New Zealand is a diverse country, and Inland Revenue needs to reflect the communities we serve.
We're working to break down barriers to inclusion and celebrate, retain, develop and attract a truly diverse workforce. We provide learning opportunities for our people to understand more about what it means to be inclusive and how to do this every day at work.
This year, we've focused on supporting the thriving networks that different communities have created at Inland Revenue. We're addressing unconscious bias at work. We're also embedding people practices such as supporting leaders with tools and guidance so they have regular, quality conversations with their people to help understand individuals' situations.
Results from Te Taunaki, the 2021 Public Service Census, indicate our people feel they can be themselves at work and that we actively promote an inclusive workplace. Our people cited 'leadership', 'how they are treated' and 'how Inland Revenue operates' as the biggest contributors to why they feel included.
This tracks with our internal surveys, which have found people's ratings about 'inclusion' improved significantly between November 2021 and June 2022.
What our people said in Te Taunaki about inclusion
- 86% of our people who responded to Te Taunaki believed we support and actively promote an inclusive workplace. +8% compared to the wider Public Service.
- 83% felt they can be themselves at work. +1% compared to the wider Public Service.
- 96% felt comfortable working with people from backgrounds other than their own, which is the same as the wider Public Service.
- 84% said people in their workgroup behave in an accepting manner towards people from diverse backgrounds. +3% compared to the wider Public Service.
- 81% felt accepted as a valued member of the team. +2% compared to the wider Public Service.
We want to see the impacts of increasing diversity and inclusion flow into our strategies for key customer groups.
We're also contributing to the wider Public Service commitments of Papa Pounamu, to Kia Toipoto plan for reducing gender, Māori, Pacific and ethnic pay gaps and to improving accessibility to government information and services.
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Papa Pounamu's 5 areas of focus for diversity and inclusion
An overview of how we're progressing the 5 areas that Papa Pounamu (the wider Public Service programme for diversity and inclusiveness) focuses on.
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Reducing gender and ethnic pay gaps
We are committed to having a workplace free from inequalities.