Our approach

Our strategy has a broad focus across Gender, LGBT+, First Nations and Age, and is underpinned by a targeted focus on executive sponsorship, employee-led networks and external benchmarking to ensure and maintain progress.

Executive Sponsorship

Our Executive Committee are the demonstrable leaders of our strategy. They also sponsor our identified employee-led networks.

Employee-led Networks

These networks give our people a stronger voice to shape our diversity and inclusion agenda. We've identified key diversity networks and together develop and strengthen these, as well as establish strategies for action.

External Benchmarks

Benchmarking is key to tracking progress and demonstrating where our efforts have driven change, as well as where there is further work to do. We've identified benchmarks for each diversity category, these include the Workplace for Gender Equality Agency and the Australian Workplace Equality Index.

Gender equality, together

Increasing the female talent pipeline and creating a gender-inclusive environment for all employees has been a focus for the last five years. While we are on track to achieve our 2025 gender targets, we know there is always more work to do to achieve gender balance across all levels of our business.

We're focused on

• Continuing to attract top talent through a concerted effort to increase the number of females hired during recruitment
• Stronger consideration of internal female talent for vacancies, particularly at middle management level
• Enhancing the transition experience to/from parental leave and encourage more males to take parental leave

How we'll measure success

• Increased female participation in senior management positions
• Increased female representation in revenue generating roles
• Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation
• Increased retention and tenure of female talent​​​​​​

How we celebrate and learn

• We’re an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) citation holder. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) recognised our efforts in career development, gender-balanced recruitment, flexible work practices, degendered parental leave and pay equity
• Our membership of Property Male Champions of Change​​​​​​​ and our long-term partnerships with Two Good Co. are part of extending that advocacy for gender equality and greater opportunities for women into the community

Proud to be LGBT+ inclusive

The property industry is one of the nation’s largest employers and is traditionally viewed as not LGBT+ inclusive. We actively foster an inclusive culture for LGBT+ through CH Proud, who regularly meet, communicate and advocate for everyone’s right to be proud of who they are, as well as attract and retain engaged and motivated LGBT+ talent. The group is made up of LGBT+ people and allies and welcomes all people who want to be involved.

We're focused on

• Continuing to raise LGBT+ awareness via promotion of significant days
• Education and support resources
• Active involvement in the LGBT+ National Executive Allies Forum
• Continued involvement with InterBuild, the LGBT+ property and construction industry initiatives

How we'll measure success

• Increased employee engagement across the LGBT+ network
• Continued evolution of inclusive policies and online resources for LGBT+ employees
• Increased score in the annual Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI)

How we celebrate and learn

• We recognise and celebrate Wear It Purple Day, IDAHOBIT Day, Sydney Mardi Gras, Melbourne Midsumma, Brisbane Pride and Pride WA, World AIDS Day, Trans Awareness Week and Trans Remembrance Day and Intersex Awareness Day
• Employees are able to define their pronouns, sexual orientation and gender identity via Workday
• Parental leave and domestic violence policies are inclusive of all LGBT+ people and their families. Appropriate workplace behaviour guideline specifies no-one can discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or intersex status
• Our Superannuation and Death & TDP Benefits/Life Insurance are LGBT+ inclusive

First Nations and reconciliation 

We've been working on a reconciliation strategy to guide the development of our Stage One: Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Our journey began in late 2020 with our reconciliation survey, where we heard from our people and could benchmark our awareness and understanding of First Nations history and culture. Since then, our working group have been progressing our strategy and developing our RAP, which has now been submitted to Reconciliation Australia.

We're focused on

• Progressing Stage One of our RAP Providing cultural awareness training, education opportunities and practical insights to increase understanding and appreciation of First Nations cultures, history and knowledge
• Building employee confidence in observing cultural protocols and being able to know when and how to use them and Charter Hall events and locations
• Using the structure provided by the RAP to identify key initiatives and measures to improve First Nations employment outcomes
• Delivery of the Common Ground Project to activate our Third Spaces in celebration of First Nations cultures and histories

How we'll measure success

• Increased level of awareness and understanding of First Nations culture and history
• Increased confidence and knowledge to build respectful relationships with First Nations people or approach local First Nations people to do a Welcome to Country
• Greater internal and external awareness of Charter Hall’s commitment to First Nations people via an endorsed RAP, symbols and protocols
• Deeper relationships with First Nations businesses and community groups

How we celebrate and learn

• We recognise and celebrate many days of significance, including NAIDOC Week and Reconciliation Week
• We're embedding key protocols such as Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country into our business

Age diversity

Age diversity is important to ensure we're building a talent pipeline, as well as balancing this with older experience and expertise to guide and mentor. 

We're focused on

• Furthering the Charter Hall Scholarship Program. Hear from our 2021 Scholarship participants here.
• Continuing to offer structured rotations and secondments to facilitate breadth of experience and exposure to different business units and perspectives
• Mentoring and reverse mentoring opportunities for employees to leverage depth of experience and expertise

How we'll measure success

• Increased attraction and retention of interns and graduates
• Improve the number and type of mentoring opportunities and rotation experiences
• Shift the percentage of employees under 25 and over 55 across the Group