FEATURE
Carlisle Homes builds new
Luke Quanchi and his family
V
ictoria’s Carlisle Homes is swinging a wrecking ball at its industry’s outdated approach to parental leave policies and employee wellbeing support with an overhauled Family Friendly Program aimed at creating a workplace culture regarded as Australia’s best. Carlisle Homes’ Founder and Managing Director John Doulgeridis said the company wanted to challenge the residential construction industry’s poor track record in providing meaningful support and leave practices for employees who have children. “When you look at the data about which industry employers are paying parental leave that’s over and above government entitlements, construction ranks fifth last – with only 35.9 per cent of employers in the industry offering paid parental leave,” Mr Doulgeridis said.
12 | Master Builders Victoria
“As an industry, we’re far behind the top performing sectors, such as education and training (79.2 per cent) and finance and insurance services (76.4 per cent) – basically, nowhere near acceptable. “Our new family-friendly HR policies reflect our genuine quest to enable our people to thrive, not simply survive. “Our motto is ‘Life’s better at Carlisle Homes’ and that encompasses our clients, team members and their extended families.” Carlisle Homes’ General Manager, People & Culture, Krista Hunt explained that the business also wants to buck current industry trends by improving dads’ and secondary carers’ access to leave and support, breaking down stereotypes of traditional parenting roles.
“It’s no secret we’re in a male-dominated industry. In fact, more than 80 per cent of Australia’s construction industry’s workforce comprises men,” Ms Hunt said. “As such, we’re conscious of the role and responsibility we have to create a conversation and action around the challenges that fathers employed in building and construction face and provide meaningful opportunities that enable dads to share the care of their families. “Our People and Culture division conducted extensive surveys of our team members and searched far and wide for best practice policies and programs to develop Carlisle Homes’ own Family Friendly Program. “The comprehensive set of initiatives support Carlisle families in terms of financial stability, working conditions, personal growth, and wellbeing.
Volume 76 Issue 03
