Amplifying Culturally Diverse Australian Workers 

Welcome to Hire Potential with Indeed, a series of fireside chats with experts in diversity and inclusion, employer branding, recruiting, HR and more.

Did you know that in 2020:

• Over 7.6 million migrants were living in Australia?
• 29.8% of Australia's population were born overseas?

As the world becomes increasingly globalised, Australian workplaces are being exposed to more cultures than ever before. However, researchers from Macquarie Business School say that despite having one of the most ethnically diverse populations on the planet, Australia pales in comparison to other nations when it comes to the representation and treatment of culturally diverse Australian workers. 

Getting serious about responding to the underrepresentation of cultural diversity requires getting on eye-level with, and actively dismantling the antiquated barriers posed by prejudice and discrimination, and it’s something we need to talk about.

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Prologue

Erin: Welcome to Hire Potential with Indeed. A welcoming workplace is built from the ground up with attention to diversity, inclusion, accessibility and openness. But the way many leaders and companies approach this is full of gray areas, uncertainty and quite often, fear. Hire Potential with Indeed is here to demystify the process through the most powerful channel possible, conversations, groundbreaking ones, too. 

I'm your host, Erin Waddell, strategic insights consultant and D&I evangelist in Australia for Indeed. I've worked in the recruitment industry in Australia for the last seven years and have been in Australia for 10 years. 

In this podcast series will tackle the issues we face in the modern workplace, from diversity and inclusion to remote working, accessibility, fair hiring practices and more. This podcast is an initiative of indeed.com, the world's number one job site with over 250 million unique visitors every month from over 60 different countries. 

Introduction

Erin: Before we dive in, I wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land in which we are meeting today, and to any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders who may be listening. I pay my respects to their elders’ past, present and emerging.

In today's episode, we'll be discussing the importance of amplifying culturally diverse Australian workers. With almost 50% of Australia's population either being born overseas, or having one or both parents that were born overseas, it's no surprise that Australia has one of the most ethnically diverse populations on the planet. However, researchers from Macquarie Business School say that despite the nation's multicultural diversity, Australia pales in comparison to other nations when it comes to representation and treatment of its culturally diverse workers. 

Unfortunately, our 2021 D&I report found that the majority of multicultural workers are looking for support and inclusion in their workplace, but are often not receiving it. We found that 69% of people from a cultural or religious minority group say that they have hidden part of their identity at work, with some respondents saying microaggressions in the form of jokes are still being tolerated in the workplace today. Responding to the underrepresentation and mistreatment of cultural diversity in the workplace, often involves getting on eye level with an actively dismantling the antiquated barriers posed by prejudice and discrimination, and it's something organisations should consider taking action on today.

To discuss this in more depth, we are joined by Malini Raj, Head of Community Engagement & Chair of Mosaic, Cultural Diversity and Advisory Group at CBA. To learn more about her experience as a female Asian Australian worker in the modern workplace, and why workplaces should champion cultural diversity and inclusion to create a space that is welcoming and inclusive to all. Welcome, Malini.

Malini: Thanks, Erin, for having me.

Erin: You're very welcome. I would love to hear a little bit about what your role is at Commonwealth Bank.

Malini: I've been at the bank for about 10 years now. Currently, I am head of community engagement. My team is responsible for building and enhancing the bank's relationship with our community sector, and providing that community voice back to the business to improve customer outcomes in line with community expectations. I've got a particular focus on customers with limited English, older customers, people with a disability and indigenous customers, including those in remote locations. I'm part of a broader team called Community and Customer Vulnerability, and we've got a specific focus on supporting customers in vulnerable circumstances and improving their financial wellbeing and access to banking services.

This role is relatively new, and for the last five years previous to that, I was also head of strategy for multicultural community banking. So, that was a role that was focused promoting cultural diversity, financial and social inclusion through authentic and meaningful engagement with multicultural communities, at both a strategic and government level and also at a grassroots level.

