Diversity, inclusion, equality. 

These words have become very popular recently as they are widely used in the corporate world. They are indeed the backbone of any healthy and productive workplace. Promoting these characteristics is critical to fostering an environment where people from all backgrounds can collaborate to achieve success.

The idea of diversity, inclusion, and equality encompasses acceptance and respect. It’s about understanding that each individual is unique – It goes beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating our individual differences as well as providing equal growth opportunities. It entails cultivating a sense of belonging and ensuring that each individual feels valued.

This does not have to be confined to race, ethnicity, or gender, it can be along the dimensions of sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.

However, implementing diversity, inclusion, and equality can be difficult. It is not sufficient to talk the talk; every company should walk the walk. 

Do you want to make your company's culture more diverse, inclusive, fair, and equal? I am here to assist! 

Today, I want to share with you three companies around the world that live their values. 

Accenture Fighting Gender Stereotypes 

Accenture believes that people shouldn’t be discriminated against because of age, ability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, religion, or sexual orientation.

On a global level, the company seeks to raise diversity awareness, to empower executives to manage diverse teams, and to enable women, LGBT, and ethnically diverse employees to develop skills for success. They support their employees with assistive technology, flexible work arrangements, and additional training.

Accenture Australia in particular, has been working towards shattering gendered stereotypes. In 2021, Accenture signed up as a founding member of the Australian chapter of the Unstereotype Alliance, a UN Women platform that aims to combat harmful stereotypes promoted in the media and through advertising.

The company also created the "When Will She Be Right?" campaign, a provocative play on the Australian idiom "she'll be right" that aims to raise awareness of continued gender inequality and violence. In addition, it created a Tiktok dance for women using self-defense moves.

Reach out today to see how we can stay true to your company values and promote equality like Accenture. 

Mastercard Parental Leave Benefits

MasterCard has been a mainstay in DiversityInc’s “50 Best Companies for Diversity” list. They believe that “diversity powers innovation in products and services.” 

In Mastercard offices worldwide, there are distinct Business Resource Groups (BRGs) created to promote a more inclusive culture for all the employees.

Mastercard is a vocal advocate and champion of LGBTQ+ rights around the world. In 2019, the company launched the “Mastercard True Name Initiative,” empowering transgender and nonbinary cardholders

to use their True Name on their credit cards. 

Internally, in addition to their inclusivity training and Transition At Work Guidelines, they have recently initiated a global Parent Leave benefit which is available to all employees who become parents regardless of gender, sexual identity, or caregiver status. 

Stockland Celebrates Australia’s First Peoples

As a diversified Australian property development company, Stockland’s mission is to create communities that will thrive both now and in the future. They aim to promote healthy living and strong community connections to achieve this goal. 

In 2014, they established Stockland’s Reconciliation Working Group (RWG), and since then have sought to bring respectful and meaningful change to create equal and sustainable communities across Australia.

2021 marks the launch of their third “Reconciliation Action Plan,” a strategy that aims to shape thriving communities that value, respect and celebrate Australia’s First Peoples.

Throughout the years, they were able to achieve great progress. Some of their most recent highlights include: 

• 2017: Launching four scholarships in collaboration with the Australian Business Community Network (ABCN) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in NSW, WA, Victoria, and South Australia. A further two scholarships were awarded in 2020.
• 2017-2018: Partnering with the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence to develop an Indigenous temporary workforce to assist their Sydney in-house catering team.
• 2018: Partnering with Indigenous Workstars, an Indigenous recruitment partner focused in Southeast and Central QLD, targeting opportunities at commercial assets. The program supports successful placements by providing post-placement support such as mentorships.

Do you believe in the importance of supporting Australia’s First People? Let’s talk about what you can do! 

Salesforce Transgender Program

Cloud-based software business Salesforce believes that “businesses can be powerful platforms for social change” - Their vision is to build a workplace that looks like society. 

Throughout the past years, they have launched several global initiatives to unite equality and recruiting, support retention and belonging, adopt inclusive practices and empower equality groups. In fact, they aim to have 50% of our U.S. workforce made up of underrepresented groups by 2023. 

In Australia, they have launched a program that offers transgender staff a four-week paid leave and $54,400 to pay for gender affirmation surgeries, prescription drugs and hormonal therapy. Their new “transgender employee benefits package” includes a wardrobe allowance of $500 for employees who change their gender and $1000 to cover the legal costs associated with updating their gender on birth certificates and licences.

Building A Healthy Workplace

Finally, there is no single concept or approach that can be used to create a workplace that values inclusion and supports equality. It's a collaborative effort that starts with the executives and managers then continues to employees and team members, until it reaches every service or product after that.

With intention and transparency, any company is capable of creating a culture of fairness and inclusion – Together, we can build an effective strategy that will help you truly live your values.