Implementation
Ideas for equity and diversity strategies
Examples of practical actions
The following examples are organised according to the ACTPS Equity and Diversity key principles.
Key Principle 1: Leaders
value and promote Equity and Diversity
- Ensure criteria for assessment in management positions include the ability to integrate workplace diversity principles into everyday management practices.
- Ensure criteria for all job descriptions include a demonstrated commitment to equity and diversity.
- Encourage members of EEO groups to undertake leadership development training.
- Encourage members of EEO groups to take advantage of development opportunities including job rotation.
- Encourage members of EEO groups to participate in working parties, committees and project teams.
Key Principle 2: Strategic
and operational plans incorporate Equity and Diversity strategies
Integrating equity
and diversity with agency goals and business planning
- Reflect agency equity and diversity objectives in certified agreements.
- Integrate workplace diversity principles into human resource policies and practices.
- Include bahaviours that promote equity and diversity in work level standards, and performance assessments and agreements.
- Include implementation of equity and diversity objectives in the corporate plan, business plan and client services charters.
- Regularly review performance in senior management committees.
Key Principle 3: Attracting
and retaining a diverse ACT Public Service
Attracting and developing people from culturally and
linguistically diverse backgrounds (Multicultural Framework)
- Provide access to training and development opportunities.
- Establish mentoring and 'buddy' programs.
- Introduce programs to help improve English skills, both written and verbal.
- Provide a quiet room for prayer and devotion.
Attracting and developing people with a disability (Employment
Framework for People with a Disability)
- Ensure information about employment opportunities is available in accessible formats – e.g. for people with a vision impairment.
- Provide a single point of contact for people with a disability, who is responsible for providing support with induction and special equipment.
- Provide support for a network of people with disabilities in the workplace, to encourage informal mentoring and support.
- Provide flexible work options in the agency's certified agreement or employment contract including home-based work, job sharing, variable leave without pay and telecommuting.
- Consult staff with a disability about changes to security arrangements, accommodation and technology.
Attracting and developing Women
- Provide networking and support opportunities for women in non-traditional areas
- Provide flexible work options in the agency's certified agreement or employment contract including home-based work, job sharing, variable leave without pay and telecommuting.
- Ensure the workplace has a strong anti-sexual harassment policy
- Provide access to training and development opportunities.
- Provide a workplace which accounts for out of work commitments. For instance:
- Schedule meetings within normal business hours
- Provide as much notice for overtime as possible
- Discourage staying late in the office except in extraordinary circumstances
Attracting and developing Indigenous Australians
- Provide support for a network of Indigenous employees.
- Use Indigenous media and community networks to promote the work of the agency and advertise job vacancies.
- Provide development and mobility programs for Indigenous employees.
- Hold seminars or forums on relevant topics.
- Use the intranet to share information.
- Publicise workplace diversity related achievements.
Include the agency's commitment to diversity in induction training.
- Recognise religious festivities in any certified agreement.
Establish a database of language and cultural skills, available for projects or services that need specialised skills.
Key Principle 4: Equity in employment practice
Providing a discrimination-free workplace
- Coordinate the equity and diversity program with anti-harassment strategies.
- Nominate a senior executive in charge of diversity.
- Provide access to a free, confidential Employee Assistance Program.
- Review recruitment and selection processes to ensure that current and potential employees are not discriminated against.
Key Principle 5: Work and Life balance
- Provide for a range of flexible working arrangements in the agency's certified agreement.
- Challenge the culture of long working hours by making better use of time, for example through policies limiting the length of meetings and briefings.
- Hold a forum to discuss ways to overcome resistance to flexible work arrangements.
- Expand the ways in which training and development opportunities can be accessed.
Managing and evaluating diversity outcomes
- Conduct exit interviews.
- Use staff surveys or a diversity audit to identify areas of weakness.
- Gather demographics in the agency, including;
- numbers and patterns of representation of EEO groups by levels;
- degree of dispersal and clustering of groups across work units and occupational level;
- casual and part-time participation rates;
- recruitment, promotion, retention and separation rates for equity groups;
- rate of promotion compared to rate of application for EEO groups;
- absenteeism;
- returns from maternity leave or leave without pay for family reasons; and
- training patterns.