My other hat within the organisation is that I am chair of the group's cultural diversity employee network called Mosaic. Our role is to create culturally informed leaders and supported people. We focus on our people and our leaders. And for our people and specifically our culturally diverse employees, we want them to feel that their uniqueness is valued, their voice can be heard, and they have an equal opportunity to progress. For our leaders, we want them to understand the influence and the responsibility they have in creating an inclusive environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work, and to understand the shadow that they cause. And also, to acknowledge unconscious biases. We all have them. We're all human. We need to stare into them. They need to take the time to know their people, to understand and embrace diversity and difference. And in doing so, breaking down barriers and stereotypes. This is critically important for our workforce, because we've got almost 40,000 people, so many of whom have a culturally diverse background.

Erin: Yeah, you're a very large and I would say, well established bank in this country. I can only imagine how many different types of cultures you're working with on a day to day basis. It's a really big job that you have to make sure that everyone's able to access their accounts, or make sure that they are able to work with your company in a way that works for them, too. I would also love to hear about your involvement in the diversity and inclusion space outside of your role at CBA?

Malini: I've also always had a passion for inclusion and diversity, specifically cultural diversity. I was involved in the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, Diversity and Advisory Council for many years, over 10 years. And then more recently, the women on boards Cultural Diversity Advisory Group. Our aim is to address barriers to opportunity and access to leadership and board and committee roles for culturally diverse women in Australia. The idea for the group was formed out of recent discussions about the lack of diversity in Australian leadership. The Bureau of Statistics places the percentage of local Australian graduates from non-Anglo and European backgrounds at almost half of all graduates, and the Human Rights Commission reports at only 5% of these graduates will eventually be appointed to leadership roles in Australia.

Cultural diversity on boards is also slipping backwards. According to the 2020 Board Diversity Index Report published by the Governance Institute, cultural or ethnic diversity on ASX 300 boards had decreased since 2019. The report found no reason for this apart from inaction. We as a group did some research, and found that the cultural composition of the ASX 200 boards was only like 5.2% were held by women or men by of non-guards. So, that includes men, as well.

I've been advocating for cultural diversity and inclusion at an organisational leadership level for over 20 years, because I guess greater diversity is not just fairer and more reflective of society, but it just makes better business sense. It also became apparent to me that unless there's cultural diversity at the board level, then the strategies are unlikely to be reflective of the communities that they serve. And the executive leadership won't be implementing strategies that don't have appropriate diversity lenses applied to them. Diverse boards would challenge proposals, providing more perspectives, group think decreases, and consequently, better decisions are made.

Erin: I think unconscious bias plays a big factor in that, as well. If people are at the top, they tend probably, to look and hire people that look a lot like them. I think that happens a lot in any type of recruitment. But if you're sitting at the top of the board and everyone on the board looks like you and has a similar background, then you're definitely missing out on a lot of opinions that could be added to your organisation of diverse backgrounds of diverse thinking. I think that that can be really harmful to a company if they start to only think in one direction, and to the growth. Now, you also told me that you've been working in this space for 20 years. Can you share with us how, as an Asian Australian woman in a leadership role, your identity has shaped your experience in the workplace?

The experience of an Asian Australian woman in leadership roles

Malini: Yes. Well, I think it's evolved. I remember when I was younger in school, and I went to primary school. I was probably the only South Asian Australian, or actually probably only non-Anglo-Saxon person. I felt that I had to hide who I was. I hated that I had dark skin. My mum used to pack me Indian food and I used to hide it, not want to eat it. I wanted a peanut butter or Vegemite sandwich. I just wanted to be like everyone else. As I entered the workforce, my first job was in investment banking, so it was similar. I was a minority in a male dominated industry, let alone cultural diversity. Looking around as an Asian Australian woman, all I could see was white male leaders and what you said before about unconscious bias that's perpetuated. They recruit what they know, the old boys club.

