lululemon

IDEA Manager (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Action) - Australia/New Zealand

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Action (IDEA) Manager AU/NZ

Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman

Developed EDI & implemented Wellbeing strategy
Led Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) and Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and implemented engagement opportunities
Reviewed policies and practices that demonstrate effective employee recruitment and retention
Project managed organisation engagement strategic measures through Pulse and Engagement surveys
Alignment of EDI & Wellbeing and business objectives
Revised Equitable recruiting and retention practices 
Completed reporting of diversity metrics across the business
Partnered with People Leaders to drive implementation of EDI & Wellbeing strategies, program, and policies
Promoted a diverse workforce and fostered an environment of inclusion, belonging and safety
Collaborated with communications team to promote with external members through forums and newsletter in creating inclusive and accessible services
Established and steward employee resource groups (ERGs) to leverage and strengthen organisation culture 
Guided the employee diversity needs and issues to continually strengthen courageous conversations and psychologically safe, open, collaborative, and inclusive culture
Reviewed exit interview data for diverse talent and specific EDI & Wellbeing related issues
Managed and fostered relationships and networks with external partnerships and key diversity organisations.

 Lead - Equality Diversity Inclusion & Wellbeing

Australian Industry Standards

Industry Skills Manager – ESI Generation and Gas Supply
Product Owner and Project Manager of National Training Packages
Built external partnerships Federal and State Government stakeholders
Increased the visibility of Diversity & Inclusion initiatives in workforce planning
Led projects increasing the visibility of women in the energy workforce
Project managed the re-developing a training program specifically targeted towards remote area communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Implemented Wellbeing strategy and wellness program.

Industry Skills Manager

Cleanaway Waste Management

Instituted retention process improvement systems across multiple sites in Australia.
Lead change management processes to improve customer acquisition and reduce attrition
Increased liquid waste sales resulting in a growth in revenue by 260%p.a.

Project Specialist

Lumo Energy

Developed bespoke modules to enhance the customer experience for the culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) customers.
Embedded dispute resolution practice and process improvement tools for complaint management
Supervised training and coaching sessions to maximise the performance of the sales (commercial and residential), credit management and customer service departments.

Senior Customer Quality Coach

ServiceIQ

Developed a Strategic Learning Engagement programme to increase qualification achievement amongst minority groups to support New Zealand Government directive. 
Implemented continuous improvement cycles to resolve potential future barriers for learners.

Moderation and QA

Retail Institute

Project Management to develop training products for cross-sector industries. 
Represented the organisation at educational forums ranging from Qualification reviews, Quality Assurance and Maintaining Consistency in Assessment Practice. 
Designed customised FMCG assessments practices to exceed the organisation's KPI's.

Project Manager & Assessor

Skills Team

Program Manager
Delivered on-site vocational training programmes to a range of clients from event management, electronic, energy, health care, charity and finance related industries.
Relationship Management with key accounts and clients.
Instructional Designer

Corporate Trainer

Subscription Marketing ltd

Implemented induction training modules and quality assurance standards.
Authenticated customer insight data for clients.
Forecast sales trends for clients during print and television media promotions.

Broker Floor Manager

Mentored and developed call centre managers with customised coaching sessions to achieve their individual KPIs and team goals.  
Implemented succession plans and advised managers on Talent Management initiatives.
Established an internal Pasifika networking group to raise engagement and awareness strategies

National Specialist Coach and Quality Assurance

Helping people by supporting heavy lifting of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Wellbeing & Mental Health | to be good humans

My career has consisted of working in several public and corporate environments. My international experience has included roles in Project Management, Corporate Wellbeing Strategies and Mentoring programs.
I volunteer my time to work with Inclusion and Diversity groups to raise their visibility and champion 
 mental health awareness in the workplace.

