Our inaugural Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP) 2022-2025 is a significant program of work that showcases our commitment and support to achieving gender equality in our organisation and within the sector and industry in which we operate.
Our core gender pillars and aspirations lie in the following areas:
- Creating and maintaining a safe, accessible, equitable and inclusive working environment.
- Ensuring equitable access to employment opportunities and outcomes, with a focus on women in the building industry.
- Building knowledge capability in gender equity, including pay equity, and intersectionality principles to leverage diversity in key decision-making.
- Embedding and maintaining flexible and hybrid working practices.
- Providing an exemplary employee experience.
- Engage and reflect the communities we serve.
Progress Report Update (Feb 2025) Summary
VBA must submit a progress report against its GEAP to the Public Sector Gender Equality Commissioner every two years, the first submitted in February 2024. Progress reports are required to demonstrate progress against the following:
- What policies, programs and services were subject to a gender impact assessment and the actions undertaken as a result of the gender impact assessment
- Detailed information and data for the measures and strategies as set out in our Gender Equality Action Plan
- Work undertaken to address activities against seven core workplace gender equality indicators as set by the Gender Equality Commission.
Key Highlights (progress made in 2022-2023)
The VBA is proud of the progress it has made to improve its workplace culture. This has resulted in several key achievements for the reporting period, including:
- Modifications to existing systems allowing intersectionality data to be collected and analysed
- Communications training rolled out across the VBA and subsequent development of the VBA Communications Charter to enhance psychological safety across the organisation
- Comprehensive pay equity analysis completed by job grade, excluding Executives, revealing the pay gap is less than 1% in favour of females
- Increased the percentage of women recruited to VBA in the 55-64 age group and increased the number of both women and men recruited to VBA over the age of 65
- Embedded sexual harassment training in the inductions of all new starters and new managers
- Enhanced the leave and flexibility options for VBA employees while increasing employee engagement.
Our progress against the 7 gender equality indicators
1. Gender composition of all levels of the workforce
The overall gender balance has remained stable, with female representation in the VBA workforce holding steady at 48% when comparing data from this reporting period to June 2021. As of June 2023:
- 79% (n=196) of the female workforce was ongoing, compared to 81% of men
- 12% (n=31) of the female workforce was fixed-term, compared to 17% of men
- 11% (n=28) of the female workforce was part-time, compared to 4% of men
- 8% (n=21) of female workforce was casual, compared to 2% of men
- All employees that were self-described or prefer not to say were full-time, ongoing employees of VBA
2. Gender composition of governing bodies
As of 30 June 2021, the VBA Governing Board was 67% female (six females and three males). As at 30 June 2023, the VBA Governing Board remained the same at 67% female.
The VBA Governing Board was dissolved on 31 March 2024.
3. Gender pay equity
During the reporting period, a comprehensive pay equity analysis was conducted across all job grades, covering all employee levels for the year ending June 2022. The analysis found that the VBA pay gap, excluding Executives, is less than 1% in favour of women - down from a 15% gap favouring males in 2021). There were very small degrees of imbalance, in both directions, in some of the job grades, but overall the review did not identify any systemic gender pay inequity.
In an organisation the size of the VBA which has been going through a period of significant turnover, it is expected that the departure of employees and the entry of new hires at at baseband rates can contribute to maintaining pay equity. The VBA will continue to monitor this metric, with another pay equity analysis to be completed in 2025 to see whether this equity is maintained.
The VBA has implemented a process to review pay decisions for potential gender bias at the time of recruitment. Records are now maintained for employees who start at or above base salary in their new roles, enabling a pay equity analysis in the next reporting period. Initial data from this new process reveals no gender pay equity issue among new employees.
4. Workplace sexual harassment
In the VPSC's annual People Matter Survey (PMS) results for 2023 (in which VBA participates annually), 3% of employees reported experiencing sexual harassment compared to 4% in 2022. In 2023, 4% of women experienced harassment compared to 2% in 2022. In 2023, 1% of men experienced sexual harassment compared to 3% in 2022. In 2023, 6% of those that consider their gender "Other" experienced sexual harassment compared to 10% in 2022.
The VBA continues its work to build supports for employees that face negative behaviours at work (including the introduction of a Peer Support Officer Network in 2024) so we may see an increase in formal complaints if confidence increases in the formal complaints process. There is also planned Appropriate Workplace Behaviours training that will be implemented across the organisation in 2024/2025 which will provide sexual harassment training to all employees.
5. Recruitment and promotion
In our 2021 audit, women represented 48% of new recruits in the year to 30 June 2021. In our 2023 progress audit, this is now 55%. This increase has come largely in part due to an increase in the percentage of female new starters in level 4, 6 and 7. The VBA appointed a new female CEO during the reporting period and also hired 50% females into level 1 roles during the reporting period.
It is pleasing to see that there has been an increase in the recruitment of women aged 55-64 from 10.1% in the previous reporting period to 14% in the current reporting period. Also of note is the recruitment of both males (no=3) and females (no=3) aged over 65. This compares to zero recruits of any gender in the aged over 65 category in the previous reporting period.
Of the 64 employees who were promoted in this reporting period, 58% were females (compared to 50% in 2021). Of the employees receiving higher duties, females had 52% of these opportunities (compared to 54% in 2021). We saw a continuation of a high percentage of females gaining internal secondment opportunities with 61% in 2023 compared to 82% in 2021. Overall, 8% of female employees in VBA had the opportunity to undertake an internal secondment in the reporting period compared to 5% of males.
6. Leave and flexibility
During the reporting period, the VBA has supported two women with the provision of family violence leave. Work has been done to provide an accessible and centralised source of support and information for employees on the intranet who may be impacted by family violence.
VBA continues to work on improving the diversity of its workforce by ensuring that flexible working is part of the culture of the organisation and is available to all. In the reporting period, further work has been done to imbed an inclusive flexible work culture within the organisation. VBA employees have received education on the importance of flexible work and practical strategies to support it within their teams.
In the 2023 PMS, 88% of respondents agreed that "I am confident that if I requested a flexible work arrangement, it would be given due consideration", which is 10% higher than in 2022. The VBA also scored 92% on the statement "[m]y manager supports working flexibly" which is a seven per cent improvement from 2022. The VBA has acted on the feedback received during the reporting term to ensure that flexible work practices continue to be a leading source of employee satisfaction and engagement.
7. Gendered work segregation
The VBA continues to provide specific Women in Leadership training to selected women in management positions. Beyond training, the VBA also seeks to provide practical career development opportunities for women. The VBA has started to track and monitor women who have been identified for training programs and whether they are subsequently able to utilise their new knowledge and skills through higher duties or acting in higher positions. VBA was pleased to see 45% of these Women in Leadership training cohort be appointed formally to higher duties or acting in higher roles. In addition to this, females filled 61% of internal secondment opportunities in the reporting period.
Our next steps
- Determine and complete Gender Impact Assessments on significant public-facing programs
- Provide training to staff on sexual harassment, bullying and acceptable workplace behaviours that include Respect@Work duties
- Provide training to managers on all compliance requirements including sensitive training on Family Violence
- Continue to embed our equality principles as documented in our policies in our recruitment efforts across the VBA
- Develop relationships with organisations to promote gender equality in technical roles and more broadly in the construction industry
- Commit further resources in 2024/2025 to deliver the VBA Capability Suite which aims to provide the right development, at the right time, in the right way to empower employees to build their careers at VBA.
Full progress report
View the full progress report submitted to the Commission:
