Fletcher Building Reconciliation Action Plan
FletcherTech encourages people to bring their whole selves to work. We support an inclusive work environment and recognise our team’s diversity as a strength. We also encourage team members to grow and develop throughout their careers at Fletcher Building.
One such example of a team member thriving within Fletcher Building’s supportive work culture is Ysabelle Mellam who is a FletcherTech Functional Business Analyst. Ysabelle has been with Fletcher Building for five years. She first joined the company as a member of the graduate programme in Brisbane, Australia.
Ysabelle moved to Australia from Papua New Guinea when she was fifteen and attended boarding school for her remaining high school years. The move ignited her passion to delve into her new home’s history and immerse herself in its culture. At school, Ysabelle found fulfilment in joining various cultural groups. More recently, Ysabelle has been an active member of the Pacifica Women’s Alliance board. The Alliance seeks to build and strengthen the Queensland sisterhood of Pacific Islander women and encourages opportunities and support throughout the community.
This year, Ysabelle joined the Fletcher Building Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) working group, a collective within Fletcher Building.
“The group promotes diversity across various backgrounds and roles within the business,” says Ysabelle.
The RAP aims to translate intentions into tangible steps, fostering culturally safe workplaces and building stronger relationships with Indigenous communities. The RAP group operates through four stages set across a twelve-month timeframe: reflect, innovate, stretch, and elevate. Currently, the group is in the reflective learning stage, laying foundations that involve cultural capability training.
A distinctive practice during the group’s meetings is to remove watches and stow away phones, fostering an environment where time does not govern the conclusion of First Nation conversations. Rather, the conversation ends after the topics have been covered. This approach encourages members to be fully present during discussions.
Ysabelle acknowledges the ongoing learning curve and expresses enjoyment in the journey.
To read Fletcher Building’s Reflect RAP visit https://ow.ly/65iB50P3y3l.