Automatically, I thought, I would never have any hope of attaining a senior leadership position. I'll just be in the background doing the work and other people will take credit for it, and I wouldn't have the opportunity to progress. I was not loud and outspoken. I would only really speak up if I knew what I was speaking about. And so, I remember working on one deal, and I was playing a leading role and turned up to a meeting with a client with my team who were all white males, except me. I got asked, "Can I have a flat white please?" Being mistaken for the admin or waitstaff. I think that's where I became aware of stereotypes that are placed on certain cultures.

In certain cultures, particularly, perhaps the Asian cultures, they don't speak up unless they're spoken to. They won't challenge authority. That's not because they don't have great views, but it's because they've been taught it was culturally disrespectful to challenge a person of authority, which often doesn't work in the workplaces right now. Just because someone has an accent or is not outspoken, doesn't mean they're not good leaders. I became aware of what a model of a leader is, and what the model of a leader is, perhaps in Australia or in the Western world. As Asian Australian woman, I didn't fit into that mold. I still had aspirations to lead. I still was motivated when I helped people in my mentoring, then I came to get more and more involved in diversity and inclusion committees both inside and outside of work. Interested in the dialogue of the value and importance of driving change. I guess two things became apparent, you can't be what you can't see, and be the change you want to be. Those two quotes underpin how I've reframed to see my identity in the workplace.

I see, I guess, my difference diversity differently now. I see that everyone has something unique to add, a story to tell. It's not always visible difference, per se. There are different types of leaders, and all equally as effective. I guess when we talk about cultural diversity, to be honest, I was born in the UK. I came here when I was two. I identify as Australian. I don't speak another language, I don't particularly bring anything from a cultural diversity perspective, as someone else potentially who was born and speaks another language, who has lived overseas, etc. In the traditional sense, cultural diversity should be viewed not as a visible difference, but diversity of perspectives, experiences, upbringings, exposure that shape who we are, and everyone has something to add. I don't really believe in role models. Oh, I do believe in role models, I guess that you can relate to, because of their experience or their challenges or their goals or what it is they are inspired by. I consistently advocate for those who are underrepresented.

I think that my identity has shaped my experience in the workplaces. I don't necessarily look at myself as being an Asian Australian, as an obstacle to progression anymore. I don't fit the traditional model of leadership, but that's okay. I also still have imposter syndrome, constantly doubt myself. But I see my role and opportunity to create dialogue and awareness of the gaps, and the importance of our senior leaders to be reflective of the communities that we serve.

Erin: I think that's so important, and sharing your story is a really great way of raising awareness, because I'm sure that the story that you shared about being asked for the flat white is A, not the only time someone has said something like that to you. And B, it happens to way more people than most people are aware of. I think for me, it's upsetting to hear that because I can't imagine someone just--. I mean, I know it happens, but it still is frustrating when people assume based on the way that someone looks that they fit this certain mold. And as someone who also worked in the tech fields, I was a mechanical engineer, and I worked at a company where I was one of the only women. No one ever wanted my opinion. If I did have an idea, they would either steal it, or they would say, "Oh, well, that's not a good idea." It's like they never wanted to hear a woman's opinion. It can just get so frustrating to feel like you're shouting into the void, when you're just trying to actually further a business along. It can get really unmotivated to do your job, when you feel like nothing you do is ever going to be good enough for the people that you're working with.

How companies can welcome and support Asian Australians in the workplace

I feel like sharing your stories of how you've overcome that as well, is really inspiring for everyone to hear. I think it's that persistence. It's not letting that get to you, but that can be hard, as well. I guess I'd like to ask you, if there's a few ways companies can welcome and support Asian Australians in the workplace, maybe in ways that they haven't in the past?

Malini: A clear diversity and inclusion strategy is probably a good first step, that demonstrates the complexity and understanding and the layered approach in addressing the issues. Not just to tick the box, but clear understanding. That comes from also commitments to cultural diversity and inclusion, and seeing leaders who are Asian Australian. It's important to a certain extent because it's human nature. If you see someone who looks like you in a certain position of leadership, then it seems so much more attainable.

