WellSouth creates inclusive environment
“They’ve taken that next step to not just say it, but do and show it, so that people who come to their facilities or look up their web page will know that they’re inclusive in their policies towards employees and patients.”
Otago Southland primary healthcare provider WellSouth has received a Rainbow Tick certification showing that it embraces the “diversity of sexual and gender identities”.
WellSouth community engagement advisor and co-chair of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee, Deb Gallon, said the certification was a reflection of the company’s values of being an “open, welcoming and safe environment for all”.
The healthcare provider would be educating staff, updating its policies and making ongoing changes to its workplace, she said.
“This achievement allows us to show not only our employees, but the wider world that we are a progressive, inclusive and dynamic organisation – who are committed to developing in this space,” Gallon said.
The certification was reviewed on an annual basis.
Rainbow Tick supported organisations in making workplaces safe and inclusive for LGBTTQIA+ employees.
WellSouth’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee met monthly to review policies, organise inclusive events and identify ways to support WellSouth staff of all genders, sexual orientations and identities.
It also recently held a Rainbow Walk for Dunedin Pride Month, and established a Rainbow Support Network to support staff of all sexual orientations and identities.
Chroma chairperson Dr David Sar Shalom Abadi said any company which went to the lengths of getting a certification meant that “they’ve considered the diversity and inclusion as an important part of their policies”.
Chroma is a Southland-based local alliance and support network for the LGBTQI+ community.
“They’ve taken that next step to not just say it, but do and show it, so that people who come to their facilities or look up their web page will know that they’re inclusive in their policies towards employees and patients,” he said.
“Sometimes people are unsure if they’re going to a practice that’s going to be accepting or welcoming, or who’s going to be familiar with policies and procedures of how to navigate safely, consultation or visit with somebody from the rainbow community.
“[The Tick] sends a very clear message to anybody who might be accessing their services, that they’re very welcoming, and that they’ve got the capacity to deal with those issues in a good way.”
Abadi said the company was “well on top of [the] particular issue” of training and educating its employees about how to communicate with people from the rainbow community.
This included training around cultural competency and language and use of pronouns.
Last year, Chroma was also working to demystify sexual and gender minorities through a series of workshops that could be tailored to the audience.
Its workshops included “Let’s Make It Perfectly Queer” and “Pronoun Lowdown” which looked at differences between sexual orientation, gender identity and gender and discussed stigma, discrimination, legal points, statistics on the current situation for rainbow people, culture and history, and practical points on how to improve environments.
David Sar Shalom Abadi,