Building Inclusive Workplace: Evaluating Disability Inclusion and

Accessibility Initiatives at Westpac

Yihao Wang

Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia

Keywords: Australia, Westpac, Inclusive Management, Workplace Diversity, Organisational Culture.

Abstract: The concept of inclusive management has recently gained much attention in organizations and companies.

This study employs a case study methodology to evaluate Westpac Banking Corporation's disability inclusion

and accessibility initiatives, including workplace adjustments, recruitment improvement, group support, and

training and talent programs, through the lenses of Psychological Safety, the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R)

Model, and the Optimal Distinctiveness Theory. This study found that its initiatives improve the personal

well-being and performance of employees with disabilities. However, the study identifies several limitations,

such as the lack of emphasis on skills training, challenges in disability disclosure, the lack of systematic

inclusive leadership training, and the lack of transparency on implementation. Based on these limitations, the

study recommends enhancing inclusive leadership training, supporting disability disclosure, providing

personalized training, and improving transparency in reporting its inclusion initiatives. These findings can

provide other companies with experience and reflection and provide a foundation for future research in

disability inclusion and accessibility.

1 INTRODUCTION

In today's highly competitive and globalised business

environment and increasing workforce diversity,

inclusive management has emerged as a crucial

strategy for organisations and companies. Recently,

organisations have increasingly prioritised fostering

inclusivity to support diversity (Roberson, 2019).

Inclusive management ensures equal opportunities for

diverse employees in areas such as organisational

culture, recruitment, promotion, compensation, and

decision-making while fostering a workplace that

respects, accepts, and supports differences (Shore,

Cleveland, & Sanchez, 2018). Research also indicates

that inclusive management enhances employees' sense

of belonging and job satisfaction and strengthens

corporate innovation and market competitiveness

(Roberson, 2019).

In recent years, the importance of disability

inclusion and accessibility within organisations has

gained significant attention. According to the World

Health Organization (2023), about 16% of the world's

population suffers from severe disability. In Australia,

approximately one in five people report having a

disability (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2022). With

support and accommodation, people with disabilities

can achieve similar job performance to people without

disabilities when supported and accommodated

(Hartnett, Stuart, Thurman, Loy, & Batiste, 2011).

Moreover, evidence indicates that hiring people with

disabilities can improve brand image and profitability

(Lindsay, Cagliostro, Albarico, Mortaji, & Karon,

2018). Therefore, inclusion and accessibility for

employees with disabilities are important for

organisations.

Westpac Banking Corporation, commonly known

as Westpac, is an Australian multinational bank and

financial services provider. As one of Australia's "Big

Four" banks, Westpac is Australia's oldest and

longest-standing banking institution. In 2024,

Westpac served approximately 13 million customers

worldwide, employed around 35,000 people, and was

ranked 53rd in the Top 1000 World Banks ranking.

Westpac has put much effort into organisational

inclusion and has achieved some success. Disability

inclusion and accessibility are important aspects of

Westpac's inclusive Initiatives.

Based on Westpac's public information and

reports, including its website, Access and Inclusion

Plans and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Policy, this

study employs a case study methodology to analyse its

core disability inclusion and accessibility initiatives,

138

Wang, Y.

Building Inclusive Workplace: Evaluating Disability Inclusion and Accessibility Initiatives at Westpac.

DOI: 10.5220/0013987400004916

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2025), pages 138-143

ISBN: 978-989-758-778-8

drawing on three key theoretical frameworks:

Psychological Safety, the Job Demands-Resources

Model, and Optimal Distinctiveness Theory. This

study evaluates the best practices and limitations of

Westpac's disability inclusion and accessibility

initiatives. It aims to share Westpac's experience in

these areas and provide recommendations for

reflection and improvement.

2 DISABILITY INCLUSION AND

ACCESSIBILITY INITIATIVE

Disability inclusion and accessibility are key aspects

of Westpac's inclusive initiatives. According to King,

the CEO of Westpac Group, about 20 years ago,

Westpac committed to improving inclusion and

accessibility (Westpac Group, n.d-a). Since 2001,

Westpac has regularly published Accessibility Action

Plans to disclose its objectives and achievements. This

section will introduce Westpac's latest main disability

and accessibility initiatives for its employees,

including recruitment, training, workplace

adjustments, and networking support. As a founding

member of the Australian Disability Network,

Westpac was ranked first in banks in Australia for its

disability and accessibility initiatives in 2017. In 2020,

Westpac joined The Valuable 500 to enhance

disability inclusion (Westpac Group, n.d-a, n.d-b).

