| Neena Bhandari Human Resource

Want to smash the pay gap? Here’s why it requires collaboration

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 18 November 2016 (HRM): Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Director Libby Lyons argues the pay gap is cause for concern – for men and women. “Too often, the phrase gender equality is code for women’s equality, but men have their own challenges in the workplace that we need to address as well,” she says.

Elizabeth (Libby) Lyons has been director of the WGEA for just over a year now, so it’s a good time to take stock, particularly given the recent figures showing the gender pay gap hasn’t altered much and is currently at 16.2 per cent. But Lyons is a pragmatist.

“The pay gap has hovered between 15 and 19 per cent for the past two decades. We need to be realistic; it’s not going to change overnight. My focus is on working with employers to create a sustainable momentum for change,” she says.

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Business communication: How to say what you actually mean

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 09.09.2016 (HRM): Clear, compelling business communication is, sadly, a rarity. But master the art of the written word and see your credibility rise. Three experts give us their advice.

‘The medium is the message’ said media theorist Marshall McLuhan. Clear, concise and convincing writing is the key to driving home the message whether it is writing an email, a staff review, a project report or a business proposal. But in the world of 140-character Twitter and paperless offices, effective and persuasive business communication is found wanting – and human resources is among the worst culprits.

Stephanie Oley, who runs the business writing course at the University of Sydney, says, “The most effective business writing draws on the simplicity and directness of spoken English. This includes shorter sentences, less jargon and main points at the start of a sentence and not after lengthy background information.”

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