From two-way mentoring across generations to ‘accessibility passports’, here’s how Bunnings is taking a practical approach to fostering belonging across its diverse workforce.

Most leaders would tell you they want their employees to feel a sense of belonging. But translating that idea into everyday behaviours is easier said than done, particularly for organisations with large and diverse workforces.

At retail giant Bunnings, the 50,000+ strong workforce spans a huge range of ages, cultural backgrounds and abilities, from teenagers in their first job to older employees returning from retirement.

Rather than treating inclusion as a standalone initiative, the HR team at Bunnings has focused on building structures and practices that embed belonging into the everyday moments that shape the employee experience.

“We know, and have known for a very long time, that the customer experience in store is so heavily influenced by the team we have on the shop floor every day,” says Damian Zahra, Chief People Officer at Bunnings. 

“And if our teams feel like they have a strong sense of belonging, then they’re more inclined to provide great service for our customers.”

That focus has translated into a range of initiatives designed to support different parts of the workforce, many of which have been shaped directly by employee feedback and lived experience. 

Last year, Bunnings was recognised with AHRI’s Most Inclusive Workplace Award at the AHRI Awards.

Below, Zahra unpacks five key ways Bunnings is working to foster belonging.

1. Supporting multigenerational workforces through two-way mentoring

Bunnings has long been a champion of multigenerational workforces, with employees ranging from 15 to 91 years old and over 30 per cent of its team over 50 years old. That diversity is something the business actively embraces.

“A lot of our team members have come out of retirement to continue working, because work provides a sense of purpose, identity and connection,” says Zahra. “We feel really proud that we can provide those opportunities.”

One way the company does this is through two-way mentoring. Older workers are often just as enthusiastic to learn new skills as their younger counterparts, he says, and the company encourages knowledge-sharing across generations so employees can learn from each other’s strengths.

“We know there are challenging times where mature-age team members bring stability and assurance,” he says. “And when we are rolling out new tech initiatives or platforms, we know that our younger team members can bring different perspectives on how we manage deployment.”

To support employees later in their careers, the company also runs a dedicated program to help team members transition into retirement, which includes the option to gradually reduce their hours and advice on how they can enjoy financial, emotional and physical wellbeing in their retirement.

Together, these initiatives help ensure employees feel valued and supported throughout every stage of their career.

“A lot of our team members have come out of retirement to continue working, because work provides a sense of purpose, identity and connection… We feel really proud that we can provide those opportunities.” – Damian Zahra, Chief People Officer, Bunnings

2. Supporting LGBTQIA+ inclusion through employee networks

Another way Bunnings supports belonging is through employee-led communities. One example is the company’s ‘Rainbow Reds’ group, which brings together LGBTQIA+ employees and allies to create a supportive internal network and provide input into inclusion initiatives.

The group organises celebrations of key events such as Pride Month across stores and internal channels, and a dedicated Rainbow Reds Facebook page enables team members to connect, celebrate milestones and highlight events across the business.

Importantly, the group also plays a role in shaping broader inclusion efforts, advising on policies and initiatives while helping to create safe spaces for team members to share experiences and ideas.

“It’s really important that, as a business, we are constantly listening to our team members to better understand the experiences that they’re having on the shop floor,” says Zahra. 

One idea that emerged through this process was the introduction of rainbow flag stickers on team member name badges. These allow employees to identify themselves as part of the LGBTQIA+ community or as allies, should they choose to.

The badges sit alongside other stickers including country flags that highlight cultural background and languages spoken, and disability identifiers that indicate if a team member uses Auslan or has a vision or hearing impairment. 

These small visual cues help employees express aspects of their identity while also helping customers find support more easily.

3. Disability inclusion through AUSLAN training and sensory maps

Accessibility is another important pillar of Bunnings’ inclusion strategy, with a range of practical adjustments in place to remove barriers for people living with disability.

An example is its AUSLAN training program, which equips employees with communication skills to support Deaf or hearing impaired colleagues and customers.

“The AUSLAN training has been completed by almost 1000 of our team members,” says Zahra. “It creates a more communicative workplace, which naturally means our team members and customers get that strong sense of support.

“[We also have] things like sensory maps and really clear in-store accessibility signage, which makes it easier for customers to navigate the warehouse environment.”

Internally, accessibility passports allow employees to document workplace adjustments they may need. The adjustments in the passports are informed by confidential care conversations with managers, so employees don’t need to repeatedly explain their needs if they change roles or report to a new leader.

Learn more about accessibility passports in this AHRI article on neurodiversity inclusion.

4. Amplifying employee voices through formal and informal channels

According to Zahra, belonging is often shaped by whether employees feel they can influence how the organisation operates.

To ensure employees feel heard, the business has implemented a broad range of feedback channels, from formal surveys to diversity and inclusion listening posts and informal ‘Coffee with the Boss’ and ‘Boss on the Couch’ sessions. 

“The genius within the ideas often comes from our team, not necessarily from the leadership [level],” says Zahra.

“One of the interesting things that came up was from our First Nations team members, who told us there were some barriers early in the recruitment process. [In response], we’ve created a dedicated Indigenous employment program to better support [Indigenous] candidates.” 

As part of this program, Bunnings now partners with a number of community charities and support services to help Indigenous students gain work experience and transition into employment.

“The genius within the ideas often comes from our team, not necessarily from the leadership [level].” – Damian Zahra, Chief People Officer, Bunnings

5. Supporting accountability through leader-led targets

While initiatives and feedback channels help create opportunities for inclusion, Zahra says belonging ultimately depends on how leaders translate those ideas into everyday practice.

At Bunnings, diversity and inclusion targets are embedded into the leadership framework to ensure continued accountability.

One example is the company’s commitment to the 40:40:20 gender balance model. 

“[That target] is leader-led, and it comes back to that aspirational target of wanting to create a place where every team member has a strong sense of belonging, and we feel like we are representative of the community that we live and operate in,” says Zahra.

Progress is tracked through regular reporting at each stage of the employee life cycle, he explains, helping leaders understand how their teams are tracking and where further action may be needed.

“That includes things like recruitment and making sure we’ve got balanced shortlists, [as well as] making sure all of our development pathways and the way we think about flexible work [ladder up] to those targets. 

“We’ve seen really strong progress on those targets, and we are largely there now. We’re at the point where it’s deeply embedded and just part of normal business practice.”

What belonging looks like in practice

One of the key lessons from Bunnings’ inclusion initiatives is the importance of consistency and follow-through in inclusion efforts, says Zahra.

“We don’t over-promise. We’re very realistic about the things we can do. But we hold very high standards – if we say we’re going to do something, we absolutely need to do it,” he says. “That helps build credibility, reliability and consistency. That’s something our team values enormously.”

He stresses that inclusion should be treated less as an HR initiative and more as something shaped through everyday decisions about how work is structured, communicated and supported.

“That’s what’s most important to us – that our teams feel connection, a strong sense of belonging, and that their contributions are valued,” he says. “But they also have choices with how they go about completing their work and building a career with us. 

“Those are really important elements that, when you add them up, help to create a really inclusive workplace.”

Build your knowledge of entity-specific DEI business drivers and industry best practices for leading diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces with AHRI’s Advanced DEI practices course.