Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Preeta Ghoshal
17.02.2023
Since Day One, diversity, equity and inclusion has been at the core of the FDM community and culture. So, we are very excited to see that the next WorldPride festival will be held in Sydney 2023.
WorldPride is a global Pride celebration that happens every few years in a different city to promote and advocate for LGBTQIA+ human rights around the world.
The first WorldPride took place in Rome in 2000, followed by Jerusalem, London, Toronto, Madrid, New York and Copenhagen + Malmo. Traditionally, Pride month is in June, the northern hemisphere’s summer.
For the first time this wonderful and important event will be staged in the southern hemisphere, from 17 February – 5 March in 2023. Nicely timed to coincide with the Australian summer AND the 45th anniversary of the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras!
So much happening
Sydney WorldPride will incorporate all the beloved Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras events, plus a broad festival offering – across arts, sport, theatre, concerts, parties, First Nations programming and a human rights conference.
In total, it is expected over 200 events will be staged as part of the broader Sydney WorldPride Festival, to be enjoyed by over 500,000 people.
Official events include:
- Opening and Closing Concerts at The Domain
- A Human Rights Conference
- Pride March across the Sydney Harbour Bridge
- Bondi Beach Party
- First Nations Gala Concert
- Pride Villages, closing streets in the heartland of LGBTQIA+ Sydney – Oxford Street – for street stalls, art and community parties.
- A full arts and culture program
- WorldPride Sports
There’ll also be related side events throughout Greater Sydney.
For full details and updates go to https://sydneyworldpride.com/ and https://www.mardigras.org.au/
How FDM shows solidarity
While we delight in celebrating annual events like Mardi Gras, at FDM we engage in ongoing support for diversity, equity and inclusion through initiatives and activities throughout the year.
We’re continually educating ourselves on the best ways to support our staff and consultants on building an inclusive workplace for all.
Our recruitment teams and, indeed, all internal staff globally undertake Unconscious Bias training. This is all about helping us identify what unconscious bias is in the workplace and how we can work towards more inclusive work practices in all of our roles.
While we recognise there will always be room for improvement, we are proud of the statistics that reflect our commitment to a diverse workforce at FDM. And it was encouraging to see this acknowledged in the very high rating for diversity, equity and inclusion from our internal survey at the end of 2022.
And our Sydney office is holding a themed social event to build awareness and support for our LGBTQIA+ community. (Plus – in the spirit of the festival – have some fun!)
Becoming part of an inclusive culture
FDM is proud to be an equal opportunities employer: it enables us to attract, recruit, train and deploy incredible people. We celebrate difference because we want everyone to have equal opportunity to belong and grow in their career.
Our many employee-led networks provide a community for discussion, support, and connection with others and play a vital role in fostering an empathetic and inclusive culture.
FDM Pride Network champions workplace inclusion for LGBTIQA+ employees, creating a space which allows those working for the company to feel comfortable bringing their authentic selves into work. Our mission is to create an open and inclusive environment through education and representation.
If you’re looking for more than a job but a community of support and guidance, where you are recognised and appreciated, find out how the FDM Graduate Program can help you launch your dream IT or business career.
