The launch of a national framework to assess levels of workplace diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) will give New Zealand organisations an understanding of their current capabilities, identify areas for improvement and provide the information they need to create a roadmap for transformation.

“This evidence-based framework was developed for the unique diversity and inclusion dynamics faced in workplaces in Aotearoa New Zealand,” says Diversity Works New Zealand Chief Executive Maretha Smit.

The Aotearoa Inclusivity Matrix measures the maturity of DEI practices across seven components: leadership, diversity infrastructure, diverse recruitment, inclusive career development, bi-culturism, inclusive collaboration and social impact.

“These seven components are the foundations of a strategic approach to creating an inclusive workplace culture, which is key to tackling inequity head-on and unlocking the social and economic benefits of diversity,” Smit says.

“One of the most common questions we are asked about workplace inclusion is, what does good look like?”

“The AIM framework sets that out very clearly and simply.”

Organisations can analyse where they sit across five levels, from starter to advanced, in each of the seven components.

Diversity Works New Zealand is developing tools to assess individual organisations against the framework. These will be ready to use in the last quarter of 2021.

“In time, the aggregated anonymous data will allow us to provide benchmarks by industry and organisation size so employers can assess the maturity of their DEI journey against similar workplaces,” says Smit.

Benefits for workplaces

Engaging with the Aotearoa Inclusivity Matrix allows organisations to:

• Understand what good looks like when it comes to workplace diversity, inclusion and equity (DEI)
• Benchmark the maturity of their DEI journey against other organisations in their sector or workplaces with similar characteristics (size, location etc)
• Identify and analyse gaps in current practices
• Create a pathway to shift the organisation through the matrix maturity levels
• Prioritise investment in their DEI journey

Download the AIM framework and a guide to using it from diversityworksnz.org.nz