I was so fortunate to be included in #RugbyAustralia #partOfMore series. To share my story has been a positive experience and I hope this continues to help people struggling to be who they are. 
#inclusion #diversity #mentalhealth #teamwork #raisingawareness  #LGBTIQ+ #teammates #humanrights

Andrew Fitisemanu

Derek Heyswiver, Age 9, Announces Retirement from Sports

Well done to ESPN for highlighting this very important issue, regarding why children stop dropout from sport.

A systematic review, with meta-analysis, of 10 studies revealed that 23.9% of adolescent soccer players drop out on an annual basis (Møllerløkken et al., 2015) and that the dropout rates are higher for female (26.8%) than male (21.4%) adolescent soccer players. These dropout rates are similar to other studiwa by Baron-Thiene and Alfermann (2015), who reported a dropout rate of 29.6% among elite German athletes, and Vella et al. (2020). Interestingly, dropout rates were also higher for female and individual sport athletes. A recent study by Vella et al. (2020) examined dropout from sport, who found that 33.3% dropped out of sports between the age of 10 and 14 years.

Why Do Young Athletes Dropout from Sport?

1️⃣ Burnout
Isoard-Gautheur et al. (2016) examined the relationship between burnout and participation rates after six years, among elite handball players who were aged between 14 and 18 years. Those who reported higher levels of burnout were much less likely to playing handball six years later.

2️⃣ Relative age effects.
The relative age effects states that athletes who are born in the first two quartiles of a selection year are more likely to be selected for teams and have a greater chance of success, because these adolescents are generally heavier, taller, and stronger (Helsen et al., 1998). Lemez et al. (2014) reported that dropout rates were highest among those born in the 3rd and 4th quartiles.

3️⃣ Motivation
Another factor that influences dropout rates is motivation. Francisco Guzman and Kingston (2012) found that athletes who persisted in their sport were more likely to have self-determined motivation and have their basic psychological needs (e.g., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) met.

4️⃣ Coach-athlete relationship
Gardner et al. (2017) tracked 324 adolescent athletes over a period of year. During this period, 26 athletes dropped out of sport. One of the reasons given was a poor coach-athlete relationship, in which the athlete does not get on with his or her coach.

5️⃣ Enjoyment
The study by Gardner et al. (2017) also revealed that enjoyment was a factor that predicted drop out. That is, the athletes who dropped out, reported low levels of enjoyment in their sport. From a coaching perspective, it is imperative that coaches make organised sport fun and enjoyable.

6️⃣ Behavioural and Psychosocial Reasons
 Fraser-Thomas et al. (2008) found that those who dropped out took part in few activities outside of school and spent less time participating in swimming. Additionally, those who had dropped out were more likely to have had the status of being a top swimmer in their childhood. Many of the swimmers who dropped out had parents who competed at high level. Also, those who dropped out were less likely to have best friends who were involved in swimming.

This sort of extremist behavior from ACT New Zealand is very worrying.

Dr Parmjeet Parmar doesn't represent all kiwi-Indians in Aotearoa New Zealand. Infact it is embarrassing that she, as a person of color has opted to deliver this very bigoted message.

David Seymour is again playing race bait politics here. Him going after Māori rights in particular has been a hallmark of his policies. 

The University of Auckland have clubs and safe spaces for all sorts of interests including a church. I don't see a mosque or a temple at Uni. I don't see Seymour or Parmjeet complain about this as restrictions to religious freedom. 

Don't fall for this crap! It is cheap and tasteless 🤢🤮

Let’s have a quick check in on “harmony day”.

In 1999, the Australian government under Prime Minister John Howard decided to change the name of the day from the "International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination" to "Harmony Day." 

The decision to change the name was made as part of a broader push by that government to deny entrenched racism in Australia and colonisation. Alongside changing the name of this day, Howard refused to say sorry to First Nations people and ignited what is referred to as the “history wars”.

