Diversity Makes the Workplace Stronger

Our talented teams are the foundation of our business and what makes us unique. We know it’s the diversity of our people that gives us our unique competitive advantage and drives our performance.

It’s well researched that diverse teams make organisations stronger. Companies that excel in diversity and inclusion are more likely to drive higher revenues, better decision making, greater innovation, and have a more engaged workforce.

Vicinity is one of Australia's leading retail property groups that owns and manages some of the most recognisable and loved retail destinations across the country. Reimagining the way Australians live, work and play, Vicinity is evolving its portfolio into destinations that offer a broad selection of retail, residential, and office spaces. With such a diverse business, the different perspectives and lived experiences of its team helps Vicinity deliver leading customer experiences for its broad customer base.

As part of its recognition of the strength in diversity, in 2022 Vicinity ran its first disability recruitment pilot.

In partnership with disability employment services and advisors, Max Solution, Vicinity employed two team members living with a disability into key customer experience roles.

After a largely successful first pilot, in 2023, Vicinity extended the pilot, taking and applying key learnings from the first time round to create and imbed a positive and consistent recruitment/onboarding experience for those with a disability.

That’s where we meet Joshua.

Joshua is a motivated person. Living in Sydney’s west, he was looking for an engaging casual opportunity close to home. He also wanted a role that could use some of the skills and experience he gained previously in a parcel collection position.

Joshua is also one of over 200,000 Australians that have Autism.

Acknowledging Joshua’s transferable skillset and lived experience, Vicinity’s Talent Acquisition team again partnered with Max Solutions to provide Joshua with a job coach and support him through its Disability Recruitment pilot program to land his perfect role.

“We want to continue to improve how we engage with our diverse community but want to ensure we do it in the right way. Bringing new perspectives into our team helps us better serve customers and creates a stronger team environment.”

Eddie Paynter, Bankstown Central Centre Manager

After identifying Joshua as a great fit for a key customer service role at Bankstown Central in Sydney’s western suburbs, the team arranged an informal meet up with People Leaders, Jacqueline Venesjarvi and Eddie Paynter.

Understanding Joshua’s needs in the process, Jacqueline and Eddie took Joshua and his Max Solutions support person on a tour of Bankstown Central so he could see where he would be working, understand the role better and share any adjustments he may need.

The open, inclusive and supportive approach paid off with Joshua then successfully interviewing for the role and now working five shifts a week in a casual position.

Recruiting Joshua was just the first step. To help him fulfil his potential and deliver the benefits to the team and community, Vicinity’s People and Organisational Development team stepped in to ensure both Joshua and the wider team was supported over the coming months. In addition, Max Solutions also continued to support Joshua, laying the foundations for future recruitment opportunities.

Harnessing the advantages of a diverse team requires inclusive leadership and a shift in traditional thinking, placing Joshua at the centre of the process and identifying all the ways he could contribute and provide unique value to the team, rather than focusing on what may be seen as challenges or limitations.

The result and benefits of adopting a shift in thinking is already paying dividends, not just for the Bankstown Central team, but for Joshua too.

“My work at Bankstown Central is great. It is a privilege and an honour to work here, working with colleagues and meeting new customers. It’s a blessing and I’m enjoying it so far,” said Joshua.

Committed to embedding a high-performance culture where everybody thrives, Jacqueline and Eddie prioritised their support structures, making time for Disability training and maintaining open dialogue, providing a solid platform for Joshua to learn and grow in the team.

Through these pilot programs and the resulting shared experiences, Vicinity’s teams have seen first-hand the value that diversity can bring to the wider organisation and the communities in which our centres are located.