Also, an acknowledgement of organisations that there is a long way to go and that it's constantly evolving, and that their willingness to listen and to hear perspectives of their people and to act on it. Not just hear them and not do anything about it. Mosaic, our cultural diversity network conducted a series of focus groups across our network, and asked them questions centered around inclusion and their views to challenges on progression. It was a safe environment. It was run by Mosaic champions, who they could relate to, who had lived experience like them. So, obviously, they could empathise.

Our strategy was informed by these insights, and will also be driven by our culturally diverse employees. Also, providing networks for those culturally diverse employees to interact, to share their stories, to feel like as I said before, they're not alone. There's no better way for companies to understand how to welcome and support Asian Australians in the workplace or any cultural diversity community is to ask. If they take a genuine interest in creating an environment where they feel included and belong, creating an environment for those people and a safe environment, and creating spaces where they feel safe to speak their mind, the cultural diverse community or the Asian Australians or whoever it is, will feel heard and valued and likely to result in higher retention and advocacy, as well as the company actually genuinely taking in- I guess nothing beats informing solutions and co creating with people with lived experience.

Erin: One thing I'm always impressed by when it comes to Commonwealth Bank, is how public they make their commitment to diversity. It's right on your website. You can go and see exactly what Comm Bank is doing in terms of trying to achieve gender diversity and leadership, or trying to hit their key diversity metrics. I've actually used Comm Bank's careers page as a golden standard example to other companies on how they should be promoting their internal diversity and inclusion for prospective job seekers. The fact that you have a public Reconciliation Action Plan is something that not a lot of companies have. Do you mind talking just for a second about what that is? Is that something that you've worked on?

Malini: Yes, so that's our Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan. We've got some key goals to progress towards supporting our indigenous communities and making sure that there's employment, there's procurement, there's how we support our indigenous customers. It's very detailed. It's also developed engaging with key community. Once again, not developing it in isolation. We've similarly got an accessibility and inclusion action plan as well similarly, engaging with those key stakeholders and community groups to support the strategy.

How having only one person of a certain ethnicity on a team can be detrimental to helping your employees feel welcomed, supported and included in the workplace

Erin: This leads us to a really great question about representation. I was wondering if you could speak a little bit about why representation in the workplace matters? For example, why being the only person of a certain ethnicity on a team, or even an entire organisation is often detrimental to helping multicultural Australians feel welcomed, supported and included in the workplace?

Malini: Representation matters. It's critically important that our workforce is reflective of our communities that we serve. How can we make decisions if we don't have lived experience in our ranks for those that we serve? By this, I mean, true representation, not tokenistic representation. I was on a board once. I was young, female, culturally diverse. A couple of observations of that experience, I was among older white males, and some would argue that I was the diversity hire. I ticked several of the boxes in the diversity matrix. I always had to fly the flag for all young culturally diverse women, or culturally diverse people in general. And so, that's a lot of pressure and not fear, as everyone is different and it's exhausting.

Another thing, I was a minority on that board, and I felt that while I was given a seat at the table, I didn't really have an authentic voice. My ideas were different and potentially viewed as challenging the status quo, so often dismissed. We're seeing investors and other stakeholders increasing pressure on companies to be more reflective of the communities in which they operate. Consumers are increasing the pressure and choosing to spend their dollars with diverse organisations, which can demonstrate strong ethics and good culture. Internationally, we're seeing countries list diversity as reportable benchmarks for companies and firms, and starting to link executive remuneration to diversity targets. Momentum is gathering, and organisations need to be on the ball. This extends to organisations demonstrating true commitment.

