Career Revive case study - OneFortyOne

OneFortyOne (OFO) is a sustainable forest grower and timber products company that has been operating across the trans-Tasman region since 2012.

OFO is one of the largest private employers in the Mount Gambier region, employing close to 350 employees in the Green Triangle. OFO is committed to accelerating inclusion and acceptance by ensuring representation of diverse talent, particularly through recruitment and succession planning.

Leaders at OFO were galvanised to engage with the Career Revive initiative to combat the low representation of females in the forestry and timber industry.

Actions

Attracting a diverse workforce has been a key area of focus for OFO in their Career Revive journey. OFO have implemented a number of activities, including:

• Development of a Supported Returner Program for women transitioning back to work which has been adapted from the work experience program for its Drymill. If successful, OFO's Returner Program will be scaled for other areas deemed suitable in and across the organisation.
• Exploration of attraction programs for broader marginalised communities in Mount Gambier.
• Promotion and showcasing of real-life employees on their social media and web channels, to shift perceptions about working in the industry.
• Experimenting with the standardisation of neutral language in recruitment advertisements to remove barriers to entry.
• Prompting cross-organisational conversations about environments that support and enable staff to thrive, with a specific focus on workplace flexibility.

Outcomes

Career Revive has supported a fundamental shift in the way that OFO has approached its diversity and inclusion agenda, helping to reposition diversity and inclusion as a strategic endeavour.

Participation in the Career Revive workshops has helped to accelerate the inclusion agenda, with managers actively experimenting with coaching approaches and championing new policies and practices.

As it looks to its future, OFO is examining how it can develop a robust framework (based on their action plan) and measure organisational maturity to ensure there is ongoing positive systemic change in their organisation.