Diageo has followed up last year’s Gender Equity win at the Australian Drinks Awards by taking out this year’s Inclusive & Diverse Workplace trophy.
The Drinks Association added a Contribution to Industry category to the Australian Drinks Awards in 2018, featuring Gender Equity, Inclusive & Diverse Workplace and the Corporate Social Responsibility awards.
The Inclusive & Diverse Workplace Award celebrates organisations that prioritise diversity and recognise the value of an inclusive workplace for individuals and their organisations.
Last year, Diageo won the inaugural Gender Equity trophy for its initiatives around making inclusion key to its business and it has continued and expanded on that agenda this year.
The company has gone on to launch an engagement framework that has better signposted and embedded its inclusive culture right across its business. It has also invested in a coaching program for its leaders that helps harness the diversity of its people and adapt its leadership style to be truly inclusive.
Diageo also launched a progressive Flex Philosophy that recognises that “everyone has a different story, with different needs”. It noted that it trusts its people with the freedom to choose where, when or how they can best achieve and help the company grow.
Other activities included mindfulness sessions, internal recognition of R U OK Day, and celebrations of inclusive occasions such as the Mardi Gras Festival and International Women’s Day.
Diageo HR Director Geraldine Joanes (pictured above) said: “Inclusion and diversity is core to Diageo’s purpose - celebrating life, every day, everywhere. Diageo is known for its high-performance culture and when we harness the power of our individual differences, capabilities and experiences we create an amazing place for our people to work, contribute and achieve on a personal level as well as drive even greater business outcomes.
"We know this to be true because that’s what our people increasingly tell us in our employee surveys and listening sessions. Without a doubt, our inclusive and diverse culture gives us a distinct competitive advantage that contributes to achieving our ambition to be the best performing, most trusted and respected CPG business in Australia.”
The Inclusive & Diverse Workplace award was sponsored for the second year in a row by Coles Liquor.
“I couldn’t be happier to have awarded the Diversity and Inclusion trophy to Diageo,” said Cathi Scarce, Coles Acting Chief Executive – Liquor (pictured above). “After seeing the high quality of entrants it was just such a wonderful way to recognise their incredible efforts.”
It was a double Contribution to Industry win for Diageo at the Drinks Awards, the company also took out the Corporate Social Responsibility award at the 2019 Australian Drinks Awards for The Smashed Project.