When sports psychologist, culture coach and author Dr Pippa Grange was recently tasked with helping a tense team navigate a high-stress acquisition discussion, she intervened with a surprising activity.

“I took them trampolining. Everybody said it was ridiculous, but within 10 minutes they were all laughing. It broke the tension and helped them regain perspective,” says Grange, who is a keynote speaker at AHRI’s upcoming National Convention and Exhibition in Melbourne, and is also conducting a masterclass on identifying and leveraging deep wins at work.

“Fun is a form of release. It’s a neurological, chemical and hormonal reset, and an opportunity to rebalance from over-performance and stress.”

Grange has worked as a psychologist with high-level soccer, AFL, rugby league and Olympic teams, with extreme endurance athletes, and with businesses all over the globe. 

One of her career highlights was working with the England soccer team at the 2018 World Cup. 

“They got to the semis after a long period of underperforming and the nation celebrated with them,” says Grange.

No matter her client, she has one core aim: boosting performance while also fostering a healthy, supportive culture.

“HR and sports psychology complement each other. Both are about helping people find their best and perform well. In this way, leaders are like coaches, and vice versa – always seeking the balance between output and wellbeing,” she says.

She believes the key to high-performance cultures is building strong relationships through honest connection, storytelling and genuine feedback, whether on the sports field or in the office. 

“The quality and character of relationships that we have with each other will determine the level of performance that we’re able to output,” says Grange, who, after working in Australia for 20 years and Los Angeles for two, now lives in England’s Peak District.

She was originally attracted to sports psychology because she liked the idea of working with motivated people.

“I thought this would provide opportunities for both one-on-one and systems work. It felt like an opportunity to create real change.”

As she got into the field, she realised that motivated humans are complex. 

“Most of the work I’ve done is about the human being, not their performance. [I’ve helped] people understand who they are, how they operate best, what they want and how they can get there.”

It’s not about her coming in and being a performance “guru”, she adds.

“If you’re not focused on both the person themselves and the system they’re operating in, you won’t find high performance.”

Team bonding for improved performance

On the sports field and in the workplace, performance starts with teamwork, says Grange. But this can’t be imposed from the top; it needs to come from the ground up through mutual understanding and clear communication around goals.

“Start with understanding what actually motivates your teams. It might not be what you think. Motivation builders are communication, purpose and feedback. Discipline builders are clarity, feedback, clear methods and skill building.

“In sport, it’s not all about the end goal, it’s also about what we’re working on this week. And that’s a nice translation into some workplaces too. It’s about a group’s clarity of purpose over a block of time.”

Keeping a team on track requires regular debriefs, she says.

“The ‘hot debrief’ after weekly or daily performance and ‘emotional hangover work’ after big events both speak to strong, cyclical feedback cultures that normalise continuous conversations about performing and succeeding while being human.”

“We used to see resilience in terms of bouncebackability and grit. For me, it’s a lot more to do with adaptability and being allowed to be a whole human.” – Dr Pippa Grange, sports psychologist and author

Busting misconceptions about high-performing teams 

Over her career, Grange has sought to unpack, break down and replace some of the destructive narratives that shape our lives.

Part of that work has manifested in her book Fear Less: How to Win at Life Without Losing Yourself, which is about living with less fear and more freedom.

“Fear is amplified or lessened in cultures and environments as much as in individuals’ minds. There’s a lot you can do in systems and processes, and with symbols, language and power dynamics, to lessen it and build confidence,” she says.

Just as fear can hold us back, so too can a constant pursuit of productivity.

Grange maintains that high-performing teams shouldn’t come at the cost of wellbeing, and having good, caring cultures shouldn’t come at the cost of winning. High-performance and good culture aren’t mutually exclusive. 

“Workplaces are under so much pressure for profit or shareholder values, and this creates a downward flow where people can [feel like] never-ending productivity machines. The level of burnout we’re seeing is not random.”

To rejuvenate their minds and spirits, people need space to both rest and recover, which are two different things, says Grange. 

“Recovery is about finding the space to regenerate our creativity and curiosity, our humour and our energy.

“Creating ‘psychological space’ for people means they don’t have to perform constantly and can regenerate. Compromising on wellbeing is only a short-term gain for a person and an organisation.”

So how can companies help employees find psychological space to recover? It can be as simple as giving permission, setting good boundaries around working hours and allowing the sharing of stories and experiences, she says. 

“When companies start talking about what high-performance looks like, they need to recognise that it’s a triangle of work, rest and recovery. It’s not just a line between work and rest.”

What generates motivation, she says, is people’s ability to be authentic and share their stories with each other.

“Everybody who walks through the door of a workplace is asked to buy into a story, a vision and a purpose. Stories shouldn’t just come from the top, but also from the shop floor and the home offices. They should be an exchange. It’s making everyone feel like they genuinely belong and are part of something.

“You need practices that genuinely build on belonging, not just inclusion.”

Building more resilient teams

While some people may feel that ‘resilience’ has become somewhat of a buzzword that’s tightly linked to output, Grange says its meaning has evolved.

“We used to see resilience in terms of bouncebackability and grit. For me, it’s a lot more to do with adaptability and being allowed to be whole and human while performing, versus living in roles, categories and boxes. It’s about minimising drama [while] being real and honest, allowing emotions to arise, but still processing them.”

How do you help employees and teams foster resilience? 

“It’s principally about quality relationships that provide a social web for all challenges. Cultures that embrace courage, vulnerability, challenge, care and the will to change are resilient,” she says. 

Anticipatory guidance and foresight helps boost resilience, she adds. If something tough has happened, such as a round of redundancies, giving people space to ask questions, air concerns and share perspectives is important. 

“People find it much tougher to maintain resilience when they get ambushed by circumstances, or if they’re kept in the dark. Telling the truth about where things are at and allowing people to participate in being resilient makes a big difference.” 