- Conduct regular attitudinal surveys and analyse the results from a range of perspectives eg. satisfaction of employees at different levels or in different locations.
- Conduct focus groups led by an experienced facilitator to provide feedback and in-depth analysis.
- Establish a committee of senior manager to provide guidance on evaluation of the program.
Increasing number of staff providing voluntary equity data
- Use screen savers to advertise why statistics are collected.
- Inform staff that they can update their own record.
- Include equity details sheet in induction packs.
- Prompt employees to update their data through regular articles or features in employee newsletters.
- Seek assistance from managers to encourage staff to volunteer their data.
- When conducting employee surveys, include equity data in the questionnaire.
To encourage the recruitment and training of certain groups in the community who suffer employment-related disadvantage, the Public Sector Management Standards allow for the identification of particular employment opportunities as open to members of EEO groups. Initiatives of this kind are considered special employment programs.
Employing people with a disability
The Employment Framework for People with a Disability provides for opportunities for people with a disability to be employed in the ACT Public Service. Disability Works Australia (DWA) is available to assist with queries regarding access to the pool of candidates with a disability.
The Framework, background information and contact details are available on the Public Sector Management (PSM) website at: http://www.psm.act.gov.au/disability.htm.
Identified vacancies for Indigenous Australians
The Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs works towards improving the relative circumstances of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the ACT.
The Standards allow an Agency Head to identify opportunities for employment as open to Indigenous Australians. Such vacancies must:
- be notified in the Gazette. (As a matter of good practice these opportunities should also be advertised widely, since many potential candidates will not have access to the Gazette);
- be identified as open to Indigenous Australians; and
- be open to all members of the community who are Indigenous Australians.
These arrangements apply to single or multiple vacancies and training positions, including graduate programs and cadetships. They can be used for both permanent and temporary employment and can be used to engage staff at any level.
Promoting women's rights in the workplace
The ACT Office for Women is responsible for the development of the ACT Women's Plan, which addresses the needs of women and girls in the ACT community. Further information and a copy of the Plan can be found at the ACT Office for Women website at http://www.women.act.gov.au/.
The ACT Government Policy for Expectant and New Mothers in ACT Workplaces reflects the ACT Government’s commitments to:
- Ensure equality of opportunity,
- Eliminate discrimination, and
- Promote family and work-balance in Canberra’s workplaces.
These guidelines are designed to assist both employees and employers, by answering many of the most frequently asked questions about the rights and obligations of working women who are pregnant or new mothers and their employers.
Communicate and promote Equity and Diversity strategies
After the agency head has approved the strategy or program, all employees should get a copy of it and have a chance to discuss how it will be implemented in their work areas. This can be done through training programs or workshops. Managers may need training in their responsibilities or other support mechanisms to help them feel confident about implementing the strategies.
A copy of the new strategy may also be sent to members of the ACT PS Equity and Diversity Network and the custodian of this Toolkit for placement on the Info Sharing Portal section, so that it can be accessed by others doing similar work. Please email Strategic HR on psm@act.gov.au with any information you would like to be placed on the toolkit.
There can be challenges in implementing your equity and diversity plan or strategy, including:
- The need to sustain interest and energy;
- Changes in key employees;
- Changes to the environment; and
- Resistance from managers feeling the pressure of their line responsibilities.
- Reviewing the program;
- Ensuring ongoing support from senior management;
- Establishing a network of diversity 'champions'; and
- Publicising success stories.
Performance indicators are the basis for monitoring the progress of the program. Monitoring progress regularly will show whether adjustments need to be made to the program to ensure its relevance and success. Measurements can include changes to the employee profile, particularly those in the EEO groups. The employee profile could cover employment status, level, recruitment and retention patterns and take-up of training and flexible working arrangements.
Monitoring can be done by means of staff surveys. Other indicators of corporate health could include the rate of absenteeism or the number of harassment complaints that relate to diversity.
Methods of monitoring could include progress reports, reports to consultative committees or to senior management, changes to the employee profile, feedback from staff or interviews with key management.
Although the results of monitoring are internal to the agency they can be used to help fulfil the requirement to report annually.