Avondale Equity, Diversity and Disability Program

Avondale is committed to fostering an inclusive culture which promotes equality, values diversity, supports disability and maintains a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all its staff and students are respected.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Avondale community celebrates diversity and seeks to help staff and students to learn more about each other. This includes the observance of significant events such as Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander events and those relating to culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Equity and Diversity Initiatives

Avondale provides of a number of initiatives which allow us to practice inclusion, diversity and equity. We will offer some suggestions on ways in which we can contribute to making Avondale an inclusive culture, where everyone can contribute and develop regardless of differences.
The following suggestions may help you think about your personal contribution to creating an inclusive culture.

• Cultural awareness
• Workplace customs
• Working styles
• Meeting arrangements
• Presenting to diverse audiences

Cultural awareness

Our staff members come from around the world, with very varied backgrounds, beliefs and cultures. We expect all members of Avondale to treat their colleagues with respect, fairness and justice. As an individual you are entitled to hold your own beliefs, but in your work role you are expected to work with people holding different beliefs.

Communication styles vary in different cultures. To people coming from a culture where the style is more direct, communication at the University may appear very indirect.

Avondale has an academic culture where people are encouraged to debate and challenge ideas. However the challenges should be on the ideas and approach and not a personal attack on an individual. Similarly, feedback should be constructive, and evidence-based. Some individuals have a more directive management style, but this should be clearly distinguishable from bullying. If you feel that you are being bullied or harassed, you may like to talk about your situation with the Equity Officer.

Much of our behaviour is determined by our culture, which is underpinned by our Avondale values. At times misunderstandings between people with different expectations of our culture can occur. Test any assumptions and be patient in establishing good working relationships with colleagues.

Workplace customs

Many of us work in shared office spaces, where we have to get along with our colleagues. Try to be sensitive to the needs of your colleagues. Things to think about include:

• Minimise distractions when colleagues are trying to concentrate on work: keep social chat for later.
• Share information on your personal needs: for example if you are allergic to nuts, you might want to ask colleagues to avoid bringing nuts into the office or shared kitchen facilities.
• Warn new colleagues about any customs for celebrating birthdays, bringing in food to share etc. Be sensitive to dietary preferences and religious observance that may include fasting.
• Explain local practices, which may not be obvious to a newcomer e.g. bringing your own specialty teas and coffee or pods, doing washing up etc.
• Recognise that people may differ in their desire to socialise outside the office, and may have other commitments. Try to ensure that people do not feel excluded from the team because they do not join social events.
• Check that any meetings are scheduled to take account of people’s working patterns and other commitments, including caring responsibilities.
• Be sensitive in social chat: do not make assumptions about the gender of partners, or about relationships.
• Personal space varies between cultures. You may be working with colleagues from around the world, some of whom have different norms on personal space and on physical contact. It may be helpful to talk about different preferences.

Working style preferences

Recognising that people have different ways of working and being sensitive to their preferences may help to ensure that workplace relationships go smoothly. Things to think about include:

• Avoid putting people on the spot by demanding an instant response. Some people may prefer to think about an issue and give a more considered response in writing.
• Try to accommodate different communication preferences. Some like to discuss and debate, others have difficulty speaking in front of others and may prefer written communication.
• Written communication has the advantage of providing a record, so it may be helpful to write brief notes from a meeting, to ensure an accurate record.
• Brief conversations can easily be forgotten, so sending a follow-up email may be a helpful reminder.
• It is always sensible to have written documentation of instructions and procedures. Some areas include photographs, for example of a laboratory set-up.
• Providing papers in advance of meetings allows people to prepare for the meeting. It is not a good use of meeting time to expect people to scan long papers.
• Some people prefer to think about the ‘big picture’ while others focus on the detail. In most projects both preferences are needed.
• It is sensible for a manager to be aware of individual preferences and working styles when assigning tasks, and to check that individuals are happy with what is required of them. However individuals may choose to develop their skills in areas where they are weaker.

Meeting arrangements

Efforts can be made to ensure that meetings are arranged and conducted in an inclusive way:

• Try to arrange a meeting within core hours: meeting before 9 or late afternoon may be impossible for staff with childcare or other caring responsibilities, people with travel constraints or people working off-site.
• Arrange the meeting at a time that maximises the attendance of part-time staff. Where there is no overlap time, vary meeting times and dates to ensure that all have the chance to attend occasional meetings.
• Can people participate remotely via conference phones or video link?
• Working lunches may be difficult for people for disability-related reasons.
• Circulate the agenda and papers in advance, so that people who cannot attend in person can contribute. Some people find it difficult to read papers on the spot.
• The Chair is responsible for ensuring that the agenda is followed, for timekeeping, and for ensuring that decisions are reached and recorded. They should ensure that all meeting participants have an opportunity to contribute. It may be helpful for the Chair to give very brief summaries of the discussion and clarify the action that has been decided.
• Agree for someone to make brief minutes of action points, and circulate these afterwards. Check in private that an individual is happy to take minutes: this requires multitaskiing which some individuals may find very difficult for a disability-related reason.
• Ensure that those who were not able to attend are informed what happened.
• Very long meetings are often difficult for disabled people. Scheduling a 5 minute comfort break mid-meeting allows people to move around to relieve stiffness, use toilet facilities and relax concentration.

Presenting to a diverse audience

Ideas to think about include:

• Giving an overview of the structure of your presentation at the start may make it easier for people who are not native English language speakers.
• Presenting data graphically may make it easier to understand.
• Providing handouts in advance allows people to do the advance preparation they need in order to understand your presentation.
• Speak clearly, and not too fast. Brief pauses may help your audience to understand what you are saying. Signal clearly when you are introducing a new topic.
• Humour may be misunderstood, so is best used in moderation.
• Depending on the context, linking ideas to those already understood may help the audience to follow your talk.
• When taking questions, it may be helpful to repeat the question so that the entire audience can hear. If asked about a specialist topic, which you suspect maybe unfamilar to some listeners, you may want to provide some context for your answer.

Principles for a Culturally Diverse Society

Avondale has adopted, from the Community Relations Commission for a Multicultural NSW (CRC), the following principles of multiculturalism;

• Principle 1

  All individuals in NSW should have the greatest possible opportunity to contribute to, and participate in, all levels of public life in which they may legally participate.

• Principle 2

  All individuals and institutions should respect and make provision for the culture, language and religion of others within an Australian legal and institutional framework where English is the common language.

• Principle 3

  All individuals should have the greatest possible opportunity to make use of and participate in relevant activities and programs provided or administered by the Government of New South Wales.

• Principle 4

  All institutions of New South Wales should recognise the linguistic and cultural assets in the population of New South Wales as a valuable resource and promote this resource to maximise the development of the State.

Contact details

For more information about Equity, Diversity or Disability, please contact Gina Lemke in our Wellness Centre on the Lake Macquarie campus.

Additional Resources and Information

www.acon.org.au
www.twenty10.org.au
www.fpnsw.org.au
www.humanrights.gov.au
www.blackdoginstitute.org.au