Culture work is unlike other kind of organisational work, says Grange, and culture leaders often need different timescales, methods and measures to drive real change. 

“Culture, like ethics, should be a verb – a doing word. It’s daily work that lives in interactions and exchanges, as well as in big initiatives,” she says.

“It’s an ongoing effort to create an environment that supports psychological safety, trust and compassion, and it’s also building systems that actually reward and resist what you do and don’t want to see in the culture. Great culture is signified by an organisation that is present, observing, focused and active in considering ‘what ought we to do’ – and then actually doing it.”

A longer version of this article first appeared in the June/July 2024 edition of HRM Magazine.

Dr Pippa Grange will be speaking on  cultivating authenticity and vulnerability in the workplace at AHRI’s National Convention and Exhibition in August. Don’t miss the chance to hear from inspiring thought leaders and master practical strategies for now and the future. Secure your spot today.

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Head of Culture and Inclusion at Coles Group Katie Wyatt says it’s a fascinating time to work in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). In some ways, it’s getting easier, but in other ways harder.

The proud Noongar Yamatji woman, from Whadjuk Noongar country around Perth, found the failure of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum “incredibly tough”.

“It really made me stop and think about the challenge we have as a business in balancing the nuances of social pressures, customer expectations and investor demands.”

It’s a balance she’s managed remarkably well. Wyatt is the recent recipient of AHRI’s 2023 DEI Champion of the Year Award, which she describes as a welcome recognition of the DEI commitments she and her team have helped to achieve over the past four years.

“Winning has been a real high, almost like the certificate to say, ‘You did it.’ Of course there is nothing individual about DEI achievements, and this is a reflection of collective effort across our business.”

She’s immensely passionate about DEI, which is just as well because it can be “an uphill battle” at times.

“DEI practitioners often don’t own big teams or budgets, so they have to strategise, influence, convince and persuade, which comes with highs and lows. So it’s absolutely awesome to have that recognised with this award,” she says.

Wyatt believes her fierce drive for social justice “has been there from birth”.

“My dad was a stolen child; he was taken from his mum as a baby. And my mum was a teacher and librarian. It was bred into me to be progressive and socially conscious.

“Whether it was my volunteer work, or my time in the not-for-profit and social enterprise sector, it was always there.”

Wyatt has more than 17 years’ experience as a senior leader across private, public and for-purpose sectors. Her corporate work includes seven years in professional services and a stint at Australia Post. After her years in the not-for-profit social enterprise space, she was elated to join Coles in 2019.

“This role has brought me back to large corporate life, which I really love.”

Now based in Melbourne, she’s relishing the chance to “create meaningful impact in a huge business that employs and serves so many Australians”.

Big corporates, big thinking

The expectations on organisations to support social change have never been higher, says Wyatt, especially those that employ a huge part of the community.

These expectations arise from the public, investors passionate about environmental, social and governance (ESG) and diversity, and employees keen to connect with their employer’s purpose, whether that be caring for the environment or profiling diverse women in senior leadership roles. 

These are expectations she upholds and believes are intrinsically linked to business success. 

“Every business, especially large businesses that operate nationally like we do, is going to struggle in a modern world without diversity of thinking and new ideas.

“People often say it’s the right thing to do. But actually, it’s also very much the smart thing to do. And as a business that serves most of Australia, the more diverse we are, the better we’re able to serve our customers. For example, we can think about what our customers might want in particular locations, such as in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne where customers [require] a wider range of foods, including Kosher, Middle Eastern, Asian, Indian and so on. 

“It’s the best of both worlds. I’m working with great people, getting great opportunities, and I feel like I’m making an impact.”

“If people feel like they can be themselves, that drives engagement, which drives performance, and therefore revenue and profit. Diversity is absolutely a smart business decision.” – Katie Wyatt, Head of Culture and Inclusion, Coles Group

Strategies to boost women’s representation in leadership  

Some of Wyatt’s most important work at Coles has been in the gender space. 

In 2019, women accounted for 33 per cent of leadership roles, which jumped to 41.5 per cent by 2023. 

She played a pivotal role in launching the Store Manager Accelerator Program in 2022, which brings women with diverse backgrounds into store leadership roles, supported by development, which focuses on the skills needed in the role over experience.

Since then, 20 women have come through the program, with applications open for the next cohort. There are now 800 women who are store managers around Australia. The women are of all diversity groups, including First Nations and culturally diverse women.

To create positive change, Wyatt looks to research and evidence-based systems for guidance. To inspire her gender inclusion strategies at Coles, she used the Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s Employer of Choice for Gender Equality framework, as it’s based on global best-practice research.

“We know that offering flexibility, making sure your talent management processes are as free from bias as they can be, and putting targets on senior leadership roles, all makes a difference,” she says. “You can say, ‘We want more women at the table.’ But unless you are actually creating change in your organisation to make it more appealing and accessible for women, nothing’s going to stick. We now have a really healthy leadership population and pipeline [for women].”

The organisation is also making life easier for transgender people among its 100,000 store workers who have to log on to a roster that displays the legal name they were assigned at birth.

“If they’ve affirmed their gender and now go by a different name, this can be incredibly impactful, and not in a good way. It’s also unnecessary,” says Wyatt. “So we’re reconfiguring our systems to build a solution that shows someone’s name of choice on the roster. While most people won’t notice, for some individuals, it’s going to be massive.”

Owning and driving diversity and inclusion

While it can be hard to quantify the impact of diversity strategies on an organisation’s bottom line, Wyatt measures Coles’ success in terms of engagement and representation.

Impressively, engagement of all diverse groups has increased, largely thanks to Coles’ five key diversity pillars: Gender Equity, Pride, Accessibility, Belonging and Indigenous Engagement. 

