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As a sole trader, micro-business owner or person in charge of a workplace with fewer than 20 people, you play an important role in shaping safe, equal and respectful workplace culture.
This toolkit provides practical guidance to help you build gender equality and respect into the way you plan, work, communicate and make decisions. It includes simple tools, prompts and actions you can adapt to your workplace.
Toolkit for sole traders
Why does workplace equality and respect matter?
People experience work differently depending on factors such as age, disability, gender identity, race and ethnicity. Designing your workplace with these differences in mind helps create an environment where everyone feels safe, respected and able to contribute.
Creating a gender-equal and respectful workplace is not just the right thing to do; it can also strengthen your reputation, reduce legal, financial and reputational risks, and support higher levels of engagement and performance.
Workplaces are always changing. Whether you work in person, remotely, in a hybrid setup or use digital tools to communicate and collaborate, the way your systems are designed can either support or undermine gender equality and respect.
People today expect fairness, safety, and respect – not just in how they’re treated, but in how work gets done. By building gender equality and respect into your culture, processes, and physical and online spaces, you can help set up a stronger standard for safety, fairness and inclusion.
“Workplace cultures that normalise inequality also normalise abuse. When women and gender‑diverse people are marginalised, underrepresented, or unheard, violence can flourish unchecked.”
Related
These free tools and resources will support your workplace to address gender inequality and prevent violence against women.
1 resource
Running a small organisation comes with plenty of rewards and challenges. The good news is that creating a safe, equal and respectful workplace is possible.