New research has revealed a problem with achieving diversity in Australian workplaces. The Diversity Council Australia has found that even when businesses try to drive positive change for diversity and inclusion in their workplaces, it often fails.
The Diversity Council Australia (DCA) has combined with Deloitte and Google to prepare a report entitled - Change at Work: designing diversity and inclusion differently to achieve organisational change.
Why workplace diversity matters
The CEO of the DCA, Lisa Annese, says diversity and inclusion are vital elements of creating a successful business or organisation because it helps them get the most out of an employee's skills and talents.
"For an organisation to be inclusive it needs to be able to provide an environment that's respectful, where there's human connection, where what you do matters or adds value and where you have the opportunity to progress and so just having people who are different isn't enough. Actually creating that inclusion piece is really what enables you to get the business benefits of diversity."
The Change at Work report found that 3 out of 4 agents of change in an organisation report that those attempts at change are only sometimes, rarely or even never implemented effectively.
Ms Annese says that despite the best of intentions, the research shows how difficult it can be for an organisation to achieve lasting change when managing a diverse workplace.
She says that's because the principles that guide other reforms within the business are often ignored when it comes to diversity.
"Many of them are very sophisticated around implementing evidence-based change theory, but they don't do it with regard to diversity and inclusion by and large and so in our project, Change at Work, we're trying to bring those two things together and say if you utilise what you already know around how you'd do any other change and you use the same principles you'll have the same success." ]
Multinational accounting firm Deloitte sponsored the report and its CEO Richard Deutsch says a positive approach to inclusion is not just the right thing to do, but is also a business imperative.
He says the report has the potential to create a movement to drive change in Australian workplaces and in society as a whole. According to him, the study will help guide Deloitte in the future.
Work and life balance
Major construction company Multiplex is another large firm convinced of the importance of having a specific diversity and inclusion policy.
Executive Director, People Role at Multiplex Katrina Comerford says the company employs 1200 people from a range of ages and cultures.
She says Multiplex has found offering the workforce greater flexibility has brought impressive results.
"They design the flexibility that works for them while still getting their jobs done and I think if other employers can give a level of trust and have that level of trust with the team and help them work it out and give them the right framework I think they'd be pretty impressed with what teams can come up with."
Ms Comerford says the basic principle of the diversity and inclusion policy is to help people find a better balance in their lives.
"The construction industry has been known for long hours, sites open on Saturdays, so six day weeks etc. and what we've been trying to do is to make sure that people can still come to work here, have a challenging career, a rewarding career, but don't have to give up on the outside of work things so family, sport, rest, socialising with friends. All those types of things. "
