Inclusion at Work Week (IAWW) is back for the fifth year running and we’re excited to celebrate the incredible efforts of inclusive organisations and D&I practitioners who are helping to make workplaces across Australia safer, fairer, and more respectful.
This year, the week runs from 16 to 20 November and we’ve curated a calendar packed with opportunities to help you and your organisation champion inclusion at work.
Follow the steps below to ensure you get the most out of IAWW 2026.
Step 1: Register for Inclusion at Work Week 2026
Registration is open to both DCA members and non-members. Once registered for IAWW, DCA members will receive a participation kit with templates and suggestions on how to engage your team and promote your efforts externally. Both members and non-members are welcome to participate in the IAWW social media campaign.
DCA member organisations who sign up will also be entered into the competition to win a free virtual D&I Fundamentals Knowledge Program. The winner will be announced on the last day of IAWW on 20 November 2026.
Step 2: Secure your spot at one of our events during the week
There is something on offer every day of IAWW! Explore our calendar of events being held throughout the week. DCA members can attend our research launch at no cost and attend our Open Knowledge Programs at a discounted rate. Open Knowledge Programs are a chance for individuals to attend Knowledge Programs usually reserved for group bookings only.
- Monday 16 November we’re hosting an Open Knowledge Program on D&I Fundamentals
- Tuesday 17 November is the Launch of DCA’s Inclusion Across the Employee Lifecycle Toolkit
- Wednesday 18 November we invite you to join our Open Knowledge Program on Countering Unconscious Bias at Work
- Thursday 19 November’s Open Knowledge Program is on Leading with Cultural Intelligence
- Friday 20 November we wrap up the week with an Open Knowledge Program on Leading Through Inclusion: Preventing and Responding to Sexual Harassment
Step 3: Check-in during the week for new and updated resources
This IAWW we are launching a new toolkit providing organisations with guidance on how to make key employee lifecycle points inclusive. On Tuesday, 17 November, the toolkit will be available on our website to DCA members.
On Thursday 19 November, we will release our updated Multifaith Inclusion at Work Guide. The updated practice guide includes seven levers for organisations to proactively embed faith inclusion at work, and guidance to help workplaces balance issues where faith beliefs may conflict with inclusion for other employees’ rights.
We finish off the week with the launch of our much-awaited 2027 D&I Calendar to help you plan for next year. Download it, save it to your favourites bar, print it out, or share it with your team.
Step 4: Share why D&I matters to you and your business
When DCA members sign up for IAWW, you will receive access to a participation kit with templates and suggestions on how to engage your internal teams.
Everyone is invited to share their organisation’s inclusion journey and proudest moments, as well as their goals for the future, on social media. By joining the online conversation, you’ll not only showcase your organisation’s commitment to inclusion, but also amplify the importance of D&I across Australia.
Questions to consider
As part of this year’s celebrations, we’re encouraging organisations to share the work they are doing to make their workplaces more inclusive and what’s next on their D&I journey. This is a call-to-action encouraging organisations, teams and individuals to share their stories of D&I progress and aspirations for the future. We’d love for you to reflect on this milestone and share your insights – whether as an individual or as a team.
Some helpful prompts include:
- Looking back: What inroads have you been involved in to make workplaces more diverse and inclusive? What progress have you seen on inclusion in your workplace?
- Looking forward: Where do you see the biggest opportunities for inclusion in the years ahead?
- Big picture: What do we, as a society, need to focus on to achieve true diversity and inclusion in the coming years or decades?
Step 5: Celebrate!
While IAWW is an important time to reflect on your organisation’s D&I efforts and consider new strategies for improvement, it is also a time to celebrate everything that we have achieved so far.
In an environment that feels increasingly polarised and challenging, it is important to celebrate the progress we have made and the actions and initiatives that have created workplaces where people feel safe, respected, and included. Workplaces are key to social cohesion. They are one of the few places where we regularly encounter people of different generations, cultures, backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences. Because of this, workplaces have an important role to play in shaping how people relate to one another and how we navigate differences when people don’t necessarily agree.
In creating inclusive workplaces we can help to create cultures of respect, belonging and dignity, where harmful behaviours are less likely to be tolerated and more likely to be challenged.
On the first day of IAWW, we are excited to announce our most recent list of Inclusive Employers for 2026-2027 and celebrate these organisations who are working towards building inclusive workplaces. Our Inclusive Employers have demonstrated a strong commitment to inclusion by exceeding key benchmarks in our annual Inclusive Employer Index.
DCA will continue to support you on your journey towards building inclusive workplaces through the release of new resources, research, events, education programs and tools and we’re excited to celebrate Inclusion at Work Week with you this year.