Workplace Diversity and Inclusive Engagement: A Wesfarmers Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of workplace diversity and inclusive engagement, focusing on Wesfarmers as a case study. It explores various aspects of diversity, including gender, cultural, and linguistic differences, and identifies opportunities such as increased productivity and creativity, alongside potential barriers like negative attitudes and language differences. The report details work plans for diversity, including ways to include people from different backgrounds, and examines rules, legislations, and communication strategies to promote inclusion. It also covers methods for handling feedback, creating inclusive engagement, and concludes with the importance of diversity for organizational success, referencing relevant literature and online resources. The report highlights Wesfarmers' commitment to diversity and inclusion, emphasizing the need for a supportive and inclusive work environment.

Leadership and management
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Main Body.......................................................................................................................................3
Workplace Diversity areas...........................................................................................................3
Opportunities and barriers with inclusive engagement in Wesfarmers...................................3
Development of work plans for diversity....................................................................................4
Ways to include people with different race, caste, sexual orientation.....................................4
Rules and Legislations to promote diversity and inclusion.....................................................4
Communication plans to encourage inclusion.........................................................................5
Ways to handle feedback and review process.........................................................................5
Strategies to create inclusive engagement...................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................8
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INTRODUCTION
Workplace diversity determines the differences between people in the company in terms
of race, gender, ethnicity, education, functions and other related aspects of better coordination
and to develop positive work environment. The present study has been focused on accessing the
ways in which diversity can be maintained and also to analyze different opportunities and
barriers for its inclusive engagement by considering a case study of Wesfarmers. The cited
company is one of the biggest Australian Conglomerate which deals in varieties of businesses
like retails, chemicals, coals mining, etc. The company has more than 205,000 employees who
are from diversified backgrounds. There are various ways which are adopted by the company in
order to manage this work force.
MAIN BODY
Workplace Diversity areas
Wesfarmers is one of the biggest companies in Australia which has a workforce of more
than 250,000 employees. There are different areas of diversity in the company which includes
gender, cultural and linguistic diversity, disability, age, education, etc. Company tries very
efficiently to indulge their employees by providing the equal opportunities in terms of salary,
growth, role, work environment and many more (Callahan, 2016) Wesfarmers has created a
positive work environment where respect and appreciation is provided irrespective of differences
like gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation, etc. The company also value, support and
respect everyone by focusing on the needs of everyone. It also ensures that right work conditions
are ensured for everyone in order to make every employee perform with full potential. Inclusion
is reflected in the culture, practices and laws of Wesfarmers which are created to support its large
and diverse workforce.
Opportunities and barriers for inclusive engagement in Wesfarmers
There are different opportunities to Wesfarmers regarding the inclusive engagement
which aims to make an increase in productivity. Both diversity and inclusions bring the diverse
talents, and when these talents work together, all the goals and objectives of the company can be
achieved (Solomon, 2011). These people have a different set of skills which increases their
loyalty and provide retention and productivity. Another opportunity that Wesfarmers can have is
the increase in creativity and problem solving as with different mindset, hundreds of solutions
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arise which might be a boon to the company. Each and every person has a different way of
thinking, solving issues and it can solve even complex problems easily.
Another advantage that company might have is in terms of attracting and retaining the
talents which might even provide the competitive edge. Wesfarmers has a culture where it
supports and nurture employees, and in case of a diverse workforce, this culture might increase
loyalty and feeling of belongingness of employees (Sarkar, 2015). A diverse workforce can also
help Wesfarmers to build synergy in teams by enhancing their communication skills.
However, with opportunities, there are some barriers which prevent the diversity and
inclusion in the workforce and it might affect Wesfarmers. One of the biggest barriers that
company can face is in terms of attitudes as negative attitudes are the biggest challenge of
workforce diversity. Negative attitude increases stereotyping and prejudice which can harm
working relationship while damaging morale and productivity. Stereotype employees’ comments
on ethnic groups and races that are a form of prejudice and it affect the culture ( Dike, 2013).
Other than this language and cultural differences might also hamper the diversity in the company
as people might not able to understand each other sometimes. Wesfarmers culture, because of
differences might face an uncomfortable situation and it can impact on its business.
Development of work plans for diversity
Ways to include people with different race, caste, sexual orientation
There are many ways in which people with different caste, religion, etc. can be included
to increase productivity (Patrick, 2012). Changes have to be made in the recruitment practices
where the talents of people can be used as a basis to provide jobs to the people. It will help
Wesfarmers to include more and more talented and creative people that can provide viable
solutions to various problems. There should be some reservations for people with disabilities in
the company so that these people can also contribute to the success of goals and objective of
Wesfarmers.
Rules and Legislation to promote diversity and inclusion
Wesfarmers has been very active in order to implement the rules and policies to promote
diversity and inclusion in the company (Wesfarmers, 2017). The company has a very apt gender
diversity policy which is complied into divisional business units and also in corporate office
policies. The main aim of this policy is to foster an inclusive culture in a company where
everyone is given proper opportunities. The company also follows Employment Equity Act
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which ensures that everyone in the company is considered equal despite disability, gender, sex,
etc.
Wesfarmers also follows a code of conduct policy in which every employee is expected
to behave in a certain manner with other employees or else strict actions can be taken against
them leading to termination (Wesfarmers, 2017). It also has mental health and wellness policy in
order to promote diversity as all the employees can directly report to the authorities in case of
any misconduct. Proper lectures and consultations are arranged for the wellness of diverse
population to stabilize their mental health.
