Key action 2: Recruitment and workplace culture

Provide mentoring, work placement or work experience opportunities for young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, including from migrant and refugee backgrounds, who have not had previous experience working in government.

OGCDG-SSQ

On track

• Annually, TMR offers a mentoring program for all staff, including culturally diverse staff, and outlines the importance of diversity and equity.
• Recruitment collateral is progressively being updated to support the new Public Sector Act 2022. A contemporary position description template that is clear, concise and uses inclusive language is being progressively rolled out to ensure applications from all kinds of backgrounds, including candidates from culturally diverse backgrounds.
• TMR has an ongoing partnership with Multicultural Australia (MA) to support people from refugee and asylum-seeker backgrounds to gain casual, temporary and ongoing employment.

Promote opportunities through the use of trusted communication channels, targeted strategies and networks that reach culturally diverse audiences, including promoting temporary and other employment opportunities such as Graduate Programs.

Transport and Main Roads

Complete

Annually, TMR undertakes continuous improvement actions to support employee experience and inclusivity.

During this year's continuous improvement TMR conducted:

• a brand overhaul with new slogan – Start your career at TMR an experience like no other
• diverse images of TMR's workforce has been added to the website
• updated commitment on why Diversity and Inclusion is important to TMR
• reduced the requirements for applicability of candidates, broadening the number of applicants eligible to apply.

The impact of the changes in communication channels were targeted to reach culturally diverse audiences in the Graduate Program. In 2023, 1083 applicants applied for the graduate program. 42% of applications received were from people who are culturally diverse (non-English speaking background) and of this, 28% of applicants were successful in gaining a position in the Graduate program.

Implement initiatives to raise awareness about and address unconscious bias in recruitment.

Transport and Main Roads

On track

• The public transport planning and delivery area of TMR (Translink) have implemented mandatory training (unconscious bias) for all recruitment and selection, panel chairs to complete before commencing any hiring process. Since being implemented in early 2023 over 100 panel chairs have completed this training.
• Across other areas of TMR in the past 12 months, 271 employees have enrolled in Essential Recruitment and Selection Practices. These online training modules are available to staff on the TMR Accelerate learning platform. The course is focused on unconscious bias in the recruitment and selection process and to embed practical steps to ensure inclusion and accessibility in candidate management.
  • The evaluation training feedback from this training demonstrated that:
    • 88% (101 out of 115 survey respondents) stated they had learned key knowledge and skills
    • 97% (111 out of 115 survey respondents) reporting they felt they could apply this knowledge and skills when they were conducting a recruitment and selection process to hire people.
  • Target audience: Hiring managers, panel members, culturally and linguistically diverse employees and applicants
• Customer Service front line staff have access to the Customer Services Branch recruitment and selection refresher learning modules and over 100 staff have completed this training in the past financial year.
• The revised recruitment and selection directive aligned to the Public Sector Act 2022 was released just prior to the end of financial year and will guide additional recruitment and selection activities into next financial year.

Revise recruitment and selection processes such as highlighting agency’s recognition of the benefits of a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace in job descriptions to encourage culturally diverse talent to apply, addressing the impact of unconscious bias and considering the ‘two in the pool’ approach to shortlisting.

Transport and Main Roads

On track

• To support hiring managers in adopting an inclusive recruitment and selection process. A suite of resources has been developed as a 'how to' best-practice guide, focused on inclusive advertising and different recruitment channels to attract a diverse applicant pool...TMR has an ongoing partnership with Multicultural Australia (MA) to support people from refugee and asylum-seeker backgrounds to gain casual, temporary and ongoing employment.
• MA has presented at two recruitment and selection information sessions for TMR hiring managers in 2023. The purpose of the sessions is to educate hiring managers about the systemic barriers faced by refugee and migrant job seekers.
• During Refugee Week 2023 MA presented to TMR's Human Resources Forum (over 270 Human Resource members) and Customer Service Branch Inclusion and Accessibility Community of Practice (350 members) on how to work with MA employment services in attracting and retaining people from diverse backgrounds.
• TMR has partnered with Multicultural Affairs Queensland to explore different programs to maximise employment opportunities for migrants:
  • In 2023, TMR promoted to hiring managers a guide to attract and retain engineers from migrant backgrounds by providing information on how to tap into the skills, knowledge and experience of the migrant and refugee workforce.
  • Promoting the Global Engineering Talent Program (GET), supported by Engineers Australia, Consult Australia and Queensland Government focused on maximising employment opportunities for migrants in engineering.
  • Branches – Engineering and Technology, RoadTek and Infrastructure Management are working to set up the GET program as an inclusive employment pathways program to increase workforce diversity.
• Progressively updating role description templates to include TMR inclusion and diversity statement of intent to attract diverse applicants
• 23.4% of all job applications received in the financial year 2022–2023 originated from applicants who are culturally and linguistically diverse.