Link: http://www.humanresourcesmagazine.com.au/articles/5F/0C05995F.asp

A dual-earner household, but with a twist...
(By Barbara Pollack, director, Centre for Work & Life, University of South Australia via humanresourcesmagazine.com.au)

Lets take an example. Catherine, has recently completed a double degree in law and psychology. She is about 25, and working in a rehabilitation practice with workers returning to work after injury, a job she loves.

But not all is as good as it might be in such a happy land. We do not do so well on inequality. Catherine exemplifies Australian women’s turn to education, and to a late start for children. She is also likely to exemplify an Australian woman’s propensity to work around their children, through part-time work.

Societies that are increasingly reliant on women’s labour and want to enjoy high levels of household wellbeing, without wide socio-economic and gender gaps, have to provide five practical policy pillars. They are:

1. Long paid parental leaves

2. Quality, affordable, accessible early childhood education and care

3. Quality part-time jobs and flexibility at work

4. Good management – of systems and workplaces

5. Prevention and remediation of gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment and undervaluation of women’s work

6. Sharing domestic work and care.

If Australia is to reap the fruit of women workers’ contribution at work without compromising the health and wellbeing of our population, we have to construct these pillars promptly so that they are – as much as we can ensure – universally available and in good functional shape.

For the full article:
http://www.humanresourcesmagazine.com.au/articles/5F/0C05995F.asp

Link: http://www.contractworld.com.au/reloaded/ica-news.php

Independent contractors who may employ others on some occasions need to be aware of the Rudd Government's just-released unfair dismissal code which comes into effect in 2010.

For a link to a copy of the Code, please go to:

http://www.contractworld.com.au/reloaded/ica-news.php

and follow the link in the News box near the middle of the page.

Regards

The Team at Independent Contractors of Australia

Link: http://changethis.com/pdf/48.02.WholeTruth.pdf

by Clinton Korver for ChangeThis.com

"How can you tap the transformational power of the truth? How can
you use it to turn ordinary relationships into extraordinary ones? The
answer is to grasp the truth in its fullest sense, and then practice
using it skillfully, with discretion and wisdom."

read on...

Link: http://www.contractworld.com.au/reloaded/ica-news.php

On October 8th in Sydney, the Minister for Independent Contractors, Craig Emerson, will conduct the national launch of two significant publications into independent contractors:
Ken Phillips's book ‘Independence and the Death of Employment’, and Monash University's research ‘The Forgotten Workforce’.

For details, please go to:
http://www.contractworld.com.au/reloaded/ica-news.php
and follow the links in the ‘Major Initiative’ box near the head of the page.

Regards

The Team at Independent Contractors of Australia

Link: http://trax.fastcompany.com/k/w/mailman/fasttake/20080910/granular_thinking

by Shawn Graham for FastCompany.com

I once worked for a boss who accused me of being granular or always looking at things from "in the weeds." Ironically, that couldn't have been further from the truth and maybe that's one of the reasons I'm no longer there. But I digress.

It used to really frustrate me that, no matter how high level, big picture, or blue sky my suggestions were, my contributions and perspectives were always dismissed as being "too granular."

read on...