Circle In

Tomorrow is Wear It Purple Day, a day to foster supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for rainbow young people. Young people who face systemic discrimination outside of work also face institutional barriers inside of work, so ALL OF US (workplaces, leaders, managers and team members) need do the work to break down these barriers. Our expert, Ciarra Jones, M.T.S. Jones has these tips: Take some time to reflect on systems of oppression you may have encountered in the workplace. Allyship starts with one courageous action at a time. 🏳️🌈 If you're a leader: If someone in your team comes to you after experiencing discrimination, make a deliberate effort not to dismiss them and instead engage in honest and open conversations about what happened. Focus on what you can learn and do differently. 🏳️🌈 If you're part of a team: If you notice bias in the workplace, try asking genuine, non-confrontational questions to encourage the other person to reflect. Questions like “That’s an interesting way of looking at it, why don’t you tell me more?” or "I didn't understand the joke, can you please explain it to me"? can encourage introspection without defensiveness. PS. If you want to get your hand on some more rainbow-friendly tips and resources, pop over to the link in the comments. #WearItPurpleDay #WorkplaceInclusion #LGBT #LGBTQIA+ #DiversityandInclusion #Pride #InclusiveWorkplaces #InclusiveLeadership #WorkplaceCulture

It's Father's Day in Australia on Sunday, a hallmark day to acknowledge the wonderful fathers and father figures in our lives. But despite the known upsides of dads taking parental leave (greater parental satisfaction, improvements in child development, higher rates of workforce participation, and greater economic security for women... not to mention the benefits to businesses), the take up of parental leave by dads in Australia is still low? According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, only 12% of all paid primary carer’s leave is utilized by men. Why is this, and what do we need to do to ensure the dial shifts when it comes to dads taking parental leave? Our survey* showed Dads — especially younger dads — want to take parental leave, but there are still several organizational, social and cultural factors that inhibit them. We call the solution the 4Ps: 1. Policies - having great policies — like a gender-neutral parental leave and a flexible working policy — is only half the battle but they are a great way of demonstrating how you show up for your employees in their big life moments. Ensuring your parental leave policy is flexible enough to enable a dad to take time off when he wants or needs it will increase the likelihood of him using it. 2. Practice - workplaces also need to focus on creating the right culture to enable dads to take leave. Senior dads role-modeling extended periods of parental leave is impactful, and sharing powerful real-life stories with your teams and normalizing what it means for dads to take parental leave is invaluable. Managers also need to be upskilled in how to manage and support dads during this period too, including conversations around promotions, workloads and reintegration back into the workplace. normalizing 3. Partnerships - partner with Circle In! Our platform features nearly 1,000 practical resources, expert advice, case studies, and best-practice toolkits for you and your people to use in the moments that matter. 4. Promotion - it’s one thing to have all the policies, benefits, and culture in place but another to communicate them. Consistent messaging and an organization-wide approach to raising awareness are key to the success of take-up. We love these insights from Circle In user Dean Whitehouse, Service Delivery Manager at Grant Thornton Australia, and proud Dad: "Taking parental leave really changed some viewpoints I had around work/life balance. It was one of the most valuable things I have ever done and set the foundation for how I will be managing care with my daughter. It really made me see how important the non “big event” time is. Just being there and picking my daughter up, playing alongside her and going for walks - these are the important bits that grow the bond. I hope it also helped my wife take some of the load off. It’s made me much more empathetic to what she has to deal with all day." *The Fatherhood Trap #GenderEquity #ParentalLeave #WorkplaceCulture

We say it time and time again, but honestly, we have some of the best customers going ‘round. Ones with considered, caring and supportive programs and policies that set their return-to-work parents up for a) a smooth transition back and b) a confident transition back to work after extended leave. How do they do it? At Qantas, it’s the “Little Joeys” program that supports employees throughout their entire parental leave journey, offering targeted communication, a Little Joeys gift box for new parents, and “Keeping You Connected” events. At Experian, people leaders play a key role in the success of the return-to-work programs – conducting frequent check-ins and assigning a buddy to employees returning from extended leave. And that’s just the start. Find out what their return-to-work programs look like. Plus, get your hands on our top 3 return-to-work resources to help you stand out as an employer of choice. Join the 100s of others who have already downloaded it and get your hands on your copy of Welcome Back! today. Download it from the comments below. #ReturnToWork #ParentalLeave #BestPractices #EmployeeSupport #WorkLifeBalance #HR #Leadership #Workplaceculture #BusinessAustralia

