AuthorPride in Diversity

INSIGHTS MAGAZINE – 26 May, 2018

Uniting has won three awards in the 2018 Australian Workplace Equity Index (AWEI), recognising the faith-based organisation for its commitment to inclusivity and support for the LGBTIQ community.

The AWEI awards are an independent benchmark of the actions taken by Australian organisations as LGBTIQ-inclusive employers. More than 130 organisations entered the 2018 AWEI awards by demonstrating their inclusiveness in the previous calendar year, which are then benchmarked against other organisations.

“All Uniting community services, including youth services, aged care and chaplaincy, are backed by an organisation-wide commitment to inclusion and diversity. We welcome all people irrespective of sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, or intersex status,” Uniting Director Customer, People and Systems, Jill Reich said.

The three AWEI awards presented to Uniting in 2018 are:

1. A gold employer award, one of only 12 awarded and the only non-government not­ for-profit to receive the award this year;
2. The award for Trans and Gender Diverse Inclusion; and
3. Uniting team member, Kimberly Olsen, was awarded the Sapphire Inspire Award for lesbian, bi or trans women of influence in the workforce.

In the last two years Uniting has also won the following AWEI awards;  the Pride in Diversity gold employer award and Best Not-For-Profit in 2016, and a silver employer award in 2017.

The Uniting Church Synod of NSW/ACT General Secretary, Rev. Jane Fry congratulated Uniting for their achievements.

“How fantastic to see Uniting recognised (again) for its inspiring work and ongoing commitment to inclusivity in all its operations. This is a real example of what it means to recognise the image of God in all people,” said Rev. Fry.

Ms Reich said that confronting injustice in order to create an inclusive and just world is one of the major aims of Uniting.

“This includes advocating for compassion and inclusivity for all Australians, including the many LGBTIQ members of our community,” Ms Reich said.

“These awards recognise Uniting’s ethos of welcoming people exactly as they are. In addition to promoting inclusivity within the workplace, Uniting teams also proudly participate in LGBTIQ community events across the state, including the Broken Heel Festival in Broken Hill, Fruitopia Festival in Lismore, and Pride Marches in Dubbo.

“Uniting Church members have also participated in the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras since 1998, and have marched alongside Uniting in recent years.”

In addition to being the only faith based organisation to receive the AWEI awards, Uniting was also the first faith-based organisation in Australia to receive Rainbow Tick accreditation, which it first received in 2015 for aged care and corporate services.

STAR OBSERVER – MAY 25, 2018

Professional services firm EY has been named employer of the year for LGBTI inclusion at this year’s Australian LGBTI Inclusion Awards.

Hosted by ACON’s Pride in Diversity in Sydney, the event saw more than 700 business leaders, diversity champions, and professionals gather to celebrate the results of the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI).

The index itself is an evidence-based benchmarking instrument used to assess workplaces in the work and impact of their LGBTI inclusion initiatives.

This year’s top employers spanned were diverse, spanning various levels of government (Australian Taxation Office and Brisbane City Council), retails (Woolworths), higher education (RMIT University), and energy resources (AGL Energy).

Director of ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs, Dawn Hough, said the index has seen remarkable growth over the first eight years of its life.

“This year we’ve see the most significant change in the diversity of our top employers and a much higher growth in participation of our small employers which we are delighted about,” she said.

“ACON congratulates all award winners recognised today on their significant achievement and for showing great leadership in the area of diversity and inclusion.”

Twelve organisations were awarded gold employer status, with an additional four being awarded platinum status for the longevity of their high performance spanning at least four of the last five years (Westpac, LendLease, Accenture, and Commonwealth Bank).

The AWEI saw 135 employers across Australia participate this year, a 16 per cent increase on 2017 participation.

The employee survey attached to the index received 23,130 responses, an increase of 38 per cent.

For more information on ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs, go to www.prideinclusionprograms.com.au.

See the full list of 2018 Australian LGBTI Inclusion Awards recipients below:

STAR OBSERVER – July 8, 2017

IN just five years, Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has gone from having no formal approach to inclusion for its LGBTI employees to achieving gold status as one of Australia’s top ten employers at the 2017 Australian Workplace Equity Index (AWEI) awards, with its LGBTI employee network Unity also winning best network for a second consecutive year.

CBA’s subsidiary, Bankwest, also ranked as a gold employer in the 2017 AWEI.

“Leaps and bounds” is how Unity co-chair Lucy Riggall describes the progress made by CBA in the past few years.

