Health | Australian Workplace Equality Index

By Pride in Diversity
In Awards, Business, Community, Finance, Government, Health, Insurance, LGBTIQ+, Media, Sapphire, University
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RMIT UNIVERSITY NAMED TOP EMPLOYER FOR LGBTQ INCLUSION

Technology and design tertiary institution RMIT University, law firm Dentons and community support agency Advance Diversity Services are among this year’s top employers and service providers for LGBTQ inclusion in Australia.

At a preliminary awards announcement for the 2020 Australian LGBTQ Inclusion Awards held online earlier today, RMIT was named ‘Employer of the Year’ – for the second year in a row – while Dentons was announced ‘Small Employer of the Year’. Advance Diversity Services, which provide support services to culturally and linguistically diverse communities, wasnamed ‘Service Provider of the Year’.

Other top honours went to Commonwealth Bank, PwC Australia and University of Western Australia, which all received the highest tiered ranking for LGBTQ inclusion. Engineering group John Holland named ‘Most Improved’.

The 2020 Australian LGBTQ Inclusion Awards is Australia’s leading annual celebration of LGBTQ workplace inclusion. It is hosted by ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs, the national not-for-profit LGBTQ inclusion support program for employers,sporting organisations and service providers. Usually held in May, this year’s event is being held on 19 October 2020 at the Hyatt Regency in Sydney.

The awards are based on the results of the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) – which is now in its tenth year –and the second Health + Wellbeing Equality Index (HWEI). The AWEI and HWEI are rigorous and evidence-based benchmarking tools that annually assesses workplaces in the progress and impact of LGBTQ inclusion initiatives.

Dawn Hough, Director of ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs, said she was excited to have been able to share the initial results of the indices and the wonderful achievements of various organisations in LGBTQ inclusion. “This year marks an important milestone for the AWEI, as it celebrates its tenth anniversary. Over the past decade, we have seen incredible advancements in workplace diversity and inclusion. As we progress further, it remains critical that not only efforts are acknowledged and congratulated, but pressure continues to be applied to maintain and build upon what has been achieved,” Hough said.

“Once again, we have record numbers of employers across all sectors and states participating in the indices. The employee survey that accompanied the AWEI elicited an incredible response, which underscores the importance of LGBTQ inclusion in the workplace.

“Congratulations to all the recipients of the tiered awards announced today, including those the received Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum status, as well as those that received organisational awards. I commend all of them on their significant achievements and for showing great leadership in LGBTQ inclusion.”

Hough said she looked forward to unveiling the recipients of the individual awards at the luncheon in October, which will hosted by SBS World News presenter Ricardo Gonçalves, feature The Voice 2016 winner Alfie Arcuri and be attended by business leaders, diversity advocates and HR professionals representing a wide variety of industries, sectors and employer sizes.

“Today’s announcement of the finalists of the individual awards gives us an insight into the amazing breadth of work being done by so many in making organisations across Australia more inclusive of LGBTQ people and communities. I look forward to celebrating their achievements at the 2020 Australian LGBTQ Inclusion Awards,” Hough said.

Click here to view the full list of results, winners and finalists.

11 Jun 2020 Continue Reading

By Pride in Diversity
In Awards, Business, Community, Health, LGBTIQ+, Sapphire, Women
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Are Australian employees going back into the closet?

This year, 33,572 employees from 170 organisations responded to the AWEI (Australian Workplace Equality Index) employee survey on LGBTQ workplace inclusion. Of those respondents, 5,413 identified as either being of diverse sexuality and/or gender. 5,276 of those respondents identified with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual. This article discusses the extraordinary finding that suggests Australian employees are more likely to be in the closet and less likely to be completely out at work in 2020 than they were the year prior.

Respondents: Diverse Sexual Orientation

15.72% of these year’s 33,572 people responding to the AWEI survey identified as someone of diverse sexuality (n5,276). Every year we analyse this data to look for trends in terms of experiences of workplace culture, productivity, inclusion and the freedom to be out at work.

