Reconciliation Action Plan

Transcription

1 Reconciliation Action Plan

2 OUR VISION FOR RECONCILIATION Our vision for reconciliation is to create an organisation that is aware of and integrates knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures, facilitates their secure economic independence by enhancing opportunities for education and gainful employment, and strengthens our engagement with the business community by continuing our supplier diversity focus through our involvement with Supply Nation.

3 STAPLES MESSAGE Since the development of our first Reconciliation Action Plan in November 2010, Staples has maintained a strong commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We are now proudly launching our third RAP, which will span It is a privilege to work in an organisation that has come so far on its reconciliation journey. Diversity is our strength. Being connected to Australia s rich history and building a culture of reconciliation is at the core of what we do. At Staples, we offer an inclusive environment for our associates and our suppliers. Our goal is to reflect this to our customers and the communities around us, through the diversity of our own workforce, as well as the hundreds of suppliers and other businesses we work with every day. A long-term strength of ours is our supply chain. We have been able to leverage this strength through our supplier diversity program a key part of our RAP. By focusing on what we do best warehousing and distribution we can contribute to improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander economic development through engagement with First Australian businesses. We are a truly nationwide company, and our RAP reflects the genuine commitment to support the communities around us. Staples have taken strides to foster the development of a number of leaders from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses including Supply Nation, NITV and AIME. Through hosting leadership workshops for over 50 leaders and future leaders across these businesses, we can support their growth, and in turn, the development of the wider community. I would like to say thank you to all of our partner organisations and Supply Nation Certified suppliers for working with us and contributing to the success of our past RAPs. I know I speak for all Staples associates when I say I look forward to continuing to work with our partners on this RAP, as well as building new and lasting relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and businesses. Michael Oakley Knight Vice President - Human Resources Staples Australia and New Zealand RECONCILIATION AUSTRALIA MESSAGE On behalf of Reconciliation Australia, I congratulate Staples, and all of those who contributed, on the launch of their third Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). RAPs are driving social change in workplaces around the country and, as one of 600 plus RAP organisations, Staples is playing a key role in helping to influence that change. This Stretch RAP represents the next step on Staples reconciliation journey, which began in November In that time, Staples has shown a strong commitment to building reconciliation through its innovative and sustainable RAP initiatives. This new RAP continues to instil a culture of reconciliation not only across the organisation, but within the entire community. One of Staples strengths is its supply chain and it is very pleasing to see this strength harnessed in Staples RAP through a focus on supplier diversity in partnership with Supply Nation. This will ensure Staples is able to continue to grow mutually beneficial relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations. I wish Staples well as they embark on the next step of their impressive and evolving reconciliation journey and look forward to seeing the positive outcomes achieved. Justin Mohamed Chief Executive Officer Reconciliation Australia Staples has shown a strong commitment to building reconciliation through its innovative and sustainable RAP initiatives. This new RAP continues to instil a culture of reconciliation not only across the organisation, but within the entire community. Our goal is to reflect this to our customers, the community around us, through the diversity of our own workforce, as well as the hundreds of suppliers and other businesses we work with every day.

