Radio boss: 'We stop staff having babies by providing free condoms.'

Southern Cross Austereo boss Linda Wayman has said work-life balance is bullshit and she encourages her staff to have sex with condoms to avoid more pregnancies.

Work-life balance is bullshit after having children, according to Southern Cross Austereo General Manager of Perth, Linda Wayman.

“There’s no such thing as work-life balance, it’s bullshit, you just do it. Make the decision to do the best you can.”

A mother herself, Wayman was speaking at a recruitment and culture conference when she told the audience she had lost much of her staff due to maternity leave or because they were covering a position for someone who was.

Media website Mumbrella broke the story this morning, reporting on some rather alarming comments Wayman made about women, maternity leave and contraception.

“Thirty five per cent of my staff at the moment are on a maternity leave contract or maternity leave and that’s significant,” Wayman said, indicating she wasn’t too happy about these numbers.

“We do have a big jar of condoms at work. I’m not lying, I’m not exaggerating. I do encourage people regularly, to have sex with condoms. That is a big area of focus for me, encouraging people to have sex with condoms.”

Wayman also told the conference she was opposed to any legislation entitling parents to come back in part time roles because industries like radio are too demanding.

“I don’t agree with the union push at the moment that women coming back to work, automatically should be allowed to come back part time. I’d love to, but I’d be lying if I said that was wonderful. It’s an idealistic and anti-commercial stance, she said.

“I’ve been in the same position myself twice. It is very very tough. You have to make a decision, I’m going to have a baby and then I’m just going to go for it… we do try to be flexible. We have all sorts of arrangements at our work place. In some industries it’s a very difficult thing.”

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In what came across as resentment towards staff having children the Austereo boss told the crowd how the station has an ‘Angelina Jolie Award’. The award refers to the fact the actress has adopted three children and has benefited from other women’s pregnancies.

“Our acting brand director for Hit 929 at our Christmas party last year received the Angelina Jolie Award, for the person who has benefited most for other people’s pregnancies. Her substantive position is as integration coordinator. If women weren’t pregnant then she would not have got this turbo-charged career opportunity.”

Wayman did say that perhaps if spouses helped out a bit more, women would have an easier time balancing work and family.

“As a leader I do my best to help women and men who make those decisions… we had a breakfast host who had a huge work ethic. She had a baby, then another one. She used to do breakfast, then the house cleaning because her husband wanted to go surfing. I offered to go and shove a vacuum cleaner up his arse because that’s how supportive I am of our female staff.”

Linda wasn’t available for comment but Southern Cross Austereo CEO, Rhy Holleran said “Clearly these remarks were made ‘tongue in cheek’. Linda is one of our most highly recognised and awarded General Managers.

“She has an exemplary record as one of Perth’s most compassionate advocates on all issues surrounding equality of women in the workforce.”

Do you think these are appropriate comments for a person in senior management to make?