Inclusion & Diversity Report Australia December 2021 → The Power of Commitment
ghd.com/differentstories
We're a → people-powered business At GHD, we strive to be an inclusive community where everyone feels they belong. Our inclusion and diversity (I&D) focused culture is core to who we are and what we stand for. Our culture celebrates and reflects the brilliant diversity of our people, our clients and the communities we work in.
Our approach broadly encompasses all elements of diversity, acknowledging all individuals are unique. This includes factors such as educational background, thinking and leadership styles, culture, sexual orientation and gender identity, age, neurodiversity, reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and flexible working arrangements. We have a bold aspiration to be a leading employer for I&D in our industry, and we are continuously striving to do better. Our commitment to I&D focuses on what greater inclusion can unlock for our people, our clients and our industry.
Table of contents Introduction
2
Message from GHD’s Executive General Manager - Australia
5
The diversity of who we are and what we do
6
Gender
8
Indigenous
10
LGBTI+
12
Cultural identity
14
Generational
16
Industry recognition
18
Referees
19
© GHD 2021 This document is and shall remain the property of GHD. The document may only be used for the purpose for which it was commissioned and in accordance with the Terms of Engagement for the commission. Unauthorised use of this document in any form whatsoever is prohibited.
A message from our Executive General Manager - Australia Since stepping into the role as GHD’s Executive General Manager of Australia in July this year, one of the things that has struck me is the unwavering commitment so many of our people have to championing and fostering inclusion and diversity (I&D) in our workplace. As chair of our national I&D Committee it’s a privilege to hear the stories and learn more about our many initiatives and continued progress across the country. In addition to the work of so many of our local people, this year we also benefited from an even stronger commitment at an enterprise level. This included the expansion of our global I&D team, led by our Enterprise Inclusion & Diversity Leader, Sadaf Parvaiz. As part of this, we welcomed a new Inclusion & Diversity leader for Asia Pacific, Coralee Fitzgibbon. Other I&D highlights included the launch of our first ever LGBTI+ Action Plan, the launch of our third Reconciliation Action Plan, the WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality Citation, an increased focus on neurodiversity, and receiving the Australasian Rail Association award for inclusion, to name a few. Looking forward, 2022 promises to be another year of achievement, backed by an expanded global I&D team ready to provide greater visibility and consistency in our efforts while also increasing the impact of local initiatives.
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“At GHD, we support, encourage and empower our people by providing an environment where everyone has an opportunity to succeed. As this report demonstrates, I’m confident we’re providing a strong platform to achieve a truly diverse and inclusive workplace.”
In the meantime, I’m delighted to share details of our 2021 progress in this report, and I’d like to thank everyone at GHD and our various industry partners and clients for their ongoing support. Dean McIntyre Executive General Manager - Australia Endorsed by Coralee Fitzgibbon, I&D Leader APAC and Ian Fraser, CEO APAC.
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The diversity of who we are and what we do Our people are as unique as the communities we serve across five continents. Embracing diversity helps us develop imaginative and responsive solutions for our clients that create lasting community benefit.
LGBTI+ inclusion Our focus on LGBTI+ inclusion took a step forward with the launch of a two-year LGBTI+ Action Plan, the first of its kind for GHD.
We are an employee-owned company with a stated vision to address humanity’s most urgent needs: to ensure water, energy and urbanisation are made sustainable for generations to come.
Embracing neurodiversity We recognise that there are many incredibly talented neurodivergent individuals who struggle to make it into the workforce. Through our partnership with Neurodiversity Hub, we support and provide employment opportunities for neurodiverse students. In 2020 we established a Neurodiversity Employee Resource Group (ERG), with the mission of supporting, empowering and celebrating neurodiversity at GHD by increasing awareness. In 2021, our ERG held a national panel session, and more than 600 of our people joined to learn more about neurodiversity. And in this video, some of our neurodiversity ERG members told us what neurodiversity means to them.
