Focus Area 5: Staff recruitment, support and development
Goal: Prospective, new and current staff with disability and/or caring responsibilities feel confident, supported, and passionate about working at the University
Outcome 5.a: Staff feel comfortable, safe and supported throughout the process of requesting and implementing workplace adjustments
Indicator 1:
Improve staff experience of the workplace adjustments process
Measures:
- Proportion of staff with disability or caring responsibilities who report they are always/often provided easy access to workplace adjustments without challenges or delays
- Baseline: 31% of staff with disability (DIAP Staff Survey 2025)
- Baseline: 39% of staff with caring responsibilities (DIAP Staff Survey 2025)
- Proportion of staff with disability or caring responsibilities who report they are always/often provided with flexible work options when required
- Baseline: 55% of staff with disability (DIAP Staff Survey 2025)
- Baseline: 67% of staff with caring responsibilities (DIAP Staff Survey 2025)
- Proportion of staff with disability or caring responsibilities who report that the workplace adjustments they needed were made and the process was satisfactory
- Baseline: 44% of staff with disability (DIAP Staff Survey 2025)
- Baseline: 62% of staff with caring responsibilities (DIAP Staff Survey 2025)
Indicator 2:
Increase in people manager knowledge and understanding of disability inclusion
Measure:
- Proportion of people managers who have completed disability training
- Baseline: to be established in 2026 from TrainMe data
Outcome 5.b: Staff with disability are actively supported to succeed in their roles and progress their career
Indicator:
Improve career pathways for staff with disability and/or caring responsibilities
Measures:
- Proportion of staff with disability or caring responsibilities who feel that they have an equal opportunity to progress at the University
- Baseline: 46% of staff with disability (Staff Experience Survey 2023)
- Baseline: 54% of staff with caring responsibilities (Staff Experience Survey 2023)
- Proportion of staff with disability or caring responsibilities who agree that the University makes fair and equitable promotion decisions
- Baseline: 44% of staff with disability (DIAP Staff Survey 2025)
- Baseline: 33% of staff with disability (Staff Experience Pulse Survey 2024)
- Baseline: 41% of staff with caring responsibilities (Staff Experience Survey 2023)
Actions for this focus area:
5.1: Establish and implement a clearly defined Workplace Adjustments Policy that:
- Includes flexible work arrangements, or ensures flexible work arrangements as adjustments are adequately captured in the Flexible Work Arrangements policy
- Provides for a centralised budget for adjustments below a set dollar value, with Job Access to be used for more substantial requests
- Ensures casual staff, including graduate researchers, receive equitable access to adjustments
Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Link to outcomes: 5.a
5.2: Improve the workplace adjustments service by:
- Reducing instances where medical evidence is requested
- Considering a dedicated adjustments subject-matter expert role to act as advisor for both staff with disability and managers
- Delivering change and communications to the University community regarding the improved service feedback mechanisms to inform future service improvements
Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Executive Director, Enterprise Services Group
Link to outcomes: 5.a
5.3: Review and improve resources for managers and Human Resources to support conversations about, and provision of, workplace adjustments, including:
- Completing a current-state lifecycle review of employee, manager and HR touchpoints regarding the provision of adjustments
- Reviewing and updating HR communication templates to guide conversations regarding adjustments
- Engaging with the HR community, particularly HR Business Partners, to ensure the new resources are understood and applied consistently across the University
Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Executive Director, Enterprise Services Group
Link to outcomes: 5.a
5.4: Develop and launch an Inclusive Employment eLearn for people managers
Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Link to outcomes: 5.a, 5.b
5.5: Review and improve critical employment processes across the professional staff career life cycle to improve disability inclusion and access, including:
- Ensure equitable recruitment policy requirements are embedded in practice, including diverse shortlists, D&I principles in selection criteria, and mandatory bias-aware training for hiring managers and panel members
- Enhance the performance review framework to support consistent and equitable outcomes for professional staff with disability, including through the application of Performance Relative to Opportunity (PRO) and bias mitigation
- Build a shared understanding of Performance Relative to Opportunity through targeted training and resources for professional staff and their People Managers
- Implement initiatives to support professional staff with disability’s skill development and ensure equitable access to leadership, development and progression opportunities
Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Chief People Officer
Link to outcomes: 5.b
5.6: Review and improve critical employment processes across the academic career life cycle to improve disability inclusion and access, including:
- Building robust and evidence-based recruitment practices that enable the University to attract, proactively support and successfully appoint candidates with disability to academic roles at all levels and in all work focus categories
- Connecting staff with disability into the University community and proactively setting workplans, workloads and flexible work arrangements that enable high performance and rewarding career pathways
- Designing and implementing a new academic performance and career development policy, system and process that enables proactive support for the performance and career development of staff with disability
- Building the capability of our Academic People Managers, performance review panels and promotions committees to undertake holistic, evidence-based assessments of academic performance relative to opportunity at all stages of an academic career
- Elevating and improving the University’s professional support and development offerings, ensuring access for staff with disability to relevant support at all stages of a career
Indicative timeline to commence: 2026
Executive Lead: Executive Director, Office of the Provost
Link to outcomes: 5.b