The history wars is a term used in Australia to describe the period particularly during the 1990s where there was open and vehement public debate about the interpretation and reporting of the history of the European colonisation of Australia and the development of contemporary Australian society, particularly with regard to their impact on Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Howard and his government campaigned for an interpretation of an Australian history, including in school curriculum, that focused on celebrating European colonisation and downplaying the history and existence of such important facts in our collective history including the:
 - Terra Nullius 
- The attempted genocide of our First Nations people, and the
- The White Australia Policy 

Changing the name of International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to "Harmony Day”, was a triumph for Howard’s agenda.

It’s time to return this day to its original name and as Professor Andrew Jakubowicz said on the problem with Harmony Day:  

“It’s all about making people feel that there’s really no problem with people who are different from them, and if you share food from different countries and you dress up in different clothes and everyone sings and dances, then the whole problem of racism disappears,”

“In terms of addressing the causes and processes through which racism is reinforced, it sets that back dramatically.”

“If you can’t talk about what is actually going on, and address the dynamics that are actually occurring, then you are guaranteeing that they will continue to be problematic and cause deeper and deeper hurt and destructiveness in Australian society.”

Will you be joining me in returning the orginal name of this day in your workplace? 

Let’s remember that to deny the past, is to deny the future.

Rugby Union teams are social support networks … 💭 


This is a post about … Community Wellbeing✅(again)

Last night I was invited by my old rugby team to come down a run rugby union scrum session for new and returning players … not too hard because that is my skill set.

I have to admit I was a bit rusty, but I was committed! 

I drafted a training plan with drills and goals for the session and as you expect I had to adjust because that is just want happens with pre-season training at a community club level. 

What I did take away from the night, was a moment to reflect on …

The things I enjoyed:

✅Connecting with players I use to coach and seeing how they developed

✅Connecting with old teammates and sharing stories

✅Connecting with new players and passing on knowledge & techniques

✅Connecting with the outdoors and I love the rain

✅Connecting with myself and realising I still have good flexibility!!!

If you didn’t notice, there is a theme of … 

CONNECTEDNESS …

This is just a simple post about Wellbeing and I’m enjoying this ride while I explore EVERYTHING 👏👏👏

Please see my friend Ash in the background reminding me how close we are meant to be in the scrum, when he’s the Hooker 🪝 #iykyk

I do have one ask … 

I am taking recommendations for men’s shorts; I’m looking for a balance between legging and circus tents 😶 The struggle is real!

#dei #wellbeing #mentalhealth #community #lgbtqia #rugbyunion #communitywellbeing #coaching #connection #connectedness #binghamcup #gayrugby #inclusiverugby #melbournechargers 

17 years ago our little boy walked out of his class, went to the office and told them he wouldn’t be going back to RE and to please ring his māmā. I remember that when he got on the phone, tearful and angry he said: “Māmā the adults are lying about Auntie Wena and everyone. They’re lying Māmā.” That morning a volunteer who ran Religious Education lessons announced to the children that the Tuhoe people wouldn’t be going to Heaven. The day before, armed Police raided the Urewera Valley, illegally detaining and traumatising innocent adults and children. No one was ever charged with or convicted of terrorism. Our boy with our support refused to go back to RE. Soon every kid from the pā also joined him in the library. Word got out that they were being  allowed to play on the computers in the library. So other kids followed suit and soon the library was full and RE less full. Meanwhile adults lobbied to have RE outside of class time as it wasn’t part of the curriculum. With few kids and families wanting to come to school early for RE, the lessons soon ended. Children and young people know right from wrong. And sometimes, as it was in 2007 in our small town and as we’ve seen recently, they will be the ones to teach adults the difference. #InternationalDayfortheEliminationofRacism2024
 

manamokopuna.org.nz • 2 min read

"Without racism Aotearoa would be better": Mokopuna share their experiences of racism and solutions to end it

Happy belated Easter to all those who observe. 

And Yes, Transgender Day of Visibility (TDoV) did fall on Easter Sunday this year.

