It’s International Women’s Day on Sunday 8th March, and to celebrate we have a very special episode to share.

Athena Koelmeyer is Managing Director of Workplace Law, and an inspiring role model for female professionals especially in the legal space. Workplace Law has been around since 2003, and under Athena’s leadership (alongside her husband Shane), it strives to create a happy work environment that empowers the workforce and discourages traditional behaviours the industry often sees.

Challenging the traditional mindset

When Athena started off as a lawyer, she saw how difficult it can be to work in the legal industry, especially as a woman. The law is traditionally an unfriendly place for women, and it’s very hard to find a female partner, let alone a female lawyer with more than 5 years’ experience due to the working environment it tends to provide. Workplace Law looks to challenge that conventional culture, and provides flexibility, promotes collaboration, and drives a gender equal approach.

Empowering women to fulfil their goals

The team at Workplace Law are passionate about empowering women in their careers, and they’re also passionate about sport. Combining the two, they created a Female Champions program. They recognise that female athletes don’t have access to the same opportunities as men. Every woman should have a choice on their career, and Workplace Law wants to help make that possible. The program allows Athena and her team to use their brand, expertise, knowledge and capacity to make a genuine difference on individual female athletes, female sports teams and communities.

Reassess your business approach

Athena’s advice for driving and instilling a gender equal culture boils down to creating a happy place for people to work - no matter what gender, background or passions an employee may have. Continuing to keep your finger on the pulse and asking employees what they want from their job is a great way to start. Providing benefits and a culture that will empower female employees and continue monitoring this to ensure it’s the right fit.

The Gender Pay Gap

International Women’s Day is a chance for us all to look at the issues facing women across Australia. KeyPay was in the unique position to be able to analyse and understand disparities between men and women’s salaries based on part-time, full time, and casual workforces. Read more on the insights from KeyPay’s Gender Pay Gap Report.

‍

Happy International Women’s Day!