The 17th of January 2022 is the day this year on which Martin Luther King Day is commemorated across the United States. It is a nationwide public holiday in the USA adopted into the calendar of public holidays after King’s tragic assassination in 1968. In many ways, Martin Luther King Junior personified the mobiliation of …
As we all enter the holiday period, the word uppermost in most peoples’ minds is “safety.“ In the midst of a new COVID-19 outbreak, we are alert for warning signs of dangers which may impact anyone in our home, social environment or workplace. But as we look forward to 2022 there is another form of …
Symmetra congratulates Lorraine Finlay on her appointment, from 22 November, for the next 5 years as Australia’s Human rights Commissioner. Ms. Finlay holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of Western Australia from and a dual Masters degree in Law and Global Economy from NYU. The position is an extremely …
Tim Paine, Australia’s Cricket captain is the latest high-profile individual to fall on his sword because of sexting. While sexting is a problem which has become widespread particularly amongst teenagers, it is certainly not uncommon amongst adults. Paine’s exchange with an employee of Cricket Tasmania took place some four years ago. It has been apparently …
The findings of the report by Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins, into the sexist culture in Parliament House are possibly even worse than most outsiders could have imagined. It seems that many staffers and particularly young women live and work in a state of apprehension and sometimes of downright fear that ordinary workplace interaction could …
Workplace incivility is on the rise and employers need to take note. Aligned with this, Symmetra is experiencing an increase in requests to address it. Workplace incivility does not generally consist of yelling and like behaviour. It is defined as “low intensity deviant behaviour with ambiguous intent to harm the target in violation of workplace norms for …
As we come to the end of October 2021, Symmetra can mark together with our many LGBTIQ friends and colleagues, the passing of a noteworthy month celebrating the achievements of those who belong to this community. The observance was first suggested by a Missouri school teacher in 1994 . The idea of a month-long tribute …
We at Symmetra have always urged our clients to accept the proposition that diversity, equity and inclusion are strategic imperatives. It can no longer be just a useful PR marketing tool or a sometimes beneficial add-on to corporate social responsibility. All our successful global clients have unreservedly taken this principle on board. However, as we …
WGEA has announced that 31st August is Equal Pay Day for 2021. This is the date on which the average wage for women In Australia reaches the level attained by men at the end of the past financial year. Put differently, Australian women need to work, on average for 14 months to accrue the same …
Symmetra is finding with its clients across the globe that many more are recognising the imperative to proactively address employees’ mental well-being- an obligation heightened by the pandemic. An OECD brief found that pre-COVID mental health conditions in 15 member-countries, including Australia, UK, New Zealand, and the USA, had been largely unchanged for decades. However, from March …