Interview: Diversity & inclusion at Auckland Transport
Learn what Groov customer Auckland Transport is doing to champion diversity & inclusion in the workplace.
Auckland Transport (AT) is committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive and be their best.
“The true test for any diversity & inclusion strategy is being able to create a sense of belonging, self-esteem, and equal opportunities for all,” says Brett Bishop, People Experience Lead.
“When you have that sense of belonging, with people wanting to, and being able to contribute because there are no barriers, that’s when you get real value-add for all. You can't buy diversity of thought, you've got to enable it.”
As a provider and builder of public transport, it's also important to AT that their workforce reflects the face of Auckland. Some of the organisation’s diversity & inclusion initiatives include:
Increasing the representation of wahine in senior leadership roles (representation is currently sitting at 36%, up from 27% in 2018).
Increasing the representation of Māori and Pasifika people throughout the organisation.
Being one of only seven companies that are currently reporting their pay gaps for Gender, Māori, and Pasifika as part of the mindthegap movement.
Working with partners like TupoToa, an agency that connects employers with Māori and Pasifika Graduates, helping to reduce workforce entry and advancement barriers for these communities and ensure that corporate Aotearoa is representative of our country.
Providing unconscious bias training for leaders and team members (currently the most popular training programme across AT).
Being a founding partner of Brain Badge, working with them to co-design a workplace certification programme that will allow employers to recognise, welcome, and support neurodiverse employees.
Supporting network groups for Gender, Māori, Pasifika, Chinese, Indian, African, rainbow communities, and people of different faiths. In total, 700 employees are involved in these groups, just under 30% of AT’s people, and are proud to be able to share aspects of their cultures with others and raise awareness.
One thing that underpins all of AT’s initiatives is a commitment to balance.
“Diversity & inclusion is not about taking from or giving to – it’s about creating balance. Imagine how much better society would be if everyone was on a level footing, if there were no hurdles or barriers for people just because of what their ethnicity, gender, orientation, or faith was,” muses Brett.
“Balance addresses some real societal and economic issues that are happening now. If we can get it right as employers across the world, that’s when we’ll start to see fewer problems and more progress. Above all else, creating balance is just the right thing to do.”