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Employer Toolkits

Toolkits are designed for employers who want to make their workplace culture and human resource practices more inclusive of diverse groups. Job seekers such as young people, recent migrants, or mature age people may face difficulties getting work because of perceived gaps in their skills, qualifications, or experience. Research conducted on employer toolkits by the Brotherhood's John van Kooy, reveals toolkits can play a role in promoting more equitable access to employment opportunities, by using different strategies and value propositions to engage employers. 

Why are they useful?

    Toolkits can help employers in a number of ways. They can:

    • Provide information about unemployment and disadvantage in the labour market
    • Describe the business benefits and opportunities of recruiting from diverse groups
    • Highlight common barriers for specific job seeker groups that may exist in workplace culture, management styles, or business strategies
    • Suggest adaptations to human resource policies and practices, with accompanying tools.

    What are the key messages for employers?

    Employment barriers for young people, culturally diverse groups and mature-age adults are presented differently in toolkits. View toolkits for employers in the following groups:

     

    Mature age workers

    Employ Outside the Box: The business case for recruiting and retaining mature age workers
    2012, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI)

    • Guidance on HR policies and practice
    • Steps to develop recruitment/retention strategies
    • Myth-busting

    Investing in Experience Tool Kit: Making age an advantage
    2012, Australian Government/Australian Industry Group (AIG)

    • Self-assessment tools and checklists
    • Step-by-step guidance
    • Links to government programs and services

    Age Management Toolkit for Employers
    2014, National Seniors Productive Ageing Centre (NSPAC)

    • Process-based guidance (‘from start to finish’)
    • Suggestions for implementation strategy

    Right Smart Employers Toolkit
    2012, Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC)

    • Compliance-based self-audit tool
    • Employer’s checklists
    • FAQs
    • Policy templates

    Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups

    Connections: An employer’s guide to working with migrants and refugees
    2013, Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC)

    • Tips and suggestions
    • Links to government programs and services

    Harmony in the Workplace: Delivering the Diversity Dividend
    2013, Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA)

    • Educational material for employers
    • Recruitment, development and retention tips
    • Legal frameworks
    • Myth-busting

    Workplace Cultural Diversity Tool
    2014, Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) & Diversity Council of Australia (DCA)

    • Web-based assessment tool for employers
    • Presentation of ‘best practice standards’
    • Multiple supporting case studies
    • Description of key terms e.g. ‘barriers’, ‘pathways’

    Cracking the Cultural Ceiling: Future proofing your business in the Asian Century
    2014, Diversity Council of Australia (DCA)

    • Web-based guidance and practical tips
    • ‘Talent lock’ and ‘Talent key’ (problem/solution) format

    Orientation, Retention and Promotion: A guide for building welcoming and inclusive workplaces for new immigrant workers
    2011, DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society

    • Step-by-step guidance
    • Glossary of terms
    • Examples and case studies
    • Checklists

    Hiring and Retaining Skilled Immigrants: A Cultural Competence Toolkit
    2012, British Columbia Human Resources Management Association (BC HRMA)

    • HR process guidance
    • Tips
    • Cultural competency tools (e.g. ranking matrices)

    Have you recruited staff from overseas? Is it working well?
    2011, Settlement Services NZ

    • Informative ‘cards’
    • High-level tips
    • Checklists
    • Young people

    Best Practice Guide: An employer’s guide to employing young workers
    2013, Fair Work Ombudsman

    • Descriptive information
    • General guidance
    • Brief checklist

    Not Just Making Tea... Reinventing work experience
    2014, UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES)

    • ‘Mythbusting’
    • Quotes from employers
    • Links to forms of support/assistance and relevant organisations
    • Multiple case studies

    Recruiting Young People: Top tips for employers
    2013, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

    • High-level recruitment guidance

    Connecting Youth and Business: A toolkit for employers
    2012, Gap Inc.

    • Step-by-step instructions for creating a youth-focused program

    Work Experience Placements that Work: A guide for employers
    2012, CIPD (UK)

    • High-level HR guidance
    • Case studies and ‘best practice examples’

    'Diversity' groups (General)

    Workplace Diversity Toolkit
    2012, Tasmanian Council for Social Service (TasCOSS)

    • Good practices and recruitment tips
    • Examples of workforce diversity plans
    • Links to programs, services and resources

    Attract, Retain and Motivate: A Toolkit for Diversity Management
    2001, DIMIA/Australian Centre for International Business (ACIB)

    • Series of questions for employers mapped to HRM processes
    • Case studies from Australian companies
    • Best practice recruitment and selection tips

    An employer’s guide to: Creating an inclusive workplace
    2010, Equality and Human Rights Commission (UK)

    • Step-by-step guidance
    • Self-reflection questions
    • Multiple detailed case studies
    • Q&A
    • Links to resources

    Employing a Diverse Workforce: Making it work
    2008, Alberta Employment and Immigration

    • Practical recruitment advice
    • Steps to building an ‘inclusion plan’
    • Self-assessment checklist
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