4 OUR BUSINESS Staples Australia and Staples New Zealand make more happen for everyone from the home office to our ASX customers to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses that we work with. The Staples single source solution includes comprehensive products and services from office supplies, technology and printing to promotional products, business furniture, safety and facility supplies. Dedicated to providing organisations with greater cost savings and improved ordering efficiencies, Staples has been helping businesses succeed since Headquartered outside of Boston, Staples operates throughout 25 countries and employs more than 75,000 associates. In 2008, Staples Inc. acquired 60% of Express Australia and Express New Zealand. They acquired the remaining 40% in 2010 and the companies began trading under the Staples name in October Across Australia and New Zealand, Staples employs 1,500 associates The number of associates that identify as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person is not currently tracked. Our team are located in every state and territory of Australia with stock holding capabilities in over 25 locations throughout Australia and New Zealand, including our state-of-the-art National Distribution Centre in Erskine Park, New South Wales, and Regional Distribution Centres in every state. Our head office is located in Mascot, New South Wales. Staples is committed to corporate responsibility. It brings together our efforts to give back to our communities, embrace diversity, sustain the environment and practice sound ethics. We recognise the impacts our decisions have on our stakeholders and work with them to determine mutually beneficial solutions. We offer an inclusive workplace environment that leverages the diversity of thought, people, and experience. We adhere to fair labour practices and standards and foster diversity, providing equal opportunities and ensuring fair and equitable rewards. Our goal is to reflect the diversity of our customers through the diversity of our own workforce, as well as the hundreds of suppliers and other businesses we work with every day. We consequently strive to enhance and leverage our workforce diversity and promote diversity among our suppliers. We treat all associates, recruits, customers and suppliers equally, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, family status, race, ethnic or national origin, religious belief, age, disability, or any other immaterial factor. This is demonstrated in the following key areas: Culture: We value the differences that a diverse workforce provides. We wish to eliminate unlawful and unfair discrimination and foster and celebrate diversity. Retention and recruitment: We implement programs to increase the number of women in leadership positions. We focus on talent management and development, succession planning, and networking. We also ensure equitable compensation, promotion and transfer. We currently have an Indigenous Employment Strategy (IES) in place that was developed over 2012 and In our RAP this strategy will be reviewed and updated. Suppliers: We are increasing awareness of supplier diversity through our partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander s-owned and women-owned businesses, disability enterprises, and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As a founding member of Supply Nation, Staples is committed to supporting the growth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses We also connect customers with suppliers through our business-to-business Supplier Diversity Program. This initiative aims to help our customers achieve their supplier diversity goals while enabling the growth of diversity suppliers in our communities. We strive to create supplier-buyer relationships that allow diversity supplier organisations to continue to develop, while offering our customers a wider selection of quality products at competitive prices. By extending our supplier diversity program to our customers, diversity suppliers are able to utilise our distribution infrastructure, while customers have access to products manufactured by diversity suppliers through our catalogues and websites, and can receive reporting on their Tier 2 diversity spend. We want to better understand and support the communities we work in, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. To help address the social and economic barriers faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples we launched our first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in November 2010, with the help of not-for-profit organisation Reconciliation Australia. The RAP cements a commitment to creating an organisation that is aware of and integrates knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples and cultures into business practices.

5 OUR RAP Staples are a strong supporter of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and sees immense value in the RAP program. Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities has become a part of our internal culture as have many aspects of our programs and initiatives. Through our RAP initiatives our aim is to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses and communities to grow and employ more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff. We also want to ensure there s a diverse pipeline of talent from Australia s First Peoples in the future which is why our community programs focus on supporting organisations that provide job skills and/or education. RAP DEVELOPMENT Our RAP has been developed through two key groups the RAP Steering Committee and the Employee RAP Committee. The RAP Steering Committee consists of executive sponsors and cross-functional members primarily representing HR, Community, CSR and Merchandising. This includes Vice President Human Resources, Head of Merchandising, Head of Marketing, Organisation Development Business Partner, Talent Acquisition Manager, Marketing. An external Aboriginal consultant is also part of our RAP Steering committee. The Employee RAP Committee consists of associates who champion initiatives in each state. Through these groups, feedback from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and our continued learning, we have built on various drafts of the RAP, to get to the current version.

6 OUR JOURNEY SO FAR Since launching our first RAP in 2010 we have gone on a long journey to ensure the success of the actions we outline in each RAP document. Over 2014 we worked to lay the foundations to reinvigorate and ensure the continued success of our RAP. Over 2012 and 2013 we worked to implement or maintain all of our RAP initiatives. These are outlined below: RELATIONSHIPS Staples acknowledges that working closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, organisations and communities is necessary to strengthen and enhance business; seek advice and education; and develop a network of relationships to support our reconciliation work. Since 2012, Staples has encouraged associate engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations through strong involvement with AIME and Supply Nation. Our associates in various States have raised money for AIME, and attended Supply Nation networking events with vendors. In 2014, AIME attended an internal expo for our charitable partners to meet with Staples associates. Our employee RAP Committee has held internal events for National Reconciliation Week for the past four years and promoted awareness to the whole business via internal communications. We have partnered with a new Supply Nation Certified supplier, Yaru Water, and are continuing to build relationships with our existing suppliers. We also guide Supply Nation Certified Suppliers through our RFP process to give them the best chance of meeting our requirements. We have several initiatives in place to increase opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suppliers, and have set a target of bringing one new supplier on contract during each year of this RAP. We are continuing to identify relationships with key Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders in the areas we operate in. Discussions with peer networks began in 2012, and are still being built upon. As part of this focus, we aim to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee to provide cultural advice and guidance to Staples.

