Diversity And Inclusion Policy

AHP (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to supporting and ensuring an inclusive work environment in which everyone is treated fairly, and with respect and dignity.

The purpose of this Policy is to support and facilitate an inclusive environment that embraces all that makes us different and recognises the benefits that these differences make.

These differences can include gender, marital or family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disabilities, ethnicity, nationality, religious beliefs, cultural background, socio- economic backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and other areas of potential difference.

Our diversity and inclusion philosophy aims to:

• attract, retain and engage employees from the widest possible pool of talent;
• foster a culture that reflects our values;
• ensure an inclusive and safe environment that supports wellbeing, and inspires innovation, creativity and critical thinking;
• create a dynamic environment that leads to higher performance and greater employee engagement and satisfaction; and
• actively leverage the diversity of our workforce to anticipate the needs of our clients, our employees and the community.

This Policy covers all of our employees, contractors and consultants.

What is diversity and inclusion?

We are committed to a culture that embraces and fosters diversity and inclusion.

Diversity encompasses differences in backgrounds, qualifications and experiences, and also differences in approach and viewpoints. We ensure that individuals are provided with equal opportunity, while also creating opportunities for those groups that may be disadvantaged.

Inclusion means that employees operate in an environment where difference is respected and actively leveraged to challenge how our business better evolves to meet the needs of our clients.

We have a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion and the fundamental principle that all employees should be able to equally participate in our workforce, management and senior executive.

Our leaders are committed to providing opportunities that allow all employees to reach their full potential.

Supporting policies

AHP’s approach to diversity is supported by a range of policies, including:

• Code of Conduct – Our Code of Conduct sets out the minimum standards of behaviour and conduct expected of all AHP employees, contractors and consultants.
• Equal Employment Opportunities – Our commitment to maintaining a supportive, healthy and productive work environment, free from unlawful discrimination, harassment, vilification, bullying or victimisation and to maintaining appropriate federal legislative commitments.
• Remuneration Policy – We determine the remuneration for women and men undertaking similar work of equal value (considering position range, performance, qualifications, experience and market considerations). We will undertake a review of remuneration annually to ensure pay equity remains within a 1% tolerance of difference.
• Flexible Workplace Arrangements Policy – We provide an environment that supports a diverse, flexible and adaptive workforce. We appreciate that employees’ work preferences, and work needs, can change over time and are influenced by life outside of work. The use of flexible working arrangements, commensurate with the needs of the business, can achieve a “win – win” situation for both employees and AHP.
• Leave Policies – A range of leave options are available to AHP employees to ensure they have appropriate options for time off work. This includes annual leave, carers’ leave, personal leave, parental leave, community leave, domestic violence leave and long service leave.
• Parental Leave Policy and Parental Leave Guide – We provide a range of optional support programs and opportunities to employees whilst they are on parental leave and to help them plan their return to work.
• Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination (Unacceptable Behaviour) Policy – We are committed to creating an environment that is free from bullying, harassment, vilification, discrimination and victimisation. We are committed to supporting and maintaining a healthy and safe workplace which promotes the physical and mental wellbeing of our employees.
• Learning and Development Opportunities – We support our employees to reach their full potential, by supporting employees to develop and review a development plan each year, taking into consideration ‘whole-of-self’ development. We offer a range of internal learning and development opportunities and support employees to undertake additional study, relevant to their position.

How we promote Diversity & Inclusion

We foster diversity in all its forms, focused on:

• Delivering on our Indigenous Employment, Procurement Policy and Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) – We are committed to working towards building a society where there is equity in health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We have formalised this commitment through our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
• Achieving the goals of our Accessibility Action Plan – We are committed to ensuring everyone in Australia has equal access to employment and healthcare. Our Accessibility and Inclusion Plan sets out our commitments to improving the experiences of our people and our clients with disability, and our commitments to the broader community.
• Support for Parents and Carers – We are committed to ensuring equal access to parental leave for employees of all gender identities and sexual orientations, so that everyone can fully participate at home and at work. Our approach to parental leave provides a flexible suite of leave and support options for employees to support them to support their families. Similarly, we are committed to ensuring carers of all types are able to balance caring commitments alongside work.
• Delivering on Gender Equality – We are committed to ensuring that gender is not a barrier to career opportunities and advancement. We ensure representation of all gender identities throughout all recruitment processes and are committed to pay equity. We believe that through gender balanced diverse leadership and talent pipelines, we can better represent the needs of our clients.
• Inclusion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people – We are committed to working with the LGBTI community to address health inequalities and ensure our policies, processes and practices are inclusive of every Australian.
• Representing the changing demographics of our clients – As the Australian population ages and becomes more culturally diverse, we are committed to ensuring our workforce is representative of our clients so we can better anticipate their needs.

These are supported by strong recruitment and selection practices, which ensure bias (real or perceived) is eliminated at all levels of the organisation (including external vacancies, restructures and promotion) regardless of employment type (fulltime, part time, causal, or contractor).

Recruitment and selection practices are also designed to consider a balance of gender and other forms of diversity in the range of candidates.

This is further supported by talent and development practices which ensure that, where possible, the pool of potential available talent is nurtured and developed effectively. Early identification and development of a diverse pool of talent ensures that there are appropriately qualified and experienced candidates from all backgrounds for consideration when positions including potential Senior Management or Board positions become available.

Robust and regular measurement of engagement and employee experience provide the checks in place which allow us to ensure a consistent experience for employees, regardless of their background.

Reporting

AHP entities with 100 or more employees are covered under the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (Cth) (“the Act”). and required to report to that Agency.

Distribution of this Policy

This Policy is available to the public, current Employees of AHP, clients and suppliers on our website or upon request.

Amendment to this Diversity and Inclusion Policy

This Policy may be amended at any time and from time to time with the approval of the directors of AHP.

Adoption of Policy

This Policy was adopted by AHP on the 23 February 2021 and takes effect from that date.

Definitions

In this Diversity and inclusion Policy:

“Act” means the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (Cth).

“AHP” means each legal entity described in the Legal Notices.