About six years ago, I was speaking to a Muslim colleague who felt that she didn't want to wear her hijab because she felt that like her employment opportunities will be impacted if she wore it. I didn't think it was right that she felt that she couldn't be proud of her culture and heritage, and bring her whole self to work. I was determined to support her, and champion the idea to introduce a corporate hijab into the corporate wardrobe for CBA. Long story, it involved talking to several Muslim colleagues, seeing what their views are on what they would see if we introduced one. Involving them in the design, involving them in the process, taking their feedback and proposing a design to our corporate designer who put a logo on it. It was included in our wardrobe. It wasn't without challenges. Lots of hoops, process, caution, but Mosaic and the organisation supported me.

I was not Muslim, and this wasn't for me. I wasn't thinking beyond helping my friend really, to be honest. In the end, over 500 people wear it now, and other corporates followed suit. But the relevance of this story to your question is that an action that demonstrates genuine commitment to inclusion of a community, like the Muslim community in this instance. I have heard firsthand accounts of people in the Muslim community now considering to work at CBA because they feel that they will be more accepted and not be discriminated based on their dress. We are a rich tapestry of cultures in Australia, and this needs to be reflected in the workforce of any organisation. So, best meet the customers that we serve.

Erin: I fully agree with that statement. There's a couple of things I want to go back to. The first is how ally ship played a big part of this. You being an ally to your Muslim friend, standing up and speaking up for her has had a fantastic and very positive knock on effect for the whole company. Because now that you have customers coming in, every customer could potentially be a job seeker, as well. If they're seeing that this is an employer that welcomes and elevates their cultural background or their religion or makes it not a big deal for them to work there, could give them the motivation to apply to work for you. I think that's a huge, huge deal. I think that that's a fantastic effort on your behalf, that you stood up for your friend and had this business changing effect, it's great.

The other thing I wanted to say is, I have also been called the diversity hire in the past. I have a disability. I'm born without my arm, and I'm also a woman. When I was an engineer, I told you I was working for a company and I went to my first mixer event where I got to meet every new engineer, that was my age. Someone looked at me and before they even introduced themselves, they said, "Oh, you're a woman and you're disabled, you ticked all the diversity boxes. And that's why you got hired. Hi, I'm so and so." 

Malini: Wow, that is horrendous.

Erin: It shifted my entire world on its axis. Did I get hired because of this? Is that why I got hired? Did I move across the country for this job, just so this company could tick a box? I mean, it really messed with my head for years. For years and years, I would not disclose that I had a disability when I was interviewing. I wouldn't say that I needed any accommodation, which I do. I do need one little accommodation, which is a different keyboard than comes with your laptop. It's little jokes and microaggressions like that, that the person that said it probably didn't think about it ever again and it stuck with me for 20 years. You know what I mean?

Malini: Yes.

How can organisations maintain their conviction to support their culturally diverse Australian workers

Erin: It's those little things where all of a sudden, it completely invalidates the work you've done and your complete self-worth. People don't understand what those words can mean sometimes. I think hearing it from yourself, really helps me feel like I'm not the only one that's been called that in the past, too. We live in this age of social awareness and trends, and it's moving hard and fast. When it comes to companies maintaining their conviction to support their culturally diverse Australian workers, how can they do it? How can they maintain a culturally inclusive workplace for their diverse Australian workers?

Malini: I think it starts with being authentic. I honestly think that storytelling and constant dialogue is critical, and hearing from people of all levels whose opinions are equally as important. When it comes to cultural diversity, hierarchy needs to take a backseat. The opinions of everyone matters. In our case, whether they are a teller, or whether they are a group executive. There needs to be transparency of dialogue, awareness of pain points, and authentic action. In saying that the tone from the top is still important, but not as lip service. All big strategic plans, but for leaders to share their experiences, career journeys from a place of vulnerability and authenticity, and even acknowledging where they got it wrong because in reality, we are all human. As I mentioned before, culturally diverse Australian workers need to feel that their uniqueness is genuinely valued, and they can be who they are and not change to progress.

Erin: Yeah, I think that that's great advice. Having accountability to amplify culturally diverse Australian workers, means ensuring an organisation treats cultural diversity and inclusion as a priority. How does the company best approach this and what key stakeholders need to get involved?

