Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging in the workplace

Insights from the 2022 Melbourne D&I Forum

Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) goes beyond hiring. There is a need to understand the often-complex issues associated with Diversity and Inclusion, and how organizations can create more equitable workplaces where talented people can thrive.

TMS’ Genevieve O'Reilly and Belinda Balchin attended the Melbourne D&I Forum in May 2022, which hosted a highly engaged audience from various sectors across Australia. Several large companies were represented by delegates from their D&I division, while smaller organizations shared their goal to integrate a DEI function within their existing HR departments.

Our top four take aways from an impactful day of insights and observations include:

1.     Delegates were keen to know more about current D&I challenges and to hear the stories of those with a lived experience.

2.     There was a genuine thirst for authenticity and a desire for tangible understanding of how D&I themes can be effectively addressed.

3.     There were repeated acknowledgements that companies are working hard to address the issues currently, however mistakes are still being made and we have a long way to go.

4.     People in the room acknowledged that we have a shared responsibility as individuals, allies, and leaders to do whatever we can to address the issues.

We all intuitively know the success of a company depends on its culture of diversity and inclusion. Having a diverse workforce can help the development of innovative ideas and improve the effectiveness of our leaders. Unfortunately, in 2022, many organizations still are not truly inclusive, and despite the progress that has been made to address diversity and inclusion, too many companies are not moving fast enough in the right direction.

Overall, we need to take action at both the organizational level (policy) and individual level (everyone), but middle management – who have direct influence on employee experience when it comes to work culture and inclusion – is undeniably where the impact can be amplified.

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done to build a future where organizations are genuinely inclusive, and the diversity of all people is celebrated. At TMS, we believe that listening to individuals and their experiences is the key to understanding D&I – and that a genuine appreciation of diversity creates a sense of respect, belonging and connectedness in a workplace environment.

This is where the Team Management Profile (TMP) can contribute, as it works towards creating a better understanding of self and others, an appreciation of individual difference and the potential that can be released when we recognize the strength of a balanced team.