Each pillar is led by business leaders with cross-business representation, which Wyatt’s team supports by driving conversation, planning initiatives and helping those in each pillar to think more strategically.

LGBTQI+ engagement, for example, has jumped from 61 per cent in 2021 to 66 per cent in 2023. 

To promote LGBTIQ+ inclusion, Wyatt found another “evidence-based roadmap” to follow: the Australian Workplace Equality Index for LGBTQ+ inclusion, which has since awarded Coles with Gold Employer status. 

It shows that rather than having one champion in the business, all the systems, processes and training must also be inclusive. 

“If the business doesn’t own and drive DEI, then it’s never going to sustain itself.”

And she does mean the entire business – DEI is not just an HR responsibility.

“If people feel like they can be themselves, that drives engagement, which drives performance, and therefore revenue and profit. Diversity is absolutely a smart business decision,” she says. 

“Watching people get involved in these diversity teams and witnessing their individual transformations is what keeps me going.”

“I’m working with great people, getting great opportunities, and I feel like I’m making an impact.” – Katie Wyatt, Head of Culture and Inclusion, Coles Group

Setbacks and catalysts on the path to inclusion

Over the past four years, Coles has been on a “maturity journey”, says Wyatt.

“We’ve gone from being passionate about our DEI cause, perhaps because of people we know, to integrating it into how we do business. Now it’s the way we hire people and the way we develop people. Our leadership population is much more diverse, and that’s not just gender. That’s cultural diversity, First Nations, LGBTIQ+ and people with disability. 

“And that’s not just because my team is running around making things happen. It’s because we’ve hardwired it into who we are as a business.”

Over the coming years, Wyatt plans to continue her work in DEI, “learning and adapting along the way”.

As an Australian company with a huge profile, determining how much to wade into public discourse around social issues remains a “tricky” subject for Coles, she says. The company is strongly committed to reconciliation, but didn’t feel it was its role to tell the public or its team how they should vote in the Voice to Parliament referendum.

“While I personally was hoping to see a Yes vote, organisations don’t vote and it wasn’t our role to tell anyone how to do so.

“It’s a tricky line to walk, but businesses need to make those decisions for themselves, in line with their values and with the information they have at the time. And those decisions have to make sense, both for your people strategy and for your business commercially.”

While promoting the inclusion agenda is certainly getting easier, the road can feel “bendy and jolty”, she says. But that only fuels her passion and drive.

“In the uncertain economy and global world we’re operating in, DEI feels even more important, but even less predictable.

“Sometimes there are moments that can feel like a real setback in the work we do. But in other ways, they can also feel like a catalyst to do more.”

A version of this article was originally published in the April/May 2024 edition of HRM Magazine.

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When Natasha Cuthbert MAHRI explained to her children what she did at work, she used to say, “I help people be happy in their jobs.” 

It’s a simplistic description that echoes her professional purpose: to create a workplace where everyone can be their best self.

“It’s important to be our authentic self at work rather than having a work persona and a home persona,” she says. “Creating a diverse and inclusive environment is what really drives me.”

Happy employees are also good for business, she adds, which is why Cuthbert feels frustrated when people label HR a “soft profession”.

“HR people have to have a really strong backbone and commercial background. It’s about getting the best out of people to get the right commercial outcomes, but doing the right thing by them while you do it. I think making that connection is the most powerful thing you can do as an HR professional.”

Cuthbert’s achievements as Chief People and Culture Officer at Viva Energy Australia led to her winning AHRI’s 2023 HR Leader of the Year Award, a recognition she describes as “very humbling”.

“It’s a very positive endorsement of the great job we’re doing in terms of looking after our people, making the employee experience amazing and delivering our business strategy through a really great people strategy.” 

Of Cuthbert’s win, the AHRI judges said she “clearly understands the importance of listening… in developing HR activities”.

“Her capacity to truly ‘hear’ the voice of her workforce has led to the design of a meaningful EVP framework, leadership framework and D&I framework, which has created true business impact,” they said.

While Cuthbert has no doubt the award will benefit her career, she confesses she had to be “coaxed” into the nomination. 

“While I’m always very keen to make sure that our Viva Energy LinkedIn profile highlights the great things we’re doing on gender equality, flexibility or family, for example, I’m not really someone who personally works ‘out loud’,” she says.

An unexpected passion for inclusion

Though it could appear Cuthbert was always destined for a career in HR, it wasn’t her first ambition.

“My initial degree was in Zoology. I wanted to care for endangered species. I was very passionate about the environment and conservation,” she says.

But then a working holiday role in the UK after university gave her a taste of HR. She dipped her toes into performance management and wrote disciplinary reviews, which she found surprisingly interesting. 

“It’s in those challenging environments where you can really make a difference as an HR professional.” – Natasha Cuthbert MAHRI, Chief People and Culture Officer, Viva Energy Australia

Returning to Australia, she worked for a consulting firm that guided organisations on their strategic vision and values, before working on graduate and mid-level leadership programs.

“I became fascinated by organisational dynamics, team culture and how to get the best out of people at work – so human behaviour, as opposed to animal behaviour.”

Three years later, an offer from Coles Myer gave her the chance to work within the heart of a business, and she revelled in new opportunities to manage operational HR through the supermarkets business and then move onto more corporate programs, such as improving Indigenous employment across supermarkets, early work on the gender pay gap, and starting to think about how to embrace LGBTQIA+ Pride.

But after 15 years at the retail giant, she was hankering for “a really big challenge”.

When an opportunity came up at Viva Energy in 2020, it was the perfect marriage of her environmental passion and desire to make a real difference to people’s lives.

“Oil and gas has to change; we won’t be putting petrol in cars forever,” she says. “And the only way a business like Viva Energy is going to thrive in the future is to have a really strong transformation plan. 