For the last nine years, we have found some consistent trends in regard to LGBQ employees. Firstly, the data has consistently shown that those who are younger are least likely to be out at work and more likely to be out to none. The second piece of consistent data is that the higher the organisation’s score on the AWEI (national benchmarking instrument for LGBTQ workplace inclusion), the more likely their employees are to be out when compared to employees within organisations who are just starting LGBTQ initiatives or do not have high visibility of inclusion for people of diverse sexuality and/or gender.

As LGBTQ inclusion initiatives become more prominent in Australian workplaces, a greater number of employees have, year on year, felt more comfortable to be out at work; however this year our data shows a slightly different trend.

Are people really less likely to be out and more likely to be closeted than last year?

The first cut of the data this year shows that there is a 2% increase in the number of people who are more likely to be completely closeted at work and a 17.65% drop in those who are out to everyone at work. In contrast to previous years, these findings were out of sync in terms of projected impacts of inclusion; and were alarming to say the least.

To investigate further, we looked into the differences in language used between this years survey and last, isolated data where language did not differ between the years and further analysed particular demographic data such as age and gender in order to compare those figures to last year’s figures.

Focusing on those who were completely out at work in terms of age, the numbers were down across the board but continued the pattern of our younger employees least likely to be out. In terms of gender, with the exception of those who are gender diverse, both men and women were less likely to be completely out at work when compared to last year.

Our next investigation was to determine whether there were more employees from “gold” (higher scoring) organisations participating in the survey last year. Our data clearly shows that the higher the score on the AWEI, the more likely their employees are to be out at work, speaking to the visibility of LGBTQ inclusion and the support felt by the employees. As we did find more “gold” employees participating last year, we further extracted the percentage of completely out employees working for gold employers and compared these numbers across both years.

Once again, the data supports the finding that even within gold employers, people are less likely to be “out to all” and more likely to be completely closeted at work. In 2019 63.74% of gold respondents were completely out; this year only 43.91%. Last year 9.27% of gold employees were not at all all compared to 14.18% this year. For those organisations participating in the employee survey, it would be interesting to see if your own organisational data reflects this trend.

Another finding that could possibly impact the numbers of those who chose not to be out at work is an increase in the visibility of unwelcome jokes/innuendo and mild harassment targeted people of diverse sexual orientation (2.22% increase overall) and an increase in the visibility of targeted serious bullying/harassment (3.11% increase overall). The number of people who were themselves the target of more serious bullying/harassment as a direct result of their sexual orientation also increased by 3.02%.

On the positive side, those who are out to everyone at work enjoyed higher levels of productivity, engagement and greater positive mental health and wellbeing at work.

To read more about these finding and other topics of AWEI analysis, please visit: http://www.pid-awei.com.au/2020practicepoints/

This paper was compiled by Dawn Hough, Director, ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs.

Pride in Diversity annually publishes the key findings of the Australian Workplace Equality Index as part of the national benchmarking process for LGBTQ inclusion within Australian workplaces. This year 170 organisations participated in the survey with 33,572 employees responding. These reports focus on key findings within that survey. The benchmarking instrument and employee survey are published by the Pride in Diversity Program, ACON.

Data may be used with the reference AWEI(2020), Pride in Diversity, ACON, www.pid-awei.com.au

4 May 2020 Continue Reading

By Pride in Diversity
In Awards, Business, Community, Finance, Government, Health, Insurance, LGBTIQ+, Media, University, Video
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Gold employers: PM&C and ATO recognised at LGBTI inclusion awards

by David Donaldson, The Mandarin, 28 May 2019

The Australian Tax Office and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet have been named among Australia’s best employers for LGBTI inclusion.

Both were included on the list of 14 gold employers at last week’s Australian LGBTI Inclusion Awards, hosted by ACON’s Pride in Diversity — the national not-for-profit employer support program for LGBTI workplace inclusion.

