Westpac has established a Veterans Employee Action Group (EAG), chaired by a spouse of a current serving member, which has implemented an initiative to support spouse employment. The initiative is led by two spouses of serving ADF members who contact all new spouses when they join the bank to provide mentoring and support in helping them establish their networks and settle into the organisation. This led to nine new spouse hires in 2017. Westpac has policies in place to support flexible work practices which help spouses manage the demands of family and deployments. These policies also allow for spouses who are required to relocate due to their partner’s posting to take up different options to suit their own circumstances, whether this be a career break or searching for a role in the new location.
Westpac works closely with ADF support organisations to further understand the needs of spouses and align its thinking around initiatives, including examining surveys conducted by these organisations and collaboratively engaging with other countries to understand the models they have implemented for spouse employment.