Our I&D strategy is led by Sadaf Parvaiz, Global Enterprise I&D Leader, and backed by a Global I&D Council made up of a diverse mix of people across GHD who meet bi-monthly to drive an ongoing discussion about ways to improve our inclusive culture. Progressing I&D in Australia Our I&D Committee in Australia, chaired by Dean McIntyre, EGM - Australia, assists in integrating I&D across our Australia operations. Members of the group reflect a diverse mix of gender, age, cultural and professional background, and bring unique personal experiences. An employee-owned culture Employee ownership is at the heart of our enterprise. Our commitment to creating a fully inclusive workplace is embedded in our Principal and Associate Model which recognises those in our business who live our Principal Charter and are material owners of GHD. These designated roles are held in addition to a person’s position and signal a level of ownership and seniority. Women in leadership Women comprise:
33% 44%
of our ALT
of our Board
Commitment to Indigenous Australians Our reconciliation journey with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is reflected in our new Innovate RAP, launched in October 2021.
Flexible and remote working Flexible working has long been part of our culture at GHD, but as we move to a hybrid way of working post-pandemic, we’ve developed a Hybrid/Remote Work Policy which aligns with local COVID regulations and requirements. It recognises that for many of our people, the notion of when and how they work has changed dramatically. Our new policy helps foster a work environment focused on wellbeing, flexibility and productivity, where all of our people can thrive. It recognises the benefits of remote working, whilst also acknowledging the value of face-to-face interaction, and it complements our acceptance of flexible working practices such as working particular times or days. Promoting women in STEM To support, retain and attract more women to science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers (STEM), we partner with organisations to implement initiatives, such as the HunterWiSE program in Newcastle. We also run an annual GHD STEM Pathways program in Victoria and 2021 was our fifth time running the program. 29 year 10 students from eight schools took on STEM roles for a week, participating in a mock urban development project. Post-program feedback revealed that students have a better understanding of what a STEM career involves, and many were considering choosing STEM subjects at school. Generational diversity We embrace and celebrate people from a wide range of ages and life stages, and this is reflected in our partnership with the Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR). 6
4K+ 85
people from approx.
different countries People taking primary carer parental leave 95% 45%
55%
34% female 66% male
Since 2010, we’ve hosted
118+
Indigenous internships through our partnership with CareerTrackers
5% Male Female
Male Female
15/16
20/21
Age composition of our workforce
<25 10%
26-30 16%
31-40
30%
41-50 24%
51-60 14%
60+ 6%
This report includes Australia Business data as at 30 September 2021
Gender
Our pursuit of gender equity in a traditionally male majority industry has continued since 2014 when female employee targets were first set. We monitor our Australian progress against global enterprise targets, outlined below. Executive (Enterprise target 25%) 30% Leader (Enterprise target ≥25%) 21.9% Snr Professional (Enterprise target ≥30%) 21.4% Professional (Enterprise target ≥30%) 40.2% Entry (Enterprise target ≥45%) 44.7% Championing breastfeeding in the workplace To help more of our women feel supported to breastfeed or express milk during working hours, in 2021 we received the Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Accreditation from the Australian Breastfeeding Association, by addressing three key areas for our business: 1. Space: Provide a private space for employees to feed their baby or express milk 2. Time: Develop a policy to support lactation breaks and flexibility 3. Support: Set a comprehensive communication strategy to enable a culture of a truly supportive breastfeeding environment. Parental leave and return to work Our Parental Leave Policy supports our people before, during and after periods of parental leave by providing time off work to care for their child, and by encouraging them to return to work at GHD. Our policy includes entitlements for non-birth giving and same sex partners. We’ve seen, and encourage, an increase in males taking leave as a primary caregiver while their partner returns to work. And to make the return to work transition easier, our people are encouraged to adopt flexible working practices. We also offer 10 days paid leave for partners leave.
