Wesfarmers
Diversity Policy
September 2011
Message
from the Managing Director
Our business strategy
is based on diversity.
Our diverse business
operations cover: retail;
home improvement
and office supplies;
coal mining; chemicals,
energy and fertilisers;
and industrial and
safety products.
Delivering this strategy
is a workforce of over
200,000 people which
is diverse in age,
experience, ethnicity
and gender.
WESFARMERS DIVERSITY POLICY SEPTEMBER 2011
I believe that fostering diversity at all levels allows the Group to provide greater
alignment to customer needs, improves the creativity and innovation of teams,
and provides Wesfarmers access to a broader pool of people for current and
future roles.
I have asked the managing directors of each division to expand and implement
gender diversity plans in the 2012 financial year that take into account the
objectives of the gender diversity policy.
The gender diversity policy will help promote and extend initiatives that have
existed in our divisions for many years. We have a long way to go, but are
excited by the opportunity.
I look forward to sharing our progress over the coming years.
Richard Goyder
Managing Director
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Diversity Policy
We aim to provide an environment in which all employees are
included and have equal access to opportunities at work, whilst
upholding the principle of meritocracy at all times.
Wesfarmers believes that fostering diversity at all levels allows the Group
to provide greater alignment to customer needs, improves the creativity
and innovation of leadership teams, and supports the development of an
enhanced talent pipeline for key and future roles by enabling access
to a broader pool of talent.
Wesfarmers strives to create a work environment free of discrimination
and harassment, and is inclusive of all people, regardless of their gender,
age, race, disability, sexual orientation, cultural background, religion, family
responsibilities or any other area of potential difference.
ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
The Wesfarmers Board, assisted by management, is responsible for devising and
implementing strategies to achieve the Group’s diversity objectives, monitoring
the representation of women at all levels of the organisation and assessing the
progress against measurable gender diversity objectives set by the Board.
The Wesfarmers
workforce is comprised
of over 200,000
employees. Wesfarmers
recognises that its
employees are critical
to its success and
seeks to leverage each
individual’s unique
skills, background
and perspectives.
The Board has also delegated responsibility for the director selection process
to the Nomination Committee and the responsibility for reviewing remuneration
by gender to the Remuneration Committee. The Board maintains oversight
and responsibility for the Group’s diversity policy and objectives.
GENDER DIVERSITY OBJECTIVES
Our approach to gender diversity will be based on the following objectives:
a) Foster an inclusive culture: We are committed to involving both women
and men in fostering an inclusive culture that upholds our central principle
of meritocracy.
b) Improve talent management: We are committed to embedding diversity
initiatives into our broader talent management processes in order to support
the development of all talent, and to increase the representation of women
in management roles.
c) E
nhance recruitment practices: We are committed to hiring the best person
for the job, which requires the consideration of a broad and diverse pool
of talent.
d) E
nsure pay equity: We are committed to ensuring equal pay for equal work
across our workforce, and we have strategies in place to manage pay equity.
Progress against the objectives set will be included in our annual reports.
WESFARMERS DIVERSITY POLICY SEPTEMBER 2011
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Mentoring
Wesfarmers is respected for our ability to produce leaders and focus
on developing a pipeline of talent for future growth opportunities.
People who are
successful in business
often speak of a
special relationship
which has guided
their development
and advancement.
We have a reputation for retaining and promoting talent and in our 100 year
history Wesfarmers Limited has only had seven managing directors, all of
whom have been internally appointed.
The Wesfarmers mentoring program aims to introduce the type of special
relationship that will make a difference to people throughout the Group, both
male and female. The program complements internal divisional mentoring
programs.
Some of the successes we have seen from the program, particularly with
female mentees, include:
• increased job satisfaction
• the confidence to ask to be considered for the next promotion
• the chance to solidify their career goals with someone away from the
day-to-day demands of their business
• networking opportunities – both with their mentor and their mentor’s
business, and
• the chance to see how other businesses operate, particularly those
of a larger scale and/or in different industries.
WESFARMERS DIVERSITY POLICY SEPTEMBER 2011
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Women’s leadership forums
Wesfarmers Women’s
Leadership Forums are
run three times a year
across Australia. The
objective is to support
the development of
women in leadership.
Previous forums have included
inspirational internal and external
speakers, as well as group
discussions and networking
opportunities. Generally more
than 100 people attend, around
25 per cent male and 75 per cent
female. Feedback from the forums
has encouraged us to run more.
The forums also provide an
opportunity for our people from
different divisions to connect.
Most divisions within Wesfarmers
also run their own women’s forums
and networking events.
WESFARMERS DIVERSITY POLICY SEPTEMBER 2011
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Talent management
Increasing the numbers of women in leadership increases our talent pool
and reflects the customer base of our businesses.
Promoting women in
leadership is just good
talent management.
Part of the talent management process involves divisional managing directors
setting goals for their division around women in leadership, which are both
relevant and practical. Different business divisions face different markets
and talent requirements, and their individual goals will be necessarily different.
The talent management review process involves looking at pipelines
for all necessary roles, including a review of career paths of females in
executive positions.
WESFARMERS GROUP FEMALE PARTICIPATION RATES
AS AT 30 JUNE 2011 %
Wesfarmers Ltd non-executive directors
Senior executive positions*
Other management and professional roles
Total workforce
25
22
26
57
* Senior executive positions are defined as general manager level and above.
WESFARMERS DIVERSITY POLICY SEPTEMBER 2011
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Contact us
CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Corporate Affairs
Wesfarmers House
40 The Esplanade, Perth
Western Australia 6000
Telephone: (+61 8) 9327 4211
www.wesfarmers.com.au
WESFARMERS DIVERSITY POLICY SEPTEMBER 2011
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