Parental Leave Policy

We understand the importance of family and work-life balance. That’s why we offer a generous parental leave policy. We believe that all parents should have the opportunity to bond with their newborn and take care of their growing family without worrying about their job security. Our parental leave policy provides up to 18 weeks of paid leave. This policy has been instrumental in helping new parents adjust to their new roles, and return to work feeling energised and ready to take on new challenges.

"Our new parental policy makes me feel really empowered and grateful. It is a very generous gesture from the company to pay my full wage for the first 18 weeks of my maternity leave, along with superannuation. It shows that our wellbeing is important to them.

"The policy gives my family financial stability and peace of mind. What is amazing is that the policy covers secondary carers in the company as well – they’ll get the same benefit for 6 weeks. Those who are familiar with the government policy would know that the secondary carers don’t get much benefit otherwise. I feel blessed to be working here.” - Sakina 

Move to 4-day work week

We recognise that many women in the workplace juggle multiple responsibilities, including caring for children, elderly parents or other family members. That’s why we’ve moved to a 4-day work week, giving our employees more flexibility and control over their schedules. This new schedule has been a game-changer for many of our employees, and we’ve seen a marked increase in job satisfaction, and employee retention since making this change.

"As a working mum finding the right work-life balance has always been a constant juggle. Thanks to our 4-day work week I now have a good balance between family time and time for me. I didn't think getting an extra day a week would make such a big difference but it has, as I find myself happier and with more energy." - Priti

Improving female representation in the team

We see the number of women on the team as just one important way we contribute to social equity, while also creating a team of people who represent our community. 

In the first half of 2022, we achieved 50% female representation in the team. We’re now at ~43% female with subsequent recruitment activity. We expect this percentage to naturally fluctuate up and down over time. We are confident our solid foundations will ensure that we’ll attract diverse job candidates in the future.

"We really took a proactive approach to improve our recruitment process and as a result attracted a wide range of applicants, including women. To do this we assessed the language we used in job ads, engaged an external HR consultant to help us with the robustness of our recruitment process, include diverse team members in the recruitment process and have women at every level of the company including at the most senior levels." Rachel

A focus on diversity and cultural safety – bringing your full self to work

We believe that creating a culture of safety and respect is essential for attracting and retaining the best talent, and we’re proud to lead the way in this area.

In order to create a culturally safe workplace we’ve implemented policies to address harassment and discrimination, and we’ve created a process for employees to report any incidents. 

We encourage our whole team, of all genders and of no-gender, to bring their full self to work. 

“Knowing I’m supported to bring my full self to work and turn up as I am, online or offline, gives me great comfort. Life is busy and stressful enough without having to put on a persona at work. The ability to be real with my colleagues and the clients we work with ultimately leads to more meaningful relationships and often better outcomes [client side] because of that connection and realness.” - Kandice

We focus on women every day, not just on International Women’s Day

At Symbiote, we’re committed to creating a workplace where women can thrive. We’re empowering women in our team to achieve their full potential, through offering generous parental leave policies, a 4-day work week and a culture of diversity and inclusion. On this International Women’s Day, we celebrate the achievements of women in the workplace and recommit ourselves to creating a more equitable and just world for all.