Organisations that create a genuinely inclusive culture will reap the benefits of attracting more diverse talent, have employees who feel a values alignment and are likely to stay longer and feel greater engagement, she adds.

The business of belonging

As one of the biggest employers of Gen Z in the nation, Woolworths Group is serious about making this a lived experience for team members.

The retailer is looking at what it can do to help team members feel a true sense of belonging at work. It has an established Inclusion Guild of senior leaders and diverse team members to drive changes to create more inclusive environments, and remove systemic barriers to under-represented cohorts.

“There’s been an awakening that companies can lead the way in not only creating welcoming environments for their own teams, but better engage the immense underutilised talent that mightn’t have felt they could belong in certain workplaces in the past,” GM Inclusion for Woolworths Group, Catherine Hunter says.

Woolworths Group has shown public support of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and is actively working to better platform internal and external Indigenous voices in its decision making.

It is increasingly incorporating multi-faith prayer rooms for teams into its new store designs and encourages managers to work with Muslim team members to structure their work responsibilities around periods of fasting during Ramadan.

“We also recently updated our preferred dress for teams, removing gendered clothing and introduced Gender Affirmation paid leave over a year ago,” Hunter explains.

“It says ‘we see you and your needs’ without the anxiety they might experience when having to ask for support in the absence of a clear company-wide policy.”

The business wants to cultivate trust with its employees – and with this comes an increased mandate, and permission, to demonstrate a public position on key societal issues, she adds.

“We’re committed to fostering not only an inclusive workplace, but also a place where our team members feel they belong,” Hunter says.

Harness the value

View workplace inclusion as a journey, not a project, Hutchinson advises.

“With the talent shortage facing many industries, the high levels of resignations and the lowest unemployment rate in decades, this is no longer just the right thing to do, but rather a critical priority for businesses,” she says.

“To do this, organisations need to harness the value of diverse ways of thinking and lived experiences that inclusive cultures provide.”

The benefits are endless. “Diverse teams are more creative and productive, but this can only occur when people have psychological safety. This means feeling comfortable expressing diverse views, providing new perspectives and challenging conventional thinking,” adds Hutchinson.

“Suppose an organisation is only ticking the inclusion box and not leveraging the values it brings. In that case, employees will see through this, disengage and leave for other opportunities where they feel valued.”

Hunter agrees. “It would be disingenuous to say inclusion wasn’t a strategic business imperative. Businesses only do themselves a disservice by not fully opening themselves up to the many different faces of talent across our diverse community,” she says.

“We all do better when people from all backgrounds feel that they are safe to speak up, and that their perspectives are valued, respected and heard. This is when people feel they truly belong.”

For more information on how Woolworths Group is creating a better tomorrow, please visit www.woolworthsgroup.com.au/sustainability