Women in GHD (WinG) Program Our WiNG group was established in 2007, in Australia, to provide a platform for our women to feel empowered and to network. In 2014, WinG became an ERG, and today, WinG is active globally, running local initiatives and events, providing a platform for our women to connect, inspire, grow and lead all of our people to foster a culture of gender equality inclusion. International Women’s Day We celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) 2021 in line with the theme #ChooseToChallenge – we can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. Our people around the world celebrated the achievements of women and pledged what they challenged on IWD. We also profiled the many incredible women of GHD who are challenging some of humanity’s most urgent needs every day, in a video compilation. Pay equity We’re committed to achieving pay equity – this is central to our reward culture at GHD. We have tools that help us assess and maintain pay equity: our GHD People System, market-based salary ranges and our core job architecture framework. In 2021, we entered into a threeyear partnership with a company specialising in pay equity, which provides us with tools to quickly access our pay equity, as well as consulting to provide best practice guidance and third-party oversight. We also conduct annual gender pay equity reviews and completed our first ethnicity pay equity review in 2021. We focus on these review findings as part of our annual salary reviews. Jobs Academy: Helping women get back to work We’ve partnered with Future Women’s Jobs Academy program for 2022 to help women who are unemployed, underemployed or looking for a career change. This 12-month pilot aims to leverage connections with partner organisations to identify employment opportunities. As a partner to the program we’ll be presenting open roles with GHD in two webinars, promoting roles on the program’s website and assessing applicants.
Enterprise leadership programs at GHD
52% 103
of participants were female during FY 20/21
of 198 participants were female
Over the 20/21 financial year, 52 percent of all participants in our enterprise leadership programs were female. Programs include the emerging leader program (24 months), future leader program (nine months), business group leader program (seven weeks), coaching skills for senior leaders (six weeks), leading professional services firms – Harvard Business School (two days), and the global executive leader program (nine months).
Career Relaunch Program Our Career Relaunch Program encourages and welcomes professionals back into the workforce after an extended career break – most commonly due to parental responsibilities. The 10-week, paid, flexible program was a first for our industry when launched in 2017 – and is now an annual program offered Australia-wide.
Women’s Career Advancement Program (WCAP) Following a successful pilot in our South Queensland region in 2020, WCAP ran nationally in 2021, and aims to empower and accelerate female talent. 24 women from across GHD nationally participated in the six-month program, which has the ultimate goal of accelerating participants' career advancement in GHD for both individual and enterprise-wide benefits.
+92 90%
The program involved monthly structured learning events, self-directed learning activities, a health check on career progression and the exploration of career aspirations. Each participant was paired with a senior manager they did not have a strong relationship with, to provide the opportunity to expand their network and increase exposure and advocacy at a senior management level.
Career Relaunch participants since 2017
offered ongoing roles at GHD
→ Read some real Career Relaunch participants stories
Cultivate Sponsorship Program A cohort of seven GHD women participated in our national female sponsorship program with Cultivate in 2021. The seven-month program gives business leaders the tools to build strategic alliances with women and matches future leader participants with sponsors from our leadership teams to break systematic barriers. 2021 was our third year running the program. Find out more about this year’s program here.
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“Cultivate gave me the platform to reflect on my leadership aspirations, connect with other women in the business, and further develop my relationship with my sponsor. The course material and some pretty raw conversations through the program, gave me the impetus to challenge myself and lean into leadership opportunities I might have previously dismissed. It was a key factor in putting myself forward for my current leadership role as Regional General Manager." Alison Colella Regional General Manager, Northern Australia 9
Indigenous
At GHD, we’re proud to have maintained a strong connection to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities since our foundations more than 90 years ago. Our Indigenous Services Team leads our Indigenous focus areas outlined below: – Employment and career development – Indigenous procurement – Cultural awareness – Projects and tenders Internal Indigenous Network We established an internal Indigenous Network in 2018, designed to create a culturally safe space where our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees can connect and share their experiences. Today, we have a growing network of 63 members. Cultural Leave Policy We introduced an Indigenous Cultural Leave Policy in August 2021 to help enable our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees meet cultural obligations such as Sorry Business or events for NAIDOC Week, for example. The policy provides part-time and full-time employees an additional two days of paid leave each year. Cultural awareness training In early 2021 we launched a new national online cultural awareness training program with Corporate Culcha. The self-paced interactive course focuses on raising awareness, knowledge and understanding of the rich culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The course allows participants to build a foundational level of knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture which they can build upon by attending face-to-face cultural awareness training. In September 2021, 34 percent of our Australian employees had completed this training. Our RAP outlines our completion rate target of 70 percent by December 2022.