“Five years ago I would never have envisaged speaking to CBA’s senior leader team about the issues our LGBTI employees faced then. AWEI’s recognition is real validation of what has been achieved internally in such a short time,” she said.

This sentiment is echoed by David Brine, who shares the chair of Unity with Riggall. The pivotal moment for him in becoming an LGBTI advocate at CBA was when he attended his first AWEI luncheon back in 2012.

“I looked across a room of 250 people representing many major Australian organisations,” he said.

“I could see the other Australian banks, and the global banks, but I couldn’t see CBA.”

Following this experience, Brine raised the issue with a senior executive of Bank about why CBA, given its size and influence in Australia, was not represented officially at the event.

“CBA is known as a great place to work, but at that time there was no discussion about issues affecting LGBTI employees, which meant that we were probably losing talented employees who were unsure whether they could speak freely, or we were just not attracting them in the first place,” he said.

This initial trigger gave these underrepresented employees visibility, and the result was the creation of Unity, arguably now CBA’s most motivated and passionate employee network.

Its mandate then—and still—includes advocating and facilitating a culture of inclusion and respect, regardless of sexuality, gender and expression.

It has also played a key role in raising awareness of LGBTI people and issues to support CBA as a ‘safe place’ for LGBTI employees, and to enhance its external reputation among LGBTI people in the community.

Unity has run training for over 3,000 members, champions and allies across CBA, and enjoys the committed involvement of senior leaders.

Riggall believes the driving force behind Unity’s incredibly committed people is that LGBTI employees in Australia and many other parts of the world where CBA operates still face legal discrimination.

“The passion comes from a really personal space. We don’t have equality in society yet and the fight is still on. I was a bystander in terms of advocacy until I realised I was going to have a family, and I wanted my child to know that having two mums was okay,” she said.

The AWEI recognitions have been standout milestones for the three years Brine and Riggall have chaired Unity. For Riggall, another important achievement was the support provided to three bank employees who transitioned in the past year.

“One of these employees has a great network in the transgender community, and she says CBA is now known to be very supportive of people transitioning. This reputation in the market underscores how genuinely inclusive CBA has become,” she said.

Brine and Riggall are passing the leadership torch from July to Nicole Brennan and Lis Brown, who will guide Unity on the next part of its journey. This will include further promoting the network in CBA’s operations in Asia, Africa, Europe and the US.

CBA’s Hong Kong branch recently announced it had achieved the Gold Standard in the 2017 HK LGBT+ Workplace Inclusion Index, ranking eighth for its focus on diversity and inclusion, up from 15^th  in the previous 2015 HK index.

Read more about CBA’s approach to inclusion and AWEI details.

OUT IN PERTH – 25 May, 2017

ANZ has been awarded 2017 Employer of the Year at the Australian LGBTI Inclusion Awards, a special event held in Sydney by the AIDS Council of New South Wales’ (ACON) national not-for-profit program, Pride in Diversity.

The top award takes prime position on an annual list of Australia’s best employers as assessed by the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) which measures and evaluated LGBTI inclusivity in the workplace.

Speaking at the ceremony, patron and former High Court Justice Michael Kirby said the growing success of outreach to the business, sporting and general community is heartening.

“It is part of the explanation for the changing attitudes of Australians of all walks of life towards LGBTIQ equality and justice,” Kirby said.

“In cities, regional, remote and rural Australia, things are changing.”

116 employers took party in the AWEI assessment this year, a 38% increase in participation as compared to last year.

ACON’s Pride Inclusion Program Director Dawn Hough said the AWEI has seen remarkable growth.

“ACON congratulates all award winners recognised today on their significant achievement and for showing great leadership in the area of diversity and inclusion,” Hough said.

The University of Western Australia was one of only four employers who were awarded Platinum Employer status, which recognises organisations that have ranked within the top ten for a minimum of four years within the last five year period, or have been acknowledged as Employer of the Year twice within that time frame. UWA was joined by Accenture, Goldman Sachs and PwC.

“The University has demonstrated a significant commitment towards LGBTIQA+ inclusivity for more than a decade and will continue to do so,” UWA’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Kent Anderson said.

“People should be free to go to work, complete their studies and be a part of the community in a supportive positive, fair and inclusive environment.

“UWA aspires to be included among the world’s top 50 universities by 2050 and a demonstrable commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to that.”

Bankwest were among the nine employers who were awarded Gold status, for ranking in the top 10 during the previous year. EY, Macquarie Bank, Commonwealth Bank, The Australian Federal Police and the Australian Taxation Office shared the title.

