WGEA action items employers can implement today
Australian employers are now being asked to move beyond gender equality statements and show measurable progress. For HR, People & Culture and DEI leaders, that means identifying practical WGEA action items that can be implemented, measured and reported on.
One of the most powerful action areas is also one of the most overlooked: supporting employees with caring responsibilities.
Childcare disruption affects productivity, attendance, workforce participation and retention. For many working parents, especially women, access to reliable childcare can directly influence whether they return to work, increase hours, remain in leadership pathways or stay with an employer long term.
That is why practical childcare support is becoming an important part of workplace gender equality strategies — and why employers searching for WGEA target action items should consider childcare as a measurable, high-impact initiative.
What are WGEA action items?
WGEA action items are practical steps employers can take to improve workplace gender equality outcomes. These actions may support gender pay equity, leadership representation, flexible work, workforce participation, and employees with caring responsibilities.
For many businesses, the challenge is not knowing that gender equality matters. The challenge is knowing what to actually implement.
Effective WGEA action items should be:
- Practical for employees to use
- Measurable over time
- Aligned with workforce participation and retention goals
- Relevant to employees with caring responsibilities
- Simple enough for employers to roll out without creating major internal administration
This is where employee benefits such as Kiddo Corporate Care can help organisations move from policy to practical support.
Why caring responsibilities matter for WGEA targets
Caring responsibilities continue to affect workforce participation, career progression and retention. When childcare falls through, employees may need to take unplanned leave, reduce working hours, decline opportunities or step back from leadership pathways. These outcomes directly intersect with gender equality.
Practical WGEA action items employers can implement
1. Support employees with caring responsibilities
One of the clearest WGEA-aligned actions is to provide practical support for employees who are balancing work and care. This includes parents managing childcare, school holidays, illness, roster changes, return-to-work transitions or emergency care needs.
Flexible work policies are important, but they do not solve every problem. When childcare falls through, employees often need immediate, trusted and accessible support.
Providing access to corporate childcare support gives employees a practical pathway to find care when they need it.
2. Offer emergency childcare support
Unexpected childcare gaps are a major cause of stress for working parents. A sick child, cancelled care arrangement, school closure or last-minute work requirement can quickly disrupt a working day.
Employers can support employees by providing access to emergency childcare options that help parents respond quickly when care arrangements change.
This is a strong WGEA action item because it supports workforce continuity, reduces unplanned leave and helps parents remain engaged at work.
3. Improve return-to-work support after parental leave
Returning to work after parental leave can be challenging, especially when families are still establishing childcare routines. Employers can improve retention by offering practical support during this transition.
This could include childcare support during the first few months back at work, funded care for key transition periods, or access to trusted babysitters and nannies when regular care is not available.
Supporting return-to-work pathways can help employees increase confidence, maintain career momentum and stay connected to leadership opportunities.
4. Provide school holiday childcare support
School holidays create recurring pressure for working parents. For many employees, annual leave does not cover every school holiday period, which can create stress, absenteeism and reduced productivity.
A practical action item is to offer access to school holiday care options through platforms such as Kiddo. This allows employees to plan ahead, compare carers, review rates and book support when needed.
School holiday childcare support is especially valuable because it addresses a predictable workforce disruption that occurs multiple times each year.
5. Fund childcare support through employee benefits
Employers can also implement budget-controlled childcare funding. This may include funded childcare credits, Kiddo Gift Cards, return-to-work support, emergency care allowances or targeted programs for employees with caring responsibilities.
This gives organisations flexibility. They can start with a pilot, support priority teams, or scale nationally depending on workforce needs and budget.
Learn more about corporate childcare benefits and how they can support productivity, wellbeing and retention.
6. Make support accessible across locations
Many employers operate across multiple offices, states, regional areas or hybrid teams. Traditional childcare solutions can be difficult to scale nationally.
A WGEA-aligned action item should be accessible to employees regardless of where they work. Kiddo Corporate Care supports employees across Australia, giving organisations a national solution that can be implemented without building onsite childcare facilities.
