Just last year, we defended comments from Andy Kessler, who suggested the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) may have resulted from the team “being distracted by diversity.” 

Yet, it’s when pressure is applied that change happens. 

Take COVID-19 as a recent example. Employee demand to work from home and flexibly was growing, yet companies were painfully slow to respond. Then, a global pandemic took hold, and we saw an unprecedented acceleration in the enablement to work remotely. 

Post-pandemic, we commented on this trend, wondering what significant event could put a rocket up the stagnant progress happening in the DEI space. Enter the legal battles in the U.S., placing the whole industry under fire. 

This presents us with an opportunity and we need to make the most of it. Below are three ways organisations can safeguard and optimise the effectiveness of their DEI efforts. 

1.       Evolve from DEI initiatives to DEI integration.

DEI efforts are most impactful when embedded in the organisational strategy; they become much easier to defend when they are integral to a business’ success.

Don’t silo DEI in HR, it impacts every aspect of an organisation. Placing it solely under HR can diminish its impact, often making it the first to be overlooked. HR traditionally focuses on risk mitigation to safeguard the organisation, but DEI thrives on risk-taking for value creation. It should be treated as an essential function that is a key contributor to business performance.

To achieve this, DEI should be owned by business leaders, with key metrics embedded into business unit KPIs. Further, it needs to be woven into the way of working for all teams, with inclusive behaviours being the status quo and equity being top-of-mind across all hiring and promotion decisions.

2.       Walk the walk before talking the talk.

To date, DEI has primarily been treated as a tick-the-box exercise, with efforts focusing largely on brand image rather than lasting and impactful change. As external promotion of DEI efforts becomes increasingly scrutinised, it encourages us to move beyond surface-level initiatives that focus more on external perceptions and towards those that drive impact and progress internally.

Organisations can take the opportunity to assess the current initiatives they have in place and what their expected outcome is. Every initiative should be closely linked to a business priority, with mechanisms for measurement of effectiveness in place. Activities that are just for show should be challenged; they are taking money, effort, and resources away from actions that drive true and lasting progress.

Gone are the days of being able to bluff our way out of DEI scrutiny. In Australia, we’re on the brink of gender pay gap data being publicly released. Organisations will have the opportunity to release a statement to defend existing gaps. Still, for them to be regarded, they will need to demonstrate tangible steps that are being taken and the expected outcome of these. 

3.       Tweak positioning and messaging, not effort.

Responding to DEI backlash has been a requirement for as long as the discipline has existed due to the redistribution of power, the inevitable resistance to change, and the “perceived” threat it brings. The focus and sensitivity we should have is on how efforts are being communicated and positioned with a consistent talk track and rationale across the board. 

When launching or rolling out a new DEI initiative or project, organisations must be clear on how it has come about, how it’s intended to support the business, and the role all employees play in supporting it. Consider employees’ different perspectives, anticipate the threats they may perceive as a result of suggested initiatives, and address these proactively in your communication strategy. 

It feels like DEI as an industry is dealing with one new challenge after another. Still, we’re optimistic about the opportunity this time presents for realising what we’ve all been working towards for years: for full DEI integration to be the natural and expected way of doing business.

The post Why DEI ‘being under fire’ is a good thing appeared first on Women's Agenda.

Depending on a particular employee’s job requirements and personal life, an effective form of hybrid work may vary. 

Speaking on a panel at UNSW’s ‘Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Workforce’ event, Frasers Property Australia’s General Manager People & Culture, Ranna Alkadamani says that for her company, the sweet spot for hybrid work seems to be 2 to 3 days of working in the office and the rest from home.

This is particularly useful for their female employees, who Alkadamani says tend to work for 2 days from the office and 3 from home, with factors like caregiving responsibilities impacting this decision. 

“Gender equality is facilitated by flexible work,” she says, adding that if large corporations are serious about shifting the dial for women, then they need to think seriously about hybrid and flexible work. 

Pointing out research that they’ve conducted, Alkadamani says they’ve found “the key drivers” in their workforce is that people really value working from home as it helps them balance their work and life. She adds that working from home a few days of the week allows for time saved in not having to commute as well as cost-savings from food and travel. 

Despite these benefits of hybrid work, there are some who argue that workers need to return full-time to the office to be the most productive. 

In response to this kind of logic, Alkadamani says, “You can turn up at work and be just as ineffective as you are at home,” noting that different job types require different types of flexibility. 

“If you’ve signed up to be a GP or nurse, then you’ve signed up to show up,” she says, but adds that this doesn’t mean an office job– that could be done effectively from home– should be required to commute to the office full-time. 

“Work is something we do and it’s important to manage outcomes- it’s not just a place we go,” says Alkadamani. 

Adding to the conversation of managing hybrid workers, HR Advisor and Business Partner at the Art Gallery of NSW, YingYing Mai says “we don’t need to micromanage people to get the work done,” noting that having trust in your workers is important. 