“[The company] has a very clear vision of how it needs to change and I wanted to be part of driving that transformation. For the first time, I have the whole HR department reporting to me. That has been instrumental in reshaping how the people and culture agenda impacts the company. To be given that opportunity has been pretty special.”

Challenging assumptions about gender equality

Passionate about diversity and gender inclusion, Cuthbert also knew that in such a “male-dominated industry that has a bit of a blokey culture”, she could have a real impact. While there was already a push underway to recruit more women, there was a long way to go.

“In our 2020 employee engagement survey, there were comments like, ‘Why do you have to be a female to get a job around here? Men do a better job. They’re better qualified.’ I could see it wasn’t great and that there was plenty of work to do on changing attitudes.”

Fast-forward four years and it’s a completely different picture.

By challenging the assumption that these roles need to be performed on a full-time basis and that prior industry experience is necessary, the representation of women in frontline shift-based roles at Viva Energy’s Geelong refinery has increased from nine per cent in 2018 to 26 per cent in 2023 – an increase that impressed the AHRI judges.

Furthermore, Cuthbert has broadened its diversity pillars from Gender and First Nations to also include Culture, Families, Abilities and Pride.

Among other initiatives that helped secure her the title of AHRI’s HR Leader of the Year, she introduced the ‘Say it Again’ campaign, designed to give employees a safe phrase to use if they experience casual sexism or racism; extra domestic and family violence leave, which is paid time off for employees to find safe and secure housing; and culture and ceremonial leave, which enables team members to observe a religious or cultural day of significance.

“HR people have to have a really strong backbone and commercial background. It’s about getting the best out of people to get the right commercial outcomes, but doing the right thing by them while you do it.” – Natasha Cuthbert MAHRI, Chief People and Culture Officer, Viva Energy Australia

“If people see that our organisation supports MidSumma Pride March, that we’re working with specialist autism services, that we love to see people dressed up in traditional Indian clothes for Diwali, inclusivity feels real and genuine,” she says.

“In our employee engagement survey we no longer see comments about why you’d hire a female over a male. Instead, we see comments like, ‘I have a gay daughter and it’s amazing that I feel that I can talk about her freely at work.’”

While Cuthbert says there’s “always work to be done”, she’s very proud of Viva Energy’s progress.

“It’s in those challenging environments where you can really make a difference as an HR professional. That’s rewarding.”

A values-based approach to transformation

Cuthbert has further challenges on the horizon in terms of Viva Energy’s transformation journey. The company took over Coles Express in May, which brought the number of people across the business from 1500 to 7500. With its more recent acquisition of convenience store operator On the Run, the number of employees will swell to 15,000 later this year.

Cuthbert’s team will be tasked with uniting the three different businesses.

“Each business unit will have a unique culture – the convenience and mobility unit will be different to the culture in our infrastructure business, and that’s okay.”

As the world moves into more sustainable fuels, Cuthbert is aware that business will need to evolve.

“How we morph into a different organisational shape in terms of purpose and vision is very much on our minds.”

She’s confident her Smart with Heart concept will help to cultivate Viva Energy’s leaders of the future. This is a framework defining the competencies that enable its leaders to be successful, and includes things such as: safety first, strategic vision, customer centricity, collaboration, performance and accountability.

“We have a lot of clever people here, but if you’re smart without the heart, you’re not going to get cut-through. We want people to be business leaders and people leaders. So we built a set of smart competencies and heart competencies that frame our leadership program.”

Cuthbert believes a good HR strategy is not only about attracting and retaining top talent, but also about asking the right questions. 

“Getting the complete picture is crucial whether it’s a personal or an organisational matter,” she says. “That’s how we find solutions and create a positive impact.”

A longer version of this article first appeared in the February/March 2024 edition of HRM Magazine.

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Brenda Hawke became aware of her gifts early on. She loved helping people assess their needs and reach new goals, and was confident about having tricky conversations. But it was when her father lay sick in a Mackay hospital during his final weeks and she watched staff rally around him, exhausted yet determined, that she knew where she wanted to apply those skills. 

“I suddenly had a completely different perspective. From the cleaning staff to the admin staff, to the doctors and nurses who just got through COVID, these people have had to turn up daily. I wanted to be able to give back to that industry, to help them do their jobs,” says Hawke, who is the Senior Director, Talent and Organisational Development, at Queensland Health. 

Before taking on this role, she had already garnered considerable HR and change management experience. After 14 years at Westpac, where she ended up leading the Regional Finance Service Centre, she had yearned for something more community-focused, and took the role of local government customer service and HR manager in the small Queensland town of Beaudesert.

“It was my first specific HR role. I loved assessing what motivated people and helping them decipher their next step.”

Her skills were tested in 2007 when the Queensland government created new council boundaries. Hawke helped disband an entire workforce into two councils.

“People had so many questions: ‘Am I going to have a job at the end of it? How do I pay the bills? When will I know what’s happening next?’ I learned that even if there is nothing to say to people, there is still something to say. 

“I also realised how comfortable I felt leaning into difficult conversations to ultimately help businesses move forward.”

From there, she moved to Queensland Rail, where she centralised its decentralised model and reviewed its resourcing, training and recognition policies, ultimately transforming its operations. Then she spent four years at Suncorp, where she implemented a reskilling program that dramatically changed the capacity of the workforce. 

After this professional milestone came a momentous shift in her personal life when her beloved dad passed away from cancer.

By chance, she saw a role advertised at Queensland Health that had carriage of leadership, job design, organisational development and talent attraction.

“It was an ideal fit in terms of my personal purpose and my experience. I started the role literally a year to the day after my dad passed away,” she says. “That to me is very special.”

With a workforce of 100,000 people, plus 11,000 in the Department of Health, the opportunities and challenges were vast.

Values-driven change management

In her new position as Senior Director, Talent and Organisational Development, Hawke’s mission is to transform Queensland Health into “a contemporary organisation and an integrated health service, with people knocking down our doors to work for us”.

