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Diversity and inclusion
Our customers and stakeholders are diverse, and to gain the best insights into their needs and expectations, diverse and inclusive teams are required. A diversity of perspectives and backgrounds also strengthens creativity in teams. Creating an environment that attracts, retains and develops team members with a wide range of strengths and experiences ensures Wesfarmers is well equipped for future growth.
Wesfarmers strives to provide an inclusive work environment where everyone feels respected and safe. Wesfarmers believes everyone has a part to play in actively and intentionally behaving with inclusion in mind and that means encouraging, recognising and including the many facets and combinations of diversity that characterise the teams across the Group. Our Diversity and Inclusion Policy fosters diversity and supports inclusion at all levels across the Group.
Wesfarmers continues to focus on achieving gender balance across all divisions and at all levels and to increasing employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We track metrics on these two focus areas. Additionally, our commitment to diversity and inclusion extends to all people and perspectives. Our businesses focus efforts on various initiatives relevant to their workforce, industry and the communities in which they operate.
Inclusion
The Wesfarmers Diversity and Inclusion Policy (previously Inclusion Policy) has been expanded to include more detail on equality, anti-bullying and anti-harassment principles. This policy aims to encourage an inclusive work environment where everybody feels respected and safe.
Our Diversity and Inclusion Policy requires our Board to set measurable objectives that are reported on within our Corporate Governance Statement each year. The objectives, which are used to measure our progress, are reviewed annually by the Board. Our objectives are:
- to be and to offer an inclusive workplace
- to ensure equitable and transparent people processes and practices
- to increase or sustain gender representation to achieve gender balance in teams.
Across the Group, each division develops its own diversity and inclusion strategy tailored to the specific needs of that division.
For more information on the businesses’ diversity and inclusion focus areas and initiatives, please refer to our divisional pages here.
To be and to offer an inclusive workplace
Inclusive workplaces unlock the benefits of diverse workforces. Inclusion in the workplace is achieved when a diversity of people feel they are respected, connected, contributing and progressing.
Building capability in inclusive leadership practices continues to be a focus area for a number of our businesses, to ensure managers and leaders are equipped with the skills to foster a sense of belonging among increasingly diverse teams.
Some areas of focus over the past year include:
- inclusion and cross-cultural training for leaders and team members
- introducing initiatives for inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) team members and customers across all divisions. This included policy reviews, support networks, marking days of significance, awareness programs, accessing feedback on LGBTQI inclusion and support to enhance people practices across employee lifecycle
- enabling and acknowledging gender diverse team members to be able to identify their gender. The Group sought external advice from ACON, Pride in Diversity and Diversity Council Australia to inform the inclusion of our gender diverse population. Through collaboration with the divisions, all are progressing toward including gender diverse options in their team member systems. At Group level, we are working to broaden the Group disclosures on gender. Currently less than one per cent of the Group total workforce self-identify as gender diverse.
To ensure equitable and transparent people processes and practices
Wesfarmers businesses have implemented actions to ensure their practices identify, support and encourage a diversity of strengths, styles and working arrangements for all team members. These practices differ by business depending on team member needs, industry and business priorities.
Some areas of focus over the past year include:
- improved recruiting for gender balance and representation across broader facets of diversity, including disability
- parental and carer support, including perinatal wellness, parental leave irrespective of parent gender, support for team members in the instance of stillbirths, transition support and online resource centres for families
- supporting flexible working arrangements. All Wesfarmers businesses successfully adapted to having large numbers of team members effectively working from home through COVID-19. The businesses continue to evolve ways of working, adapting to new hybrid models that leverage the best of in-office and working from home.
Gender pay equity
A Group review of gender pay equity has been conducted annually since 2010, with results reviewed by divisional Managing Directors and the Wesfarmers Remuneration Committee and Board. Any gaps are analysed to ensure they can be explained by market forces, which may include different rates of pay in different industries, location, the relative supply and demand for different qualifications or specialist skills, individual performance and experience.
Across all managerial levels a pay gap of no more than five per cent exists, with the pay gap at General Manager level having significantly narrowed from 2.7 per cent in 2020 to 0.5 per cent in 2021.
All divisions continue to review their gender pay equity practices, participating in the Workplace Gender Equality Agency reporting.
Team member (employee) standards
Wesfarmers is committed to workplaces that treat all team members with respect and fairness. The policies and frameworks that support the Group’s day-to-day operations are designed to observe and safeguard all relevant universally recognised human rights. Each division must comply with the principles of the Wesfarmers Code of Conduct and the Wesfarmers Diversity and Inclusion Policy or incorporate these principles into their policies and procedures.
In March 2021, the Code of Conduct was amended to include greater clarity on relationships at work. The Wesfarmers Diversity and Inclusion Policy was also expanded to include more detail on equality and conduct that constitutes bullying and harassment, including sexual harassment. As a result of these amendments, all divisions were required to review their existing policies and practices to ensure alignment with the Group’s minimum standard. Work is underway across the Group to enable the prevention of sexual harassment within the workplace. This work included ensuring a range of complaint options, compliance training, behavioural training, consistent reporting and improved policies and communications. In April 2021, a Group-wide Respect at Work video message from our Group Managing Director was shared through the Wesfarmers website, LinkedIn, intranet and extranet.
GRI 103-1, GRI 103-2, GRI 103-3, GRI 405-1
