Australia: Business study says firms can do more to promote diversity and inclusion

A study carried out by the University of Sydney Business School (USBS) has concluded that Australian companies could be doing more to promote diversity and inclusion (D&I), and that doing so will boost business performance. The study, entitled Benchmarking Diversity and Inclusion Practices in Australia, found that approximately 4 out of ten companies (39%) who responded to the survey had no diversity and inclusion budget.

‘I think the budget issue is quite a complex one,’ said Associate Professor Di van den Broek from the University of Sydney’s Business School. ‘Sixty per cent of our respondents said they had a budget but a lot of those who had a budget said it was inadequate to push through the diversity and inclusion agenda that they wanted.’

Another key finding was that only 41% of diversity and inclusion practitioners said that their organizations measured the outcomes of their D&I initiatives. This is despite the fact that an increasing number of companies are recognizing the business benefits of promoting diversity and inclusion.  Read more via Gay Star News 

First Lady of Belize, Kim Simplis Barrow statement on Diversity

In her statement, Special Envoy for Children and Women, Kim Simplis Barrow warned against bullying and the loss of basic human rights from the LGBT community. Watch here

China: Google, IBM, Ford and McKinsey attend first LGBT job fair

The event was organized by WorkForLGBT and Shanghai LGBT Professionals as part of its second, annual LGBT Corporate Diversity & Inclusion Conference. Both the conference and job fair – held in conjunction with Kanzhun.com – took place at the Langham Xintiandi Shanghai.

Around 200 HR leaders and LGBT employees attended the conference, and around 400 LGBT Chinese job-seekers attended the job fair, which featured 17 Fortune 500 companies. 

WorkForLGBT founder, Steven Paul Bielinski, said that LGBT job seekers were keen to meet with representatives of companies that had comprehensive diversity and inclusion policies: "Talented LGBT employees from all across China traveled to Shanghai to be part of this groundbreaking job fair. Inclusive employers with programs, policies, and a corporate culture where LGBT employees can bring their authentic selves to work are their first choice."  Read More

Australia: PwC appoints advisory board for greater diversity and inclusion

PriceWaterhouseCoopers Australia has announced a number of appointments to a new external advisory board that will be charged with moving the firm towards greater diversity and inclusion.

The professional services company is already regarded as a market leader in this field. It held the number one spot in 2012 and second place in 2013 in Australia's Pride in Diversity's Workplace Equality Index – which ranks best employers for LGBTI individuals. It scored 100% on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index in 2015 and 2014, and also regularly features in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index in the UK.

‘PwC is determined to be different and our external advisory board is one of the ways we are doing this,’ said PwC Chief Executive Luke Sayers in a statement. ‘This is a continuation of our deep commitment to creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce.' Read More