This type of workplace flexibility was a key contributor to Shell in Australia winning several recent awards including a High Commendation in the 'Work and Family' awards run by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Business Council of Australia, and being chosen as 'Employer of Choice for Women' by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA).
Shell’s arrangements acknowledge non-traditional hours and a greater desire to balance work and personal life, and use a range of tools to enable this. Caroline uses software known as ‘Mobile Office Private’ to provide complete access to work documents and email from home.
“It takes location out of the equation. The work I do at home is completely networked with the office so when I come back to the refinery the updated work is waiting for me,” Caroline says.
“It means I can do some work at home before attending a special school event or look after a sick child and still attend to urgent work issues. In short it means I can have a family and a career,” she says.
In a global business the ability to work non-traditional hours is an added benefit.
“I participate in a global forum of Shell employees involved in community development activities. Rather than having to be at the office late at night or early in the morning I can participate from home and have at my fingertips any documents or information that’s required,” Caroline says.
A supportive family is a key element, Caroline says. “My husband and children support me working from home providing me, for instance, with the quiet time
needed to participate in a late night teleconference,” she says.
The ability to work flexibly at Shell is the result of an agreement reached between an employee and their line manager. If a role is suitable for flexible working (and not all are), Health Safety Security and Environment advice is provided to ensure staff will be working safely and ergonomically. The benefits of flexible working
are clear.
“Flexible working arrangements result in more satisfied staff which in turn leads to greater productivity,” Shell Geelong Refinery Manager Huck Poh says.
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