Free Online Tool to Enhance Workplace Cultural Diversity

The Federal Government has developed a free online tool to help businesses enhance productivity through a culturally diverse workplace.

The Workplace Cultural Diversity Tool was recently launched by Race Discrimination Commissioner Dr Tim Soutphommasane and Parliamentary Secretary for Social Services with special responsibility for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services, Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.

“Australians embrace cultural diversity, but there is still a long way to go in getting things right in the workplace,” Soutphommasane said.

“Managing diversity is about Australian employers being leaders in a global economy.

“The Workplace Cultural Diversity Tool will help businesses improve their performance. It will help businesses in recruiting and retaining the best talent, and in creating a more welcoming workplace.”

The tool was developed in partnership with Diversity Council Australia and VicHealth.

Diversity Council Australia CEO Lisa Annese said the free tool will help organisations to measure themselves against international best practice and identify areas for improvement.

“The tool rates organisations on their current cultural diversity and guides them through the process of moving to best practice, tracking their progress over time,” Annese said.

“As Australia becomes more culturally diverse, it is important that organisations have the right resources to effectively manage the opportunities this presents.”

PwC CEO Luke Sayers said he was looking forward to using the new online resource to help the firm pursue its diversity and inclusion agenda.

“We recognise the value a culturally diverse workforce brings – not just for our people, but for our clients as well. In a society as diverse as Australia, having a workforce that reflects that diversity is fundamental.

“We’ve set a target to increase the number of our partners from an Asian cultural background to 5 per cent by 2016, and this tool will be a valuable resource as we work towards that goal,” he said.

Research from earlier in 2014 by the Diversity Council Australia revealed people from Asian backgrounds were significantly under-represented in leadership roles.

The research, Cracking the Cultural Ceiling: Future Proofing Your Business in the Asian Century, has uncovered valuable information about “the bamboo ceiling” and why so few Asian leaders are reaching the top.

It showed that while 9.3 per cent of the Australian labour force is Asian born, only 4.9 per cent made it to senior executive level.

Find out more about the new tool here.