Discrimination & workplace equity

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has handed down a major decision that will reshape wages and job classifications across five Awards in predominantly female-dominated industries.

A recent decision by the Fair Work Commission highlights the importance of providing comprehensive, interactive training on workplace policies and reveals the risks employers face when they fail to ensure that employees fully understand their workplace obligations.

Queensland's Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 has been significantly amended with the changes set to take effect from 1 July 2025. These are the most substantial reforms to the legislation in over 30 years. Learn about the key changes and what this means for businesses in our latest blog.

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has introduced significant changes to its reporting requirements to provide a more comprehensive understanding of gender-related dynamics within organisations and align with recent legislative reforms.

Do you know your legal obligations if an employee has an injury which impacts their ability to work? While employers are generally not liable for injuries sustained by employees that occur outside of work, where an injury impacts on an employee’s ability to work, then an employer is obligated to make reasonable adjustments where possible in order for the employee to be able to perform the inherent requirements of their job.

The 2023 International Women's Day theme was #EmbraceEquity. This year, we celebrated some of the women and men in leadership from across our Mapien network, who embrace equity and inclusion, and who are strong advocates for women and closing the gender gap.

Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead. While in recent years, many companies have become more active in their efforts to address gender diversity, women remain underrepresented at every stage of the career pipeline in Australia. Fortunately, there are reliable and effective steps employers can take to break the bias. #IWD2022 #BreakTheBias

Is it better to work with like-minded people or to have a team that challenges one another? Behavioural scientists have known for long time that diverse teams have the advantage. However, while leaders are eager to build diversity, when it comes to hiring, they may also fear introducing new members who won't 'slot in'. The good news is, you don’t need to have interpersonal similarity to create team cohesion.

Gender inequality continues to be a pervasive issue within the workplace despite the tremendous efforts of many. Women supporting women has long been the strategy to tackle the gender-based barriers, however the brunt of responsibility should no longer be placed on women to solve a system that is structurally biased against them. By ignoring the importance of men’s role in closing the gap we are ignoring the systemic nature of gender inequality.

These days workplaces expect to accommodate women who are parents. However, this norm also impacts on fathers who would like to be equal or primary caregivers. There are too few voices currently “choosing to challenge” the status quo.  Until this changes it will be difficult to reach more equitable outcomes for both women and men at work.

When red flags start to appear in the workplace the challenge of knowing where to start will often create avoidance or no action. So how do you target your focus toward the moments that matter most to strengthen culture & therefore performance? How do you ensure a psychologically safe workplace?

Mapien are proud to be sponsoring the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance (NATSIWA), IWD Breakfast event in Perth this year. We've also been fortunate to collaborate with one of the breakfast organisers, Christine Ross on a project in the past year! Christine is empowering Aboriginal women & forging change. Read her profile here!

In the face of immediate disruption, how can you accelerate a team past conflict and into much needed creativity and innovation? One of the answers may be in what lies beneath the surface of diversity. That is, deep diversity.

Is the hype around having a more diverse and inclusive workplace justified? Many organisations nationwide are trying to harness diversity and inclusion. It is crucial to acknowledge the benefit cultural diversity for Australian business and build an inclusive culture to effectively leverage it. Find out how to build an inclusive culture here.