Is it offensive to celebrate both on the same day? I don’t think so. 

Yet when Joe Biden did, Fox News, to date, has run 11 news stories on it and major news outlets here continue to cover the story of him acknowledging TDoV on Easter Sunday. 

Easter is the most significant holy holiday in the Christian Calendar, however it is not a fixed day as it is determined by the lunar calendar. It falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This means Easter can fall anywhere between March 22nd and April 25th. Therefore in order for no other day of significance to clash with Easter ever it would need to avoid this entire period. It is also possible for Easter to be on the same day as Holocaust Remembrance Day, International Autism Awareness Day, Earth Day and Anzac Day. 

It’s also worth noting that some Eastern Orthodox churches, like Greek Orthodox, observe Easter at a different time altogether. 

Since 2021 Joe Biden, as the President of the USA,  has made a proclamation on 31 March supporting Transgender Day of Visibility. This year was no different accept that it clashed with Easter. To be clear, Biden also made a heartfelt Easter Christian message first and he is by his own description a devout Catholic. However media sources both here and overseas have  sought to misrepresent Biden as deliberately wanting to replace Easter with TDoV. 

Why does all this matter, because it shows the lengths anti trans activists will go to try and attack Trans people and the role we can all play in reading beyond the click bait headlines. Equally, this is part of their campaign to pit Christians against Trans people, a binary I wholeheartedly reject and something I know many Christian’s reject too, including Joe Biden. 

In the context that one child and another  young transgender adult have been killed this year already in the USA, I can’t see how Biden’s message isn’t in alignment with the values of Easter when he states that:

“Today, we show millions of transgender and nonbinary Americans that we see them, they belong, and they should be treated with dignity and respect.”

In Australia Senator Penny Wong made the equally inspiring comment:

“The Albanese Labor Government stands with trans and gender diverse people across Australia.
On this #TDOV, we celebrate your strength and your courage - and we recommit to advocating for trans and gender diverse rights in the pursuit of equality.”

And on behalf of the Victorian Government you can watch Minister for Equality Hon. Harriet Shing message below 👇

Pease take time to check out the TDOV campaigns from TGV | Transgender Victoria  and Transcend Australia’s “letters of love”.

instagram.com

Harriet Shing on Instagram: "Today we celebrate our vibrant and diverse trans and gender diverse communities on Transgender Day of Visibility. 🏳️‍⚧️❤️🏳️‍🌈 Recognising trans and gender diverse experiences and achievements is important, not just tomorrow, but every day. Trans and gender diverse people deserve equal access to opportunities and to be seen, heard, and loved. In Victoria, equality is

Having a coffee catch up is my kind of Belonging activity … 💭


Since starting my freelance DEI consulting work, I get asked … 

What do you do? And what is this DEI stuff all about? 🤗

My simple ANSWER … 

I just listen to their request, have a two-way conversation and respond in a way that is meaningful and achievable.

I am here to enable people to move forward on their next step of their DEI journey and not repeat the same thing over and over. I can provide unique insights and provide a customised initiative. 🙌 

That’s a broad answer I know, because DEI questions can come from anywhere … who the heck really knows if the questions will ever end. I think as long as people are breathing the questions will keep coming because 'we keep evolving' and we're not going to get it right all the time ... because we're human💡

Here is what I do: 

✅Storytelling of lived experiences 
✅Brand alignment with DEI themes 
✅Queer sports and community athletes 
✅Pasifika people narratives 
✅Create connections to my DEI network 

What are don’t do: 

🚫Virtue signaling 
🚫Tokenism 
🚫Create harm 
🚫Exploit underrepresented people

Strange things I have been asked: 

👎Find a drag performer two days before an event? 
👎I need to convince people attend a DEI event?
👎Can you share a trauma story? 

