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Industrial and Safety - Diversity and inclusion
Industrial and Safety is committed to providing an inclusive
workplace where all team members feel safe and respected. Each business unit
has its own inclusion strategy and commitments to supplement divisional goals,
including but not limited to actions in support of gender balance, Indigenous
(Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Māori and Pasifika) representation, and a
culture of respect and inclusion.
Gender targets are consistent throughout the division and all
business units have policies in place to support ongoing commitment.
Representation of women in senior manager roles has consistently remained
within the division's target range at 34 per cent. Pay
equity controls are embedded in business processes to ensure fairness, and
gender equity pay is submitted at a divisional level to Wesfarmers.
NZ Safety Blackwoods continued its commitment to gender equality
in the workplace through the Gender Pledge, reducing the stigma of period
poverty by providing free sanitary products for females and gender diverse team
members who required them. It also took the Pride Pledge.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation within the
Australian workforce trended positively at 3.5 per cent,
up from 3.3 per cent in the prior year. In NZ Safety Blackwoods, 117 team members
identify as either Maori or Pasifika, making up approximately 20 per cent of
the New Zealand-based workforce.
During 2024, the division strengthened its internal approach to
reconciliation, with more definitive workstreams across team member engagement,
supplier partnerships and industry collaboration. This is in addition to
awareness campaigns within Australia for National Reconciliation Week and
NAIDOC Week, and ongoing partnerships with the Clontarf Foundation for
school-based traineeships and CareerTrackers for internships. NZ Safety
Blackwoods developed an Indigenous Strategy with a leading pillar of being Māori-led.
This is a long-term strategy to begin to attract, retain and create a stronger
sense of belonging for Māori team members. The parental leave policy has been
revised to include Whāngai, supporting the Māori tradition of children being
raised by someone other than their birth parent.
Bullivants has provided financial support to five First Nations
tertiary students since introducing the Bullivants Indigenous Scholarship
Program in 2019. There are currently three scholarship recipients located in
Perth, Brisbane and Wollongong — two in their second year of the program and
one in their third year. The program provides financial support towards
university costs, books, equipment and rent, which reduces the pressure of
everyday living expenses and gives the students more time for their studies to
meet their career aspirations.
The division continued to acknowledge days of significance
including but not limited to International Women’s Day, NAIDOC Week, Harmony
Week, Wear it Purple, World Mental Health Day, and International Day of People
with Disability.