Malini: Senior leadership buy in is critical. Each of our employee networks have two group executive sponsors. Group executives report to the CEO, and they act as advocates and spokes people and also allies, as you mentioned before. Further to that, allies is important as well, because they're not seen to be pushing their own agenda. They also can call out bad behavior, as you talked about those microaggressions before, and not turning a blind eye on bad behavior, but calling it out for those people who are experiencing it, but may not have a voice. Allies are important, and there needs to be a ripple effect. CBA is a big place. We have to attack it from all angles. From the CEO down to the group executive, to the people leaders in their individual team communications, but putting their own spin on it in newsletters, forums, inclusion councils on the intranet, etc. If it's everywhere, people can't ignore it, right?

Erin: I like that. I like making it so that you can't ignore our diversity and inclusion efforts. That goes hand in hand with including targets for diversity inclusion measures, which we touched on earlier. Specifically, cultural inclusion. What are your thoughts on this? And how would you recommend an organisation get started?

Malini: There is the saying that what gets measured gets done. Unfortunately, this is the case in some cases, but targets for cultural diversity, I feel personally, are a bit tricky. This is just my take on the situation. I think that the definition of cultural diversity is a bit ambiguous, and I think we should take it up a level and just talk about diversity of thought. For example, I had a friend who was blonde, blue eyed. She was born in Hong Kong. Her first language is Mandarin. She associated with friends who are all from an Asian descent. She lived overseas all her life, but parents were Australian. She had a depth of global experience and would add so much value from a cultural diversity standpoint, but would probably not fit into the target if you're looking for visible difference. Put us both together ask us who's more culturally diverse? Hands down, it would be her, but I would be the one who people would say was culturally diverse.

While I understand why culturally diverse targets are put in place, for cultural diversity, I feel there's no clear definition of cultural diversity. Prescriptive targets also, might often drive those wrong behaviors and those diversity hires and cause people to question appointments of why they were appointed, or why someone else was appointed. We as CBA have an overarching goal to represent the Australian population by 2025 of our senior leadership, puts a focus on it. And then we have all this wraparound awareness for leaders of being inclusive, are inclusive.

Our leaders are mandated to have regular inclusion conversations, which make them stop and think of their unconscious behaviors, forcing them to consciously look at them, rethink how they are developing their people, seeing the gaps, understanding each of their team members for who they are, ensuring there's diversity in the shortlist of candidates. The hiring panel is diverse, the wording of the job interviews is not exclusive, and saying that we encourage people from diverse backgrounds. It's also fostering a culture where diversity and inclusion is front of mind. And by default, you will get more diversity in the pipeline and the best person for the job.

Often also, something to consider is I feel that the dialogue is always preaching to the converted. I go to lots of diversity events. International Women's Day or whatever events we go to, and it's all the people who are already on the journey. We need to take those people who are the sceptics on the journey, too. So, you need to frame it in a way that resonates with them. Whether it's storytelling to demonstrate the impact of it not going right to their performance or KPIs, or to get a peer who they respect to share their story. Some people are data driven, so show them the data, show them the numbers, show them the studies, show them the research, show them the evidence. Or they say, "Where's the evidence?" Show them the evidence, because there's a lot of evidence.

Ultimately, I think this dialogue has to be mandated and incorporated into all leadership training, and for all leaders as it's not a nice to have. 

Tips for setting up an Employee Resource Group

Erin: Yeah. No, and I think that that's a fair view, I really do. One thing you talked about, and I am a big advocate for is employee resource groups. Sometimes they're called business resource groups, we call them inclusion resource groups at Indeed. I think that they can have a huge impact on the belonging factor in a company. In your opinion, how would a company go about setting up an employee resource group similar to Commonwealth's cultural diversity and advisory group, to best serve their culturally diverse employees?