Achieving this requires “bold and courageous ideas”, she says. There are plenty of initiatives already underway.

One notable success has been the introduction of hybrid working for non-medical staff – a significant shift for a government organisation, but crucial for its attractiveness as an employer.

“Don’t be a passenger; if you’ve got an idea, put it forward. You need conviction behind you to do that.” – Brenda Hawke, Senior Director, Talent and Organisational Development, Queensland Health

Hawke has also played a pivotal role in centralising diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, previously isolated to individual hospitals. 

“We have a fabulous First Nations-first approach. We’re very strong on multiculturalism, and we want to improve our focus on disability in our workforce. Departments across Queensland Health are committed to partnering together to create holistic solutions and a truly diverse workforce that represents the communities we service.”  

To enhance recruitment and relieve the burden on individual hospitals, Hawke also wants to unify the hiring process. She believes elevating recruitment campaigns, improving branding and streamlining recruitment operations will help attract more talent, especially from overseas.

“We want to get qualified people in the door sooner, [so] hospitals will be able to meet these quality candidates and appoint them in a shorter period of time.”

Part of attracting these quality candidates is being able to communicate and promote Queensland Health’s key values, she says. 

“While we align to our public sector values, one of my observations coming in was that there wasn’t common language around those.”

The key values at the Department of Health are: customer first, ideas into action, empowering people and unleashing potential. Hawke’s team is currently collaborating with internal communications to ensure consistent messaging across all channels, including in-person interactions, branding, strategic communications, reviews, forums, emails and social media campaigns.

Additionally, Hawke encourages individuals to continually evaluate and celebrate their own values both personally and professionally, and without compromise.

“Performance can’t be at the expense of values; you can’t have one without the other,” she says. “Employees need to consistently evaluate what worked, what didn’t, what they’ve learned, and what changes they can implement.”

Throughout her career, Hawke believes she’s kept her own values front of mind; specifically integrity, courage and care.  

“We all have highs and lows during our career and personal life. However, these three personal values are what keep me grounded. The whole time, I’ve maintained my values, my sense of purpose, who I want to be as a person. And I’m incredibly proud of that.”

Winning support from stakeholders

Equally important to Hawke as attracting the right talent is equipping them with the skills they’ll need to thrive. One of the greatest challenges of her career to date was the revamping of Suncorp’s reskilling program.

From 2019 to 2022 she held various executive positions related to the learning experience. When she first joined the company, the learning and development initiatives “lacked direction and impact”.

“I didn’t believe in the program in its previous form and I didn’t want my name associated with it,” she says. “So I made a bold move to disassociate myself from it and asked for the authority to reset what was required for the future.

“I engaged with strong-willed individuals, each with their own vision of how things should be done. I embarked on a mission to win their support, which meant testing different ideas with different executives at the leadership table first, getting their buy-in individually, then asking them to state publicly that they backed the proposed changes. Eventually, we managed to move forward as a united front.”

“Performance can’t be at the expense of values; you can’t have one without the other.” – Brenda Hawke, Senior Director, Talent and Organisational Development, Queensland Health

Securing their agreement enabled her to set up a pilot group that was “truly something magical and got us those positive results”.

“But I left the public recognition to those business areas, and that’s something I’m proud of. In HR, we help move the business forward so we ultimately achieve our combined purpose.”

Hawke firmly believes that true progress occurs beyond the comfort zone, that it’s imperative to push boundaries and find new ways of doing things.

Her advice to other HR execs wanting to execute change and transformation, particularly in the face of resistance, is simply to communicate – and be brave.

“Know who your stakeholders are and engage them early. Get their thoughts and ideas. If people disagree, get them to the table to understand what some of the blockers are. 

“Don’t be a passenger; if you’ve got an idea, put it forward,” she adds. “You need conviction behind you to do that. If you’re not confident, talk to others before the meeting so you can test some of the ideas and know you have support.”

Effective HR, she believes, requires buy-in from the get-go.

“HR gets a bad rap when we develop something in isolation and then throw it over the fence and wonder why people aren’t embracing it. We need to actually involve people up front so they feel part of the journey. And more importantly, they can be excited and be the cheer squads for it.”

People power

Hawke’s experience in executing change has made her realise that all organisations actually face the same challenges.

“All businesses think they’re unique, special and different. The reality is they’re not, because they’re all made up of people. And as much as people are different, there’s a sameness that comes with that. The obstacles we have at Queensland Health are literally no different to Microsoft or Google or Foot Locker.”

Tackling these issues through a big-picture lens is where Hawke truly thrives.

“I love seeing where an organisation is currently, where it could be in the future, developing a roadmap of what we need to do, and then making sure we get there. I love converting ideas into action, and I love seeing an organisation and its workforce find its wings.

“I love the chaos and complexity that comes with large organisations. Just because something’s always been done a certain way, that’s no reason not to change it, because everything evolves.

“Do I think I would have done this role at Queensland Health four years ago? Absolutely not. My dad’s passing shifted my own perspective on what was important, which is people, and people looking after people.

“He’d be incredibly proud that something that was so terrible has been turned into something so positive.” 

A version of this article was originally published in the December edition of HRM Magazine.

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It was the feeling of being wronged in a Sydney hospitality job as a teenager that drove Mathew Paine FCPHR to pursue a career in HR. 

He had an issue with his employer, which resulted in his pay and annual leave being withheld. Affronted, he went to the tribunal for help. It got him thinking about HR, employment rights and employment law. 

“That really sparked my interest in supporting employees through their employment journeys, so I decided to dedicate my career to that,” says Paine. 

“And now, at the level I’m at, it’s about the balance of creating a great place to work and making sure the organisation achieves its goals through people,” says Paine, who is the Executive General Manager, People and Culture, at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), which resolves financial complaints from consumers and small businesses in the financial services sector relating to everything from banking and finance to superannuation and scams.