Mai also notes that the cost-of-living crisis in Australia is something that cannot be ignored when discussing why allowance of hybrid work is necessary in today’s workforce. She’s seen employees have to move out of the city to be able to afford to live and that hybrid work arrangements are what’s allowed them to keep their jobs. 

Addressing the functionality of today’s cities to cater to a workforce journeying to the office 5 days a week, Associate Professor Philip Oldfield, Head of School, UNSW Built Environment, points out that Sydney isn’t currently set up to allow for effective commuting. 

He adds, however, that the benefit of hybrid work emerges when we realise that “not everyone’s home is set up to work from home”. 

I live in a tiny flat and have two children,” says Associate Professor Oldfield on why he finds it personally beneficial to have an available office space to work at.

“Different people have different needs at different times– it’s trying to find the culture and physical infrastructure to adapt to that.”

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Manal al-Sharif, Malala Yousafzai, Ellie Cole, Dr Lois Peeler and Phearong Sdeung and others shared their inspiring stories, outlining what it takes to push through seemingly unbreakable barriers and put yourself forward as a spokesperson for others without a voice. 

Their stories and advice were invaluable to the 450 business leaders in the room at the August event, held two days before the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final, with Coca-Cola being a major sponsor of the tournament. 

Below are some of the key takeaways from some of the remarkable women who took to the stage. 

‘It was about driving our own destiny’ 

Manal al-Sharif was a key player in the movement to win back the right for women to drive in Saudi Arabia. Back in 2011, she posted a video of herself driving on social media during the Arab Spring, sparking intense backlash in the Kingdom. But it was her activism that helped launch a movement that ultimately saw the ban on women driving overturned.  

Al-Sharif told attendees at the Coca-Cola summit about being jailed for nine days, and what it was like to be exiled from the country and separated from her son.  

“We won the right to drive. It wasn’t about driving cars; it was about being seen, being heard. It was about driving our own destiny,” she told the summit in Sydney.  

Her key advice to those at the summit? In bringing about change, silence is costly.  

“The cost of silence is even more because in silence, tyranny and injustice happen more” she said. “What if we all spoke? That is deafening. That is unstoppable. Those few brave won’t be singled out and targeted.” 

Holding on to culture is paramount 

Yorta Yorta and Wurundjeri woman, Dr Lois Peeler, highlighted the importance of connecting to culture.  

As an Aboriginal woman and respected Elder, Dr Peeler said her lived experience has taught her many things about what’s needed for young Aboriginal people to thrive.  

“I’m Aboriginal, a woman, and I’ve been around long enough to have lived experience,” Dr Peeler said.  

“Giving young women the opportunities to have preferred futures and choose what they want to do. Holding on to their culture, and being proud of who they are as Aboriginal people.” 

Truth-telling is key to this process and essential if we are to close the gap in outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Dr Peeler explained. 

“We are still trying to close the gap. We are not represented in these corporate bodies, and barely in the public sector,” she said. “It comes back to education and providing opportunities.” 

“It’s about the entire Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. It’s about corporate responsibility. It’s about truth telling and creating opportunities so the young women and men can make the decisions about what’s best for them.” 

Difference can be a superpower 

When Ellie Cole was 2 years old, she was diagnosed with cancer. After a year of chemotherapy and unsuccessful clinical trials, her parents made the shattering decision to amputate her leg.  

“I was born a fully able-bodied girl, but as soon as I came out of that operating theatre, I was branded with the word ‘disability. I was a girl who didn’t know I was different until I was told that I was.” 

Fast forward to 2000. Cole was 9 years old and Sydney was hosting the Olympic Games. She fell in love with the heroes of swimming and realised that’s what she wanted to do.  

But there was a problem. “I was chasing a dream that was never going to happen for me,” Cole said. 

“I didn’t know anything about the Paralympics, because it didn’t exist in the media. I didn’t see anyone who looked the way I did.” 

Fast forward another two decades and Cole made history at the Tokyo Paralympics. She became Australia’s most decorated female Parlaympian of all time. It was an achievement like no other, but it didn’t come without struggle. 

“It’s really hard to feel like an Olympian when you are made to feel invisible,” Cole shared. “I was always reminded that I was less than them. I was always reminded that I was “just” a Paralympian.” 

And Cole’s key learning? There are three types of people in this world including: 

1. those who make things happen 

2. those who watch things happen 

3. and those who wonder what just happened.  

We must realise the power of education 

Her first name is known all around the world. Her survival after being shot in the head by the Taliban is a miracle. And it’s a miracle that Malala Yousafzai uses every day to fight for the rights of others, particularly girls who are being denied access to education.  

“I think the Taliban have figured it out. They don’t want women to have a voice,” Yousafzai told the Coca-Cola summit. “They know the best way to deprive women of their rights is to never let them learn.” 

“The best way to fight back is to educate women and educate girls. Education is one of the best equalisers.” 

At the summit, the Nobel Peace Prize winner shared the story of her beginnings in Pakistan, her survival, and the years she has dedicated to being an activist for the rights of girls. She also spoke about her desire to keep learning every day, even though her formal education is over for now. 

