Dear Guest,

Spring is finally here and while it is stirring up my hayfever, the beautiful and bright colours of the flowers and the warmth in the air have given me reason to get up earlier and enjoy the day. I have packed away some of my winter coats, put my heater in the spare room, dusted off my shorter sleeves and the longer days are breathing a bit of energy back into my lungs and legs. These are some of my favourite reasons that spring brings a bit of joy into our lives:

• Extra daylight gives us more time to spend outdoors with loved ones and is a natural mood booster
• Helps us create a healthier home - we can open our windows and let the sunshine and fresh air in, declutter our spaces, and a bit of spring cleaning can get help get the step count up
• We have variety in our vegetable gardens and on our plates and can fill up with whole foods such as kale, asparagus, avocado, fennel, chives and two of my personal favourites, pineapple and apricot
• Spring weather is perfect for an after dinner walk with your dog, an early morning run or even a ride on your bike
• I know my skin care routine has been lacking in winter, but it's so important to apply sunscreen each day to protect you from the ravages of the sun.

While I am thinking of everyone interstate as you continue with these restrictive lockdowns, I am grateful we can run a couple of events within the network to keep people connected and engaged. Next week Carol Haffke will grace us with her story from journalist to shoe shop owner! Thank you to our Queensland members who have supported this Camp Hill based event.

Equal Pay Day - 31 August 2021

Every year, Equal Pay Day is calculated by taking the current gender pay gap, and identifying how many more days women need to work in order to match what their male counterparts made in the previous financial year. According to Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), this year it will take women an extra 61 days to match the pay made by their male colleagues last financial year. The 2021 gender pay gap shows that women earn $261.50 less per week - that is $13,000 less per year - compared to men.

"Gender equity in the workplace, and by extension, equal pay, is everyone's business. We know that companies with gender equity in their leadership team and their board have a significantly more positive attitude towards diversity, equity and inclusion and are less likely to have a significant gender pay gap", asserts CEO of Women & Leadership Australia (WLA), Suzi Finkelstein.

Suzi Finkelstein and the team at WLA have a "great vision for a world where people of all genders can reach their full leadership potential, supported by fair systems, cultures and policies."

You can read more here about how WLA provide tangible support and growth opportunities for women at all levels.

Helping Your Employees Prevent Cyber Attacks

Did you know in addition to the immense financial loss that occurs with cybersecurity issues, companies can also experience impaired productivity which in turn can affect the bottom line, damage their public reputation, and legal and liability breaches can also result for Board directors and senior executives. One of Harvard Business Review's latest business management articles by Muhly, Jordan and Cialdini discusses strategies for business leadership teams to help address human behaviour flaws which plays a huge role in cyberattacks. Six cost-effective principles if followed can encourage employees to move in the desired company direction and deter criminals and prevent attacks:

• Ask employees to sign a security policy - for example a code of business conduct or ethics with leadership as witnesses
• Lead by example - Senior leaders should promote best practice behaviour such as the importance of locking your PC, not opening doors to uncertain visitors on a company's website, and not exhibiting company documents in public (in person or digitally)
• Obtain reciprocity through influencing others - Secure an employee's personal information and data with a secure flash drive that provides regular security reminders
• Leverage scarcity - Promote your organisation's specialised security accreditations and how jeopardising them would be a critical breach and protect sensitive information
• Share your vulnerable leadership stories of security culture mistakes - be approachable and identifiable if mistakes occur so they can be fixed promptly
• Leverage leadership authority - requesting compliance from a trusted and humble source is more likely to bring about employee connection and compliance more successfully.

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