7 RESPECT Staples values respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the way we do business, by cultivating a deep awareness and respect amongst employees of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and their relationship to land, their histories and cultures. This respect is important for fostering an inclusive workplace where all Australians can celebrate their shared history, and for attracting and retaining a diverse workforce. Staples held Cultural Awareness Programs in each State in both 2012 and The program was well received amongst business leaders who attended, and we will look to roll this out for all staff as well as considering new courses alongside this. We will be rolling out this training for all Staples leaders over the RAP. By the end of, we aim to have at least 75% of our 1,350 Australian Staples associates having participated in cultural awareness training. We created pocket guides on Acknowledgement of Country for all associates, and have signs at each site that acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands of which our offices are located on. Local NAIDOC events were promoted nationally to associates in each state. A number of the Staples offices around the country held events and put up posters around the office. OPPORTUNITIES Staples intends to seek out opportunities to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates in our recruitment process and to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-owned businesses in our procurement process. Promoting these opportunities will contribute to closing the social, economic and health gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians and progress the sustainability of the communities in which we operate. We launched our Indigenous Employment Strategy in May 2012, and have since interviewed a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates, three of which were offered roles. This was a great learning experience and this knowledge will help us better form our 2015 Indigenous Employment Strategy. TRACKING & REPORTING Staples made the RAP available on our customer website, intranet, and on the Reconciliation Australia website throughout the validity of the plan. We also refreshed our RAP annually, with updated versions made available internally and externally, although there was a short gap between our 2012/2013 plan and our plan due to staff changes. Our RAP Steering Committee and Employee RAP Committee initially worked together with great success to guide the implementation and development of the RAP. However, due to a number of staff changes and a company restructure, these meetings didn t take place towards the end of our most recent RAP. For the RAP, a new working group will engage stakeholders both in the business and externally to reinvigorate this process. We sought feedback on our RAP from Reconciliation Australia as well as the Indigenous-owned business, LBF consulting, who implemented the Cultural Awareness Program. We will continue to address their feedback and seek further feedback from stakeholders. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee we aim to introduce will assist us in obtaining further feedback. Due to the previously mentioned staff and structural changes, there has been a gap in RAP reporting that Staples is addressing by implementing a rigorous reporting plan. Staples has been a strong supporter of Supply Nation and their certified suppliers since its inception. We continue to bring on new vendors that meet our rigorous criteria, most recently, Yaru Water. We then supported Yaru Water s onboarding through active promotion. In 2013, we updated marketing collateral in order to reflect the growing number of certified suppliers we used across the business.

8 RELATIONSHIPS STAPLES 2015 RAP ACTIONS Staples acknowledges that working closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, organisations and communities is necessary to strengthen and enhance business; seek advice and education; and develop a network of relationships to support our reconciliation work. Action Timeline Target 1. Staples RAP Steering Committee continues to actively monitor RAP development, including implementation of actions and tracking progress. RAP Steering Committee/ RAP Steering Committee will meet on a quarterly basis. Establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee to provide cultural advice and guidance to Staples 2. Employee RAP Committee to actively implement actions and track progress Employee RAP Committee/ Employee RAP Committee to meet every two months to discuss implementation on a national level. to present actions from these meetings to the RAP Steering Committee 3. Provide opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and other employees to build relationships with the local community by celebrating National Reconciliation Week (NRW) RAP Working Group/ Manager 27th May- 3rd June 2016, Each Staples office around Australia (5 Main Sites) will hold one celebratory event to acknowledge NRW each year. All staff are encouraged to participate in at least one event during National Reconciliation Week. Download Reconciliation Australia s NRW Toolkit and resources and make available on internal portals for staff to access. Register all Staples NRW events on Reconciliation Australia website. 4. Support events that celebrate, educate or encourage relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. May 2016, Staples to support the Supply Nation Connect Conference annually. Through our customers and suppliers utilise Staples sphere of influence to engage, encourage and promote to the wider community partnerships they can develop with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations. 5. Continue to identify and build relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and discuss mutually beneficial opportunities Merchandising/ Manager Identify and develop a database of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations that Staples can build mutually beneficial relationships/partnerships with Develop an engagement plan to build relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations and schedule to meet at least three times per year to discuss potential opportunities/ partnerships

