Optus, connecting through difference

Australia is a truly diverse country, with more than 300 languages spoken at homes across the country. In 2021, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that nearly half of Australians were either born overseas or have at least one parent who was born overseas.

We believe we are strengthened by others at Optus, and it is our varied perspectives that allow us to serve a nation as culturally rich as Australia. Optus’ diversity, inclusion and belonging strategy focuses on embedding and enhancing an inclusive culture which attracts, grows, and retains unique talent who can build lasting customer relationships with our nation’s diverse communities.

The Diversity Council of Australia’s 2021-2022 Inclusion@Work Index emphasises that a diverse and inclusive culture at work significantly increases performance, wellbeing, and satisfaction. The Index demonstrates that people who work in inclusive cultures are six times more likely to provide excellent customer service, 10 times more likely to be innovative and remain with their company in 2022.  Knowing this, we are excited to move into 2022 with a focus on celebrating the diversity of our amazing people.

We are celebrating all that makes us unique, that means going beyond gender and gender identity, but exploring our culture and heritage, sexual orientation, ability, age, our lived backgrounds, experiences, values, and ideas. To do this effectively, we have launched Optus’ Employee Networks, which aim to create an inclusive culture and foster a sense of connection at work. The Employee Networks are set to create spaces for change where everyone is not only accepted for who they are but are expected to be their authentic selves.

Our Employee Networks represent the many facets of diversity and identity – Women, Abilities and Disabilities, Culture and Heritage, LGBTQ+ and Veterans and Services. As this initiative grows in 2022, we are excited about listening to learn more about what makes each of us unique and what we will be able to achieve for our people, the community, and our customers.

Our Employee Networks are led by passionate people from across different areas of Optus and are made up of individuals who share common values and experiences, identify as an ally, or are simply interested and want to learn more. Our Networks empower our people to raise awareness and amplify the voice of their community within their broader teams, acting as allies and change agents at Optus.

Each of our Networks is sponsored by a member of our Executive team. Our Networks are empowered to provide their recommendations and guidance to the business. By sharing feedback and experiences, we are making Optus a more inclusive place for everyone to bring their authentic self to work. Our Networks even challenge our Executives to do better – to be curious, to lean into uncomfortable conversations and to cultivate change. 

Inclusion is about all of us – which means that it takes all of us to engage and make a change.

We are proud of the progress that we have made at Optus in fostering a vibrant, employee-centric culture across our business. We know we have more work to do but are optimistic about what we will achieve in 2022 – and I’ll be sharing these achievements with you throughout the year.