2.1 Workplace Adjustment

According to Westpac's latest access and inclusion

plan, Westpac has made some efforts to help

employees with special needs or disabilities. Similar

to another Australian company, Australia Post,

Westpac records the workplace adjustments and

needs of employees with disabilities as part of its

personalisation category in its HR and profile

management platforms. These adjustments and needs

will be shared with management teams, which can

provide employees with disabilities with continuous,

seamless workplace adjustments throughout the

employment process (Westpac Group, n.d-a).

Moreover, Westpac also incorporates the

accessibility of HR systems into workplace

adjustments for employees with disabilities,

including creating a roadmap for people with

accessible needs and making accessibility a

requirement for designing HR systems.

Furthermore, Westpac also values mental health

in the workplace and provides relevant training for

employees and management teams to foster a positive

work environment.

In addition, Westpac considers accessibility in the

design of its buildings and offices, including floor

layouts and accessible facilities. Westpac also

partners with Lendlease and the Australian Network

on Disability to obtain guidance on building

accessibility (Westpac Group, n.d-b).

2.2 Recruitment Improvement

Westpac takes action in the recruitment process to

ensure disability inclusion and accessibility. Its

accessibility and inclusion initiatives mainly focus on

two aspects: improving hiring opportunities for

people with disabilities and building an accessible

recruitment environment.

Specifically, its actions and plans involve

improving the recruitment and interview process

through end-to-end employee experience audits,

candidates' feedback, education and cooperation with

professional groups. These efforts aim to increase the

confidence of candidates with disabilities and ensure

they receive fair recruitment experience and

opportunities (Westpac Group, n.d-a).

2.3 Group Support

Since 2019, Westpac has established the Access and

Inclusion Team to integrate accessibility into

Westpac's organisational practices and provide

support for employees with disabilities (Westpac

Group, n.d-a, n.d-b).

Moreover, Westpac's Employee Advocacy

Groups (EAGs) also empower employees by giving

them more opportunities to participate in

organisational management to enhance inclusivity.

These EAGs are supported by members of the

executive team and are voluntarily operated by

employees, maintaining a degree of autonomy. ABLE

(Assisting Better Lives for Everyone) is one of

Westpac's EAGs, which provides disability and

accessibility support to both employees and clients.

2.4 Training and Talent Programs

According to Westpac's publicly available

information and plans (n.d-a, n.d-b), the organisation

implements a range of training initiatives, talent

development programs, and resources for its

employees, management, and recruitment teams.

Specifically, Westpac builds an inclusive

workplace and environment for employees with

disabilities by training all employees to reduce

misunderstandings and increase confidence. In

addition, its talent programs can reduce employment

Building Inclusive Workplace: Evaluating Disability Inclusion and Accessibility Initiatives at Westpac

139

barriers for individuals with disabilities. For instance,

Disability Confidence Training is a program provided

by Westpac to reduce misconceptions about people

with disabilities, enabling them to support both their

colleagues with disabilities and customers better.

Moreover, Westpac also participates in the Australian

Network on Disability's Stepping Into internship

program to provide more employment and career

guidance opportunities for university students and

graduates with disabilities.

3 INITIATIVES EVALUATION

Overall, Westpac's disability inclusion and

accessibility initiatives include multiple dimensions

and have achieved notable outcomes.

This section critically examines the effectiveness

and limitations of these initiatives from an inclusivity

perspective, drawing on concepts and theories such as

psychological safety, Optimal Distinctiveness Theory,

and the Job Demands-Resources model to identify

key insights, best practices, and limitations.

3.1 Effectiveness

3.1.1 Psychological Safety

From a psychological safety perspective, Westpac's

initiatives of group support and training, such as

Disability Confidence Training and ABLE, have

strengthened the social connections between leaders

and employees with disabilities, which provides room

for employees with disabilities to communicate with

their managers and express their opinions. In other

words, these initiatives and commitments can allow

employees with disabilities to share their views and

opinions freely without fear of consequences, which

can lead to psychological safety and increase job

satisfaction and performance levels of employees

with disabilities (Edmondson, 1999). Moreover,

evidence also shows that psychological safety can

increase the innovation capabilities of employees and

organisations (A.C. Edmondson & Lei, 2014).

3.1.2 Job Demands-Resources Model

According to the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R)

Model, job demands and resources jointly influence

individual performance and burnout (Demerouti,

Bakker, Nachreiner, & Schaufeli, 2001).

