that I haven’t been able to post on all the amazing programs and women I’ve been in contact with recently.  My headspace has been consumed with selecting a “big school” for Master 4-and-a-bit… which for us means deciding between living full time on the farm in the country, or alternately in the city… decisions, decisions, decisions!  And as I discovered today at the launch of a new toolkit on Genderwise Philanthropy, I’m not alone in making those important decisions on behalf of my little family.  Throughout the world, it’s women who have the greatest influence on the education and life opportunities of their children, and that’s why the Australian Women’s Donor Network has launched this new tool kit aimed at focusing all Australians on how to use philanthropy as a tool in strengthening society – by investing specifically in women and girls. Read More

I love celebrating International Women’s Day. It’s a time to reflect on how far we’ve come since Australia first awarded women the vote back in 1902. Recognition of the progress we’ve made in recent years to get business focused on gender balance. And a reminder that we still have a long way to go, in order to ensure true equality, fairness and safety for women.   Read More

I'm on holidays in Bali at the moment, and decided to log in this morning to submit this piece to Women's Agenda - not because I miss being at my Mac, but because I've believed for a long time that flexibility at work is vital to advancing women at work; and it also works best when we can make it work for business.  Here's my thoughts as shared with Women's Agenda - and I'd be interested to understand your opinion on it too:

Marissa Mayer, the recently appointed CEO of Yahoo, has banned working from home, citing a need for greater collaboration and cooperation that will come from colleagues working side by side. And I, for one, agree with her.   Read More