The awards are based on the results of the Australian Workplace Equality Index — an evidence-based benchmarking tool that annually assesses workplaces in their progress and impact on LGBTI inclusion initiatives.

PM&C was also named most improved.

RMIT University took out the top spot as employer of the year — the first time the award has not gone to a private sector business. RMIT also won best on trans and gender diverse inclusion, acknowledging the support offered via the gender transition guide, including special leave for staff transitioning genders.

Andrea Kenafake, divisional manager city planning and sustainability at Brisbane City Council, took the executive leadership award, while her employer was included on the gold list. Nicholas Steepe from Charles Sturt University won the out role model award.

The inclusive service provider of the year is Uniting, which is also a gold employer. The full list of gold employers includes:

Australian Taxation Office
Brisbane City Council
Clayton Utz
Deakin University
Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet
EY
Macquarie Bank Limited
MinterEllison
NAB
PwC
QBE Insurance Australia
RMIT University
Uniting
Woolworths Group

Four employers were awarded platinum status for longevity in high performance — Accenture, LendLease, ANZ and the University of Western Australia. Two employers have qualified for platinum status next year — EY and the Macquarie Group.

There has been continued growth in participation in the index since its launch in 2010, said Dawn Hough, director of ACON’s pride inclusion programs.

“This is the ninth year of the AWEI and, once again, we have record numbers of employers across all sectors and states participating in the index. The accompanying employee survey elicited a staggering 27,349 responses, which underscores the importance of LGBTI inclusion in the workplace,” Hough said.

“Practice is continuing to shift significantly in this space with employers across Australia not only maintaining their commitment to LGBTI inclusion but in fact strengthening their inclusion initiatives and activities. Scores required to obtain the various tiers of recognition have continued to increase.”

Pride in Diversity is part of Pride Inclusion Programs, a suite of social inclusion programs delivered by ACON, Australia’s largest LGBTQ health organisation.

18 Jun 2019 Continue Reading

By Pride in Diversity
In Awards, Business, Community, Health, LGBTIQ+
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Uniting is the highest ranking LGBTI service provider

Originally published by Uniting, 27 May 2019

Uniting continues to build on its recognition of commitment to inclusivity and celebration of the LGBTI community. Uniting won the inaugural service provider of the year in the Health and Wellbeing Equity Index (HWEI) and retained gold employer status at the 2019 Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) awards.

The annual Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) awards are a rigorous, evidence-based benchmarking tool that assesses workplaces in the progress and impact of their LGBTI inclusion initiatives.

The HWEI award which featured for the first time this year, recognises organisations for their LGBTI inclusive service delivery in the Health and Wellbeing industry while the gold employer award is an acknowledgement of exemplary achievement in workplace LGBTI inclusion. Uniting was recognised for its effort in these spaces across the ageing, disability, homelessness, early learning and family services sectors.

“Both these awards are an acknowledgment once again for our work in maintaining and strengthening our commitment to LGBTI advocacy and inclusion for our staff and our service users,” said Uniting Director Customer, People and Systems, Jill Reich.

“Being an inclusive workplace and service provider is beneficial for everybody; it enriches and energises our community and is reflective of the wider society we live in. We are extremely proud to be at the forefront of LGBTI inclusion for not only our staff but also for those people that we serve,” said Jill Reich.

Participation in the AWEI index has seen continued growth for the 8th year in a row, since its launch in 2010 with a 14.7 percent increase by organisations in 2019.

“The nature and focus of LGBTI inclusion is constantly evolving and Uniting strives to expand the scope of our ongoing efforts in creating a more diverse and productive workplace so that all our staff, volunteers and clients in our services feel included and supported,” said Jill Reich.

In addition to being the only faith based organisation to win the AWEI and HWEI awards, Uniting was also the first faith-based organisation in Australia to be recognised as LGBTI friendly and received the Rainbow Tick accreditation in 2015 for aged care and corporate services. In 2018 Uniting was also re-accredited for ageing corporate War Memorial and Local Area Coordination services.