Two things I’m starting to enjoy: 

✅Connection with great people 
🚫Saying NO to projects I’m not aligned with 

Finally, my newish-old rule: 

✅Use my superpowers for good 🏉🏝️🏃‍♂️🏋️‍♂️👨🏽‍🦲🏳️‍🌈🏢📈🗣️👂🏽📓🪄

NB: The first coffee is always on me for a chat ☕

#dei #wellbeing #mentalhealth #belonging #freelance

🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️”Let’s Change That”🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

With Trans Day Of Visability upon us ( tomorrow ) it’s been a privilege to work with various organisations both here and internationally on resources that not only act as a tool for educating but navigating difficult and challenging conversations around the trans and gender diverse communities both locally and globally.

I look forward to these resources dropping soon and tomorrow that covers trans allyship, trans media reporting, working with police and international travel gender markers on documents.

With the heat that Is heavily applied to the trans community with these conversations I hope these resources will open up, help, reflect and encourage a wider conversation that informs and educates one to make informed and mindful decisions when navigating the dialogue about us.

Our community deserves to be heard and kept safe 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

(Photo Slides: Outtakes from from Naarm organisation Transgender Victoria resource being released tomorrow for Trans Day Of Visibility 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

Free guidance tip when you’re designing your Wellbeing strategy … 💭


Here is a question I get from the odd manager when developing new initiatives:

Question:
How do you encourage an individual in a hybrid workplace who wants to sit on their own, but to sit with others?

I have two replies:
1st short response -

A simple direct answer “You don’t need to”🤷‍♂️

2nd long response -
I normally follow up this with a few of prompting questions to uncover their ‘why’🤔

✅Why is that a concern for an individual who wants to sit on their own?
✅Tell me what do you envision the office attendance day to look like for an individual from when they arrive and leave the office?
✅How would you describe to your people what engagement vs interaction?

If you ask these questions and actively listen to the answers, you'll get a good compass of where the Wellbeing strategy should be heading.

Remember one of the pillars is psychological safety and providing a mentally safe environment for people to work.

Just putting some of my experiences out there in the LinkedIn Universe to someone who needs support 🌌

#dei #wellbeing #mentalhealth #psychologicalsafety #freeadvice #questiontime 

Do you know mental health pre-season training is on? ... 💭


Well, it's what I now call rugby union pre-season training on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6.30pm. 

Basically, from my lived experience ...

✅Rectangular outdoor pitch 
✅A group of young and old men
✅Looking to improve on themselves
✅Who get together twice during the week
✅Running around in a chaos theory structure
✅Putting their trust into a single man with a whistle
✅Encouraging men to enter their personal space with a tackle

It's called ... forming connections in safe spaces 🏉

Also thank you George North for this memory and your service to the great game ... #iykyk 

#dei #wellbeing #mentalhealth #mensmentalhealth #rugbyunion #georgenorth #BritishandIrishLions

DEI conversation today about allyship negatives … 💭


Don’t get offended on my behalf … 😶

Critical conversations are being had in the workplace around taking actions to be inclusive.

It's important to be an ally, but it's equally important to avoid getting offended on behalf of marginalised groups. 

Remember fear and fragility should not prevent support and action. Working towards a more inclusive and equitable workplace is listening and responding where you need to lend your voice and presence as an ally. 

Reframing your thinking and try being an active Collaborator 🎙️

✅Be a Collaborator!

#DEI #wellbeing #mentalhealth #allyship #beacollaborator 

My favorite quote when I start to develop a new coaching plan ... 💭


“Measure twice; cut once.”

It works for everything ... 🎙️

#dei #wellbeing #mentalhealth #coaching #development #careercoaching 

It’s not always fun and games … 💭


It’s actually a lots better when you have experience and knowledge to draw from. 

Knowing when you need to pull back and push forward. 

I am thankful for today and have the space to discuss a taboo theme of …

BURNOUT ☄️

Holding spaces with Young Men and sharing it’s not weak to ask for support or just check-in. 