In the case of Westpac, the recruitment

accessibility initiatives, group support, tand raining

programs can be regarded as a job resource and

personal resource and will contribute to work

engagement because these initiatives provide

employees with disabilities with organisational

support, skills, autonomy, opportunities to participate

in organisational management and room for free

expression (Bakker, Demerouti, & Sanz-Vergel,

2014; Bakker & Demerouti, 2007). One example is

Westpac's EAG of ABLE. This EAG supports

employees with disabilities and empowers them to

participate in organisational management.

In Addition, Westpac's workplace adjustments can

also reduce the job demand of employees with

disabilities because they reduce the extra effort that

disabled employees have to put in at work, thereby

reducing the risk of job burnout (Demerouti et al.,

2001). For instance, Westpac records the needs and

requirements of employees with disabilities on its HR

systems and shares them with the leaders. It can

simplify the communication process of work

adjustments and avoid repeated disclosure by

employees with disabilities to reduce their extra

efforts and mental stress.

Furthermore, Westpac's disability inclusion and

accessibility initiatives, including workplace

adjustments, recruitment, group support and training,

create a disability-inclusive environment and can

make employees with disabilities feel valued and

respected, improving their self-efficacy and leading to

work engagement (Xanthopoulou, Bakker,

Demerouti, & Schaufeli, 2007). Overall, from the

perspective of the JD-R model, these initiatives reduce

the risk of burnout and increase work engagement,

thereby benefiting the performance improvement and

well-being of employees with disabilities (see Fig. 1).

Alt Text for the figure: A Diagram showing how job

resources and personal resources increase work

engagement and job performance, while job demands lead

to exhaustion and lower performance. Initiatives include

training, group support, and recruitment to increase

personal and job resources. Workplace adjustments reduce

job demand

Figure 1. JD-R model: Westpac’s Initiative Evaluation

(Bakker et al., 2014).

PRMC 2025 - International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication

140

3.1.3 Optimal Distinctiveness Theory

According to the Optimal Distinctiveness Theory,

individuals have two distinct needs: the need for

differentiation and the need for assimilation (Brewer,

1991). This theory also points out that individuals will

strive to balance these two needs within social content

to achieve an optimal balance, which will positively

impact personal mental health and well-being

(Brewer, 1991; Zhao & Glynn, 2022). Moreover, an

inclusive environment requires both meeting the need

for belonging and recognising and leveraging

individual uniqueness (Shore, Randel, Chung, Dean,

Ehrhart, & Singh, 2010).

From this perspective, Westpac's disability

inclusion and accessibility initiatives meet the need

for uniqueness and foster a sense of belonging for

employees with disabilities. An example is Westpac's

workplace adjustment initiatives and training

programs, including recording the specific needs of

employees with disabilities, which create an inclusive

and accessible workplace that meets their unique

needs and makes them feel included. Moreover, its

group supports employees with disabilities, respects

their differences and meets their unique needs to a

certain extent. In general, Westpac's disability

inclusion and accessibility initiatives cover these two

different needs and can help employees achieve their

balance. As a result, these initiatives can positively

impact their mental health, job satisfaction, and

organisational citizenship behaviour. See Figure 2.

Alt Text for the figure: A diagram shows how individuals

balance the need for assimilation and differentiation to

achieve the optimal point, leading to satisfaction. Westpac's

disability inclusion and accessibility initiatives support

these two needs.

Figure 2. Optimal Distinctiveness Theory: Westpac’s

Initiative Evaluation (Brewer, 1991; Leonardelli, Pickett, &

Brewer, 2010)

3.2 Limitations

Although Westpac has taken many initiatives and

made many efforts regarding disability inclusion and

accessibility, there are still some limitations and gaps.

According to Santuzzi, Martinez, and Keating

(2021), some employees still face difficulties

disclosing their disabilities or needs. This is not only

related to psychological safety and fear of negative

consequences but also due to their self-perception and

self-respect. Although Westpac strives to build an

inclusive workplace and culture, and its initiatives—

including training, group support, and documentation

of workplace adjustments—can encourage

employees with disabilities to disclose, Westpac's

public materials lack emphasis on psychological

factors that impact the disclosure. To address this

challenge may require further improvement,

including measurement and intervention.

Moreover, although its inclusion policy mention

inclusive leadership training for employees, its latest

plan does not focus on it (Westpac Group, n.d-c).

