The organisation that is holding the Diversity Awards hasn't received any entries from law firms or other workplaces where law is practised.
Judging convener Neil Porteous says the new awards are an exciting opportunity to acknowledge the efforts that businesses all around New Zealand are making to maximise the benefits of a diverse workplace and honour the unique backgrounds, skills and needs of their people.
Legal workplaces are being encouraged to enter the awards, held by Diversity Works New Zealand, which have various categories including:
Tomorrow’s Workforce Award
Celebrates innovative responses to a changing workforce demographic. Young people entering the workforce have different expectations from wisdom workers wanting to continue their careers. This award recognises an organisation which has found ways to recruit, retain and engage the very best talent for tomorrow, securing the future success of its business and meeting the needs of workers across the age spectrum.
Cultural Celebration Award
Showcases authentic responses to cultural and ethnic engagement in the workplace. A diversity of cultures and worldviews add skills and innovation, not only to an organisation but to the New Zealand economy. This award recognises initiatives that acknowledge our bi-cultural history and multicultural society and improve engagement and performance in the workplace through cultural intelligence.
Empowerment Award
Celebrates innovative responses to empowering women in the workplace. Driving gender equity in the workforce involves advancing pay equity, mutually available career pipelines, and equitable representation at senior and governance levels. This award acknowledges organisations that have demonstrated a commitment to real progress in gender equity and engaged people across all genders and all levels of the business to deliver that progress.
Skills Highway Award
Honours organisations which recognise the importance of numeracy and literacy. People need to be effective while speaking, listening, reading, writing, problem solving, processing mathematical information and using technology at work. The award acknowledges organisations that developed initiatives to assist their employees with fundamental foundation skills, giving them new career opportunities and pathways.
Positive Inclusion Award
Celebrates innovative responses to inclusivity of the LGBTQI community in the workforce. New Zealand’s workforce is comprised of people of diverse genders and sexual orientations. This award acknowledges organisations that recognise the whole person and demonstrate a commitment to creating an accepting, unbiased workplace.
Diversability Award
Celebrates innovative responses to positive employment opportunities for people with disabilities. This award acknowledges organisations that have moved from simply considering accessibility to creating a culture of inclusion.
Work Life Balance Award
Celebrates organisations that recognise that work is part of a rich and challenging life. The award acknowledges organisations that create a culture which enables people to perform best at work and flourish in other areas, through innovative flexible working practices or wellbeing initiatives.
Walk the Talk Award
Celebrates leaders who exemplify excellence in managing a diverse workforce. The winner is a leader who understands that diversity and inclusion create healthy workplace cultures where everyone’s skills and talents are both utilised and appreciated.
Emerging Diversity and Inclusion Award
Honours a diversity and inclusion initiative that is less than two years old but has already achieved a positive impact on business performance and workforce engagement. This award will be given to a programme that can be sustained and further developed to enhance the creation of a truly inclusive workplace culture.
Supreme Award
Will be selected from the winners of each category.
Small Organisation Excellence Award
Our judges may choose to award a Small Organisation Excellence Award in any of the nine award categories. These awards are available to organisations with fewer than 50 employees and recognises that initiatives developed by SMEs in our cities and regions play an important role in creating a truly inclusive workplace culture in New Zealand. All entries from organisations with fewer than 50 employees will automatically be eligible for this special commendation, and also eligible to win the overall category award.
"The important role small businesses play in creating a truly inclusive workplace culture in New Zealand will be recognised at the 2019 Diversity Awards NZ, with the introduction this year of Small Organisation Excellence Awards. The judges will have the discretion to confer these new awards in any of the nine award categories to organisations with fewer than 50 employees," says Diversity Works New Zealand Chief Executive Rachel Hopkins.
“Statistics New Zealand figures show that last year there were 952,700 people working for enterprises that employed fewer than 50 people – that’s more than 40 per cent of our workforce,” she says. “This means that all initiatives to encourage diversity and belonging in small organisations have a big impact on building a more inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand,” she says.
Entry information is available here. Entries close on 7 May.