In a significant move towards being a more disability-confident employer and fostering an inclusive work environment, Tetra Tech’s international development team in the Indo-Pacific has become a member of the Australian Network on Disability (AND).
This membership aligns with the company’s core values of diversity and inclusivity, across the whole of organisation policies, processes and workplace culture, including our inclusive recruitment and talent retention strategy.
Diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility are all part of the very fabric of Tetra Tech. Not only are they a significant part of the work we do globally, they are also at the heart of our purpose, our growth and transformation strategy, how we tell stories and how we connect, recruit, retain and engage our people.
Tetra Tech—an employer of choice for people with diverse disability
With support from the AND, we are initiating a recruitment review that will help us in identifying and eliminating specific barriers, for people with diverse disability and in our recruitment processes. This aligns with our refreshed Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to support our workforce to thrive and in turn, be able to create deeper and more effective development outcomes in the communities where we work. Our EVP is underpinned by our wellbeing for life strategy kara’anga ki mua, which means to take a ‘life course approach.’ We want wellbeing to be a cornerstone of our workplace, and we take into consideration how individuals feed into that, and how we can focus our transformative action into our structures, systems, policies, processes and behaviours. Above all, it prioritises a consensus-based, non-conflictual way of operating.
Advocating for rights and inclusion
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) is a cornerstone in protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities. It encompasses several types of disabilities and mandates non-discrimination in areas like employment, education, accommodation and access to services and public places. Tetra Tech’s membership with AND signifies a commitment to upholding these values.
Providing equitable pathways to employment
Recent data highlights a significant gap in labour force participation: only 53% of people with disability are in the labour force, compared to 84% of people without disability.
An integral part of providing an equitable pathway to employment for people with disability is our intent to avail the AND’s Stepping Into internship program. By hosting young people with disabilities, we will provide them with essential work experience—a workplace culture where they will not just learn the skills and develop their capabilities but will thrive.
Tetra Tech is a purposeful leader in gender diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. Our actions are intentional in breaking down entrenched barriers for people with diverse abilities, backgrounds and lived experiences.