Voice to Parliament: A leader’s guide to inclusive workplace conversations

On 14 October, Australians will vote in the Voice to Parliament referendum. The compulsory national vote seeks to amend the constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians as the first peoples of this nation and install a new advisory body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

This new body would advise the federal government on decisions, policies and laws that affect the lives of First Nations peoples on matters relating to social, spiritual, and economic wellbeing. This body would not have the power to veto the Parliament.

Since the government announced the historic referendum last year, it has sparked a nationwide debate. Many remain undecided, while others feel strongly about their voting preferences. And as the referendum nears, one thing is universal: conversations are intensifying.

Given the complexity and sensitive nature of the topic, your people are likely to have a range of perspectives across the political spectrum. Not only can you anticipate that your team will discuss the Voice to Parliament, but they likely already are.

As leaders, it is important to handle these conversations authentically and ensure people feel safe to ask questions and share their views. To do this, adopting an inclusive leadership style is key.

Do you know the facts? Many of us don’t

As a leader, you may feel uneasy discussing the referendum with your team if you don’t have all the information for a nuanced and informed conversation.

You’re not the only one. One-third of Australians currently feel uninformed about the referendum, as the conversation surrounding reconciliation, constitutional amendments and legislative changes is complicated.

Not only is the conversation riddled with complexity, but the spread of misinformation is creating greater confusion. As a leader, your first point of call should be to make sure you have a strong grasp of the facts from reputable resources. A good place to start is the Australian Electoral Commission.

Avoidance isn’t the right approach

Not everyone on your team will share the same views towards the referendum, and that’s OK.

To avoid uneasy or difficult conversations, it may be tempting to avoid addressing the referendum altogether. That’s understandable; however, it has implications on the psychological safety of your organisation and your team’s ability to be informed.

As recent research revealed, outside of friends and family, the workplace is the second-most trusted place to receive accurate information on the referendum. And yet, it ranked as one of the lowest sources of information compared to social circles, media, social media, and advertising.

As a leader, you have an opportunity to help your people access accurate information and help normalise conversations surrounding important social matters. To help you with this, there are many guides to help you lead a discussion and accurate resources you can share. The list includes, but is not limited to:

• Most asked questions collated by University of Sydney experts
• Community toolkit shared by the Australian government
• Workplace guide to understanding the Voice by Cox Inall Ridgeway
• Conversation frameworks created by Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition

Embrace inclusive leadership

Inclusive leadership welcomes everybody and empowers them to be themselves, regardless of cultural identity or background. This allows people to feel valued for who they are, how they think and feel, and what they have to say.

What leaders say and do impacts whether people feel included in the workplace by up to 70 per cent, according to the Harvard Business Review. With this in mind, as a leader, your approach to the upcoming referendum will likely impact how safe your people feel in sharing their perspectives and asking questions.

By role modelling inclusivity as a leader, you can create a culture that embraces open discussions and collaboration, which is proven to lead to increased creativity, innovation, and problem solving. Beyond this, inclusive teams often better understand and meet the needs of diverse clients, partners, and other important stakeholders.

Your First Nations people are carrying the cultural load

For leaders with Indigenous Australians on their teams, there is often an invisible and unrecognised additional workload placed on their shoulders, known as cultural load. Although well-intentioned questions may occur, this places unintended pressure on your First Nations people at work.

Research by the Diversity Council of Australia shows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees are often asked to undertake extra responsibilities such as educating the workforce on Indigenous history and issues or assisting in organising cultural events. The referendum only heightens this. Although, in most instances, unintentional cultural load is a key contributor to creating a culturally unsafe environment.

As a leader, it is your responsibility to help alleviate this by understanding that First Nations people will all have a different perspective on the referendum, and it is not their responsibility to educate those around them. To tackle this, you can speak with your Indigenous Australians and listen to what they need to minimise the cultural load, while encouraging your people to do their own research.

Need more support? Consider cultural awareness training

To develop your individual, team, and organisational cultural awareness and literacy, it’s worth considering cultural awareness training. As a leader, you provide opportunities for your team to develop their technical, interpersonal and leadership skills. But have you considered providing your people with the opportunity to develop their capabilities to navigate cultural differences and better understand Australia’s complex history with First Nations peoples?

Cultural awareness training is the next step in fostering inclusive workplaces. As individuals, we tend to see the world and work through our own cultural experiences and perspectives; however, these can be limited. By investing resources, time and energy in this space, and if properly embraced by your senior leadership, you can develop your team’s cultural awareness and inclusivity.

With the referendum only a few weeks away, conversations on the Voice to Parliament are likely already happening within your team. As a leader, you have a responsibility to create an environment centred on inclusivity to ensure everyone feels safe to ask questions, share their opinions, and access reputable resources.

By Simon Moylan, co-founder and managing director of Hellomonday.