Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world. Harmony Week celebrates our country’s cultural diversity and promotes inclusiveness and respect for all people, regardless of their background. Harmony Week is celebrated in March every year to coincide with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March.
Embrace our country’s diversity this March by celebrating Harmony Week in your workplace.
Australia’s diversity
The below facts are from the ABS 2021 Census Data.
- Apart from English, the most common languages spoken in Australian homes are Mandarin (2.7%), Arabic (1.4%), Vietnamese (1.3%), Cantonese (1.2%) and Punjabi (0.9%).
- As of 30 June 2021, Queensland (273,000 people) has the second largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in Australia (983,700 people).
- In 2021, over 150 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages were spoken.
- 6% of the population was born overseas, and almost half of the population (48.2%) have at least one parent born overseas.
- 61,960 international visitors were in Australia during the Census collection period.
- Top 5 ancestors were English (33%), Australian (29.9%), Irish (9.5%), Scottish (8.6%) and Chinese (5.5%).
These facts and figures can help your business start talking and identifying ways in which you can promote and encourage cultural diversity.
We have handy resources available that you can implement to be a more inclusive workplace.
Upskill your workforce
The promotion and training of cultural diversity, inclusivity and respect for all people offers numerous benefits to your company. By investing in training your workforce, Queensland businesses can foster a more inclusive and welcoming work environment, which can lead to increased employee morale and productivity. Employees who feel valued and respected are more likely to be engaged in their work and committed to the organisation goals. Additionally, cultural diversity training can help reduce workplace conflicts and misunderstandings, leading to a more harmonious and cohesive team.
Our Workplace Advisory Services team is available to support you in building a more inclusive and culturally aware workforce. We have developed a range of training material to assist you in educating your staff in diversity, inclusion and respect.
Respect at Work training
Respect at Work training is the perfect way to ensure your business fosters a safe and welcoming environment for all.
Our in-house face to face training focuses on preventing harassment, bullying, discrimination and victimisation in the workforce. With our experienced Workplace Relations team, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your legal obligations and learn practical strategies to create positive workplace culture.
Staff and Management Diversity Training
Unlock the power of diversity with our Staff and Management Diversity training bundle.
We understand that business matters, which is why we’ve curated a suite of comprehensive online training courses to educate your employees quickly and cost-effectively. The following courses are included:
- Diversity Awareness: Introduction
- Diversity Awareness: Culturally and linguistically diverse
- Diversity Awareness: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Diversity Awareness: Disability
- Diversity Awareness: LGBTIQ+
- Diversity Awareness: Taking Action
Each course takes an average of 30 minutes, and they are self-paced.
If you would like to book the Diversity Bundle, please email [email protected]
Policies to help you promote a respectful workplace
Our detailed HR policy templates are designed to help you establish and maintain a harmonious workplace environment, fostering respect and inclusivity among your team. With a range of policies covering diversity, inclusion and respectful behaviour, we can support your business in implementing best practices and demonstrate your commitment to a positive workplace culture.
Empower your workforce to embrace diversity with our HR policy templates:
- Equal Employment Opportunity and Anti-Discrimination
- Family Responsibilities
- Workplace Bullying
- Remote and Hybrid work
For a full list of our policy templates and costs, visit https://businesschamberqld.com.au/services/hr-policy-templates/
Creating inclusive and harmonious workplaces with Workforce Evolve
We know attracting, hiring, and retaining the right people is one of the biggest constraints for business growth. With an ongoing labour shortage, it is more important than ever to engage with as many job seekers as possible. Rethink your attraction practices to access people from under-represented cohorts of the labour force which include culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) talent.
Inclusive recruitment practices allow any job seeker to participate regardless of their cultural identity or origin. While your job ads or careers page may not actively exclude a particular group, consider if it actively ‘speaks to’ diverse talent. Not sure how to do this? Run your job ad copy through an inclusive language tool. Job seekers cannot read your mind, so tell them how inclusive you are by writing in plain English and avoiding acronyms. Include a statement encouraging CALD applicants to apply or showcase your existing workplace diversity with photos or testimonials from your team.
How can Workforce Evolve help?
Workforce Evolve is a self-paced program designed to help employers think differently about who they hire and how to retain them in the future. Designed by business for business, Workforce Evolve will help you learn how to implement inclusive employment practices to support a diverse workforce.
Get started
Register for FREE to start your Workforce Evolve journey to access:
- 6 self-paced learning modules – check out our course outline
- Library of free resources – checklists and templates
- Personalised business coaching – 1 hour free per module, that’s up to six hours of free mentoring and support!
- Referral partners specialising in diversity cohorts
This Workforce Connect Fund project is proudly funded by the Queensland Government.