17 Jun 2019 Continue Reading

By Pride in Diversity
In Awards, Business, Community, Health, LGBTIQ+
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Woolworths awarded Gold for second year running in LGBTI Awards

Mirage News, 30 May 2019 3:07 PM AEST

Woolworths Group is proud to again be recognised with gold tier status at the 2019 Australian LGBTI Inclusion Awards for the second year running.

The Australian LGBTI Inclusion Awards is based on the results of the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI), the national benchmark on LGBTI inclusion.

The event recognises Australia’s top organisations for LGBTI inclusion and celebrates leaders, individuals and networks that have made a significant impact within their workplaces.

Woolworths remains the only retailer in Australia to be awarded Gold Tier status.

Woolworths Group Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Rachel Mead said: “At Woolworths, creating an inclusive culture is a huge priority for us. We want all our team members to feel free to bring their whole selves to work.

“We are delighted to be recognised as a gold tier workplace by AWEI for a second year in a row and extremely proud of the work we have undertaken to progress LGBTI inclusion in the workplace and the efforts of our teams across the Group.”

In the past twelve months, Woolworths Group has undertaken the following initiatives to progress LGBTI inclusion in the workplace:

Continuing educational LGBTI events and training sessions for team members and leaders;
Hosting a diversity roundtable and networking event;
Growing the Proud at Woolworths Group to 2000+ members;
Celebrating Wear it Purple Day across the Group, nationwide;
Partnering with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in 2019 with teams participating in their first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade this year;
Launching LGBTI inclusion training online to improve access for all team members;
Hosting a guest panel event to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance to drive transgender awareness and inclusion across the Group; and
Inclusion of a double page spread on LGBTI inclusion in Woolworths Group Sustainability Report.

Rachel concluded: “While we know we still have more work to do, we are fully committed to continuing to create better experiences for our LGBTI team members.

“It is a very exciting time to be at Woolworths. As a diverse team, we know we can create better experiences together, each and every day.”

11 Jun 2019 Continue Reading

By Pride in Diversity
In Awards, Business, Community, Health, LGBTIQ+
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QBE ranks as one of Australia’s top LGBTI inclusion employers

by Mina Martin, Insurance Business Magazine 28 May 2019

Insurance giant QBE has been recognised as one of Australia’s top LGBTI inclusion employers, receiving gold employer status in the 2019 Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI).

The ranking, announced at the Australian LGBTI Inclusion Awards held at Sydney’s Hyatt Regency, saw QBE advance from last year’s bronze status to become the highest-rated insurer on Australia’s benchmarking instrument for LGBTI workplace inclusion.

Catherine McNair, QBE head of diversity and inclusion for Australia Pacific, said the accolade recognises its progress on engaging and educating its people on LGBTI inclusion.

“Our organisation-wide commitment to diversity and LGBTIQ+ inclusion sees us focus on visible leadership, visible role models, and delivering differentiated ways in which we can continue to engage and educate our people on LGBTI inclusion. This achievement recognises the progress we have made through that focus,” McNair said. “Special thanks must go to our QBE Pride committee, who have contributed significant time and effort over and above their day jobs – this achievement would not have been possible without their dedication and sustained commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive culture at QBE.”

7 Jun 2019 Continue Reading

By Pride in Diversity
In Awards, Community, Health, Media, University
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University of Sydney awarded Silver at the Australian LGBTI Inclusion Awards

University of Sydney, 27 May 2019

The University of Sydney has been named as a Silver Employer at the Australian LGBTI Inclusion Awards, up from last year’s Bronze award. The awards are based on the results of submissions to the Australian Workplace Equality Index.

Dr Matt Pye, Academic Fellow in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Co-Chair of the University’s Pride Network described what the award meant to him: “It means validation for the work that the whole team does, in addition to our own jobs, trying to instil a set of behaviours, policies and procedures to influence change, with equity for all being our ultimate goal. This kind of award means being recognised by external bodies in competition a range of other impressive high-profile organisations, all held to an extremely high standard. For a University to achieve this status is no mean feat and I am so proud of all of the work we have achieved over such a short period of time.”