7. Track uptake and employee impact
To support WGEA reporting and internal evaluation, employers should consider how childcare benefits are being used and what impact they may have on employees.
Useful measures may include:
- Employee registrations
- Use of childcare credits or funded care
- Support provided during school holidays or emergency care periods
- Employee feedback
- Retention and return-to-work engagement
- Reduced disruption for teams with known care pressures
The goal is to show that the organisation is taking practical, measurable steps to support employees with caring responsibilities.
Why childcare is a high-impact WGEA action item
Childcare is directly linked to workforce participation, especially for parents managing primary care responsibilities. When employers help remove practical barriers to work, they support broader gender equality outcomes.
For businesses looking for WGEA action items to implement, childcare support is practical, visible and meaningful. It demonstrates that the organisation understands the real-life barriers that can limit participation, progression and retention.
How Kiddo Corporate Care supports WGEA action plans
Kiddo Corporate Care gives employers a simple way to support working parents and employees with caring responsibilities.
Through Kiddo, employees can access:
- Trusted babysitters and nannies
- Emergency childcare options
- School holiday support
- Ongoing nanny care
- Flexible care for hybrid and shift-based work
- Verified carers with Working With Children Checks
- Choice and control over who they book
For employers, Kiddo is designed to be low admin and scalable. Organisations can provide access to employees, fund care through Kiddo Gift Cards, or create a targeted childcare support program aligned with their gender equality, wellbeing or retention strategy.
Example WGEA action item: employer-supported childcare
A practical WGEA action item could be:
Implement employer-supported childcare access for employees with caring responsibilities.
- Provide access to verified carers through Kiddo Corporate Care
- Offer optional childcare funding through Kiddo Gift Cards
- Prioritise emergency care, school holidays and return-to-work support
- Measure uptake, employee feedback and support provided
- Review impact as part of workforce participation and retention initiatives
This type of action is clear, practical and employee-led. It can be implemented as a pilot or rolled out nationally, depending on the size and structure of the organisation.
Ready to implement practical WGEA action items?
Businesses do not need to wait for complex policy reviews to start making meaningful change. Supporting employees with caring responsibilities is one of the most practical ways to improve workforce participation and demonstrate action.
If your organisation is reviewing WGEA targets, gender equality strategies or employee benefits for working parents, Kiddo Corporate Care can help you implement a simple, scalable childcare support solution.
Looking for WGEA action items you can implement now?
Kiddo Corporate Care helps employers provide practical childcare support for working parents and employees with caring responsibilities.
WGEA Action Items FAQs
What are WGEA action items?
WGEA action items are practical steps employers can implement to improve workplace gender equality outcomes. Examples include supporting employees with caring responsibilities, improving workforce participation, reducing gender pay gaps, increasing women in leadership and strengthening flexible work practices.
What are examples of WGEA target action items?
Examples of WGEA target action items include offering corporate childcare support, improving return-to-work pathways after parental leave, supporting flexible work, reviewing recruitment practices and tracking gender equality outcomes across the workforce.
How can employers support employees with caring responsibilities?
Employers can support employees with caring responsibilities by offering flexible work, emergency leave, return-to-work support and practical childcare benefits. Kiddo Corporate Care helps employers provide access to trusted childcare across Australia.
Does childcare support help with WGEA targets?
Yes. Childcare support can help improve workforce participation, reduce unplanned leave, support parents returning to work and assist with retention. These outcomes are closely connected to gender equality and employees with caring responsibilities.
What is a practical WGEA action item employers can implement quickly?
A practical action item is to provide employees with access to emergency childcare or employer-supported childcare through a platform like Kiddo. This can be piloted with priority teams or rolled out more broadly.
Can Kiddo Corporate Care be used as part of a gender equality action plan?
Yes. Kiddo Corporate Care can support a workplace gender equality action plan by helping employers provide practical childcare support for employees with caring responsibilities. It can be used for emergency care, school holiday support, return-to-work programs or funded childcare initiatives.
