Griffith University is building on its reputation as an LGBTIQ+ inclusive organisation by achieving Silver Tier status for the first time in the Australian Workplace Equity Index (AWEI).
The University’s Senior Lead (Diversity & Inclusion), Marnie King, said the result was a step up from the 2021 Australian LGBTQ Inclusion Awards in which Griffith was awarded Bronze Tier status.
“To move up to the Silver Tier status by improving our score by 26 per cent is a wonderful achievement and is testament to the great work we’ve done so far,” Marnie said.
“This year, 20 Australian organisations were awarded Gold, 20 Silver, and 41 Bronze, so we can be very proud of our place in LGBTIQ+ inclusion nationally.
“Since last year, we (have) reviewed more than 150 of our systems so the ‘preferred’ name category is used rather than a person’s legal/first name category.
“This prevents ‘deadnaming’ of trans and gender-diverse staff and students.
“We’ve installed progress pride flag crossings and stairs on our campuses and have created the role of Executive Sponsor for LGBTIQ+ inclusion (Professor Scott Harrison, Pro Vice Chancellor Arts Education and Law).
“We’ve increased the number of Griffith LGBTIQ+ Allies by 234 per cent since 2019 while also including a LGBTIQ+ demographic category in our engagement survey to help analyse satisfaction and engagement.”
Griffith has also:
- commenced professional development for academic group leadership teams
- provided LGBTIQ+ inclusion information in the Griffith undergraduate prospectus
- staff and students participated in the Gold Coast Pride March
- participated in the AWEI Employee Survey for the first time.
“Our strategy clearly articulates our support for providing a safe and supportive culture for LGBTIQ+ staff and students and the AWEI process provides an excellent framework to drive our inclusion,” Marnie said.
“We are committed to continual improvement, and over the last year we have increased our staff and student consultations to inform our actions into the future.”
The AWEI is an internationally recognised national benchmarking instrument for LGBTQ workplace inclusion in Australia.
Participation in the AWEI has grown from 23 organisations in 2011 to 172 this year.
Griffith was one of only two Queensland universities recognised in the awards.