9 RESPECT Staples values respectful relations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the way we do business, by cultivating a deep awareness and respect amongst employees of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and their relationship to land, their histories and cultures. This respect is important for fostering an inclusive workplace where all Australians can celebrate their shared history, and for attracting and retaining a diverse workforce. Action Timeline Target 1. Engage employees in cultural learning to increase understanding and appreciation of the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories and achievements. Organisation Development & Manager 2015 Partner with an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander organisation to help deliver and implement Cultural awareness training. Create a cultural awareness training strategy and implement tailored cultural awareness training that accommodates all tiers of the organisation. 100% (1350) of Staples Associates will have access to both online and face to face training annually. By the end of the RAP at least 75% (1012) of the 1350 Australian Staples Associates will participate in cultural awareness training. Up to 25% (337) of associates in 2015, up to 50% (675) in 2016 and up to 75% (1012) in. As part of Staples Cultural Awareness Training Strategy, associates will have access to Storytelling, Supplier Diversity and RAP overview training. This will be implemented over the course of the RAP Up to two Staples senior leaders to participate in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural immersion events each year (such as Garma, Laura Festival, Mirrabooka and Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural centre tours) with the opportunity to expand this to associates of other levels. Evaluate process to capture the effectiveness of Staples cultural training being offered to associates in all levels of the organisation and identify areas for improvement Action Timeline Target 2. Staples Employees are encouraged to use established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural protocols around Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country to pay respects to Australia s First Peoples, past, present and future. 3. Celebrate and participate in NAIDOC Week and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to engage with their cultures and communities during this significant event. 4. Develop marketing tools and materials that respond to the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations. 5. Promote significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander events across all Staples offices and facilities in Australia RAP Steering Committee/ February 2016 July 2016, January 2016 May 2015 May 2016 Conduct an Acknowledgement of Country at all community events and major internal events. Invite a Traditional Owner to give a Welcome to Country address at significant community events. A minimum of two Welcome to Countries to be arranged each year of the RAP Develop a list of key contacts for organising a Welcome to Country protocol. Review Staples cultural protocol document and ensure it encourages senior leaders to personally reply to a Welcome to Country. Include an Acknowledgment of Country in Staples Australia employees signature block. Promote and support all staff to participate in NAIDOC Week events in the local community. Have information on NAIDOC week on internal portals for staff to access. Encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander associates to assist and participate in Staples events in each state (5 in total) celebrating NAIDOC week. Representatives at each Staples head office to contact local NAIDOC Week Committees to discuss mutually beneficial opportunities. Create collateral available on the Staples website and in hard copy that show Staples commitment to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through Supplier Diversity and our partnerships with organisations such as Career Trackers. During culturally significant events, Staples will promote and acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses that we work with via our online platforms, internal communications and customer edm s. Include a general Acknowledgement to Country on Staples marketing collateral that is focused on reconciliation, supplier diversity and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities Create a hard copy pack (which includes a calendar of significant dates, event checklist and marketing collateral as well as Staples cultural protocols document) to send to all state head offices. Include a soft copy on internal portals for staff to download. Develop and implement a communications strategy for promoting significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural events across the organisation.

