Why 'diversity' in the workplace is more than a buzzword

Often dismissed as simply buzzwords for business, multiculturalism and diversity in all their forms are front and centre at local consulting firm Rubik3.

Managing director Guy Earnshaw said there’s a real sense within the organisation that this is something important to all.

“Being a change-focused organisation, it is critical that we look at situations from different viewpoints. By having people with different backgrounds and experience at the table, we can build improved solutions for our clients,” Mr Earnshaw said.

“Rubik is an organisation with a great deal of diversity and this is one of the reasons we have had such amazing growth and success.”

Two staff members – Ekta Gaur and Sonam Wangdi – say they, and their culture (including its yummy food), have been embraced with open arms by the whole team.

Sonam, who migrated to Australia in 2017 from Bhutan, said he moved to “grow professionally” in his chosen field of accounting.

“In terms of taxation law in Bhutan, we don’t have much, so when I came here, I was interested to learn more,” he explained.

Sonam’s arrival was smooth as he had plenty of friends here who were able to help him with the move – on a personal and professional level.

“Everyone I work with has been very supportive and open-minded,” he said. “Plus, there’s lots of team-building which is great.”

Finance administrative officer Ekta has been at Rubik3 for less than a year but says she’s settling into the new culture, workplace and role.

“I’m originally from New Delhi, India, and I always knew when I married my husband that I would move to Australia as that was his dream and he’d already made that decision,” she explained.

“He moved in 2018 and I followed six months later.”

For Ekta, it was a big life decision to move to Australia.

“We quickly met people from all over the world, which is very different to living in India. I have lots of friends with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds and locals who helped me understand life here in Canberra,” she explained.

In India, Ekta said it would have been less likely she would ever have met people from as diverse a range of cultures as there are in Australia.

Ekta said her culture shock in Australia related to how much less conservative people were regarding relationships. In India, it’s more likely that people stay with their family before getting married.

Both Ekta and Sonam say that working at Rubik3 has also meant they have been exposed to a huge range of cultures and a different working environment from what they were used to.

According to Sonan, workplaces, much like Bhutanese society, are likely to be more hierarchical, with juniors deferring to their seniors for all matters.

“At work, younger and more junior staff members are able to bring their own ideas to the table,” he said.

Ekta agreed.

“Even though we all come from different places and have different backgrounds, we are all working hard to achieve the same goal,” she said.

REGION MEDIA PARTNER CONTENT