Diversity And Flexibility In The Workplace

Diversity and flexibility in the workplace are treated as separate programmes and they are the same question asked twice. An inflexible role excludes people before anybody applies.

A position advertised as full time, on site, with unpredictable hours, is closed to a large group without anyone deciding to exclude them. Carers, people with disability, people managing a health condition, and anyone without reliable transport at the required hours.

None of that appears in a recruitment report. The applications simply never arrive, and the outcome looks like a pipeline problem.

The practical test is to ask, for each requirement in a role, whether it is genuinely necessary or inherited. Full-time hours, a fixed location, evening availability and a driver licence are the four that most often turn out to be neither necessary nor examined.

The Australian Human Rights Commission covers discrimination and inherent requirements. This is general information rather than legal advice, and obligations vary by state and territory.

See Sentrient’s diversity and flexibility course and EEO training course.