Driving gender equality

Transport is deeply committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace where people feel they can be their whole selves at work. Whilst we have made good progress in some areas, there is much more we need to do to reflect the communities that we serve and harness our full potential to drive innovation and creativity.

The NSW Public Sector has a women in leadership target of 50% by 2025, which is part of the Premier’s Priority for Driving Public Sector Diversity. Transport’s target as part of this contribution is 40%. To accelerate progress on gender equality, Transport has joined the NSW Government Male Champions of Change (MCC). We have partnered with the MCC and engaged in two deep dive initiatives this year.

The Male Champions of Change strategy is globally recognised and is about recognising that the responsibility for progress cannot sit on the shoulders of women alone. Leaders in positions of influence hold power to accelerate change, and men have a responsibility to step up beside women and be accountable for driving that change. As Secretary, Rodd Staples represents our cluster as Transport ‘Champion’, and Jon Lamonte, Chief Executive Sydney Metro, has been appointed as the Cluster Implementation Lead.

What have we done so far?

We have engaged in two initiatives aimed at understanding the barriers women face to career progression and identifying opportunities to take action.

In the first initiative, called a Leadership Shadow Assessment, Rodd, all Deputy Secretaries and Chief Executives have undertaken an assessment process to understand and reflect on how they personally can help to shape a more inclusive workplace.

In the second initiative, Rodd, Jon, and Kirsten Watson, Chief People Officer, have facilitated a series of ‘Listen and Learn’ forums across the Transport cluster. These sessions were attended by 61 women and men in a variety of roles, and took place in Sydney and regional locations. The aim of the sessions was for Rodd, Jon and Kirsten to hear directly from our people and gain a deeper level of insight into the barriers to gender equality, and to identify opportunities for further action.

What did we find out?

We heard overall that our people have noticed improvements over the last few years, and that our leaders are committed to gender equality, however, people have varying experiences depending on which team they are in and who their leader is. Our people told us that taking gender equality to the next level will require systemic improvements and deep cultural change, and there was consensus that this will time. The sessions also showed that there is more we need to do in the following four areas:

  • Values, attitudes and behaviours – The everyday behaviours experienced that make us feel unequal, undervalued or excluded.
  • Policies and processes – Equality in access to and experience of policies and processes.
  • Capability and development - Mentoring, coaching, training and education that is required across levels and gender.
  • Talent and mobility - Attraction, retention, career opportunities and gender balance by level, business unit and role type.

What happens next?

We will be implementing practical actions that will make a difference in these four areas. We’re currently prioritising which actions will have the biggest impact for our organisation in consultation with the Male Champions of Change. We invite your feedback and suggestions on this work by visiting the Discussion Board on the Women in Leadership online space, or by emailing Diversityandinclusion@transport.nsw.gov.au. We look forward to reporting back to you on our progress.

Transport is deeply committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace where people feel they can be their whole selves at work. Whilst we have made good progress in some areas, there is much more we need to do to reflect the communities that we serve and harness our full potential to drive innovation and creativity.

The NSW Public Sector has a women in leadership target of 50% by 2025, which is part of the Premier’s Priority for Driving Public Sector Diversity. Transport’s target as part of this contribution is 40%. To accelerate progress on gender equality, Transport has joined the NSW Government Male Champions of Change (MCC). We have partnered with the MCC and engaged in two deep dive initiatives this year.

The Male Champions of Change strategy is globally recognised and is about recognising that the responsibility for progress cannot sit on the shoulders of women alone. Leaders in positions of influence hold power to accelerate change, and men have a responsibility to step up beside women and be accountable for driving that change. As Secretary, Rodd Staples represents our cluster as Transport ‘Champion’, and Jon Lamonte, Chief Executive Sydney Metro, has been appointed as the Cluster Implementation Lead.

What have we done so far?

We have engaged in two initiatives aimed at understanding the barriers women face to career progression and identifying opportunities to take action.

In the first initiative, called a Leadership Shadow Assessment, Rodd, all Deputy Secretaries and Chief Executives have undertaken an assessment process to understand and reflect on how they personally can help to shape a more inclusive workplace.

In the second initiative, Rodd, Jon, and Kirsten Watson, Chief People Officer, have facilitated a series of ‘Listen and Learn’ forums across the Transport cluster. These sessions were attended by 61 women and men in a variety of roles, and took place in Sydney and regional locations. The aim of the sessions was for Rodd, Jon and Kirsten to hear directly from our people and gain a deeper level of insight into the barriers to gender equality, and to identify opportunities for further action.

What did we find out?

We heard overall that our people have noticed improvements over the last few years, and that our leaders are committed to gender equality, however, people have varying experiences depending on which team they are in and who their leader is. Our people told us that taking gender equality to the next level will require systemic improvements and deep cultural change, and there was consensus that this will time. The sessions also showed that there is more we need to do in the following four areas:

  • Values, attitudes and behaviours – The everyday behaviours experienced that make us feel unequal, undervalued or excluded.
  • Policies and processes – Equality in access to and experience of policies and processes.
  • Capability and development - Mentoring, coaching, training and education that is required across levels and gender.
  • Talent and mobility - Attraction, retention, career opportunities and gender balance by level, business unit and role type.

What happens next?

We will be implementing practical actions that will make a difference in these four areas. We’re currently prioritising which actions will have the biggest impact for our organisation in consultation with the Male Champions of Change. We invite your feedback and suggestions on this work by visiting the Discussion Board on the Women in Leadership online space, or by emailing Diversityandinclusion@transport.nsw.gov.au. We look forward to reporting back to you on our progress.

Page published: 01 Oct 2019, 09:16 AM