A UNE team is helping to ensure workplaces in fast-growing western Sydney are more inclusive through a pioneering micro-credential.
The Developing and Sustaining Diverse and Inclusive Workplaces short course aims to highlight the many benefits arising from a diverse workforce - and address skills shortages in the bargain.
UNE Partnerships (UNEP) and staff from our Business School are about to begin training industry leaders and human resources staff on how to ensure that recruitment and work practices respect the talent and potential of all employees.
It's part of the NSW Government's New Education Training Model (NETM), which is being rolled out by the Western Parkland City Authority (WCPA), the agency tasked with creating jobs in western Sydney. UNEP and UNE's Business School's partnership with Supporting and Linking Tradeswomen (SALT) is designed to increase the workforce participation of women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds particularly in industries like manufacturing.
"Having a diverse and inclusive workplace means that your business looks like the community in which you operate," said UNEP CEO Benjamin Gilmore. "We are pleased to be contributing to the strengthening of the western Sydney skills base."
It's widely acknowledged that inclusive workplaces are more innovative and enjoy better productivity. A broad talent pool helps to develop a competitive edge, and leads to improved staff engagement and wellbeing.
According to Head of the UNE Business School, Professor Sujana Adapa, a truly diverse workforce comprises people of different ages, genders, sexual orientations, religious beliefs, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds, abilities and behaviours. Inclusivity is a vital ingredient for business success at any time, but especially during skills shortages.
"Such shortages are prevalent in many employment areas that are gender discriminatory, such as trades," she said. "Reducing recruitment to only half the population perpetuates the situation. Workplaces committed to diversity today are instead adopting targeted recruitment strategies, setting quotas for the employment of individuals who are underrepresented, and introducing special measures to support individual needs.
"We hope that course participants come to understand what a diverse workforce means and how they can progress towards it. Why, for instance, is it unacceptable to ask women entering the trades sector to change their Asian name to an English name? In this historically male-dominated sector, a high occurrence of gender underrepresentation leads to discrimination being experienced by both female workers and customers."
The micro-credential has been co-designed with industry, and will challenge some entrenched beliefs and attitudes.
"It starts with self-awareness and the recognition that, whether we recognise it or not, almost every one of us brings unconscious bias and stereotypes to the workplace," Professor Adapa said. "Apart from the legislation that organisations are required to adhere to, it is also helpful for organisations to have their own policies and to live by them."
Recognising and respecting individual differences, eliminating discrimination and intolerance, and providing equal opportunities for all has a multitude of benefits. Among other things, it contributes to:
- A harmonious and supportive work culture;
- Strong workplace relationships and co-operative teams;
- Good decision-making and problem-solving; and
- Improved client outcomes.