Paine also holds two voluntary board positions – president at the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation, Australia’s longest-running HIV charity, and advisory board member on AHRI’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Panel, which allows him to champion his true passion for DEI.

Selling diversity, equity and inclusion

Creating fair and inclusive work environments is in Paine’s blood. 

Throughout his HR career, he has led numerous diversity and inclusion initiatives, from helping the NSW government achieve its targets for women and Indigenous people in senior leadership roles, to driving ICC Sydney to become the first organisation in Australia to introduce transgender leave in an enterprise agreement, and ensuring AFCA services are accessible to non-English speakers.

While Paine recognises Australian organisations are starting to prioritise DEI, he believes they have a long way to go.

“When you think about the ASX 300, there’s only around six per cent female CEOs, and when you think about racial or ethnic diversity, it’s even less. At the board chair level, it’s even less again.

“The more you add those intersections, whether it’s people living with disability, Indigenous Australians, someone who is from the LGBTIQ+ community, the less representation you’ll see at the top.”

Paine believes the business case for D&I is undeniable. Inclusive workplaces create a positive brand in the eyes of consumers and employees, they help attract a diverse pool of talent and a variety of perspectives that helps to foster innovation and creativity, and they boost employee satisfaction and retention. 

But this doesn’t mean selling D&I to the C-suite is easy.

The key is linking the concept to broader business goals. For example innovation, customer satisfaction and performance, he says.

It’s assessing the customer demographic and looking at the benefits of mirroring it within the organisation, or setting diversity targets in terms of employees, including in the C-suite.

“It’s about understanding the data and asking, ‘What’s in it for us?’” says Paine.

If buy-in proves a challenge, he has a few tried-and-tested strategies up his sleeve. 

First is ‘listen and learn’ sessions, where employees are invited to a C-suite meeting to discuss their lived experience, such as living with disability or coming from a multicultural background, for example. The executives are invited to listen, learn and ask questions about how the employees’ work experience could be improved. 

Second is taking C-suite members into communities, including First Nations communities, to meet with elders or leaders to better understand their unique perspectives, issues and how the organisation can better work with them. Third, Paine tries to relate DEI initiatives to the executives’ own lives via sponsorship and allyship. 

“If they have kids or elderly parents, they might be a good sponsor for parents and carers. They may identify as LGTBIQ+ or Indigenous, or have a family member who does,” he says. “At the beginning there’s a lot of questions to explore how people connect to D&I. Then it’s targeting people to sponsor and be an active ally of those initiatives.”

Changing minds

Once executives are on board, it’s about persuading them to advocate for D&I, both internally and externally, says Paine.

He suggests the CEO and senior executives each sponsor a different DEI topic. They may support an event at the organisation, or oversee an internal anonymous survey to understand how many people identify as living with a disability, then ask them about their challenges, which may lead to a range of initiatives. 

They could also sponsor an employee resource group and champion accessibility guidelines or policy change on behalf of them, he suggests.

Paine has learned that even the most determined executives can be turned around. He once faced a board member who didn’t want to be associated with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, despite the company publicly supporting LGBTIQ+ rights. 

“It was a challenge at the time, and for me personally, it was disappointing. I had to make them understand that discrimination and harassment disproportionately affect LGBTIQ+ workers, and not participating in the event would actually cause more damage than proceeding.”

“At the end of the day, it’s impossible to change someone’s beliefs, but you have a chance at changing their behaviour.” – Mathew Paine FCPHR, Executive General Manager, People and Culture, Australian Financial Complaints Authority

In the end, Paine managed to persuade the CEO to get the board on-side and display the company’s logo on a float, allowing staff to march alongside it. 

“I was able to demonstrate that there was a huge number of customers who either participated in or attended Mardi Gras.

“Inclusive workplaces are good for improving the wellbeing of individuals. But the biggest gain was for the employees,” he adds. “Some of them identified as LGBTIQ+, others were allies, but it was such an amazing experience for them. 

“At the end of the day, it’s impossible to change someone’s beliefs, but you have a chance at changing their behaviour.”

Focus on fairness

Looking forward, Paine says one thing he would like to see more of is better inclusion of First Nations people in workplaces.

“In terms of understanding the perspective of Indigenous employees, we’ve got a lot of work to do in Australia and it’s likely to be very different to how we’ve operated in the past.”

Ultimately, he says, HR is about creating a great and fair place to work – for young and inexperienced employees like he once was, to mature-aged workers and all in between.

If that happens, diversity, equity and inclusion won’t need to be such a focus, he says.

“In five to 10 years, it would be nice to think that we won’t be discussing and measuring all these different demographics and diversity programs. It should be that everyone is included and feels they belong in the workplace,” he says. “But until then, we need that focus.”

A longer version of this article first appeared in the October/November 2023 edition of HRM Magazine.

Want to hear more diversity, equity and inclusion insights? Sign up for AHRI’s virtual DEI conference on 31st October and hear from Annabelle Crabb and a range of other experts.

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Our world is becoming increasingly polarised. Our differing opinions, ethics and values can sometimes seem as though they’re from opposite ends of the earth. Our workplaces are becoming increasingly polarised too, which creates immense challenges for managers and HR.

Navigating and addressing these chasms is both a responsibility and an opportunity.

Edelman’s latest Trust Barometer, which surveyed over 32,000 people globally, including more than 1150 in Australia, shows that our country is “moderately polarised” but close to being “in danger of severe polarisation”. It reports almost half of Australians (45 per cent) think our nation is more divided today than at any point in history.

Edelman cites wealth disparity (72 per cent), the media (51 per cent) and government leaders (49 per cent) as the main forces driving polarisation.

The report also found that polarisation increases prejudice and discrimination, slows economic progress and reduces our ability to address societal challenges.

