Positive Workplace Culture

Creating a Positive Workplace Culture

A law practice which celebrates diverse perspectives and strengthens equality, diversity and inclusion within its workplace creates a positive workplace culture for partners, directors, employees and clients. A positive workplace culture can assist in combating and addressing bullying, discrimination and harassment. It is also beneficial when attracting and retaining skilled staff, in both legal and non-legal roles.

Workplace culture determines the standards of behaviour that is acceptable within a workplace, and while all staff members contribute, staff members in leadership and management roles have a greater influence and responsibility for creating a positive workplace culture.

In workplaces with a positive culture:

  • leadership and management lead by example; demonstrating the type of behaviour that is expected within the workplace and fostering two-way communication among staff members.
  • staff members have shared values for the work they are doing and feel they have an important role to play in what the company stands for and how the business operates.
  • excellent results and extra effort are recognised, helping staff members to feel valued.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The Society supports equality, diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. As community leaders and advocates for justice and equality, lawyers are well placed to advance the cause for equity and set an example for the community and employment sector.

Fostering a workplace that celebrates the diversity of its staff members, while committing to creating a supportive and inclusive environment where all staff members are treated equally is one element that leads to positive workplace culture. Treating people equally means that they are not treated unfairly because of attributes that are protected by the Fair Work Act.

Gender Equity Working Group

The Society established a Gender Equity Working Group in 2014. The Group made recommendations to Council on matters relating to gender equity, which resulted in a number of initiatives, such as those reported on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion webpage. The Working Group ended at 31 December 2016. Some remaining elements of its work were included in the Society's Strategic Plan. Others are the preserve of the Women Lawyers' Committee.

This online resource was initially developed as an initiative of the Working Group in 2017 and has since been updated.

SBS Inclusion Program

Building an inclusive and respectful workplace is a responsibility we all share, and it strengthens our professional relationship, and enhances the impact of our work. To help achieve this, the Society has worked with SBS to facilitate access to an outstanding series of online content developed by SBS to support inclusion. There are 10 On-Demand Courses available and for more information, please see each the available courses below:

  • Appropriate Workplace Behaviour highlights the importance of preventing discrimination, shares real stories, builds empathy, and offers practical, everyday actions.
  • Core Inclusion shares personal stories, builds empathy, simplifies complex topics, and provides actionable steps for daily inclusion.
  • Cultural Diversity explores real-life experiences, fosters empathy, and offers practical tools for embracing cultural differences.
  • Disability promotes understanding through real stories, encourages empathy, and provides inclusive practices for daily work.
  • First Nations shares First Nations perspectives, builds cultural awareness, and offers practical ways to show respect and inclusion.
  • Generational Diversity explores generational differences, builds empathy, and provides tools for effective intergenerational collaboration
  • Gender Equity highlights gender-related challenges, shares lived experiences and offers practical strategies for equity.
  • Inclusive Recruitment equips participants with actionable strategies to implement inclusive recruitment policies and engage in active, equitable hiring.
  • LGBTIQ+ shares diverse stories, promotes empathy, and provides practical steps for creating an inclusive environment.
  • Neurodiversity simplifies complex concepts and offers practical ways to support neurodivergent colleagues.

The cost per On-Demand course for Members is $75.00 and for Non-member, $105.00. The Society is offering discounted rates for bulk enrolments:

  • 10% for 10+ enrolments
  • 15% for 20+ enrolments
  • 20% for 40+ enrolments

To access the above discounted rates, firms can email the name, email address, and selected courses for each registrant to: [email protected].

Diversity and Equality Charter

On 2 June 2015, the Law Society adopted the Law Council's Diversity and Equality Charter. The Charter states:

The Australian legal profession is committed to promoting diversity, equality, respect and inclusion consistent with the principles of justice, integrity, equity and the pursuit of excellence upon which the profession is founded. We recognise that diversity benefits the legal profession and the community as a whole.

Accordingly, the Australian legal profession and its members:

  • treat all people with respect and dignity regardless of sex, sexuality, disability, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or other arbitrary feature;
  • create and foster equality through a supportive and understanding environment for all individuals to realise their maximum potential regardless of difference; and
  • promote and support a strong and fair legal profession comprising, accommodating, encouraging and respecting a diverse range of individuals and views.

The Law Council's Diversity Policy can be found here.

Sign up for the Charter

Click here for further information on signing your firm up to the Diversity and Equality Charter. In doing so, you will receive the charter logo to put up on your website and other correspondence, and your firm logo will appear on the Law Council’s website signifying that your firm is a supporter of diversity and equality in the workplace.

Bullying, Discrimination and Harassment

For more information on combating bullying, discrimination and harassment in the workplace, please see the Law Society's Bullying, Discrimination and Harassment Resource Hub.

The Law Council also provides information on bullying and harassment in the workplace and sexual harassment in the workplace.

Equitable Briefing

The Law Council supports measures to improve the retention of women barristers within the profession, as part of its commitment to "promoting diversity, equality, respect and inclusion consistent with the principles of justice, integrity, equity and the pursuit of excellence upon which the profession is founded."

The Equitable Briefing Policy encourages persons or entities who brief or select barristers:

  1. to make all reasonable endeavours to brief or select women barristers with relevant seniority and expertise, experience or interest in the relevant practice area;
  2. to brief or select women barristers for at least 30% of all briefs and at least 30% of the value of all brief fees, in accordance with international benchmarks concerning the retention and promotion of women;
  3. to provide a confidential report to the Law Council by 30 September each year with respect to the measures taken to implement these targets; and
  4. to ensure that the Law Council is notified within a reasonable time of any changes to the status or contact details provided to the Law Council.

Click here to view a searchable list of barristers in SA, which can be filtered by gender and areas of practice.

A Business Case for Gender Equity

The Law Society believes that as well as being a matter of equality and freedom from discrimination, there is a strong business case for gender equity. Studies have shown that businesses that have strong female representation in senior levels achieve higher levels of productivity, profitability, and talent retention, as well as minimising liability and enhancing the reputations of the business.

Read the Federal Government's business case for gender equality.

Flexible Work Practices

The Law Council has developed a raft of resources, policies and guidelines relating to flexible work practices. The Australian Government's Workplace Gender Equality Agency provides information on flexible work practices here.

LGBTIQA+ Friendly Workplaces

The Law Council has developed a helpful resource on how to make your workplace LGBTI+ friendly. The resource can be accessed here.

Step Up to the Bar Program

The Courts Administration Authority has established a “Step Up to the Bar” program for female lawyers wishing to join the Independent Bar. Every year, one female candidate will be selected to take part in the program.

The participant will be appointed within Chambers of the Supreme Court of South Australia. She will gain experience and exposure to complex legal cases and will work closely with the judiciary and an appointed Judicial Mentor. The participant is also expected to engage with the Justices of the Supreme Court, Barristers, and other legal practitioners at an advanced level.

The program is designed to promote equality of opportunity for female legal practitioners who wish to pursue a career at the independent Bar and is specifically tailored to prepare participants for the Bar Readers Course and subsequent practice.

The participant will be engaged as a Legal Officer on a 12-month temporary contract and appointed to multiple Justices of the Supreme Court on a rotation basis.  The remuneration will be commensurate to years of post-admission experience and equivalent classification level within the Legal Officer stream of the Classification Standards.

The Program supports a range of initiatives arising from the strategic response to the NARS Report by the Chief Justice of South Australia and the SA Bar Association.

An exemption from Section 30 of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 has been granted for this program for an initial period of three years commencing 13 April 2015.

For more information, contact: Executive Assistant to the Chief Justice via email or go to the CAA’s Step Up to the Bar webpage.