Diversity and inclusion - our journey
Read about how we're working to be a diverse and inclusive organisation.
Ever wondered what kind of people work at ACC? The video above is just a small snapshot.
Using our own staff as talent, voice over, director, and editor, we wanted to create something that would give a flavour of how diverse our people are.
McKinsey research shows that organisations with more diverse and inclusive teams outperform those with a more homogeneous workforce. For us, 'better performance' simply means we're giving New Zealanders a better service when they need us.
Our people speak
Of our 3,000-plus staff
We have
So what are we doing?
We’re aware it’s action, not words, that counts. So, here are a few of the actions we’ve been taking to become more diverse and inclusive.
1. We make diversity and inclusion a regular topic of conversation
We recently got together in our various teams across the organisation and talked openly and honestly about diversity and inclusion. We talked about where we think ACC is doing well, and where it needs to improve.
Since those conversations, we’ve seen a groundswell of support from staff who are passionate about making sure our workplace is a diverse and inclusive one. So far, we have seen the creation of Pride@ACC, a staff-led network for LGBTQIA+ people, as well as a Women’s Network. There are more networks planned, too.
Our senior leaders and managers also come together regularly to discuss how to support and improve diversity and inclusion at ACC.
2. We received the CQ Tick
We’re now among the few organisations in New Zealand to receive the ‘CQ Tick’. It’s a formal certification in cultural intelligence and capability by the Superdiversity Centre on Law, Policy and Business. The certification lasts for a year.
Superdiversity Centre on Law, Policy and Business - website
Receiving the CQ Tick reflects how much we value diversity and have the capability to work with people from all backgrounds. But most importantly the CQ Tick provided us with benchmark data we will use to measure ourselves against as we keep working to support more diversity and inclusion at ACC, which will help us better meet the needs of our customers.
Getting the CQ Tick also revealed some interesting facts about our makeup.
Diversity facts
- Our people are fluent in over 70 different languages
- We have over 87 ethnicities represented
- Almost one-third of us weren’t born in New Zealand
- 14% of us have a disability, long-term illness or health condition
- 12.5% of us identify as Māori.
Tell us what you think
We're just at beginning of our journey. Being diverse and inclusive is something we will always be working on. But we're very driven to be an organisation where both our staff and our customers are free to be themselves.
Do you have ideas on how we can be more diverse and inclusive? Feel free to share your ideas with us on our Facebook and Twitter pages. We’d love to hear from you.