“I realised that I cannot stop my journey as a student. We have to keep learning from the experts,” she said. “We have to keep learning from people with wisdom. We have to keep learning from people with experiences. We have to keep learning from people who are a lot younger than us, who see the world in a very different way.” 

Yousafzai is also advocating for the recognition of the Afghan women’s national football team, who are living in Australia in exile, and were not included in this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.  

Empowering women at the grassroots is critical 

Executive Director at Banteay Srei, Phearong Sdeung is passionate about giving women in Cambodia access to finance, mentors, and support so they thrive in a country that has few female role models. 

Speaking at the Coca-Cola summit, Sdeung shared her insights into the state of play for women in Cambodia, and how she is working to empower women at the grassroots so they can become leaders in their communities.  

“Women have a lack of access to finance,” Sdeung explained. “We empower those in the community with access to finance so they can start their own businesses.” 

‘In Cambodia, there aren’t many female role models. When I am sitting at a table and it’s all male, I have to work out how I’m going to have my voice heard.” 

Her key piece of advice? 

“Empower those who are near you, if you can. If you have the opportunity, do it, because you never know where it could go.” 

Women’s Agenda is sharing a number of key insights from the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Summit held in line with the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, thanks to our partnership with Coca-Cola. You can read our first piece in this series, exploring how Jessica Brown’s charity helps vulnerable women take charge of their lives.  

You can read Coca-Cola’s Level the Playing Field Report here. 

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Understanding an organisation’s ‘why’, is instrumental in establishing more effective DEI policies and practices, driving commitment and fostering a culture of accountability.  

Global Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Coca-Cola, Tameka Harper, explained this approach during her recent address at Coca-Cola’s 2023 Diversity Equity & Inclusion Summit, Level the Playing Field, which took place during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.  

Understanding your organisation’s ‘why’ 

“It’s really about understanding your ‘why’.  Why is inclusion even necessary? Why do we need to think about it in this way?” Harper told the summit, which was held in Sydney, in August.  

Harper suggests that once organisations comprehend their ‘why,’ they should pledge commitment to DEI goals, establish what success would look like, and devise a plan to accomplish those targets. 

Alisha Fernando, the Head of Diversity and Inclusion APAC, Bloomberg, said her organisation’s media arm had intentionally worked to diversify the talent it booked in speaking slots.  

Fernando shared. “A lot of the speakers we were booking were male. We were told no one else had the experience to be able to speak.”  

So we intentionally looked at the why, and then we asked why not?”  

Fernando explained how Bloomberg took action and developed its own media training program called New Voices, and went out to other big organisations offering to train underrepresented people and voices. As a result of the program, Bloomberg is now booking more diverse and media trained speakers. 

“Our intention was there, and we’ve now seen through our organisation more diverse speakers being booked and featured,” she said. 

‘Welcomed, safe, valued and respected’ 

What about those people, especially leaders in organisations, who might be feeling uncomfortable with the changes that come along with bettering DEI practices?  

Fernando has a simple fix, and it’s something she exercises every day in her role at Bloomberg: “I tell people four words – welcomed, safe, valued and respected.” 

“I say if you strive to making sure every single person you come into contact with feels welcomed, safe, valued and respected, then you’re on your way,” she explained. “If you break it down and make it that simple, that’s where progress starts.” 

“Sometimes DEI practitioners tend to make it a bit hard for everyone, but if you’re sitting there thinking I’m scared of doing something wrong…just remember those four words.” 

‘It’s not a quota, it’s an understanding’  

Director of the TechDiversity Foundation, Luli Adeyemo told the summit that it’s time organisations start getting to know their employees better. Understanding your people is key to authentic DEI practices, and building healthy, thriving organisations.” 

“We spend billions of dollars to understand everything about the people we want to sell to…yet when it comes to our employees – who allegedly are our most important assets – what we truly know about them is the information we need to hire them. Beyond that, what do we really know about our workforce?” Adeyemo asked at the summit. 

“When we talk about equity, and we talk about inclusion, we can’t truly build the programs… if we haven’t taken the time to know who our employees truly are,” Adeyemo shared.  

“And we aren’t going to get that information unless they feel safe, and that they work for an authentic organisation.” 

Adeyemo said there is ample opportunity in the tech industry to work towards understanding employees better.  

“Let’s use tech for good. Let’s use the information for good. It’s an opportunity to understand our workforce and then do something about it. It’s not a quota, it’s an understanding.” 

Vulnerability goes hand in hand with DEI 

Co-Chair of the Women Leadership & Diversity Committee at Citi Singapore, Munir Nanji said he has learnt through experience how focusing on inclusion, and showing vulnerability to your team can be vital to inclusive leadership. 

“Flip DEI around,” Nanji told the summit. “When you bring inclusion into an organisation, it becomes front and centre, the D and E will follow. There’s also a whole point around vulnerability.” 

“When people realise we are all people, that we all have our own challenges, we all have our own goals and ambitions, and at the end, we all want to do good. Vulnerability is very important, especially in management.  

