Cultural ethnicity - Corporate Responsibility

Cultural ethnicity

Building a Culturally Diverse Workforce: Our Approach

Our business aspiration is to become a "super regional" bank. A culturally diverse workforce helps us to understand and meet the needs of our growing customer base in new and international markets.

Our workforce represents 134 cultural backgrounds, speaks 91 languages and follows 84 religions.

Harnessing Cultural Diversity

We recently established a Cultural Diversity Network to help us harness culturally diverse contributions and ensure our people thrive. Our New Zealand business already has a number of ethnic employee networks: Asia Pacific, Maori and Pacific Islander and Indian. In Australia, an Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander employee network has been established.

Case study: Giving refugees the chance
Given the Chance, a program developed in partnership with the Brotherhood of St Laurence, gives refugees the opportunity to earn a wage, become familiar with Australian workplace culture and language, and practice and improve their communication and customer service skills. "Employment is crucial to the economic and social inclusion of new arrivals in Australia," said Mary Herbert, Head of Business Growth (Commercial Cards), who currently leads the program at ANZ. "As one of the country's largest employers, this is a very natural way for us to assist". The program has resulted in ANZ employment for eleven out of the thirteen refugees so far. "This experience has really changed my life. I really enjoy working at ANZ," said Kenneth Williams, a participant who is now a full time consultant at the central fulfilment centre in Richmond. "I would definitely encourage other businesses around ANZ to do this. A lot of refugees have capabilities, skills and knowledge." And Mary says the benefits are not limited to participants. "The organisation benefits through recruitment of highly engaged, enthusiastic and resilient employees who are absolutely determined to make the most of their opportunities. That's a plus for any organisation." The program has expanded to our mortgages business with four Given the Chance participants recruited. A further 6 participants will join ANZ as trainees during 2009.

Case study: Giving refugees the chance

Given the Chance, a program developed in partnership with the Brotherhood of St Laurence, gives refugees the opportunity to earn a wage, become familiar with Australian workplace culture and language, and practice and improve their communication and customer service skills.

"Employment is crucial to the economic and social inclusion of new arrivals in Australia," said Mary Herbert, Head of Business Growth (Commercial Cards), who currently leads the program at ANZ.

"As one of the country's largest employers, this is a very natural way for us to assist".

The program has resulted in ANZ employment for eleven out of the thirteen refugees so far.

"This experience has really changed my life. I really enjoy working at ANZ," said Kenneth Williams, a participant who is now a full time consultant at the central fulfilment centre in Richmond.

"I would definitely encourage other businesses around ANZ to do this. A lot of refugees have capabilities, skills and knowledge."

And Mary says the benefits are not limited to participants.

"The organisation benefits through recruitment of highly engaged, enthusiastic and resilient employees who are absolutely determined to make the most of their opportunities. That's a plus for any organisation."

The program has expanded to our mortgages business with four Given the Chance participants recruited. A further 6 participants will join ANZ as trainees during 2009.

Progress in 2008

We recruited 106 Indigenous trainees in 2008 as part of our Indigenous employment strategy, one of the practical steps we are taking to improve the social and economic inclusion of Indigenous Australians.

Thirteen refugees participated in the Given the Chance traineeship program (see case study), with eleven offered full time employment with the bank.

The future

Our 2009 Corporate Responsibility goals include a target to recruit a further 100 Indigenous trainees in our branch network. We continue to also work towards our broader Indigenous employment targets as part of our Reconciliation Action Plan, which was revised in late 2008.