CareerTrackers In 2015, we were one of the first organisations to become a 10x10 partner with CareerTrackers, with a commitment to an intake of 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interns annually for 10 years. The program facilitates internship positions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and sets a pathway for ongoing employment in our Graduate Development Program. Students are supported through advisors and a professional development program. Since 2010 we have hosted 118 internships, and will welcome another 19 students in summer 2021/22, exceeding our annual commitment.
118
CareerTrackers internships hosted since 2010
National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week To help celebrate NRW our people participated in a wide variety of virtual and face-to-face events such as morning teas, movie screenings and presentations hosted by Indigenous suppliers and community organisations. During NAIDOC Week we continued our support for Clothing the Gap, and our people participated it its Heal Country run/walk event. The Heal Country run/walk provided a great opportunity for our people to actively learn about the Country they were on. Exploring the economic dimensions of reconciliation How is Indigenous economic empowerment progressing? Why is supporting Indigenous businesses through procurement important? In this article GHD's Andrew Olsen shares his perspectives on the economic aspects of reconciliation in Australia.
Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan In October 2021, we launched a new Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) which refreshes our vision for reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia and establishes more ambitious and specific actions needed to achieve this vision. More than 900 clients and GHD people joined us for the virtual launch event. Our new RAP focuses on the following areas: – – – – –
Cultural Safety Indigenous Employment Recruitment and Retention Partnerships Indigenous Procurement
→ View our Innovate RAP here.
GO Foundation In 2017, GHD entered into a partnership with the GO Foundation – established by former AFL players, Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin, to provide scholarships to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school students. Since then, we have developed a bespoke partnership to raise awareness of STEM. In May 2021, we participated in a Mentoring Day in Adelaide, where high school students had the opportunity to engage in cultural activities, learn more about career paths, and broaden their perspectives (pictured below). STEAM pathways for Indigenous students We’ve partnered with the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS) to launch the Indigenous Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics (STEAM) Pathways Work Experience Program. Located inside the Richmond Football Club in Melbourne, the school provides Indigenous students from remote and regional communities with the opportunity to access some of the best educational experiences available in a major city. Through this partnership, we will welcome students into our Melbourne office for a week of work experience in 2022. The students will be matched with a team that best suits their interest. The goal of the work experience program is to give students exposure to a STEAM workplace in the hope that it will encourage more Indigenous students to complete school at the same rate as non-Indigenous students.
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“I am passionate about protecting Indigenous culture, significant sites, traditions, and ancestral lands to preserve the longest living culture and my own cultural heritage. As I develop further in the profession, I hope to use my qualifications and experience to ensure that culturally sensitive design is present and appropriately represented in every project I work on." Azhrudin Coulthard Graduate Architect & Landscape Architect, GHDWoodhead 11
LGBTI+
To us, LGBTI+ inclusion means continuing to support and promote a workplace where our people feel comfortable and empowered regardless of their sexual orientation, sex characteristics, gender identities or gender expressions. We want to foster a welcoming workplace environment for people across the spectrums of LGBTI+ through education, resources, policy and ongoing support. We established a National LGBTI+ ERG in 2016, and this group is supported by LGBTI+ Champions in each of our regions, a growing network of more than 230 LGBTI+ allies across Australia and an executive sponsor from our Australian Leadership Team (ALT) - Michele Beattie.
230+
Our LGBTI+ Action Plan In a first of its kind for GHD, in 2021, we released a LGBTI+ Action Plan (2021 to 2022), which details our commitments to support and promote LGBTI+ inclusion. The plan features stories about our people, initiatives and a comprehensive list of actions, which fall into three key areas – systems, culture and leadership. There is also a useful glossary of common LGBTI+ terms at the back of the plan. The Action Plan has been shaped by our LGBTI+ ERG and our peoples’ experiences. → View our LGBTI+ Action Plan here.