“As you move through an organisation, your shell gets thicker and thicker. We end up building our own biases and we need to understand what they are, and be able to confront that.” 

Women’s Agenda is sharing a number of key insights from the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Summit held in line with the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, thanks to our partnership with Coca-Cola. You can read our first piece in this series, exploring how Jessica Brown’s charity helps vulnerable women take charge or their lives. You can read Coca-Cola’s Level the Playing Field Report here. 

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The programs will support under-represented groups, including women from diverse backgrounds, who want to drive positive change and deliver social impact through entrepreneurship.

“Startups can hold the key to solving some of society’s biggest problems and we want to grow the capabilities of entrepreneurs who want to make a difference for the community,” said Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Anoulack Chanthivong.

“We also want to build a more diverse innovation ecosystem, which is why these pre-accelerators include opportunities for female founders to take part, along with people from diverse ethnic backgrounds and people with a disability.”

The programs will be delivered by Startmate, I2N (University of Newcastle), iAccelerate (University of Wollongong) and UNSW Founders (University of NSW).

Around 60 participants will take part in the pre-accelerators, running across Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, where individuals who have a startup concept but are unsure how to progress, will receive coaching and mentoring to further develop their ideas.

Chanthivong said the “pre-accelerators are designed for people at the beginning of the startup journey” and that on completion, participants can then join an accelerator to “receive further training and mentoring to launch their own venture.”

Wollongong mum Jessica Clark completed a pre-accelerator program with iAccelerate, and went onto launch eco startup Earth Worthy, which sells ethically sourced blankets and sustainable jute bags.

Clark said that while getting started as an entrepreneur “can be a bit daunting”, the pre-accelerator allowed her to connect with like-minded people on a similar business journey.

“I felt I was part of a community that supported each other, and through the guidance of mentors and experts in their respective fields, I was able to expand my business networks and ensure I had access to trusted resources.”

Pre-accelerator programs will be delivered over the coming months and into next year. 

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The proposal will be discussed at the party’s national policy platform conference in August where it is expected to attract support.

The quota will require the party to select culturally diverse and Indigenous candidates in an effort to increase the number of MPs from non-English-speaking backgrounds. 

In Australia, almost 30 per cent of people were born overseas and almost half have a parent born overseas, according to the 2021 Census of Population and Housing.

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A post shared by Senator Jana Stewart (@janastewartvic)

Senator Stewart, who was the youngest First Nations woman to be elected in Federal Parliament, told the Herald the proposal will extend the party’s existing gender quotas and bank on their multiculturalism. 

“In this day and age, it’s unacceptable not to reflect our community,” she said. “The Australian community want to see their leaders look more like them.” 

“It’s an opportunity for the party to be leading the way when it comes to representing the community we serve.”

Senator Stewart, a first-term senator, added that despite the success of gender quotas in accomplishing gender balance within the party, “they haven’t worked for multicultural communities and First Nations communities.”

“Women and men of colour have been left behind; it’s time to undertake the work to address the gap,” she said. 

The Age reports that Stewart’s proposal is yet to define ‘diversity’ or explicitly state the quota figures, though the Mutthi Mutthi and Wamba Wamba Senator hopes to apply the policy across all levels of the party, including its rank-and-file base and internal positions.

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“I’m keen to add a colour lens to all that we do and doing the internal work is just as important as anything else we do,” she said. 

On top of the new quota, the party’s conference will also debate other policy proposals to determine Albanese government’s election platform, including Australia’s foreign and defence policies, the AUKUS submarine deal and the issue of recognition of Palestine.

According to The Age, a draft of the national platform will be finalised by the party’s national policy forum in Sydney next week. 

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Of the more positive findings in the 2023 Board Diversity Index, there seems to be a growing First Nations representation on boards.

The report, from Watermark Search International and the Governance Institute of Australia, found Indigenous board representation in the top 300 ASX listed companies increased slightly from two to four directors holding six seats over the past year. 

Other key findings include a slight increase of women on boards since 2022, from 32 per cent to 35 per cent, and a 15 per cent increase of women on smaller company boards from the same year. 

Currently, there are no female directors on 15 of the ASX Top 300 boards, and only 10 per cent of directors are from non-Anglo-Celtic backgrounds. The average age of board directors and length of tenure has remained steady as well.

Governance Institute Chair Pauline Vamos said boards should consider all facets of diversity in who is represented to avoid ‘groupthink’ and deliver better decision-making processes for stakeholders.

“In the year where Australians will participate in a referendum on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament, it is perhaps timely for companies to consider how they can boost Indigenous voices in the boardroom,” said Vamos. 

Adding to the need for improving First Nations representation, Governance Institute Fellow and Chair of the Aurora Education Foundation Charles Prouse says companies need to create new recruiting pathways to find First Nations board members, noting that hundreds of First Nations people can be found on board areas centred around education, health, economic opportunity and justice.  

