Diversity, equity, and inclusion at UniSuper
At UniSuper we promote a diverse and inclusive culture that celebrates our differences and empowers our people. Cultivating a diverse and inclusive culture is a continuous journey, and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far.
At UniSuper, we measure our progress in the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) space through our annual employee engagement survey.
We conducted our most recent survey in March 2022. Pleasingly, 89% of our employees believe we support diversity. It’s a strong number, and while we’re extremely proud of it, we know we have work to do.
What have we been doing?
Our roots are in higher education and research, and we know diversity and inclusion is something the sector is deeply passionate about. We share that passion, and we’re always looking for new and improved ways to create an even more welcoming workplace.
Our policies
We have several board-endorsed policies and initiatives that govern a range of DEI areas:
- Diversity and inclusion policy
- Equal opportunity policy
- Parental and adoption leave
- Prevention of bullying in the workplace
- Modern slavery statement
- Flexible working policy
- Volunteer leave
We require our employees to complete annual compliance training on these policies. We hold awareness sessions throughout the year to compliment these modules.
We’ve recently become a member of the Diversity Council of Australia, giving us access to thought leadership and events in DEI. We’re confident that this relationship will help inform our approach moving forward.
Gender Equity
We want to ensure women and all gender groups are well represented. That’s why we’re targeting a gender balance ratio of 40:40:20 in leadership roles at UniSuper. As of 30 June 2021, our employee headcount stood at 855, of which 473 are men, 382 are women, and 10 identify as non-binary. We’re tracking well towards this goal—currently, 36% of our leaders are women.
We’re also looking to eliminate bias in talent acquisition to encourage more women to apply for traditionally ‘lopsided’ areas, such as IT.We continue to reassess language in our internal and member-facing communications to reflect our diversity values and ensure we’re addressing the needs of all our members, prospective members, and employers.
Reconciliation
We’ve been working on our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which has been guided by leading reconciliation body Reconciliation Australia and its structured reconciliation approach for organisations.
Our plan is progressing well, and we’re pleased to announce that the second stage of our RAP journey, Innovate RAP, is approved, and set to run for the next two years. Innovate RAP will keep us accountable to deliver on various activities and initiatives to better educate our staff and increase engagement with First Nations members.
Read more about our RAP progress in the following article.
Championing inclusion
A number of our employees representing a cross section of UniSuper have recently become diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) Champions. Our champions will be leaders in this space, charged with the responsibility of furthering a diverse and inclusive culture within their business unit or location. They’ll raise awareness of our DEI approach, promote activities and events, and ultimately empower their colleagues to embed inclusion in the workplace.
We’re looking to grow our team of DEI Champions and are encouraging more of our people to express their interest in joining.
Celebrating who we are
A burst of orange greeted UniSuper’s offices and laptop screens as we came together recently for Harmony Week between 14 and 21 March. Harmony Week promotes inclusion and celebrates our diverse cultures, of which there are many at UniSuper—30% of our employees are from a non-European cultural background. Our employees marked the occasion in a range of ways, from sharing stories and treats of their own heritage, to immersing themselves in informative events and forums.
Harmony Day celebrations were part of our Diversity, Equity &Inclusion Plan for the 2021-22 financial year, and we hope it will become a regular part of the UniSuper fabric.