Pink Shirt Day
Tomorrow is Pink Shirt Day, an opportunity to raise awareness and support working together to stop bullying by celebrating diversity and promoting kindness and inclusiveness.
Creating a safe, positive and inclusive environment is not just a task for a select few – it is a duty we all share, no matter what day it is. It’s about creating a community where everyone feels safe, valued, and respected, regardless of age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, or cultural background.
Whether you’re wearing a pink shirt this Friday or not, chat with your teams, crew or Brigade about our values and how we can be upstanders by looking out for each other
There are some great resources to support any kōrero you have on the Pink Shirt Day website or why not complete the ‘Be an upstander’ and ‘Our words matter’ e-learning module on Learning Station.
- Pink Shirt Day website(external link)
- Be an upstander e-learning module(external link)
- Our words matter e-learning module(external link)
If you do want to don something pink, don’t limit yourself to a t-shirt! A pink hat or pants will work. And if you do want to get an official t-shirt, these are available at your nearest Cotton On store.
What we are doing at Fire and Emergency
Bullying and harassment is not acceptable at Fire and Emergency, and we’re introducing changes to support personnel.
It’s everyone’s responsibility to do the right thing and be an upstander.
We’re now finalising our new Code of Conduct and Bullying, harassment and victimisation Policy, thanks to feedback during consultation, and will share these in the middle of this year. These documents will set out the behaviour and actions expected from all our people, support people to make the right decisions, and set out what will happen if people act outside those expectations. As part of the launch, there will be a range of activities to help people become familiar with what’s expected.
We’ve also changed how complaints are handled. Last month Speak Safe @ Fair Way, a safe, external and independent enquiries and complaints service, was launched for all personnel (including volunteers and contractors).
Through Speak Safe @ Fair Way, personnel can access an independent service to raise issues, seek advice and make a complaint. If you’re experiencing or witnessing behaviour that doesn’t feel right and you’re not sure what to do, Speak Safe @ Fair Way can help.
We recognise we still have a way to go until everyone feels safe in our workplace but making foundational changes like this signal the direction we’re taking to create a workplace that is safe, welcoming, and inclusive for all our people.
Together, we can create a workplace where every one of us feels safe, valued, and appreciated.
Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying!