Echoing this sentiment to have companies broaden their search to create diversity, David Evans, Managing Partner of Watermark Search International said they “regularly challenge chairs and boards to look beyond the initial tight criteria of just ‘experience on a similar board’ and really focus on what other people might add to the board’s conversation”.

Another barrier to diversity for companies to be aware of is that minority groups might not feel safe to self-disclose, according to Mark Baxter, co-founder of the Australian Association of LGBTQ+ Board and Executive Inclusion (ALBEI).

Butler said that “ALBEI estimates between 10-15 people who identify as LGBTQ+ are currently on ASX200 boards, though we don’t have enough data to work with yet.”

“Some of our members, particularly men, are reluctant to disclose, fearing career repercussions due to the sense that ‘traditionally masculine leadership’ is more desirable.” 

Baxter also notes that Australia is behind other similar nations like the UK or the US in collecting and reporting specific data. He says there are growing calls for more people with disabilities and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds to help guide corporate boards on how to improve interactions with customers. 

Adding to this lack of data collection, the Watermark Search International/Governance Institute of Australia Board Diversity Index is the only comprehensive analysis of Australian boards that measures diversity across Australia’s top 300 ASX listed companies in five key areas: gender, cultural background, age, skills/experience, tenure and independence. 

“The lack of data does not mean a problem with representation for these groups does not exist. It probably means the problem has not been actively considered,” Baxter said.  

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This recognition honours inclusive workplaces where a diversity of people are respected, connected, progressing and contributing to organisational success, with the achievement based on a survey of the organisation’s employees.

CEO of DCA Lisa Annese said on the release of today’s list that “inclusion is a super power” that is critical to business success.

“This year’s list of organisations is diverse – with employers large and small from a wide spectrum of industries. Inclusion isn’t an add on extra for these organisations,” Annese said.

Employees who work for inclusive organisations are four times less likely to experience discrimination and/or harassment, according to DCA. And they’re eight times more likely to be highly effective than those in non-inclusive teams. 

They’re also eight times more likely to be innovative and four times more likely to provide excellent customer service. 

Celebrating this type of environment is even more important as an increasing number of employers are finding it difficult to fill roles in a tight labour market– fostering a more inclusive and diverse workplace is key to attracting and retaining workers. 

To be eligible as a DCA Inclusive Employer, DCA members are required to invite at least 60 per cent of their employees to participate in DCA’s Inclusive Employer Index Assessment, where they provide detailed responses about their experience of inclusion at work. 

These responses must then show that the employers are active and committed to inclusion by achieving results that exceed the National Index Benchmark on at least five out of six of the following measures: (i) Awareness;  (ii) Engagement; (iii) Inclusive Organisational Climate; (iv) Inclusive Leadership; (v) Inclusive Team; (vi) Exclusion. 

“Our Inclusive Employer Index is rigorous, it is not an award, it is a way to measure the work of inclusion in employers in a robust way,” said Annese. “Those who have been recognised today are doing the work of diversity and inclusion and making progress on greater inclusion.”   

Diversity Council Australia 2022-2023 Inclusive Employers

ACOR Consultants

Adelaide Airport Limited

Alinta Energy 

CEO Jeff Dimery: “The energy industry is currently grappling with its biggest challenges– and we need fresh and diverse thinking from the broadest range of people possible.”

Anglicare Victoria 

CEO Paul McDonald: “The focus of Anglicare Victoria (AV) is to work for better! We strive to provide welcoming, inclusive and responsive services and workplaces. It is fantastic to be recognised as an Inclusive Employer by DCA so that we can continue to shape effective responses and interventions that will lead to optimal outcomes for our clients, to advocate for an effective, fair, and compassionate service system, and to actively support wellbeing and inclusion for our employees, volunteers and clients.”

Australia Pacific Airports Corporation

Australian Maritime Safety Authority

CEO Mick Kinley: “We are immensely proud to be designated an Inclusive Employer. This achievement is a testament to our continued focus on embedding inclusive values at AMSA and provides us with a clear baseline from which to grow.”

AVID Property Group Pty Ltd

Banyule Community Health 

CEO Michael Geary: “Banyule Community Health values the richness and experience that comes with a diverse workforce. We are so proud to be recognised as an Inclusive Employer by the Diversity Council Australia.”

BaptistCare NSW & ACT

CEO Charles Moore: “BaptistCare NSW & ACT is thrilled to have been recognised by Diversity Council Australia as an Inclusive Employer. Our 3700 passionate and hard-working staff working across the aged care and community services sector speak 56 languages and come from 69 different cultural backgrounds. We also have staff who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, LGBTIQ+, and who live with a disability. We are blessed to be so diverse and we celebrate this. Despite our uniqueness, we also have much in common, including our shared values that are lived out through the care we show for our residents, clients, tenants, and each other daily.”

Carers Queensland Ltd

CEO Debra Cottrell: “Achieving Inclusive Employer Status through Diversity Council Australia, not only validates the work we have done, it encourages us in our continued endeavour to make Carers Queensland a place for everyone.” 

Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA

CEO Chris Rodwell: “We work on the principle that more diverse and inclusive workplaces are more creative and productive and there’s no doubt that our efforts to improve our culture over the past few years have delivered stronger performance. DCA’s recognition of CCIWA as an inclusive employer gives us further assurance that we’re on the right path. Importantly, its assessment tool also highlights opportunities for further improvements. The focus now needs to be on continuing this journey with our team and also sharing our efforts with the 8,000 businesses across our membership.”

Cisco Systems Australia Pty Ltd 

City of Stirling 

CEO Stuart Jardine PSM: “The City of Stirling is pleased to be recognised by the Diversity Council Australia with Inclusive Employer status. Local government works best when it employs people who are a part of the community, and who reflect the diversity of that community. The City of Stirling is proud to be one of the most culturally diverse communities in Western Australia and we will continue to ensure we build an inclusive and harmonious City where everyone feels like they have a place.”

Clean Energy Finance Corporation 

ConnellGriffin Lty Ptd 

Chair of ConnellGriffin Diversity Council, Lauren Whelan: “ConnellGriffin’s recognition as an ‘Inclusive Employer’ is an extremely proud moment for the company. We enjoy connecting with each other and fostering strong, lasting relationships with our clients and industry partners. Diversity is not a catch phrase for ConnellGriffin, rather it’s embedded within our everyday actions. Our diversity journey will continue to change and grow with our business.”

Davies Collison Cave

Managing Principal Michael Wolnizer: “I’m thrilled that DCC has received Inclusive Employer status after participating in the Inclusive Employer Index for the first time. It’s an important recognition of the work we’ve been doing across the firm over the last few years and goes to the heart of building a truly diverse and inclusive workplace. I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together so far and seeing the impact this has had on our people. It gives me confidence that our ongoing commitment and investment in this work is contributing to our firm’s success”. 

Defence Housing Australia

Managing Director Barry Jackson: “I am proud that Defence Housing Australia has been acknowledged as an Inclusive Employer in 2022 by Diversity Council Australia. This recognition acknowledges DHA’s ongoing commitment to becoming a more respectful and inclusive workplace, where all employees feel safe and confident to bring their whole selves to work.”

Helping Hand Aged Care, South Australia

CEO Chris Stewart: “The absolute highlight for Helping Hand is that 60 per cent of Helping Hand employees report having an inclusive manager, which is almost double the Australian workforce average of 31 per cent. This speaks volumes about the culture at Helping Hand and how the leadership across the organisation truly does live our values and creates a safe and inclusive workplace. Aged care across the country needs to boost its workforce and I am hopeful this result will see people attracted to choose Helping Hand.”

Impact Community Services

Managing Director Tanya O’Shea: “As an organisation focused on improving lives we are on a journey to greater understanding of what it means to be inclusive. Participating in the Diversity Council Australia’s Inclusive Employer Index allows us to identify areas where we can focus our energies.”

John Deere Limited 

Managing Director Luke Chandler: “As a leadership team, we are committed to achieving our business vision through an engaged, diverse, and inclusive team. This recognition demonstrates how our employees across Australia & New Zealand are engaging in DEI initiatives as part of their commitments to create the inclusive workplace culture that leads to our competitive advantage in the marketplace.”

Landcom

Mars Australia & New Zealand 

Craig Sargeant, on behalf Mars Australia & New Zealand: “Mars is proud to be recognised as an Inclusive Employer 2021-22 by Diversity Council Australia because we’re passionate about creating an environment where all Associates are respected, valued, and celebrated for who they are. At Mars, we’re committed to doing what we can to ensure Mars provides an inclusive workplace and embraces diversity now and for future generations.”

Perron Group

Property Council of Australia 

Schneider Electric

Chief of Staff at Schneider Electric Pacific Zone, Dean Summlar: “This recognition is an important reflection of Schneider Electric’s culture. As a global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, Schneider Electric is focused on bringing about long-term positive impact for our teams and the communities we operate in. As such, we are strongly committed to being an Inclusive Employer, today and in the future.”

Services Australia

CEO Rebecca Skinner PSM: “As an agency that supports almost every Australian at some point in their life, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age or ability, it’s important that inclusion is at the heart of everything we do.”

The Social Research Centre

CEO Diane Herz: “At the Social Research Centre, we see achieving Inclusive Employer status as a critical step to not only advancing equity in employment but also supporting ethically and culturally sound research. Employing staff with diverse demographics, lived experiences, and professional backgrounds supports more robust research.”

Ultimate Kronos Group 

WISE Employment

WPP

Country President Rose Herceg: “ This result is a testament to WPP’s commitment to being the employer of choice for all as we build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities. We believe that ultimately diversity produces extraordinary creativity, manifested in the work we do for our clients and the impact we have on the world. It is the very reason we put the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion at the centre of everything we do at WPP.”

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Guest speaker Jamila Rizvi, Future Women Deputy Managing Director, spoke on the challenges of gender equity and the importance of women claiming their successes to more than 300 guests in Sydney, Melbourne and online.