Malini: Sure. We have got five diversity employee groups at CBA. Firstly, as I mentioned through our senior leadership sponsorship and endorsement coming from genuine commitment to the organisation. These people are critical to remove roadblocks and be allies for the cause. There are so many passionate people in every organisation wanting to create an inclusive environment, and also wanting to give back. You need to just harness the power of them, give them something to do, give them something tangible to do that they can make them feel that they made a difference to their colleagues or for themselves. Even more so in COVID, people are seeing that they just want to give back. They just want to make a difference. They have a new perspective on the world now. And then their managers need to support them rather than seeing it as time out of work. It should be reframed, that they're getting the time to get involved in something that they are passionate about. Hence more likely to feel empowered and give back and more annual meeting, all different levels with a common purpose. I think it involves the whole organisation at all levels.

Erin: There's so many positives to employee resource networks, like you just mentioned. A lot of that has to do with like what you said, is giving people a place to put their passion. It can really help keep them from leaving the company, as well. It has been shown to reduce attrition rates too, which is something fantastic. Thank you so much for joining us. I've really enjoyed talking with you, and I've learned a lot from our conversation. The final question, which is how we finish every episode of Hire Potential with Indeed is, what will it ultimately take to ensure a better and more inclusive workplace in the future?

Malini: It is proven that culturally diverse teams and boards are better equipped to handle competition, and cement their company's position in a global competitive market due to connections and cultural awareness of international markets by culturally diverse members. Further cultural diversity offers the advantage of attracting and retaining global talent. It allows critical non uniform thinking, results in greater innovation, and higher profitability. But diversity, I guess, is nothing without inclusion. I think responsibility of creating more inclusive workplaces is up to everyone, not just the senior leaders. I think it comes back to everyone has a story. Everyone has something to contribute, and add value and through their experience and expertise. Everyone's voice needs to be heard, and the more voices that we hear, the more profound impact that we can have. Every small action to promote cultural diversity can make a difference.

We can't underestimate the change that one person can make by sharing their story, to make another feel that they can achieve their goals. I think everyone can do it by sharing their story, mentoring someone, sponsoring someone, advocating for someone, asking questions, encouraging someone, challenging behaviors and biases, and becoming more aware and listening to someone because it all matters. I guess, I think the more we create and share stories and talk about and embrace difference openly, will realise that we have a lot of common ground. It'll break down stereotypes and unconscious biases, which are the inhibitors to inclusion in the workplace and society.

I guess quoting the Dalai Lama, it's just as ripples spread out. When a single pebble is dropped into the water, the actions of individuals can have far reaching effects. I guess, when it all comes down to it, we're all part of one race, the human race. We just have to work together.

Erin: That is the best way I think we could possibly wrap this podcast up. I love everything that you just said. Because you're absolutely right. One person can actually achieve so much just by standing up for themselves or someone else that they care about. It can have a huge effect. I think that is really sage advice. I'm grateful for having you on this podcast today. Thank you so much for giving us the time and joining us.

Malini: Thank you for having me.

Conclusion 

Erin: Thank you for listening to Hire Potential with Indeed. Before you go and start building a better workplace, don't forget to hit subscribe, and leave a review if you found this podcast helpful. If you'd like to read our full D&I report, click the link in this episode's description to fill out the form. 

Just a quick note, the views and opinions expressed in this episode by the guests do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Indeed. Additionally, the information in this episode does not and is not intended to constitute legal advice. Instead, all content we discuss is for general informational purposes only and you should consult with a legal professional for any legal issues you may be experiencing.

The data in this podcast references Indeed’s 2021 D&I report. 

Sources: Indeed is the world's #1 job site according to Comscore, Total Visits, March 2021.

Sources: Over 250 million unique visitors every month, Google Analytics, Unique Visitors, February 2020.

Sources: The research in the report referenced in this episode was commissioned by ThatComms Co on behalf of Indeed and conducted by YouGov. The study was conducted online between 11 - 17 February 2021, involving 2,060 working age Australians (aged between 18-64) currently in either full or part-time employment, or actively looking for work