A hybrid home-workplace working model and real wage growth will be key issues in the bargain and a major retention factor for women in the coming year.
A "What Women Want" survey released by the Association for the Community and Public Sector on International Women's Day found that four in five women favor working from home within normal working hours, up from two-thirds in 2019.
According to a survey of 3,495 women, seven out of 10 women said better working from home would make it more attractive to stay in their current role.
But flexible work arrangements result in the expectation of non-refundable hours. Namely, the research found that two-thirds (64.4 percent) of women work extra hours, with more than half (52.4 percent) admitting that they are sometimes not compensated or are only compensated.
Commenting on the survey findings regarding work arrangements, CPSU national secretary Melissa Donnelly said "these issues are critical to women's working lives".
“Working from home is becoming a standard employment situation. We are seeing that employees will consider finding new employment if their agency does not allow them to work flexibly – and they now have more options available to do so,” Ms Donnelly said.
The survey also found that women are now less satisfied with salaries than in 2019.
Overall, satisfaction remains below 2013 levels, with CPSUs blaming the government's approach to bargaining, with wage freezes, increased workloads during the pandemic and an explosion in the use of contractors and consultants.
“Our members have identified a range of issues that contribute to gender inequality and have created a workplace culture that fails to keep them safe. The problem is not that women are failing to propose solutions. The problem is It is that government and employers are failing to listen and act,” Ms Donnelly said.
Sexual harassment still a major issue
But the research also uncovered persistent shortcomings in the treatment of sexual harassment in the workplace, particularly in the public sphere.
Only a quarter (26.3 percent) of women who had experienced sexual assault in the past 12 months reported the incident, with only one in 10 (10 percent) satisfied with the response.
The survey pointed to a marked change in how well sexual harassment is addressed at workplaces since 2019.
That is, down from two in five (38.0 percent) in 2019, only three out of 10 (29.7 percent) women agreed that sexual harassment is dealt with quickly and appropriately by management.
Furthermore, a substantial proportion of women disagree or strongly disagree that there is adequate training on sexual harassment (41.1 percent in 2011 versus 23.5 percent in 2019).
Ms Donnelly concluded, “Empowering women to be involved and involved at every stage of the process is the only way for workplaces to develop effective systems that address gender equality and stamp out sexual harassment and gender violence. "