Considerations of intersectionality

Consideration of intersectionality

"The intersectional approach, however, recognises that there are particular consequences when two or more forms of discrimination interact. Conceptualising discrimination on the basis of a single attribute in isolation hinders our ability to respond effectively."

- Australian Human Rights Commission[i]

In building an inclusive culture, consideration must be given to multiple identity dimensions of APS employees, such as First Nations heritage, age, cultural and linguistic background, disability, sexuality and gender. Acknowledging the complex layers of identity we all bring to the workplace will provide a stronger foundation for reducing the impact of compounding disadvantage. This concept is referred to as intersectionality.

A snapshot of intersectionality in the APS as shown in the 2021 APS Employee Census:

The APS is still building its knowledge around intersectionality, but it’s an important consideration when developing diversity programs, initiatives and actions.

Bullying and harassment in the workplace

Bullying and harassment are unacceptable behaviours in the workplace, causing harm to individuals and undermining inclusive culture.

Understand the diversity intersections that exist within your agency. This will help cater policies and activities aimed at addressing bullying and harassment in the workplace and increasing feelings of inclusion.

While the reported rates of bullying and harassment in the APS Employee Census have been trending down over the last five years, more than 1 in 10 respondents are still reporting experiences of perceived bullying and/or harassment in the preceding 12 months. While this downwards trend is also consistent across diversity groups, employees with disability remain more likely to report experiencing perceived bullying and/or harassment. Employees with disability consistently report higher rates of bullying and/or harassment, and in 2021 the reported rate was 9 percentage points higher than employees overall.

The APS is reporting lower rates than Australian State and Territory Governments where comparison data is available (range 13.9% - 28%)[ii].

59% of respondents that had experienced perceived bullying or harassment in the last 12 months did not report the behaviour or have it reported by someone else. This figure was higher for men (64%) than women (56%). Of the people who did not report the behaviour, more than half identified that this was because they did not think any action would be taken.

Build employee awareness of, and confidence in, systems for reporting on perceived bullying and harassment. This could include information campaigns about acceptable workplace behaviours, what happens when a complaint is lodged, or how to report on behalf of someone else if you witness an incident of bullying or harassment.

Employee networks

Employee networks are a way for agencies to bring people with similar experiences together. Having an employee network provides a way for agencies to engage with employees on various issues and is a visible mechanism to show that a particular group is important and valued in the organisation. Diversity networks are an effective way for agencies to engage with employees who identify with particular diversity groups. Agencies can gain insight into lived experience, emerging issues, gain feedback on proposed policies/strategies and action plans, and interact in a partnership on issues that affect those employees. 84% of agencies reported that they have at least one diversity network within their agency. Another 5% who do not have internal networks indicated that their staff are members of the diversity networks within their portfolio department.

Number of agencies reporting an employee network for specific areas:

Build inter-agency connections to support employees in agencies without diversity networks to access the networks of other agencies.

Flexible work in the APS

The benefits of working flexibly include adapting work to individual needs. It allows employees to shape their way of working to suit them. Flexible working is a powerful tool to enable inclusion to flourish. It can provide benefit to a broad group of people, including people who care for children, people with a disability, people transitioning to retirement or just those seeking a personal work-life balance.  For this reason, flexible work features in all three of the current diversity strategies.

What does flexible work look like in the APS?

Two thirds of the APS workforce reported accessing flexible working arrangements in the 2021 APS Census

Why do people seek flexible working arrangements?

There are many reasons employees may request flexibility in where, when, or how they work:

Balance family and caring responsibilities	Support health and wellbeing	Making work more accessible	Improve work/life balance	Reduce commute time	As part of transition to retirement

Benefits to the APS:

Flexible ways of working delivers broader organisational benefits by:

1. increasing employee productivity and engagement
2. strengthening the APS employee value proposition
3. improving recruitment outcomes by widening the candidate pool
4. increasing workforce agility and mobility
5. attracting and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce
6. enabling inclusion to flourish.

Challenges:

64% of agencies reporting facing some barriers in providing access to flexible working arrangements. The top three barriers were:

1. Critical functions required on-site 53%
2. Access to classified materials 24%
3. Availability of IT assets 21%

11.5% of APS employees consider a lack of support for flexible work practices to be a great or very great barrier to their ability to perform at their best.

9.7% of APS employees consider increased flexible work practices to be the most important initiative they would like to see in their working environment.

Women are 4 times more likely to work part-time than men. 20% of women work part-time compared to 5% of men.