Starting today, the Right to Disconnect Bill is in effect across Australia, giving employees the power to unplug from work after hours. What does this mean? While the new laws do not stop bosses from contacting employees, or employees from contacting each other, they give employees the right to ignore that contact without disciplinary fallout. So, while your manager may send you an email at 9pm when you finish up at 5pm, you don't have to read or respond to it (unless doing so is "unreasonable"). What are the benefits? ✅ Employees can enjoy more personal time without feeling pressured to respond to work emails or messages. ✅ Better work-life balance that helps reduce burnout by letting people fully switch off when they’re off the clock. For laws like this to be fully effective though, workplaces need to create a culture where employees feel safe to put boundaries in place and confident that these boundaries will be respected. This could include: 🙂 Each team member communicating their work days and hours and having this information recorded somewhere accessible to everyone. 🙂 The entire team being encouraged to turn off notifications outside of working hours (and days). Tell us, what impact do you think this will have on your workplace? #RightToDisconnect #Workplace #Work #HR #HumanResources #BusinessAustralia #InclusiveWorkplace #DEI #InclusiveLeadership #WorkplaceCulture

Every caregiver has a unique story to tell, and it's through these stories – our experiences, challenges and triumphs – that we find connections and common ground. On the Circle In platform, Real Stories are one of the most popular features for the very fact they help bridge gaps, build relationships and create a more compassionate and interconnected working world. Here's a taste of one of our Real Stories from the wonderful Marshie. Marshie's family is a unique blend of Indian, Sri Lankan, Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu influences, living in Naarm. This diversity sparks robust conversations about community building, culture, and the power of stories, and she strives to continue the best parts of past traditions while forming new ones that work for her. If you want to share your Real Story, follow the link below. We can't wait to hear it!

Returning to work after parental leave can be a pretty/very/extremely/colossally daunting experience for employees, but with the implementation of a well-structured return-to-work program, organizations can ease the transition and make it a pleasant and reassuring experience. Get six top tips on creating a best-practice RTW program in the August edition of In Our Circle. #Newsletter #ReturnToWork #ParentsAtWork #ParentalLeave #HR #Managers #BestPracticeTips #WorkplaceCulture

Our co-founders, Kate Pollard and Jodi Geddes, recently attended the LaunchVic gala ball, alongside a thousand others from the incredible Victorian startup ecosystem. They heard from LaunchVic CEO Kate Cornick, who showcased the indelible impact that our sector is making on Victoria’s economy and spoke to so many other women founders whose dogged determination, drive, innovation and boundary-pushing create this impact. What a night! What an impressive group of women! A big shoutout to Kate Cornick , the LaunchVic team, and SBE Australia for their unwavering support of women-led startups.

This one has been doing the rounds, and for good reason. Last week, Nate Byrne, a presenter from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) had an on-air panic attack. His response and the beautiful way it was handled by his colleagues and fellow presenters was a sign of a really safe, inclusive and supportive workplace. In his moment of vulnerability, Nate was able to be his authentic self and explain what was happening and the people around him stepped up like consummate professionals and empathetic humans to support him. When we get it right, workplaces can be so protective of our mental health and the social connection and support we receive from colleagues plays a key role in that. Bravo to the ABC for setting an example of a compassionate employer and workplace culture. And well done to Nate for normalizing our struggles as human beings. #InclusiveLeadership #WorkplaceCulture #WorkplaceWellbeing #HR #HumanResources #BusinessAustralia #PyschologicalSafety #InclusiveWorkplace

Welcome to our new series, Thrive Thursday, where we provide actionable tips and strategies that you and the parents and caregivers in your teams can use to get a better handle on the work/life juggle so you can well, thrive, at work and at home (but not just on Thursdays, every day). Let's kick it off..... You can't take care of the people around you if you're not healthy and looking after yourself. But let's be real, caregiving can be incredibly stressful! So it's important to know your limits and recognize the signs of burnout before it catches up with you. Here's some tips to help 👇 #ThriveThursday #WellbeingatWork #WorkingParents #EmployeeWellbeing #WorkplaceCulture #BusinessAustralia #HR #HumanResources #EmpatheticLeadership

Organizations can be a 10/10 when it comes to parental leave but a 2/10 when it comes to return-to-work. Generous parental leave policies are one thing but how you support a parent back after leave is quite another. How do you make their transition a smooth one? How are you going to set them up for success in the short and longer term? What accommodations can you make so they can thrive? Find out the answers to all these questions (and more) with our 3 most popular (and impactful) return-to-work resources. How do you get your hands on them, you ask? Easy! Just download our new guide, Welcome Back! (link in comments). #ReturnToWork #ParentalLeave #BestPractices #EmployeeSupport #WorkLifeBalance #HR #Leadership #Workplaceculture #BusinessAustralia