Our journey to becoming an Employer of Choice

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) is actively positioning itself to be an Employer of Choice. The organisation is looking at ways to improve equality, diversity and inclusion, and provide an excellent workplace.

General Manager People and Culture, Gaye Wealthy, believes being awarded an Employer of Choice will make the TIO a competitive employer in the industry. “Our people will choose to stay with us because of the opportunities, their development and our EveryOne culture, where everyone feels safe and welcome. By retaining our people, and developing and building their capability, the TIO also evolves and grows as an organisation. This in turn will mean we deliver our services more efficiently and effectively.”

The TIO’s annual report to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) highlighted the organisation’s hard work in the areas of recruitment, leadership, development, learning, and attrition.

“By prioritising equality, diversity and inclusion, and the ‘people first’ focus, we now know what work we need to do to meet EOC requirements by October 2021,” Gaye said. “This is not a quick flick exercise, but a comprehensive strategy and plan for continuous improvement and ongoing follow up and review.”

In line with the TIO’s unflinching commitment to broader diversity and inclusion, the People and Culture Team conducted an analysis of TIO policies, processes and structures. This has helped the organisation understand the current gaps and prepare a plan for the coming three years to address these.

The People and Culture team has also been working to prepare the TIO to apply for the WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation in financial year 2021. The citation aims to promote and improve gender equality, while recognising the historically disadvantaged position of women and non-binary people in the workplace.