Step 8: Resource your GEAP

The Act requires you to allocate adequate resources to developing and implementing your GEAP.

You must provide evidence of adequate resources to implement your GEAP strategies.

This includes making reasonable and material progress on each of the workplace gender equality indicators(opens in a new window) in every 2-year period (required).

The head of your organisation must attest on the GEAP cover page that the resourcing is adequate to implement the GEAP.

Responsibility for your GEAP may sit across multiple functions of your organisation. It should have strong leadership support.

8.1 Develop a plan that show how your GEAP will be resourced (recommended)

You must demonstrate that your organisation has allocated adequate resources to:

• developing the GEAP
• implementing GEAP strategies.

This is required.

Providing adequate resources ensures you can make reasonable and material progress on each of the workplace gender equality indicators(opens in a new window) over the 4-year lifespan of your GEAP.

Use the GEAP template to document your:

• resourcing needs assessment
• resourcing gaps
• resource allocation.

You may want to use a more detailed resourcing plan than the one we provide in the template.

Steps to build your resourcing plan

Recommended steps to building your resourcing plan include the following:

Identify current and required resources

Identify the resources you need to implement each strategy.

This might include human, financial, technological, physical and time resources.

Assess the resources you currently have or have access to. Compare this to your resourcing needs against each strategy to identify your resource gap.

Consider how you can:

• allocate resources across different parts of the organisation – if you are part of a larger organisation, GEAP work may involve multiple teams. Ensure all teams have the resources they need to do their work successfully
• look for shared resources – determine if GEAP actions are new or if they overlap with other ongoing work. Consider sharing resources from other projects if they overlap
• plan for ongoing engagement – allocate time and budget for staff engagement and consultation throughout the GEAP lifecycle
• budget for evaluation and communications – set aside resources for monitoring and reporting. Ensure adequate resources are allocated for these tasks, including staff time, systems or training
• join or form communities of practice and collaboration – including sharing tools/toolkits, knowledge or resources with other organisations
• investing in systems and processes – invest in systems and processes to streamline your future gender equality work. This could include upgrading or investing in human resource information management systems, project management software or developing monitoring and evaluation tools such as data dashboards. It could also involve designing processes for developing this GEAP that can be repeated for future GEAPs to reduce workload.
• outsourcing – consider whether outsourcing or using temporary contracts is right for your organisation. Outsourcing can create loss of knowledge over time. This can mean more work in future.

Develop a resourcing plan

Your resourcing plan could include:

• matching resources to specific strategies and measures
• a timeline showing when each resource is needed
• identifying any dependencies (such as tasks that cannot start until a specific resource is available)
• dates for regular review and adjustment of the plan to ensure resources are adequate to achieve the outcomes.

8.2 Advice on skills needed to develop and implement your GEAP (recommended)

The following list of skills are a suggested minimum:

• project management / change management / improvement skills
• consultation skills
• communication skills
• data collection and analysis skills
• leadership skills
• technical skills (desirable), including:
  • gender equality and intersectional knowledge. Not having this knowledge will not put you at a disadvantage. If you do not have access to this skill, talk to your sector colleagues or join a community of practice(opens in a new window)
  • research skills to help you gain evidence-based knowledge of the underlying causes of inequality. Not having access to this skill will not put you at a disadvantage
  • basic IT skills to use the reporting platform, guidance and templates. The ability to track and monitor your progress through applications (like Sharepoint) will be advantageous.

How-to guides

• Prioritising your strategies(opens in a new window)