Christie Adamson, School Manager of Sydney Nursing School and Co-Chair of the Pride Network, said, “I am delighted that our work in trying to improve LGBTIQ inclusion at the University has been recognised in this way. It recognises the importance of providing a safe and supportive environment for our LGBTIQ staff and students. With a highly engaged Pride Network, we will continue to see further growth and improvement in this space. Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard for this achievement.”

I would like to congratulate everyone who contributed to the success of the University in winning this award. Professor Stephen Garton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost

Step up to silver

Silver recognition is given to employers that have obtained high scores on the AWEI and provided evidence of a substantial amount of sustained or new work in LGBTI inclusion. The recognition is difficult to obtain and quite often, the score differences between silver and gold recognition are minimal.

Submissions are marked according to a set of stringent criteria and given a total score out of 200. In 2018, the University received 107 points and this year we received 153. The scores required to achieve each level have gone up year on year, making it harder to achieve the same level – a reflection of the strides being made in this area by organisations across Australia.

Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stephen Garton, who is executive sponsor of the Pride Network, said that the results are a testament to the hard work and dedication of so many of our staff.

“I would like to congratulate everyone who contributed to the success of the University in winning this award, which recognises our deep commitment to enabling all of our LGBTIQ staff and students to bring their whole selves to work and to their University study. It is so important to the culture of our institution that we create space for all of us to do our best work,” Professor Garton said.

6 Jun 2019 Continue Reading

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By Pride in Diversity
In Awards, Business, Community, Finance, Government, Health, Insurance, LGBTIQ+, Media, University
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Australia’s top organisations for LGBTI inclusion announced

ACON, 24 May 2019

RMIT University has been named the 2019 Employer of the Year for LGBTI inclusion at the Australian LGBTI Inclusion Awards, hosted by ACON’s Pride in Diversity – the national not-for-profit employer support program for LGBTI workplace inclusion in Australia.

More than 730 business leaders, diversity champions and HR professionals representing all sectors and employer sizes came together at the Hyatt Regency in Sydney to celebrate the results of the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) – a rigorous, evidence-based benchmarking tool that annually assesses workplaces in the progress and impact of their LGBTI inclusion initiatives.

This year reflects the greatest diversity of top employers achieving Platinum and Gold Employer Status in the history of the AWEI. It is also the first time that a non-private commercial organisation has been awarded Employer of the Year status.

This year top employers spanned public, private, higher education and not-for-profit sectors:

Four employers have been awarded Platinum Status for longevity in high performance (Accenture, LendLease, ANZ, UWA).
Two employers have qualified for Platinum Status next year (EY, Macquarie Group).
14 employers have been awarded Gold Status for highest results within the current year.
The Small Employer component of the index also saw an increase in participation and scores with Initiative Media taking out the Small Employer of the Year.

The year’s awards were attended by a record number of CEOs and business leaders with Qantas CEO and Patron, Alan Joyce, providing this year’s keynote address.

Dawn Hough, Director of ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs, said there has been continued growth in participation in the index since its launch in 2010.

“This is the ninth year of the AWEI and, once again, we have record numbers of employers across all sectors and states participating in the index. The accompanying employee survey elicited a staggering 27,349 responses, which underscores the importance of LGBTI inclusion in the workplace,” Hough said.

“Practice is continuing to shift significantly in this space with employers across Australia not only maintaining their commitment to LGBTI inclusion but in fact strengthening their inclusion initiatives and activities. Scores required to obtain the various tiers of recognition have continued to increase. We are delighted with the continual growth and focus exercised within this area of diversity and inclusion,” Hough said.

Pride in Diversity is part of Pride Inclusion Programs, a suite of social inclusion programs delivered by ACON, Australia’s largest LGBTQ health organisation. Pride Inclusion Programs also includes Pride In Sport and Pride in Health+Wellbeing.

