Maternity leave deal

Bassett Consulting Engineers has acted to turn around the image of engineering workplaces as unfriendly and inflexible to women in a bid to attract, and retain, capable and dynamic young female employees.

Bassett, long-established in Australia, recently announced that three months' paid maternity leave was now available to its female staff, introduced flexible working hours and is enabling effective job sharing arrangements.

Bassett NSW Manager, David Caleo, says changing the image of engineering as being 'a man's world' was long overdue. "We don't attract nearly enough women into engineering and, when we do, we've not been flexible and responsive enough to retain them. It's been to the profession's cost.

"Engineering already suffers by comparison with perceived more glamorous professions such as law so it is up to firms such as ours to demonstrate a work-friendly workplace for dynamic young female graduates so that they're attracted and retained.

"Engineering is international in scope and offers wonderful opportunities for young men and women. We don't want to lose any young talent because our working conditions are stuck in an early 20th century mindset," added Caleo.