• Salvos team stars at awards
The Salvation Army’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recruitment and Retention Working Group was named the winner in the Best Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative Category at the 2023 SEEK STAR Awards.
“The criteria for the award was to ‘Treat diversity, equity and inclusion as integral to our organisation, and have an attraction strategy that supports that’,” explained Shirli Congoo, General Manager, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministries.
“Our strategy was to form a working group for Indigenous Recruitment and Retention. We reviewed and changed systems, policies and practices, which led to a 40 per cent increase in Indigenous staff and reduced the turnover of Indigenous staff by 18 per cent.”
Other finalists in the category included Westpac Group, Deloitte, Commonwealth Bank and FDM Group.
“The award is fantastic recognition for both the Working Group and The Salvation Army in the delivery of the Army’s mission,” said Geraldine Leslie, Executive General Manager, Human Resources.
The working group was established in late 2020 following the launch of The Salvation Army’s Reconciliation Action Plan. It includes representation from the HR team, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministries team and the Employment Plus Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement team. It is a highly collaborative group that supports and respects ideas.
The Recruitment and Retention Toolkit was developed by the Working Group. It provides guidance and support to managers who are recruiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to ensure a culturally safe candidate journey.
The STAR Awards (SEEK Talent Acquisition and Recognition Awards) acknowledge excellence in talent acquisition in Australia and celebrate the integral role talent teams play in an organisation’s success.