GHD LGBTI+ allies and counting Pride Month, IDAHOBIT and Wear it Purple We continue to mark important LGBTI+ days including International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT), World Pride Month and Wear It Purple Day (pictured top right). During Pride Month in 2021, some of our people across the globe told us how they would describe pride to their younger self in a video. Watch it here. Pronouns We added an option to include gender pronouns in our official GHD email signatures so that our people can identify themselves and indicate their pronounds. Pictured: Our people at Mardi Gras 'Bingay' in Sydney
Working together with Pride in Diversity We’re a long-term member of Pride in Diversity (PiD), Australia’s first and only not-for-profit employer support program for LGBTI+ workplace inclusion specialising in HR, organisational change and workplace diversity. PiD helps guide and steer our LGBTI+ inclusion awareness training, enablement, policy change and initiative roll out. Through our membership we hosted two national live events for our people in 2021: 1. LGBTI+ allies training Many people describe themselves as allies, but what does that actually mean, and how can someone be a good ally? To explore this, Chris Nelson from PiD joined us in a training session. Chris spoke about the role of allies, how allies can use their privilege to champion the voices of those with less privilege, the importance of visibility, and how to call out problematic behaviours. 2. Pride Day To mark Pride Day (28 June), a widely recognised global day to help promote and support the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of the LGBTI+ community, Andrew Georgiou, a Relationship Manager from PiD joined our people in a live event. Andrew shared some personal reflections on his own career experiences, as well as some industry insights and answered audience questions. Through PiD, we also participate in a range of forums with other member organisations. 12
While living with a newborn is a familiar story for many, as same-sex parents, Martin (Business Group Leader - Traffic & Transport, Victoria) and his husband Paul's journey to welcoming their first child Zac into their lives was certainly a little different.
Martin's story
Pictured: Some of our people during Wear It Purple Day celebrations, 2021
Martin kindly shared his altruistic surrogacy story with us and some tips for other LGBTI+ people who may be looking to start a family.
→ Read more about Martin's surrogacy adventure
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“Joining GHD as a graduate in a regional NSW town, I was very conscious of the potential perceptions and stigmas of being in a same-sex relationship. Do I tell them straight away? How would my colleagues react? Meeting visible members of the LGBTI+ community and seeing allies with rainbow lanyards in the office were both key to me feeling confident in identifying myself. I hope that by being visible, I can support others to feel comfortable in bringing their whole identity work, especially in regional areas." Ashleigh Edmond Environmental Scientist and LGBTI+ Champion
Cultural identity We’re committed to fostering a culturally safe, diverse and inclusive workplace. We have historically employed people from many different cultural backgrounds while promoting harmony and respect in the workplace. Our people currently working in our Australia Business have told us they were born across approximately 85 countries. A majority were born in Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, China, India and South Africa. Asylum seekers and refugees We were one of the first companies in Australia to partner with non-profit organisation CareerSeekers, which creates employment opportunities for asylum seekers and refugees, many of whom have held professional careers in their country of origin. The CareerSeekers internship program is similar to our existing partnership with sister organisation CareerTrackers, which focuses on Indigenous Australians. Since 2016 we have welcomed more than 52 CareerSeekers participants across our offices in Australia from high, mid, graduate and student career levels. Today more than 32 of these people have transitioned into permanent roles and are still part of GHD – many have become leaders within the organisation. The interns originally from Afghanistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon, Rwanda, Syria and Yemen, have contributed to our Engineering (Transport, Water, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Mechanical), Project Management, Environmental Science, Geology, Business Services (Finance, Administration, Information Technology, Marketing) and Data Analysis teams.
+52 62%
CareerSeekers interns since 2016
are still part of GHD today
They share poignant and inspiring stories about their journeys from war-stricken homelands to finding a job in the Australian workplace. Read Kinda Assayegh’s story below.