Worryingly, over half of people (54 per cent) feel our country’s social fabric is too weak to serve as a future foundation for unity and common purpose. Only a quarter (24 per cent) would help a person in need who strongly disagreed with their own view on a societal issue, while only 19 per cent would be willing to work alongside them. 

When polarisation seeps into workplaces, it can cause in-group favouritism and out-group prejudice (negative stereotyping of those in other groups), leading to a harmful us-versus-them mentality, says Ruchi Sinha, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at the University of South Australia Business School. 

“Sub-groups can drive distrust, break collaboration and hamper decision-making,” she says. “They can also hamper knowledge sharing and innovative problem- solving, eventually hurting team productivity.”

Responsibility to act

Current topics of debate and potential polarisation in Australian workplaces include our housing crisis, our new work-from-home culture, the resignation of Indigenous ABC journalist Stan Grant over claims of racism, and the clash between religious expression and LGBTIQ+ rights.

While diverse viewpoints on these topics can be a source of innovation and progress, they become problematic when they lead to intolerance and hostility,  says Lisa Annese, CEO of Diversity Council Australia.

“There’s a limit to the belief that all opinions are valid. And the limit, for workplaces, is when the expression of your belief harms or hurts someone else.

“The inclusive way forward is focusing not so much on what people think, but on how they behave. If you are expressing opinions that are discriminatory based on your religious beliefs, there might be a clash between that expression and someone else’s rights. 

“Organisations can be very frightened of dealing with that head-on. But it’s really important they do. Employers are important members of the community with power.”

Edelman’s data backs this up. It shows that despite growing polarisation in Australia, the majority of us (75 per cent) trust our employer. 

Jen Overbeck, Associate Professor of Management at Melbourne Business School, says while many organisations have embraced the idea of diversity, some choose not to weigh in on debate to keep the peace, which may explain the high level of trust.

But avoiding debate can also be risky.

“There’s starting to be an active demand by both consumers and workers that businesses reflect their own values, particularly as younger people and people from historically marginalised backgrounds gain more power in workplaces.”

Research backs this up. In a 2019 Gartner study of more than 30,000 people worldwide, 87 per cent of employees said organisations should take a public position on societal issues relevant to their business, while 74 per cent said they should take a position on issues even when they aren’t directly relevant.

“Remaining on the fence [can be] a recipe for having a weak brand, and not inspiring loyalty and passion for your business,” says Overbeck.

Facilitating tolerance

Creating a tolerant and receptive workplace where people are willing to be open and consider differing perspectives can be harder to achieve than it sounds, says Annese.

“The challenge for employers is to not underestimate the complexity of this work because you’re going to get clashes sometimes.

“This is all about transformational culture change. You have to invest in everyone in the workplace and in their capabilities, and hold them accountable if they’re not doing the right thing. It’s about providing them with the opportunity to be successful.”

The work comes in the form of change management and evidence-based learnings.

“It’s about working positively with people to build their knowledge in a way that’s engaging. If we look at how to engage men in workplaces on gender equality, for example, you present the facts around what’s actually happening, then work with men to understand two things. The first is that they stand to benefit from feminism. Research shows that gender-equal companies are more innovative, productive and flexible. 

“The second is that, while they stand to gain, they’re also part of the solution. Men have enormous power in institutions to be part of that positive change, and the real strength is around how to use that power to be a strong and supportive ally.”

“Often it’s not the polarisation that hurts organisations. It’s the methods they use to deal with it.”   – Lisa Annese, CEO, Diversity Council Australia

Five steps to unite employees

Managers might clash with employees over differing opinions. While it’s okay to disagree, each view must be respected, providing it’s respectfully given, says Annese.

“Leaders can say, ‘You’re entitled to your opinion, I won’t treat you any differently. However, this is our view as an organisation. This is what we stand for.’ And it’s up to individuals whether they align to that or not.”

Sinha says research identifies five key ways organisations can tackle polarisation and foster social inclusion. 

The first is by promoting an inclusive culture. This involves collecting and analysing workforce data, then developing policies that ensure the organisation is distributing resources fairly, removing any unchecked privileges and emphasising social justice.

Secondly, organisations should train leaders to become “authentic role models”.

“Leaders must emphasise the importance of inclusion and demonstrate pro-diversity beliefs,” she says. “Providing them with tools to detect and respond to prejudice can strengthen their sense of responsibility to confront it.”

Third, organisations must align their practices to social inclusion. Examples include reward systems or performance management systems that reinforce inclusive behaviours and call out discriminatory ones.

“Alternatively, leaders can encourage employees from diverse views and backgrounds to work together towards similar goals, increasing their exposure to similarities in an attempt to build mutual respect,” says Sinha.

Fourth, there should be well-defined policies and guidelines that explicitly state the consequences of discriminatory behaviour and provide channels for reporting incidents. 

Finally, ‘employee resource groups’ should act as safe spaces for members to discuss their diversity issues and experiences, and identify solutions from the bottom-up.

“These groups aren’t just for employees; they must include participation from middle managers and executive-level leaders.”

When companies move from merely tolerating differing views to actively encouraging diverse perspectives, they unlock potential for innovation and growth, creative problem-solving, and higher employee morale and satisfaction, says Sinha.

“When marginalised employees feel valued, accepted, included and respected for their unique perspectives, they are more likely to be engaged and committed to their work.

“All of this can improve retention and productivity. They’re also likely to feel an improved sense of belonging and psychological empowerment, which fosters confidence and creativity, and makes people more open to change and better able to adapt in the face of challenges.”

These attributes not only benefit workplaces, but also society as a whole.

Annesse agrees, saying: “The way forward is not to misunderstand each other. It’s to recognise that we all stand to gain from a world that’s more inclusive, respectful and collaborative.