Communication plans to encourage inclusion
Communication plans of the company can include clear identification and broadcasting
of Wesfarmers commitment to all employees (Kim, 2015). It will allow the employees to
understand the culture of business and they will work to maintain that efficiency. Other than that,
key communication channels can also be established in order to promote as well as report the
activities, events and progress of the diversity councils as well as to provide appropriate
solutions if any misconduct is reported. It will allow the employees to react better with diversity
and will also allow them to mingle with other people.
Another thing that Wesfarmers can do is to develop the diversity awareness campaign so
that employees can be made understand the importance of the value of a diverse workforce and
the goals that can be achieved with total collaborations (Paludi, 2012). It will convert the
negative attitude of the workforce into positive one while respecting each other.
Ways to handle feedback and review process
It is very important for Wesfarmers to handle the feedback and review process for
employees so that all the objectives of the company are clear to them. It can be done by offering
support to supervisors so that they can be coached to deal with all kinds of issues. Providing the
HR support to the supervisors might help them to engage with employees in term so meaningful
conversations regarding their performances and building trusting relationships. The company can
also develop a strong performance plan to reduce the time required to draft a review. Including
clear performance, plans help business goals into deliverable by employees (Brown, 2016).
Another way it can be done is by using a uniform evaluation cycle so that it can provide
supervisors with ample time to write proper evaluations and also by ensuring proper consistency
among all employees. This uniform cycle will also allow management of Wesfarmers to review
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individual contributions towards organization goals without any discrimination. A diverse
workforce can also be given review and feedback by accessing their performances based on
some standard factor that is consistent throughout the company.
Strategies to create inclusive engagement
Creating a diverse, inclusive and supportive work environment is very difficult, but there
are some of the techniques that can be adopted by Wesfarmers to ensure they have good working
culture. The company can start with creating a diverse committee that can represent all facets of
Wesfarmers by making sure teams are leaded by efficient leaders which are qualified and skilled
(Cornelius, 2012). This committee can develop a diversity statement that can be consistent with
the strategic goals to empower and support diversity. These programs may include diversity
workshops, mentoring, resource groups, etc.
Another way is by observing diverse traditions and celebrating holidays from other
cultures. Wesfarmers can encourage its employees to take part and get involved in the
celebrations of different traditions. These celebrations will bring the employees closer as they
will get to know each other and will have to opportunity to build a great diverse cross-cultural
team. Employees should also be encouraged to contribute to cultural diversity at the workplace
and the best ways to do it by embracing it by building understanding. It is important for
Wesfarmers to know the colleagues on a personal level, regardless of their cultural and
background so that common ground can be developed.
Another way in which Wesfarmers can develop inclusive engagement environment is by
treating the others in the ways they wanted to be treated (Michalle, 2016). It is important for the
company to be very considerate as well as sensitive in terms of boundaries and expectations of
others. An activity organized in the company might be comfortable for some people, but it might
conflict with the values of others. In order to avoid all these, it becomes necessary for the
company to improve its own cultural awareness by respecting personal and cultural boundaries
of people.
CONCLUSION
By considering the present study, it can be concluded that Diversity in Wesfarmers is
very important as it can lead them to get success in the market. Diversity not only involves the
ways in which people perceive themselves, but it also includes the ways in which they perceive
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others. In order to make organization diversity friendly, it becomes very important for an
organization to deal some of the issues like communication, adaptability as well as change.
Various rules, policies, communication plans can be set to create a good diverse workforce.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Brown, J., 2016. Inclusion: Diversity, the New Workplace & the Will to Change. Inclusion:
Diversity, the New Workplace & the Will to Change. SAGE
Callahan, W., 2016. Workplace diversity management in Australia: What do managers think
and what are organisations doing. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.
35(2). pp.81-98.
Cornelius, N., 2012. Building Workplace Equality: Ethics, Diversity and Inclusion. Cengage
Learning EMEA.
Kim, Y., 2015. The effect of workplace diversity management in a highly male-dominated
culture. Career Development International. 20(3). pp.259-272.
Michalle, E., 2016. Managing Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive Workplace. Managing
Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive Workplace.
Paludi, M., 2012. Managing Diversity in Today's Workplace: Strategies for Employees and
Employers. ABC-CLIO.
Sarkar, A., 2015. How to build an inclusive workplace: Successful diversity management
goes beyond complying with the letter of the law. Human Resource Management
International Digest. 23(7). pp.34-37.
Solomon, N., 2011. Understanding and managing generational differences in the workplace.
Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes. 3(4). pp.308-318.
Online
Dike, P., 2013. The impact of workplace diversity on organizations. [Pdf]. Available through:
<http://theseus56-kk.lib.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/63581/Thesisxx.pdf?
sequence=1&isAllowed=y>. [Accessed on 28 August].
Patrick, H., 2012. Managing Workplace Diversity: Issues and Challenges. [Pdf]. Available
through: <http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2158244012444615>. [Accessed on 28
August].
Wesfarmers., 2017. Diversity in our culture. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.wesfarmers.com.au/our-impact/people/diversity/about-diversity>. [Accessed on 28
August].
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Wesfarmers., 2017. Diversity. [Online]. Available through:
<http://sustainability.wesfarmers.com.au/our-principles/people/diversity/>. [Accessed on 28
August].
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