On a global scale, GHD is one of the only organisations to be involved with all the CareerSeekers and CareerTrackers sister organisations: InRoads (USA and Canada), CareerTrackers PNG (Papua New Guinea) and TupaToa (New Zealand).
Kinda’s story of identity, survival and resilience “In my life so far, I’ve learned that another day isn’t always guaranteed, and that embracing change is an imperative and key to growth. I’m so excited for this new chapter, to continue to learn and to contribute and grow with my wonderful team at GHD in the gift of today.” After escaping war torn Syria, Kinda Assayegh had to start a new life in a new country. In a piece she wrote, Kinda reflects on her life in Syria, her arrival in Australia and the support she gained from GHD and the CareerSeekers program.
→ Read more of Kinda's story
Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Sydney 200 people from across our Sydney region joined our 2021 Eid al-Fitr lunch celebrations. The word Eid means ‘festival’ or ‘feast’ in Arabic, and Eid is a festival about being ‘grateful towards God for what we have’. Our Parramatta office also had a Henna tattoo artist offering unique cultural Henna tattoos. For our people, celebrating Eid was not about one specific religion but being able to share all of our unique cultural practices in the workplace. Eid brings the real message of friendship and being able to share our experiences and food with our family, friends, colleagues and especially the less fortunate around us. Pictured top right during Eid celebrations: Fatima Jahura and Jillian Smith Below top right: Wasif Hassan and Rory Waddell
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Since starting in GHD’s Traffic and Transport team through CareerSeekers, my team has supported me to improve communication skills and feel confident to communicate with influence, despite English being my second language. I’ve been using modelling software and learning about Australian traffic engineering standards and look forward to gaining more experience in road safety audits. Feeling excited about where my career is going is a great feeling! Mohammed Al-Hamati Engineering Intern and CareerSeekers intern 15
Generational Australians are increasingly working later in life, and the demographic structure of our workforce is continually changing. Soon, five generations will be working alongside each other for the first time in history.
Generational inclusion at GHD includes understanding the career journey of employees and achieving positive outcomes through initiatives that support the collaboration and contribution of people at all ages. Smart Seeds Smart Seeds started in 2012, when a group of graduating students joined GHD in Melbourne. The group had diverse skills, great energy and new ideas with the potential to transform our industry, but like many emerging leaders, they had limited connections and experience to mobilise their ideas. Recognising the potential, we designed a program to build the connections, capabilities and confidence of these emerging leaders. Today, the Smart Seeds programs is run globally. It brings together our people, our clients and partner organisations to respond to challenges set by local industry leaders. Collaborating with teammates and mentors from different industries and disciplines within a structured innovation framework develops entrepreneurial and ideation skills. Young Professionals We are focused on connecting and developing our future leaders through our Young Professionals (YP) networking groups. Our YP program provides a strong support network for our early career professionals and opportunities for them to participate in a range of professional development activities. Active in every state, our YP groups help our people build strong working relationships with their peers and clients. The YP program brings together people with less than 10 years of professional experience from various disciplines to assist in developing skills. GHD Mentoring Program Through our formal Mentoring Program, our people can apply to be a mentor or mentee. The program matches experienced professionals with upcoming practitioners and helps people to meet their career objectives. The relationship is based on encouragement, feedback, mutual trust, respect and a willingness to learn and share.