Inclusive leadership is a field that has only recently

gained attention (Boekhorst, 2015). Research

suggests that leaders significantly influence

organisations and can impact organisational

performance to a certain extent （Shore & Chung,

2021). Therefore, Westpac has a strong rationale for

providing leaders with inclusive leadership training

and support. Besides that, Westpac has a range of

inclusion training initiatives, but most focus on

building confidence or creating an inclusive

environment. However, its recent reports and plans

lack skills training for employees with disabilities.

Additionally, based on the Optimal

Distinctiveness Theory, the two needs of uniqueness

and belonging are in dynamic balance and may

change for various reasons (Leonardelli et al., 2010).

However, Westpac's Initiatives lack personalised and

flexible support for employees with disabilities,

which limits its ability to adapt to their changing

needs and may prevent individuals from achieving

optimal distinctiveness.

Besides, although Westpac provides relatively

comprehensive disclosures and information regarding

its disability inclusion and accessibility initiatives in

its reports, plans, and publicly available information,

some of this information lacks specificity. Moreover,

the information provided by Westpac relatively lacks

detailed implementations and evaluations of its plans

and initiatives.

Building Inclusive Workplace: Evaluating Disability Inclusion and Accessibility Initiatives at Westpac

141

4 RECOMMENDATION

Based on the above evaluation of Westpac's disability

inclusion and accessibility initiatives, this section

proposes several recommendations for further

reflection.

4.1 Enhance Inclusive Leadership

Training

Westpac can develop an inclusive leadership

framework or platform, provide basic training for

recruitment teams and managers, and design a tiered,

continuous leadership development pathway.

In addition, Westpac can Introduce situational

leadership training. Through case studies, situational

simulations and experiential learning, managers and

leaders can be encouraged to be more sensitive and

supportive of employees with disabilities.

Moreover, the assessment of inclusive leadership

could also be incorporated into regular performance

evaluations.

4.2 Provide More Support for

Employees with Disabilities to

Disclose

Westpac can enhance employee privacy protection,

introduce anonymous or private channels for

disability disclosure, and ensure data security and

privacy protection so employees feel that information

disclosure will not negatively impact and protect their

self-esteem.

Moreover, psychological support should be

strengthened by developing a system for early

detection and proactive intervention while assisting

potential employees in need, including psychological

counselling and guidance.

Furthermore, Westpac can improve the disability

disclosing process by changing the measuring

methods and expressions. When collecting and

disclosing information, avoid using terms such as

"disability," which may negatively impact self-

esteem. Instead, adopt more inclusive and acceptable

language, such as "special needs" or "required

accommodations."

4.3 Provide Personalised Support and

Training

Westpac can provide personalised and flexible

support and training to employees with disabilities

based on their preferences and cultural backgrounds

while adjusting existing initiatives in response to their

feedback and external environments to adapt to

individual differences and changing environments.

In addition, skills training for employees with

disabilities should also be prioritised and

strengthened. Westpac can provide different skills

training for employees with disabilities based on their

differences and characteristics to help them adapt to

work.

4.4 Improve Information Transparency

Westpac can disclose more information in reports and

the website on the implementation of its inclusion

initiatives and plans, including their evaluations and

results, to enhance transparency and be open to public

scrutiny.

5 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this study evaluates the key disability

inclusion and accessibility initiatives implemented by

Westpac Banking Corporation using psychological

safety, the Job Demands-Resources Model, and the

Optimal Distinctiveness Theory as a case study to

evaluate their strengths and limitations and provide

insights and reflection on disability inclusion and

accessibility in the banking industry.

Westpac's initiatives of workplace adjustment,

recruitment process improvement, group and network

support, and training and talent programs can

generally improve psychological safety. Moreover,

from the perspective of the JD-R model, these

initiatives also reduce the job demand and increase

job and personal resources, which can help prevent

burnout and promote work engagement and

performance. In addition, based on the Optimal

Distinctiveness Theory, Westpac's initiatives of

workplace adjustment, training, and group support

meet the needs for uniqueness and belonging for

employees with disabilities, contributing to personal

well-being.

However, its disability inclusion and accessibility

initiatives still have several limitations. For example,

its latest plans lack skills training programs for

employees with disabilities, insufficient support for

disability disclosure, and systematic training on

inclusive leadership. In addition, there is limited

transparency regarding the implementation of these

initiatives. Therefore, based on these limitations, this

study provides several recommendations, including

enhancing training on inclusive leadership,

encouraging disability disclosure among employees,

PRMC 2025 - International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication

142

providing personalised training and increasing

information transparency.

