Sydney, 18 March 2009: Citi Australia has been awarded 'Employer of Choice for Women' status by the Federal Government for the eighth consecutive year, an award that recognises the bank's continued commitment to diversity in the work place.
The Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) Awards recognise companies that build cultures to support and enable the advancement of women in the workplace by adapting to their specific needs.
Citi Australia head of Human Resources, Peter Cappie-Wood, said receipt of the EOWA award was testimony to Citi's on-going efforts to proactively support women.
"Citi is proud to have been a recipient of the EOWA award since its introduction. We are constantly reviewing our diversity initiatives to ensure they meet the changing needs of female employees."
Citi was acknowledged as an employer of choice for women as a result of its extensive benefits including:
Flexible work arrangements
Mentoring
'Preparing for and returning from maternity leave' and 'Keep in touch' programs
Parental leave toolkit providing checklists and advice
Generous Parental Leave Payment for primary care giver.
Childcare facility
Provision of breast feeding/express room
Specialist development programs for women
Ongoing compulsory training to create an inclusive workplace
This is how several female employees at Citi capture their experience:
Amber Dawkins, who works in Citi's Risk Management area, is in her second year of the company's Global Management Associate program, which trains employees in different areas of the business around the world.
"The exposure to senior executives is amazing," said Ms Dawkins. "In a male-dominated industry, having the opportunity to be mentored by successful women is invaluable. My mentor has an open door policy and I'm not afraid to ask for her guidance on subjects ranging from rotations to balancing work and family. She often shares her personal experiences with me, which has already helped me face difficult situations at work."
Senior Human Resources Generalist, Tess Ballance, has been taking her daughter Caitlin to Citi's childcare facility, 'Trumpets' since it opened in Sydney two years ago.
"Trumpets is one of the main reasons I decided to join Citi," said Tess. "It gives my family extra time together every morning and afternoon - usually the traveling time. We all come into the city so it's easier for me to pick up my daughter and drop her off.
"Before Trumpets opened we had Caitlin in childcare near home and I stressed every afternoon trying to collect her in time. I had to leave right on five o'clock which was hard considering I was in a client-facing role. Now she's close by so if she is sick I can go straight over to her and I have time in the afternoon to collect her. Because we're in Trumpets I can focus on my job better."
Alexandra Taylor takes advantage of Citi's flexible work hours program. "I work three days a week which gives me two days to look after my two children. This way I can stay connected to the workforce, keep my skills current and still do my bit as a mother.
"It's important for all employers to recognise that circumstances change over time for its employees and this effects the work they do and how they do it. A flexible workplace is one way to retain knowledge within an organisation while recognising that the employee / employer relationship is a two way investment."
Citi, the leading global financial services company, has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Citi's major brand names include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney, Banamex, and Nikko. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.
