Upholding D&I values under pressure

This event featured guest speakers: Gemma Pitcher (she/her), Associate at Common Cause Australia, an accomplished communications and messaging consultant and Bedi Othow (she/her), a champion for inclusion and equity in the workplace, in conversation with DCA CEO Catherine Hunter (she/her).

The session provided insights on how to use the power of values and frames to motivate change and equip employers with practical, evidence based ways to sustain commitment to diversity and inclusion in a polarised and fatigued environment.
Drawing on behavioural science and lived practitioner insight, the event challenged organisations to move away from compliance and instead anchor D&I in intrinsic human values such as fairness, dignity, care and equality.

For employers, the call to action was clear:

• reshape how inclusion is communicated and embedded by leading with values and human stories, and not just with the business benefits angle
• integrate D&I into existing organisational values and systems
• adopt strengths based, situationally aware messaging that resonates with today’s stressed and risk averse workforce.

Rather than retreating from D&I, organisations were encouraged to adapt by:

• working across functions, aligning inclusion with core cultural expectations
• engaging leaders and employees as partners in building resilient, respectful and inclusive workplaces.