Have you ever worked somewhere you couldn’t be yourself? Ever felt like you had to check part of yourself at the door before starting your day? A study by Deloitte found that a significant percentage of us spend time and energy ‘covering’ our authentic selves from others for fear of judgement or not fitting in.
At SBS, we’re not interested in whether or not you ‘fit in’. Fitting in means changing yourself to match your environment. We want you to bring your uniqueness, your experiences, your perspective. We want you to BE the difference and help us continue to innovate, to push boundaries and deliver distinctive stories and perspectives to our audiences that are unmatched.
For people to reach their true potential, they must first feel free to live and work as their authentic selves. An inclusive workplace encourages this, by fostering an environment where individuals are empowered to speak up, contribute their ideas, have equal opportunity to succeed, and pursue a career free of limitations. Inclusive workplaces support a more engaged team and productive space for people to work and as a result, these workplaces perform better than their less inclusive counterparts.
“A study by the Diversity Council of Australia found employees in inclusive workplaces are 19 times more likely to be satisfied with their job”
Inclusion fuels innovation, enabling new and better ways of working by considering things from as many perspectives as possible, and bringing people together in a way that supports them to pursue their best. Whether or not a business is seen to be inclusive will impact how desirable they are as a prospective employer. Simply put, businesses seeking to attract the best talent in the market need to ensure they foster a diverse and inclusive workplace. If they want to retain their most talented employees, they need to ensure the product matches the packaging.
SBS commissioned Deloitte Access Economics to quantify the economic dividend from raising the level of social inclusion in Australia. It turns out that the benefit to Australia of increased social inclusion across society comes in at a whopping $12.8 billion per year to the economy. This enormous benefit is the result of increased productivity, employment and health outcomes.
We never stand still in our pursuit of greater inclusion – as an organisation, an employer, and a broadcaster creating content for Australians. Diversity has always been at the heart of SBS, providing multilingual, multicultural and Indigenous television, radio and digital media services to Australians. We’re proud of the job we do and of our diverse workforce and inclusive culture which underpins our ability to serve our audiences. It doesn’t stop at our front doors though, SBS is also proud to work with our partners in the production sector to build capabilities and talent pipelines throughout the industry, ensuring all Australians can recognise themselves and their communities on our screens.
At SBS we take our commitment to create an ever more inclusive workplace seriously which is precisely why we’re constantly listening to our employees and updating policies, introducing initiatives and taking actions to ensure we are meet the expectations our teams rightly have of us to ensure they feel valued and a sense of belonging. Just a few of the initiatives that you can expect to see at SBS include but are certainly not limited to:
The ability for staff to swap out public holidays for other culturally significant days of their choosing
Sorry Business Leave for First Nations staff
A Gender Affirmation Policy which includes additional leave provisions and guidance for team members, managers and colleagues to support staff undergoing a gender affirmation process
The ability for SBS staff to learn a language other than English
All gender bathroom options for staff
Prayer/reflection spaces
Breastfeeding facilities
A reasonable adjustments policy and process enabling candidates and employees to request adjustments to our ways of working that allow them to bring their best
Getting involved in community events like NAIDOC week, Lunar New Year, Diwali, Ramadan/Eid and Mardi Gras
Comprehensive inclusion training for all staff which includes specific training on matters relating to Cultural Diversity, the LGBTIQ+ community, Gender, Disability, First Nations Peoples and cultures as well as core inclusion content.
Participate in various staff led committees and activities including a social club and a queer content club
To find out more about our commitment inclusion, take a look at
our three year Inclusion, Equity and Diversity Strategy.