Pictured: 2021 graduates from Victoria at introductory lunch
Global Graduate Development Program We refreshed our graduate program to create a globally aligned, structured development program balanced with a blend of experiential learning, coaching and training that will develop our graduates as future problem solvers and leaders. As part of the program, 400 GHD graduates from more than 50 offices in 10 countries gathered virtually for the our Global Graduate Forum in November 2021, aiming to connect graduates to what matters via networking and learning opportunities. Talent management and succession planning We have robust talent management and succession planning processes in place. With 20 percent of our employees aged 50+ we have undertaken consultation with our mature age employees to better support career planning and development needs, and to facilitate greater knowledge sharing and mentoring of younger employees. Leveraging intergenerational diversity Generational diversity is complex, but research demonstrates that organisations can leverage its benefits through proactive management. As part of our efforts to encourage optimal work practices that support mature employees’ participation, engagement and health at work, we are a Stakeholder Reference Group member of CEPAR’s ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research. This membership helps CEPAR to translate their research knowledge into practical business applications, it also facilitates our access to data, personnel and other resources that will help us promote successful ageing in our workplace. Through our partnership with CEPAR and the application of its model for the effective management of age diversity (include, individualise and integrate), we are seeking to identify where our current policies and practices are effectively supporting age diversity and where improvements can be made by either changing current or introducing new policies and practices. Furthering leveraging this model, to seek a better understanding the attitudes and perceptions towards generational diversity within GHD, we conducted qualitative interviews with our own people, and are in the process of assessing the results to further our review of policies and benefits.
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“The fact that I get to work with a diverse range of people and challenges every single day is exactly why I’ve stayed at GHD for 16 years. Over that time, I've enjoyed considerable change, and still feel energised to work with a diverse team to win work and see an idea turn into a design, then an asset that silently serves the community for decades to come. And along the way, sharing the important lessons that were gifted with me by my mentors earlier in my career is both a responsibility and a pleasure." Steve Fox Australian Dams Leader
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“Since joining GHD as a graduate, I’ve been involved in a broad range of exciting projects including Integrated Water Management, water security planning, catchment modelling, water quality modelling, dam inspections and master planning. I was also invited to attend one of GHD’s global Technical Summits, as well as the Summit Client Challenge. This was a fantastic opportunity to meet GHD's greatest water technical leaders from the around the globe. And being part of the graduate program meant that I’ve had the cohort’s support along the way." Miranda Cowley Civil Engineer and Earth Scientist
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Pictured: GHD's South Australian team at the WaterAid Beach Volleyball Tournament, 2021
Industry recognition ↓ WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020-2022 Australasian Rail Association Workforce Diversity Award – winner 2021 Engineers Australia Most Outstanding Company in Gender Diversity – Highly commended 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2020 Property Council of Australia Award for Diversity > 250 employees – Finalist 2017 and 2020 Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) Dame Quentin Bryce Award for Gender Equity – 2016 winner AHRI CEO Diversity Champion Award 2017 – Finalist, Phil Duthie Stan Grant Indigenous Employment Award 2018 - Finalist Human Resources Director Australia Australia’s 20 Most Innovative HR teams – 2020 Employee Ownership Australia Fostering Long Term Share Ownership – 2020 winner
Referees “We are pleased to reflect on the many fresh starts for refugee and asylum seekers that GHD has been able to offer through our partnership which helps tackle employment – one of the most challenging barriers to their establishment in Australia. GHD values the different insights and knowledge interns can bring to their teams and is committed to learning more about humanitarian issues.” - Lynn Anderson, General Manager, CareerSeekers
“GHD is committed to advancing its female employees into leadership roles through engaging with our Cultivate Sponsorship Program. GHD’s active participation helps foster strategic alliances to promote women’s career progression and highlights a readiness to tackle gender inequality.” - Katriina Tahka, Co-founder, Cultivate Sponsorship
“As part of our GO Ecosystem, GHD has a significant impact on the work we do with young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to fulfil their aspirations. GHD provide opportunities for our GO Scholars through the hosting of Mentoring Days, showcasing career opportunities within GHD and employing GO Alumni. GHD understand the importance of culture at the heart of the GO Program. We are proud to partner with an organisation who shares similar values and beliefs, as together we continue to promote and showcase Indigenous excellence.” - Charlene Davison, GO Foundation CEO
“GHD has been a member of PiD for several years and during that time, Pride in Diversity has been privileged to provide significant consulting and enablement. PiD is proud to be associated with GHD and its team who are committed to improving workplace diversity and inclusion for the LGBTI+ community." - Adrian Fann, Pride in Diversity
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