This year awards also celebrated the results of the Health + Wellbeing Equality Index (HWEI) focusing on LGBT inclusive service provision. The award for Inclusive Service Provider of the Year went to Uniting, which is also a Gold Employer in the AWEI.

“LGBTI inclusion has well and truly made its way onto the Australian workplace diversity and inclusion agenda, and is starting to make a mark in the sporting and service provider sectors as well,” Hough said.

“Congratulations to all award winners recognised today on their significant achievements and for showing great leadership in LGBTI inclusion.”

Pride Inclusion Programs will next celebrate LGBTI inclusion within Australian sport at the second Australian Pride in Sport Awards in Melbourne on 12 June. Held at Cargo Hall, the event will be hosted by NITV’s Matty Webb and attended by Pride in Sport co-patrons Alex Blackwell and Daniel Kowalski, along with several other leading sporting and community figures.

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

Pictured: Pride In Diversity Co-Patron Alan Joyce with representatives from RMIT, 2019 Employer of the Year

2019 Australian LGBTI Inclusion Awards

2019 Australian Workplace Equality Index Award Recipients

Employer of the Year

RMIT University

LGBTI Employee Network of the Year

LGBTI ERG, LendLease

Platinum Employers (Long-term Gold Employers)

Accenture

ANZ

LendLease

University of Western Australia

Platinum Qualifiers for 2020

EY

Macquarie Group

Gold Employers

Australian Taxation Office

Brisbane City Council

Clayton Utz

Deakin University

Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet

EY

Macquarie Bank Limited

MinterEllison

NAB

PwC

QBE Insurance Australia

RMIT University

Uniting

Woolworths Group

Small Employer Gold

Initiative Media

Oliver Wyman

BlackRock Investment Management Australia

Small Employer of the Year

Initiative Media

Most Improved Employer

Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet

Trans and Gender Diverse Inclusion

RMIT University

External Media Campaign

‘The Road to Broken Hill’ AAMI, Suncorp

Executive Leadership

Andrea Kenafake, Brisbane City Council

Network Leader of the Year

Cameron Tirendi, BHP

Out Role Model

Nicholas Steepe, Charles Sturt University

Sapphire Inspire

Caitlin Monnery-Korving, ANZ

The Sally Webster Ally Award

Joint winners: Ian Bennett (PwC) & Superintendent Richard Roberts (AFP – posthumously awarded)

2019 Health + Wellbeing Equality Index Award Recipients

LGBTI Inclusive Service Provider of the Year

Uniting

Gold Service Providers

Reliant Healthcare

Flourish Australia

Uniting

3 Jun 2019 Continue Reading

By Pride in Diversity
In Awards, Business, Community, Health, LGBTIQ+, University
Posted on

Australia’s top organisations for LGBTI inclusion announced

RMIT University has been named the 2019 Employer of the Year for LGBTI inclusion at the Australian LGBTI Inclusion Awards, hosted by ACON’s Pride in Diversity – the national not-for-profit employer support program for LGBTI workplace inclusion in Australia.

More than 730 business leaders, diversity champions and HR professionals representing all sectors and employer sizes came together at the Hyatt Regency in Sydney to celebrate the results of the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) – a rigorous, evidence-based benchmarking tool that annually assesses workplaces in the progress and impact of their LGBTI inclusion initiatives.

This year reflects the greatest diversity of top employers achieving Platinum and Gold Employer Status in the history of the AWEI. It is also the first time that a non-private commercial organisation has been awarded Employer of the Year status.

This year top employers spanned public, private, higher education and not-for-profit sectors:

Four employers have been awarded Platinum Status for longevity in high performance (Accenture, LendLease, ANZ, UWA).
Two employers have qualified for Platinum Status next year (EY, Macquarie Group).
14 employers have been awarded Gold Status for highest results within the current year.
The Small Employer component of the index also saw an increase in participation and scores with Initiative Media taking out the Small Employer of the Year.