These is some much assumption that the younger generations already have the answers and that’s just not right.

I do wonder if here on LinkedIn we celebrate all the awareness training and leadership workshops, that’s the underrepresented we are meant to be supporting are will not been given a seat or voice. 

Fact: it’s not happening and people are still getting left behind.

#dei #wellbeing #mentalhealth #workshop #holdingspace #youngmen #millennials #genz #genx

Can belonging in the workplace be captured in a quote? ... 💭


Organisational psychologist Adam Grant:

"Belonging is the feeling that you are supposed to be somewhere, and that others want you to be there."

I think I can do my own spin ... 👀

Belonging is like being the missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle; once you fit in, the whole picture becomes clear to everyone - Andrew Fitisemanu 

#dei #wellbeing #mentalhealth #belonging #personalbrand


DEI conversation today... 💭

Did you know that the queer community is a spectrum of identities and allies? 

It's important that we recognize and respect the diversity within this community. 

During a conversation, we discussed the importance of giving our trans siblings their space and not expecting them to solve all queer human rights issues. 

We must remember that individuals only have so much lived experience to draw from and we have enough to take action. 

Let my trans siblings breath 🍃


#DEI #wellbeing #mentalhealth #QueerCommunity #TransRights #tdov #internationaldayofvisibility #allyship

A stranger called out to me in the street … 💭 


While just walking home from the gym this evening, a man popped his head out of his car window and asked if I had seen a local exbibit in the next suburb?

I turned back not hearing him clearly and ask if he was alright ...

But he just wanted to share with me something that might enjoy. I got the details and said thank you.

As we parted ways, and he said these final words “It might cheer you up” 👀 

It got me thinking about the themes of:

How much does it takes to show compassion to others?
And 
How we can be receptive to the generosity of other good humans in the world?

For me not everything is about my work but must align with my values and this 5-minute interaction did it all ✅ 

Of course, here I openly talk about individuals should be fairly compensated for their exchange of skills, knowledge and expertise.

But BELONGING is about connection, transparency, fairness, openness, humility and generosity. That is the work environment I want to be a part of. 🙏 

You may think, I missed honesty, clarity, accountability, empowering, teamwork and respect. I didn't, because these should be embedded within a thriving organisation, and not to sound cynical aren't these words not already included into people annual performance reviews.

In my time here on LinkedIn, I have been open to connections around the world and participated in:

Discovery calls
DEI insights
A sounding board
Storytelling narratives
Wellbeing initiatives
Talent Acquisition opportunities
Podcasts
Brand ideology
Representation vs Visibility 

I put it out to the LinkedIn universe, and I am glad with the energy I am receiving back.

NB: Please be careful talking to strangers and just maintain a safe distance. 

#dei #wellbeing #mentalhealth #belonging #goodhumans

I wonder ... 💭


What do people think about the difference between?

Coaching vs Mentoring

#dei #wellbeing #mentalhealth #coaching #mentoring 

Becoming A Corporate Athlete Mini Series 💪 

I thought the next few videos I would do would be on how we become corporate athletes.

Where best to start than understanding what a corporate athlete is and how that will help us perform at our best consistently! 

Hope you enjoy learning about what behaviours and mindsets we can use from elite athletes 😃

#performance #wellbeing = #sustainableperformance #coaching #leadership

Wellbeing hack for today with a hint of yellow... 💭


"When life gives you lemons, you get Vitamin C ... 🍋"

My inspiration for this quote is Roman Ružbacký! 🙌

Roman gave me such a warm introduction today in the DEI Hub meeting acknowledging my space in wellbeing and an active lifestyle ...

I had to ironically respond 'I have a cold and resting'.

It happens and is normal and human to get sick 😷🤒🤢🤮🤧

But ... as I gaze at my screen ...




#dei #wellbeing #mentalhealth #networks #mentor #mentoring #WhenlifegivesyoulemonsyougetVitaminC 

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