Calling out the dangers of women’s tendency to put their achievements down to luck, she cited British Supreme Court Judge Baroness Brenda Hale, former Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg and PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta among others as contributing to an “epidemic of female luckiness”.

She believes the root causes of the ‘luckiness epidemic’ are the expectations from society about how women should behave – to make themselves likeable above everything else. 

Jamila says society’s expectations of women is they be polite, helpful and modest. While ambition is a positive attribute for men, it’s seen as a negative trait for women. 

“Luck is a substitute for women’s lack of confidence and a deep held desire to be liked,” she said. Adding when women say they are lucky they deprive other women of learning from their experience. 

Despite the gender pay gap in Australia barely budging in 20 years and women continuing to be underrepresented at top and overrepresented at bottom echelons of our workforce, Jamila believes this generation is better placed to achieve gender equality than ever before.

However she says beware of gender equity as we adjust to our new normal post workforce disruptions from COVID, with women at greater risk of becoming out of sight, out of mind.

“Workplace flexibility becomes a double-edged sword if it’s not embraced at the same rate [by men and women],” she said. 

In congratulating the award recipients, Jamila expressed gratitude for the technology used to treat and manage her recurrent brain tumour, and the ongoing treatment and communication with physicians more manageable. 

Her final message to the 2022 Brilliant Women in Digital Health was to be confident and claim their achievements as their own.

Telstra Health Managing Director, Elizabeth Koff AM, congratulated the award recipients saying they highlight the rewarding careers on offer in digital health for talented and dedicated professionals.

“This year’s award recipients come from a diversity of fields including medical research, academia, health and aged care, in the private, government and not-for-profit sectors from almost every state in Australia with their work extending to the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

“As an emerging sector, digital health is characterised by non-linear career pathways. These awards aim to raise awareness of how gender diversity as well as different skill-sets and experiences contribute to a growing and innovative health and aged care sector,” Elizabeth said. 

Read about this year’s award recipients in the report.

Join the Brilliant Connected Women in Digital Health Network. 

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The situation is so dire that our federal government, as one of its first priorities on being elected, gathered more than one-hundred leaders and representatives from across employers, unions, experts, people with lived experience and the community together at the Jobs and Skills Summit in Canberra to discuss all aspects of employment.  

At the same time, we know there are more than three million people in Australia who are looking for work or want more work, those on the sidelines of a stretched and strained market, hearing headlines about worker shortages they want to, and can, fill.

This presents an opportunity and to make the most of it we need to understand who we are missing in our recruitment practices and what we are doing that is missing the mark in the way we recruit.

Who are we locking out?

In news that won’t come as a huge surprise, the vast majority of the 3 million unemployed and underemployed people in Australia come from marginalised diversity groups.

When we are talking about marginalised groups we mean Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, culturally or racially marginalised people, carers (of young children and sole parents), people from lower social classes, people with disability, trans and gender diverse people, as well as people who are older (over 55) or younger (under 25).

If someone belongs to more than one of these groups – for example, young people from a racially marginalised background, younger women with caring responsibilities, or older men with disability – they’re even more likely to be left off employer’s recruitment radars.

How are we locking out the workers we need?  

In Diversity Council Australia research out this week, we uncover the barriers locking people out of the recruitment process. Things employers are doing by both accident and design which leave people off recruitment radars and see them hit with bias and exclusion in the recruitment process itself.

And we reveal the ‘keys’ to making recruitment inclusive so that it can value diversity, is bias free, and enables a diversity of talent to be sourced, assessed, selected, and appointed.

In the pursuit of efficiency in recruitment, many have lost focus on effectiveness – pressure in a tight labour market to use the easiest path to fill positions is resulting in bad hires and missed opportunities.

The way we imagine our ideal candidates can be outdated, biased and our thoughts about what is the right cultural fit can be a reflection of our organisational culture, not that of great applicants.

Our job advertisements, criteria, recruitment systems and narrowly restricted processes are often arbitrary and are not designed to find the best person for the work, but rather constructed to attract the usual suspects.

Inclusive recruitment means making simple changes to your hiring practices, to attract more capable applicants. This could include encouraging people to apply, even if they don’t meet all job requirements. Or being flexible with how you conduct your interviews.

When something isn’t working – we need to change it.

Inclusive recruitment practices can help bridge the gap between job seekers and employers.

The place to start is with some basic principles. Focus on fair treatment, not same treatment. Be flexible. Approach “merit” with caution, because it is subjective. Listen to and learn from those with lived experiences of bias and marginalisation. And remember next month’s dream worker maybe last month’s not-quite-perfect candidate.

Rethinking and redesigning how we recruit is the right thing to do for the three million job seekers who are currently overlocked and underleveraged in this tight market. It is also good for business, and delivers for the community and the economy. This moment in time is an opportunity and by unlocking it, we are creating a more equitable job market for all Australians.

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Using granular credit register data paired with information on firm-level greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensities, a team of researchers isolated credit supply shifts to reveal that banks with more gender-diverse boards gave less credit to environmentally harmful companies. 