This study primarily relies on Westpac's reports

and publicly available materials. Therefore, it has

limitations due to the lack of information on the actual

implementation of initiatives. Moreover, the lack of

primary data and research may limit the ability to

fully capture the experiences of employees with

disabilities. Therefore, future studies can focus on

collecting primary data, including interviews and

surveys with Westpac employees with disabilities,

which can provide insights into the implementation

and effectiveness of its inclusion initiatives in the

workplace.

REFERENCES

Australian Bureau of Statistics.

https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disa

bility-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-

findings/latest-release

Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. 2007. The job demands‐

resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial

Psychology 22(3): 309–328.

Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Sanz-Vergel, A. I. 2014.

Burnout and work engagement: the JD–R

approach. Annual Review of Organizational

Psychology and Organizational Behavior 1(1): 389–

411.

Boekhorst, J. A. 2015. The role of authentic leadership in

fostering workplace inclusion: A social information

processing perspective. Human Resource

Management 54(2): 241–264.

Brewer, M. B. 1991. The social self: On being the same and

different at the same time. Personality and Social

Psychology Bulletin 17(5): 475–482.

Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli,

W. B. 2001. The job demands-resources model of

burnout. The Journal of Applied Psychology 86(3):

499–512.

Edmondson, A. 1999. Psychological safety and learning

behavior in work teams. Administrative Science

Quarterly 44(2): 350–383.

Edmondson, A. C., & Lei, Z. 2014. Psychological safety:

The history, renaissance, and future of an interpersonal

construct. Annual Review of Organizational

Psychology and Organizational Behavior 1(1): 23–43.

Hartnett, H. P., Stuart, H., Thurman, H., Loy, B., & Batiste,

L. C. 2011. Employers’ perceptions of the benefits of

workplace accommodations: Reasons to hire, retain and

promote people with disabilities. Journal of Vocational

Rehabilitation 34(1): 17–23.

Leonardelli, G. J., Pickett, C. L., & Brewer, M. B. 2010.

Optimal distinctiveness theory. Advances in

Experimental Social Psychology 43: 63–113.

Lindsay, S., Cagliostro, E., Albarico, M., Mortaji, N., &

Karon, L. 2018. A systematic review of the benefits of

hiring people with disabilities. Journal of Occupational

Rehabilitation 28(4): 634–655.

Roberson, Q. M. 2019. Diversity in the workplace: a

review, synthesis, and future research agenda. Annual

Review of Organizational Psychology and

Organizational Behavior 6(1): 69–88.

Santuzzi, A. M., Martinez, J. J., & Keating, R. T. 2021. The

benefits of inclusion for disability measurement in the

workplace. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An

International Journal 41(3): 474–490.

Shore, L. M., & Chung, B. G. 2021. Inclusive leadership:

How leaders sustain or discourage work group

inclusion. Group & Organization Management 47(4):

723–754.

Shore, L. M., Cleveland, J. N., & Sanchez, D. 2018.

Inclusive workplaces: A review and model. Human

Resource Management Review 28(2): 176–189.

Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A.,

Holcombe Ehrhart, K., & Singh, G. 2010. Inclusion and

diversity in work groups: A review and model for future

research. Journal of Management 37(4): 1262-1289.

Westpac Group. n.d.-a. Helping All Succeed.

https://www.westpac.com.au/content/dam/public/wbc/

documents/pdf/aw/WBC-

access_and_inclusion_plan_2021-2024.pdf

Westpac Group. n.d.-b. Inclusion & diversity.

www.westpac.com.au. Retrieved February 10, 2025,

from https://www.westpac.com.au/about-

westpac/inclusion-and-diversity/

Westpac Group. n.d.-c. Inclusion and Diversity Policy.

https://www.westpac.com.au/content/dam/public/wbc/

documents/pdf/aw/Diversity_Policy.pdf

World Health Organization. 2023, March 7. Disability and

Health. World Health Organization.

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-

sheets/detail/disability-and-health

Xanthopoulou, D., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., &

Schaufeli, W. B. 2007. The role of personal resources

in the job demands-resources model. International

Journal of Stress Management 14(2): 121–141.

Zhao, E.Y., & Glynn, M.A. 2022. Optimal distinctiveness:

On being the same and different. Organization

Theory 3(1): 263178772210793.

Building Inclusive Workplace: Evaluating Disability Inclusion and Accessibility Initiatives at Westpac

143