Diversity and Inclusion

At Meridian, we strongly  believe that our people are our greatest asset and the key to our success. Our focus on diversity and inclusiveness is integral to developing our people, contributing positively to our communities and better serving our clients. Our leadership team at Meridian is committed to continuing to create a more diverse workplace and inclusive ‘one team’ culture that encourages employees to thrive.

We recognise the power of diversity. This includes creating a welcoming community, inclusive of all genders, LGBTQI+, ethnicity and cultural diversity, age, people living with disabilities, mental health, background and religion.

Being an equal opportunity employer, we support our people by providing a range of policies, procedures and benefits that promote a diverse and inclusive workplace. To reflect the strength of our commitment, Meridian is a signatory  to the Lloyd’s Inclusive Behaviours Pledge and has adopted the Australian Law Council’s Diversity and Equality Charter. This charter involves pledging to treat all people with respect and dignity, to create and foster equality, and to promote and support a strong and fair legal profession.

Gender equality

Meridian is committed to promoting gender equality and women’s representation in the workforce.

We are proud of our gains in progressing gender balance. More than 70% of Meridian’s professional and business services teams are women.

Meridian participates annually in International Women’s Day to recognise the invaluable contributions of our female staff and work together to accelerate gender parity. International Women’s Day gives us an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women, and in particular those working at Meridian. In 2021 we celebrated Senior Associate, Sarah Twinn’s, recognition by the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland (WLAQ) as one of the state’s leading women lawyers.

Flexibility & Personal Responsibilities

Being a workplace that supports diversity and inclusion comes hand in hand with providing flexibility. A truly inclusive workplace strives to support the needs of team members from all backgrounds, and at all stages of their life journey. To ensure that our workplace is inclusive for those with caring and other responsibilities, we have implemented a Flexible Working Program. Our flexible working practices are a part of our culture and support our staff to manage their work and personal responsibilities, while continuing to focus on the needs of our clients.

Wellbeing

At Meridian, we recognise that an inclusive workplace prioritises the mental and physical health of their team members. We offer a proactive employee assistance and coaching program to all our staff and their immediate family members. The program provides access to digital learning content, coaching and licenced therapists.

Meridian participates in a number of wellbeing events throughout the year, including R U OK? Day, health checks, flu vaccinations and wellbeing/fitness challenges.

Modern slavery

At Meridian we support the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (UK) and the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) (Aust), whose provisions assist in the eradication of modern slavery, wherever it may occur, and raise public awareness of the issue.

We are committed to acknowledging and acting on our responsibility to respect human rights across all our business activities.