Diversity & inclusion aren’t tokenism; they’re what employers are measured by

By Anna O’Dea

Agency Iceberg is all about working with organisations that are seeking talented people to join thriving and engaged workplaces. To ensure our clients are the workplaces that people would be proud to work for, we need to understand their workplace culture.

Many organisations say that they value diversity and inclusion, but does the reality of their work culture reflect this? When we visit our clients onsite to discuss their needs, we also need to observe whether their workplace is genuinely diverse and inclusive. Are their people cohesive and collaborative, or do they exist in silos? It’s important for us to understand an organisation, and to ensure that we are referring talent who have similar attitudes; work ethics who can flourish and grow.

Our mission as recruiters is not just to place talent in suitable roles, but to support our clients and promote workplace satisfaction. Celebrating cultural diversity in the workplace is a key strategy to achieve this.

Not having a diverse team in the workplace, where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work, may weaken a group. One of my mentors said to me, ‘In order to have a culturally rich workplace, leaders & HR professional alike need to have an open perspective on potential candidates, rather than recruiting versions of themselves.’

Workplace diversity often refers to gender diversity, and important work is underway to ensure gender equality and address the unfair pay gap that women face. Overall, diversity spans age, culture, sexuality and gender identity, and are all-important to embrace.

A Taste of Harmony is a great opportunity to reflect as a workplace on your organisation’s identity and diversity. On a broader scale, it’s an opportunity to put diversity and inclusion on the leadership agenda and open conversations about inclusiveness in your organisation.

I encourage you to learn more about A Taste of Harmony, and how you can become an employer of choice by genuinely engaging in meaningful conversations with employees about cultural diversity and inclusion. You can learn more about A Taste of Harmony here.

Agency Iceberg: A Melbourne-based recruitment agency servicing the digital, communications and creative industries. Focused on value proposition and excellent service – not just price. A transparent approach ensures clients and talent have a complete picture of the opportunity in front of them, creating long-term relationships and success stories.

About Anna O’Dea: Anna is a recruitment expert, LinkedIn Top Voice 2017 and 2016 and founder of Agency Iceberg and #LeadingLadies. Anna has placed thousands of employees in Australia’s most prestigious workplaces. Anna specialises in analysing the global marketplace, securing the best talent, focusing on relationship building, work ethic and excellent recruitment.