Bankwest Managing Director Rowan Munchenberg was at the Sydney ceremony and said he was very proud of Bankwest’s achievement of gold status.

“The establishment of a culture that embraces diversity ultimately helps us support and address the diverse needs and expectations of our customers,” he said.

“I’ve only been at Bankwest for a relatively short period of time but I’ve seen again and again how much colleagues are valued in the open and inclusive working environment which we encourage,” he said.

“I’m proud of the ongoing work in this important space with the aim of ensuring Bankwest is an LGBTI employer of choice.”

LOTL – 22 May 2017

Children’s services provider, Key Assets has been named Australia’s Highest Ranking Small Employer for LGBTI inclusion at the 2017 Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Awards for the third consecutive year. This year they also took home the highly honourable ‘Gold Award.’

Key Assets’ Executive Director, Rob Ryan said the award is great recognition for their continued focus on supporting LGBTI people in the workplace.

“Our organisation is built around an identity which values the contribution that people make to the lives of others, and a belief that people are more than labels. We are proud to be associated with a movement committed to valuing diversity in the workplace,” Mr. Ryan said. “We are thrilled to be the recipient of the Gold Award and Highest Ranking Small Employer Award for LGBTI workplace inclusion for the second year in a row.

“This inclusion happens naturally in our workplaces and to have this recognised publicly through the AWEI benchmarking tool is great. I would like to thank our employees, carers and young people for their continuing efforts in communicating our commitment to diversity and inclusion for the LGBTI community. The next 12 months will see us continue to grow our commitment and further develop LGBTI inclusion in the workplace and the community.”

Can they make it four years in a row? Fingers crossed!

FRIDAY 20 MAY, 2016

Westpac Group has been named Australia’s 2016 Employer of the Year for LGBTI inclusion for the first time at a special event held in Sydney by ACON’s Pride in Diversity (PID) program, a national not-for-profit employer program for the inclusion of LGBTI people in the workplace.

Employer of the Year heads an annual list of Top 20 employers for LGBTI inclusion determined by assessment against PID’s Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI), a benchmarking instrument that evaluates LGBTI inclusivity against a comprehensive set of measures in addition to a body of supporting evidence submitted by the employer as part of the evaluation process.

Along with some truly significant achievements in 2016 by a range of organisations ranging from banking and finance, renewables, telcos and IT, the Australian Federal Police receives the honour of being the highest performing public sector organisation.

Uniting is the highest ranking not-for-profit/charity and the NSW Police, in only their first year in the index, has achieved an 11th placed-ranking as well as receiving an award for transgender inclusion.

Presenting at the Awards Ceremony held on May 20, Patron of Pride in Diversity the Hon Michael Kirby AC said: “Once again we come together to acknowledge the progress being made in Australia in inclusion and non-discrimination in work, sport and life,”

“At occasions like this, it is easy to fall into the trap of believing that ignorant and unscientific prejudice against LGBTI citizens has been overcome in our country…Unfortunately, this is not so,”

“Full equality has not been achieved in 2016. In fact there have been some notable reverses in the past year which we need to look squarely in the eyes; a clear sign that the struggle for dignity in Australia is far from over.”

Other awards at the luncheon included: LGBTI Employee Network of the Year (Commonwealth Bank’s UNITY); Innovation Award (Accenture); Highest Ranking University (The University of Western Australia); Achievement Award for Most Improved (Clayton Utz), Highest Ranking Small Employer (Key Assets – The Children’s Services Provider), Small Employer Award (Domestic Violence Service Management NSW).

Individuals acknowledged for their significant contribution to LGBTI workplace inclusion include Greg Ward, CEO Macquarie Bank (CEO of the Year); Supt Tony Crandell, NSW Police Force (Executive Leadership Award); Steve Rieniets, AGL (Regional Inclusion Champion); Brad Cooper, CEO BT Financial Group (Inclusion Champion); Melissa Tandy, ANZ (Sally Webster Ally Award); Suzi Russell-Gilford, PwC (Sapphire Award) and Rhiannon Kop, Aurizon (Out Role Model).

A Platinum Tier status has been established for the first time this year, acknowledging organisations that have either retained a top 5 position at least 4 times within the last 5 years, or achieved employer of the year twice within the last 5 years. PwC and Goldman Sachs are the first organisations to qualify for the new Platinum Tier.

Director of ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs (which incorporates PID and the newly launched Pride in Sport) Dawn Hough said: “The AWEI has seen remarkable growth over the first six years of its life with this year seeing the most significant growth to date”.