“So often it’s not the polarisation that hurts organisations. It’s the methods they use to deal with it and the extent to which organisations are prepared to stand up for what is right.” 

A longer version of this article first appeared in the August/September 2023 edition of HRM Magazine.

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For those of us who feel things deeply, we are told at a young age to stop being so sensitive, stop taking everything so personally and grow a thicker skin.

As we grow up, we may get similar feedback from our managers or colleagues in the workplace, who tell us to stop letting our emotions show. Often managers see having a highly sensitive person (HSP) on their team as a burden to overcome.

But, contrary to popular belief, high sensitivity isn’t necessarily linked to emotional reactivity. Put more simply, just because you feel emotions deeply, it doesn’t mean you can’t control them.

“We tend to think of sensitive people as soft, fragile people who need to be handled with kid gloves,” says workplace success and executive coach and author Melody Wilding. “And nothing could be further from the truth, because to be sensitive, to process everything deeply, to feel the world in a profound way, takes a lot of energy and strength.

“Sensitivity is very misunderstood,” says Wilding.

In its definition of a highly sensitive person, Psychology Today borrows from psychologist Elaine Aron, who describes HSPs as those who “display increased emotional sensitivity, stronger reactivity to both external and internal stimuli – pain, hunger, light and noise – and a complex inner life.”

Wilding adds that high sensitivity is not a disorder, a character defect or a weakness.

“It’s just a normal variation. We have to expand our understanding of neurodiversity to accept all differences and high sensitivity is one of them.”

Current research estimates that HSPs make up 20-35 per cent of the population, and are evenly split between genders.

How highly sensitive people can benefit the workplace

As a society we often fail to understand that people with an ability to feel everything deeply can offer huge benefits to those around them. 

“High sensitivity actually serves a very important evolutionary purpose,” says Wilding. “It was very helpful back in prehistoric days to have people who didn’t just run into danger, but who were considered and read a situation before thinking critically about their next steps.”

“While the [average] person’s brain may be taking in 1000 pieces of information at any one time, a highly sensitive person’s brain is taking in 100,000.” – Melody Wilding, workplace success and executive coach.

Translating this into a work environment in the 21st century, Wilding says HSPs think before they speak, are strong negotiators, can pick up on subtle cues and read a room, and often see situations from a variety of different perspectives.

“They’re good at trying to find a resolution and harmony in a team, and at spotting opportunities or risks that other people may miss, all of which makes them excellent leaders,” says Wilding. “I can’t tell you how many of my highly sensitive clients have been responsible for recognising that somebody’s not fully engaged and turning that around before they lose them.

“And, because HSPs are very diplomatic and understand people’s motivations, they’re great at building rapport with clients or stakeholders. That’s a tremendous advantage – if people are listening to them.”

HSPs are likely to become more important in an increasingly digitised world. 

Research from multinational publishing and education company Pearson analysed more than 21 million job ads from the US, UK, Canada and Australia. It found that the top five most in-demand skills until at least 2026 will be human-centred skills, including communication, customer service, leadership, attention to detail and collaboration.

Challenges for HSPs and how managers can help

While HSPs are blessed with many beneficial attributes, life isn’t always easy for them.

Taking in minute details, including other people’s emotions, can sometimes leave them feeling exhausted and stressed.

“While the [average] person’s brain may be taking in 1000 pieces of information at any one time, a highly sensitive person’s brain is taking in 100,000,” says Wilding.

This can make thinking on the spot and dealing with surprises or unforeseen risks a challenge for HSPs, but there are ways managers can help mitigate these difficulties and draw out their strengths.

Wilding shares some suggestions:

1. Create a plan with predictability and structure, and set agendas in advance. This may mean a heads-up if they’re required to speak in a meeting.
2. Protect them from overstimulating environments. Carve out ‘do not disturb’ time when people can focus without interruptions.
3. Organise regular check-ins. This is an opportunity to ask them what is working or not working, and what communication and environment allows them to work at their best. 
4. Pair them with the right colleagues. HSPs can struggle with highly dominant types who don’t make small talk, are results-driven and can steamroll them (sometimes without realising).
5. Match their skill sets and qualities with the right assignments. This might be a project where they have the opportunity to think critically or build bridges between different departments.
6. Encourage them to set healthy boundaries and speak up for themselves. HSPs often worry about letting people down.

Wilding says it’s also up to leaders to reframe HSPs as valuable assets to the team. 

“It’s about listening to and believing in them. While HSPs are intuitive, they aren’t always the best at articulating what is informing that perspective, which I think is a missed opportunity.

“For leaders, it’s important to listen to sensitive people when they have a hunch about something, and nudge them to articulate their reasoning. It could be that they’ve seen a type of project fail in the past and they know all of the pitfalls.”

How HSPs can help themselves

While it’s important to accept high sensitivity in others, it’s also important to accept it in ourselves, says Wilding.

“Most sensitive people have been told to be less of who they are, so they look to everyone else for validation. This can be especially challenging for men, who may have been told to ‘toughen up.'”

Wilding advises her highly sensitive clients to work on their self-confidence in order to get over their imposter syndrome.

Read HRM’s article on the 5 types of Impostor Syndrome.

Challenging themselves can help, such as learning to hold their own against a highly dominant person, or standing up for what they think is important.

Wilding also feels strongly that HSPs shouldn’t shy away from leadership positions for fear that they are incapable, or not brash or bold enough. 

“My clients will say, ‘I don’t want to be a leader because I don’t want to turn into that,’ not realising that, by stepping into a leadership role, they can change the way the organisation approaches things,” she says.

“I strongly believe that when we have sensitive people in positions of power and leadership, everything gets better, and that we’ll have more safe, supportive, optimistic and satisfying workplaces. Because we’ll have leaders who really care.”

Improve your understanding of emotional intelligence and learn proactive and reactive techniques to effectively manage strong emotions with this short course from AHRI.

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