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Diversity embraced and celebrated in Australia

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Australasia Press Office
6 August 2017

Diversity is part of our DNA and we continually review our strategies and evolve our practices to redefine what diversity and inclusion means to our people and how we embed it as ‘business as usual’ across our firm.

Recognised as a leader in gender diversity 

As such, we were proud to be recognised as the Most Outstanding Company in Gender Diversity by Engineers Australia at a Women in Engineering Winter Gala and National Gender Diversity Awards on Saturday night.

In an analysis of female representation by Consult Australia of Workplace Gender Equality Agency data (2015), Arup outperformed other engineering firms with 35% of total workforce, 30% of Key Management personnel and 39% of non-managers. Arup also has 35% female representation on our Board. We are committed to a target of 40% of the total workforce to be female by 2020.

Progressive outlook

The award follows on from the renewal of our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, led by an enthusiastic Diversity and Inclusion Executive from across the Region and from different backgrounds, interests and seniority.


In one of the first key actions under our new strategy, we are moving towards industry leading parental leave offerings from each country in our region. We recognise that becoming a parent is a significant event in people's lives and therefore are introducing new financial and non-financial benefits to support us in attracting and retaining the best people in our industry.
newborn sitting in lap newborn sitting in lap

Our new Australian parental leave policy which took effect 1 July 2017 introduced:

  • Paid primary carer leave equivalent to 16 weeks’ pay, with paid leave of up to 12 weeks (which can be taken at half pay) and an additional payment of 4 weeks on return to work.
  • Paid support carer leave of 2 weeks plus access to “shared care” primary carer leave benefits (as above) if staff become the primary carer for their child up to their first birthday (or fifth birthday in cases of adoption).
  • Superannuation contributions for periods of time on both paid and unpaid leave up to a total of 52 weeks as a primary carer.
  • A reduced qualifying service period for paid parental leave from 12 months to 3 months.
  • Eligibility for parents who both work at Arup to access policy benefits.

We recognise the broad diversity of parental and family relationships and have defined eligibility for our benefits to reflect this.

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“

We endeavour to create a workplace that is inclusive, accepting and represents our diverse society. I want to thank everyone at Arup for helping to create a great place to work, and we look forward to supporting all of our staff to feel they belong, are valued, have equal opportunity and can thrive. ”

Peter Bailey Peter Bailey Principal and Trustee Director

We have received many honours specifically recognising our commitment, success, best practice and leadership around diversity and inclusion in the workplace including recognition as an employer of choice, and receiving the Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation every year since its inception.

In addition, our Chair and CEO, Peter Bailey, continues to drive discussion and action around equality in the industry through his role as Chair of Consult Australia’s Male Champions of Change.

WGEA 2015

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency awarded us an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation - an award recognising our dedication to gender equality in the Australian workplace.

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Family Friendly Employers

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency awarded us an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation - an award recognising our dedication to gender equality in the Australian workplace.

WGEA 2015
Family Friendly Employers

WGEA Citation

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency awarded us an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation - an award recognising our dedication to gender equality in the Australian workplace.

Family Friendly Employers

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency awarded us an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation - an award recognising our dedication to gender equality in the Australian workplace.