There has been a 46.6% increase in AWEI participation, 125% increase in first time submissions and a 48% increase in accompanying employee survey responses (n 13,393).

Another noteworthy achievement for this year’s AWEI includes substantial growth in sector participation, including a 50% increase in private, 40% in public and 80% for Higher Education.

“While there is still a long way to go, Hough said that LGBTI inclusion has well and truly made its way onto the Australian Workplace Diversity & Inclusion Agenda.”

Over 600 people attended the sold-out event at Doltone House in Sydney on May 20, emceed by Olympic Diver Matthew Mitcham. Speakers included PID patron the Hon. Michael Kirby and Paul Zahra, PwC Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board Member and former CEO of David Jones.

“Pride in Diversity congratulates all award winners recognised today on their significant achievement and for showing great leadership in the area of diversity and inclusion.” Ms Hough added.

The Top 20 Employers for LGBTI Inclusion 2016 are:

1.    Westpac Group (Employer of the Year)

2.    Commonwealth Bank of Australia

3.    EY

=4.  Macquarie Bank

The University of Western Australia (Highest Ranking University)

6.    Uniting (Highest Ranking Charity / NFP)

7.    National Australia Bank

8.    Accenture

9.    Australian Federal Police (Highest Ranking Public Sector)

10.   Allens

11.   NSW Police Force

12.   Lendlease

13.   AGL Energy

14.   ANZ

15.   Telstra

16.   Norton Rose Fulbright

17.   Deutsche Bank

18.   IBM

19.   Bankwest

=20. Baker & McKenzie

Department of Defence

*LGBTI – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex

MONDAY 11 JULY 2016 – STAR OBSERVER

WHEN AGL Loy Yang’s General Manager Steve Rieniets heard his name announced as the 2016 AWEI Regional Inclusion Champion, his initial reaction was surprise.

“I was a bit surprised to be honest, but very proud to have won the award. I think it’s a reflection of our AGL Shine program and the great efforts by the team coordinating it that has helped our Loy Yang workforce become more aware and embrace it. I’m just one player, it’s the workforce more broadly that has allowed it to happen,” Mr Rieniets said.
Recognised for his outstanding efforts in building LGBTI inclusion across his local community and AGL more broadly, Mr Rieniets has been crucial in helping break down barriers and to the overall success ofAGL Shine.
An employee-driven network, AGL Shine was established in response to an increasing number of AGL employees seeking to achieve a more diverse and inclusive workplace culture where LGBTI employees feel they are able to be truly authentic and bring their whole self to work, and to feel safe and supported to do so.

Acknowledged as a thought leadership initiative and influential entity within the company, AGL Shine is represented by almost 200 members and allies from across the company, including regional and remote locations.

In 2015 Mr Rieniets joined AGL Shine as an ambassador and in that time he has organised and led a number of training sessions which have focused on inclusive language and behaviours, communications and engagement.

“It wasn’t until we ran some sessions on site that I became more aware of some of the issues facing LGBTI employees. Hearing first hand from guest speakers, such as Member for Eastern Victoria, Harriet Shing, talk about LGBTI in the workforce was enlightening. These sessions were very well attended and I really enjoyed educating the workplace, and myself, more broadly on issues they may not have even considered. Education across the workplace has been a key feature for me, and I hope that over the next year we can increase the awareness even more across the predominant blue collar work areas and right down to the coalface,” Mr Rieniets said.

The progress and impact of AGL Shine has encouraged AGL to publicly take a strong stance on matters that concern the LGBTI community. This year AGL pledged support for marriage equality in Australia by becoming a corporate sponsor of a national campaign and Mr Rieniets represented regional AGL workplaces when he marched in Melbourne’s Midsumma Festival.

“As a leader, I think it’s important to show your support in an active way – lead from the front and show you care about everyone, no matter who or what they are,” he said.

“I believe everyone should be treated equally. That’s first and foremost for me. I lead a large power station and a coal mine on the premise that everyone is equal, and should feel safe and valued while at work. It’s also about trying to increase awareness and change people’s attitudes that don’t belong in today’s modern workforce. People need to be treated equally, they need to feel accepted, connected, and that they belong. I think a diverse workplace is good for business. People are more productive, there’s less conflict, and this leads to better business outcomes.”

ACON’S Pride Inclusion Programs director Dawn Hough congratulated AGL on achieving the coveted Silver Tier in the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) 2016 and Mr Rieniets for his regional champion award.

“Both awards are a significant achievement which reflects AGL’s commitment to LGBTI inclusion, not only within their workplace but also within the wider Australian community,” Ms Hough said.

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