Focus on inequity at work
GREATER workplace diversity has led to increased interest in inclusivity training. Equal opportunity expert Cecilia White says demand for inclusivity training is growing among workers who seek to increase their level of self awareness and businesses who want to prevent costly discrimination cases.
“The whole [Harvey] Weinstein effect and #MeToo movement has seen a lot more employers focusing on the whole issue of sexual harassment and their obligation to provide a workplace that is safe from harassment,” Ms White says.
“But it [being an inclusive workplace] is not just about preventing sexual harassment. “There’s also gender discrimination, racial discrimination — even age discrimination is becoming more and more of an issue in the workforce.”
The Diversity Council Australia reports more than one in five Australians experience discrimination or harassment at work.
Ms White, who delivers inclusivity training on behalf of the Equal Opportunity Commission of South Australia, says unconscious bias training is popular among business leaders and managers wanting to overcome discrimination when recruiting staff.
But she says all workers, regardless of the role they hold, can benefit from some form of inclusivity training.
“Bystander awareness training is something that’s being offered that looks at how everyone in the workplace has a responsibility to call out poor behaviour — it shouldn’t always rely on the victim (to complain about unfair treatment).” Ms White says.
“We all have to take a zero tolerance to discrimination. It has to be a collective responsibility.”
Australian Refugee Association chief executive Kirsten Bickendorf says overt forms of discrimination have been largely eradicated from the workplace but more subtle prejudice is still widespread.
“We have people who, because they have very diverse names, are not even getting job interviews — even though they’re completely qualified [for the role] and sometimes even over-qualified,” she says.
“Or it could be that a company is considering employing a young woman and thinking, ‘Is she going to leave and have children?’.”
Ms Bickendorf says jobseekers who understand the importance of inclusiveness are preferred by employers, not only for managerial roles but also frontline positions where they have contact with a range of customers.
Suds Hettiarachchi, 34, an associate director at engineering firm Aurecon, is a strong believer in inclusivity but was surprised, during a training session, that he still held an unconscious bias towards others.
“For me, not having any children … if [a working parent] said they could not stay back [to work late] I would wonder whether that meant they were not 100 per cent committed to a project,” Hettiarachchi says.
“[The training] taught me to walk in someone else’s shoes and to see … it’s not that they’re not committed — maybe they just don’t have anyone else to pick up the kids.”
Mr Hettiarachchi says he was so impressed by the training that he now helps deliver similar inclusivity programs throughout Aurecon.