“The presence of women in banks’ boardrooms can add value along several dimensions, as explained by sociological and physiological theories, as well as empirical evidence,” the study explained. 

“Female corporate directors and women in general are more likely to care about long-term societal issues, including climate change.”

Researchers revealed that female director-specific characteristics affected the lending behaviour when it came to polluting firms, since better-educated directors gave lower credit volumes to more polluting firms.

The study is a world first, regarding the influences of gender on boardroom banks’ capability to “green” the economy, leading to evidence that a greater female representation in the boardroom contributes to advancing the fight against climate change. 

The study also found that the “green” effect of female board members is stronger in countries with more female climate-oriented politicians.

Exploring the potential influence of women in the boardroom on banks’ lending strategies is a critical step towards fighting climate change. The study noted several other previous studies which found that women were more community-minded, altruistic and caring than men.

“They are more likely to assume positions that prevent environmental risks with the potential to harm communities,” the study continued.

“Gender differences in value orientations help explain women’s greater attention to the environment.” 

Female directors have a stronger orientation toward corporate social responsibility (CSR), compared to male directors who tend to be more focused on economic performance. 

“By bringing different perspectives to the table and by adopting a more participative leadership style, women on boards might facilitate conversations and decisions on CSR-related tasks, being better able to manage the relationships with various stakeholder groups,” the study said. 

“Women hold stronger beliefs than male peers about the detrimental consequences of poor environmental conditions for others, themselves and the biosphere and that these beliefs envis- aged a more pro-environmental attitude.” 

As one study by the Climate Institute showed in 2019, women around the world undertake most of the decisions affecting households’ energy consumption — decisions that appear to be mindful and judicious.

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Introducing, The Beige Index. Co-developed by Brisbane-based award-winning author, Siang Lu and creative freelancer Jonathan O’Brien, the Index is the Bechdel Test for race. It explores ethnic representation on the IMDb Top 250 Films, and seeks to do for race, what the Bechdel Test does for feminism. 

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A post shared by Jonathan O’Brien (@jonobridotcom)

The site began as a ‘what if’ experiment between Lu and O’Brien – something that “quickly turned into a rather more rigorous endeavour”, the pair describe on their website.

Over 22 days, the pair watched 250 films and hired a small team to assess the quantitive racial diversity of the films. The films span from 1921 (including The Kid) to more recent films, including Top Gun: Maverick and Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Each film was given a “beige-o-meter score” — a BEIGE FEVER or CREAMY score means a film has little to no black or persons of colour actors, and received a low score, while films with higher numbers of black or persons or colour received a higher score (DOWN TO BROWN) on the Index. 

The Index can be accessed through the year a film was released, the cast size, the name of the film, or its IMDB user score.

In total, out of 250 films, over 60 per cent of films were in the CREAMY category, 30 per cent were BEIGE FEVER while less than 3 per cent were in the DOWN TO BROWN category. 

Only credited actors were included in the dataset, which means that extras, even when they had lines, were not included.

The dataset divided actors into a “Taxonomy of Ethnic Groups” — which expands on each racial and ethnic groups within the broader categories.

“White” included actors of Anglo-Saxon, Southern, Central and Eastern European, Celtic, the Caucasus, Gallic and Semitic descent.

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“East Asian” included actors of Chinese, Japanese and Korean descent. 

“Latin American” included actors of Mexican, Guatemalan, Honduran, El Salvadorian, Nicaraguan Argentinean, Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, among many others. 

“Black” included Nigerian, Ethiopian, Egyptian, Congolese, South African, and Tanzanian descent, among several others. 

“We performed tiered research to determine and record each actor’s ethnicity,” the developers explained on their website, using a range of biographical information gathered from multiple sources, including IMDb, first-person interviews, obituaries and other publicly available information.

When an actor’s race and ethnicity could not be confirmed, the researchers used a numerical beige-ness measuring tool invented by Renato Biasutti, an Italian geographer who used the von Luschan Scale to classify human skin tones.

“Someday, there may be the potential to use Google’s Monk Skin Tone scale combined with machine-driven frame analysis to calculate an extremely accurate Beige Score for every film in history,” the developers wrote. “But that is out of our scope, for now.” 

O’Brien announced the launch of The Index on his Instagram account: “I co-created this thing with Siang Lu, my good friend and colleague, and it’s been one of the most challenging projects I’ve completed to date. And also one of the most satisfying.”

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A post shared by Jonathan O’Brien (@jonobridotcom)

“This is a custom dataset featuring 250 films, 9,577 actors, and 22.5 DAYS of watchtime. And it’s all presented in a slick cross-platform app developed single-handed from scratch by yours truly.”

Lu’s debut novel, The Whitewash, which won the The Glendower Award, assesses the whitewashing of the Asian film industry, and was published by UQP earlier this month. Recently, Lu explained the Index was his “form of advocacy.”

“If you’re aware of the pattern, you can change or influence the pattern going forward,” He told The Financial Review.

Next time you want to know how racially diverse your favourite film casts are, turn to the Beige Index.

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