Inclusion & Diversity

We all live in a world that is diverse and inclusive across many segments and our workplaces are no different. Inclusion & diversity (I&D) is more than programs, policies or headcounts. Organisations that authentically invest in building a inclusive & diverse workplace outpace their competitors by respecting the unique needs, perspectives and potential of all their team members. As a result, greater trust and more commitment is achieved from their employees due to them being able to be their true self at work and having a connected sense of belonging. Having a I&D strategy in place is no longer a 'nice-to-have' for organisations however the challenge is how do you make it authentic and lived everyday?

The Opportunity - why it matters

Research has shown many benefits of an inclusive & diverse (I&D) workplace such as higher revenue growth, a greater willingness and readiness to innovate through new and unique perspectives, and a stronger employer brand increasing the ability to recruit a diverse talent pool to name a few.

When it is evidenced that an effective I&D strategy results in upwards of five times higher employee retention rates, when considering in today's world the battle for talent, organisations have an unique opportunity to differentiate their employer brand as one all types of people want to work for and succeed, no matter what industry they work within.

The Solutions - what I can offer

• Being a proud member of the LGBTQI+ myself my understanding and real life experiences have positioned me to truly relate and appreciate the challenges employees and businesses encounter in building an authentic inclusion & diversity framework
• Designing and implementing authentic I&D frameworks from scratch, specific to the business direction or stakeholder expectation
• Implemented employee lead diversity programs across gender, disability, cultural and sexual orientation in industries that have never implemented previously
• Identified and addressed pay equity imbalances across businesses to walk the talk
• Demonstrated experience and success in navigating the challenges in building the case for implementing I&D frameworks in organisations with the Board & Executive
• Enlisting I&D champions and ambassadors within organisations at all levels to keep I&D frameworks relevant, supported and on track
• Led culture change and designed organisation wide communication strategies to support the overall I&D strategy
• Created gender driven initiatives across all employee levels, designed to build unique career paths and their confidence by having a true voice in the workplace.

A specific example of my success in embedding a progressive I&D framework was with Racing & Wagering WA. There was no I&D framework in the business and our engagement scores in this area were poor. This was having a detrimental impact on talent attraction and retention, so it could no longer be tolerated. I took it upon myself to drive the strategy, gaining Exec endorsement, and then setting up an employee nominated and led "Voices of Change' group that was responsible for designing and implementing the overall strategy. This resulted in specific initiatives across the I&D spectrum being developed and implemented, and in many ways we led the way in our respective industry such as being the first racing organisation to stage a week long Pride racing event nationally. This was a significant achievement and overall in the six months of the overall strategy being implemented greater engagement scores were achieved, advocacy as an employer to work for increased and there was a greater sense of belonging being experienced by our employees.