10 OPPORTUNITIES Staples intends to seek out opportunities to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates in our recruitment process and to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-owned businesses in our procurement process. Promoting these opportunities will contribute to closing the social, economic and health gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians and progress the sustainability of the communities in which we operate. Action Timeline Target 1. Increase the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees within Staples. 2. Investigate and offer career pathways to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to gain invaluable corporate experience. Talent Acquisition Talent Acquisition & Manager 2016 Increase and expand advertising of employment opportunities in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander publications and portals such as Our Mob, Koori Mail etc. Identify current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Associates within Staples, through a well developed survey, to inform future employment and development opportunities Review, Update and implement our Indigenous Employment and retention Strategy in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. Aim to increase workforce participation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples in Staples workforce by at least 3 new associates in 2016, 5 in and 7 in Continue to ensure professional development for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff through existing talent management and leadership development frameworks Encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Staff to participate in external leadership courses i.e.: AILC Encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees to attend BCA and Reconciliation Australia s quarterly National Indigenous Network (NICN) meetings Commit to provide at least 2 cadetships / internships annually to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students across Australia. Partner with an organisation that specialised in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recruitment and retention to attract and retain cadets/interns (such as Career Trackers). Advertise cadetships/internships in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander units within educational institutes such as Universities and TAFE s across Australia. Action Timeline Target 3. Increase opportunities for businesses owned by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to supply their goods and services to Staples. 4. Provide and/or support Governance Training and Leadership Training to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations. Merchandising & Manager Organisational Development 2015, 2016 & 2015, 2016 & 2015 Review procurement strategy ensuring that there are no barriers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suppliers/providers to supply goods and services to Staples. When organising internal and external events, approach to work with Supply Nation and Indigenous Chambers state and nation wide suppliers to procure up to $5K in 2015, $10K in 2016 and $15K in, Actively identify Supply Nation Certified Suppliers that fit criteria to become a supplier of products or services with regular communications and the target of bringing at least 1 new supplier on contract during each year of this RAP (2015 ) Continue to review current Supply Nation Certified Suppliers that we have relationships with and engage better working relationships through the business. Organise an annual Meet the Buyer event for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations to understand Staples procurement processes prior to a RFP release Establish a specific supplier diversity webpage on Staples external website that communicates the organisations commitment to Supplier Diversity as well notifications regarding upcoming Meet the Buyer events Develop and implement an Indigenous Opportunities Policy/Plan Deliver one day Discovering Leadership program to at least 1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation per year, for 20 individuals Follow up training with individual coaching to senior leaders within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations who attended the above training. Up to 10 hours combined coaching available.

11 Action Timeline Target TRACKING PROGRESS AND REPORTING 5. Support and empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations through skillsharing volunteering opportunities. 6. Promote and encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures through supporting the creative arts industry Manager, Organisational Development & Manager Create at least 3 opportunities in 2015, 3 in 2016 and 3 in for Staples Associates to participate in volunteering or mentoring programs with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and/or organisations. Create a list of organisations and actively advertise internally to Staples Associates these opportunities and support and encourage involvement. Engage with an Aboriginal and/or a Torres Strait Islander artist to design Staples RAP artwork and marketing collateral. Partner with AIME to create promotional products that include artworks from AIME students that can be sold to both Staples customers and AIME partners. To provide accountability and governance to our Reconciliation Action Plan, we will track and report on our RAP. Action Timeline Target 1. Report achievements, challenges and learnings to Reconciliation Australia for inclusion in the RAP Impact Measurement Report. 2. Staples RAP to be communicated internally and externally RAP Working Group/Manager September 2015, 2016 and , 2016 & Complete and submit the RAP Impact Measurement Questionnaire to Reconciliation Australia annually. Display endorsed RAP on Staples Intranet for employees to access. Upload and register Staples RAP on Reconciliation Australia and Staples websites Include Staples RAP achievements/progress in Staples newsletters/e-communications on a quarterly basis. 3. RAP initiatives to be reported on annually to the Executive Leadership Team RAP Working Group/Manager February 2016,, 2018 RAP report to be included in annual meetings of the Executive Leadership Team. 4. Refresh and update a new RAP for Staples Review and draft a new RAP for Staples based on learning s, achievements and challenges from the previous RAP. Submit draft RAP to Reconciliation Australia for formal feedback and endorsement.

12 THE LONG JOURNEY The story of The Long Journey begins with a single step in the right direction leading to change and learning from each other to create a place of understanding and inspiration. Tribes camp under the night sky, the coal embers glow silently as the cool desert air comes to rest. Awakened by lorikeet and kookaburra, the journey is long. The sun rises high in the sky. The billabongs and the rockpools are a welcome relief. Coming together to trade knowledge of this land, sacred ceremonies, treasured pieces. Rested and rejuvenated, the laughter, celebration, and dancing begins. Gilimbaa is an Indigenous creative agency that specialises in culturally effective and inspiring communication strategy, artwork, campaigns and consulting for organisations globally. The artwork creation process is an inclusive process which aims to educate audiences and share the diversity and richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. Gilimbaa s Creative Director and Artist, Riki Salam, brings his distinct and considered style to artwork creation, exploring concepts of traditional culture in a contemporary format. Gilimbaa worked with Origin to uncover the story behi nd their reconciliation objectives and initiatives and the result -The Long Journey - is a lasting symbol of Staples Reconciliation Action Plan. The Long Journey, Riki Salam

13 Contact details Vanessa Thorp, Marketing, or