{"id":1426,"date":"2022-06-30T02:26:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-30T02:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/?p=1426"},"modified":"2025-04-22T03:34:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T03:34:42","slug":"celebrating-diversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/2022\/06\/30\/celebrating-diversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating a Win for Inclusivity and Diversity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Media Release<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

Celebrating a win for inclusivity and diversity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Sealord is celebrating its win at the 2022 Primary Industries Good Employer awards hosted in Wellington by the Minister of Agriculture last night (29 June).<\/p>\n\n

A major employer in the Nelson region, Sealord won the \u2018Inclusive & Diverse Workplace\u2019 category in recognition of the company\u2019s efforts to sustain a workplace culture that prioritises wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n

Sealord Chief Executive Officer Doug Paulin says that he and the management team and all the Sealord wh\u0101nau<\/em> are delighted with the award.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe have around 60 nationalities at Sealord and more than 40 per cent of our workforce originate outside of Aotearoa. We love what this brings to our workplace with people from all walks of life, countries, ages, and backgrounds contributing to our company culture,\u201d Paulin says.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important to us that all our people have a voice, and can share their opinions and experiences freely. Staff engagement is a cornerstone at Sealord and we also want our people to be able to balance work with the rest of their lives.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n\n

\"Group<\/figure><\/div><\/div>

One of the initiatives that caught the judge\u2019s attention was Sealord\u2019s support for its Burmese employees<\/a> during the Myanmar military coup in 2021.<\/p>

\u201cWe knew our Burmese people were fearful for their home country, and while we could offer sympathy and support, we needed to look at other meaningful action,\u201d Paulin says.<\/p>

After meeting with workers to hear their ideas, he wrote to the Prime Minster outlining concerns and raised $7000 from company and staff contributions towards care for Burmese refugees in Thailand.<\/p>

Other examples that helped contribute to Sealord\u2019s win include its focus on two-way company communication including half-yearly \u2018town hall\u2019 staff meetings where the CEO discusses topics of interest and staff ask questions, CEO vlogs and new digital screens. Employees who prefer a less direct way to share can use the Sealord intranet to comment on stories and photos, and share information, opinions and experiences.<\/p>

\u201cWe know that managers don\u2019t always have the answers, which is why we encourage staff input and take the time to listen and then put actions in place,\u201d Paulin says.<\/p>

\u201cMost recently, we have developed a new vision statement for the company that involved significant staff feedback via a steering group, numerous rounds of workshops, and team engagement via online surveys.\u201d<\/a><\/p>

Other examples of initiatives that support positive staff engagement at Sealord include:<\/p>\n\n