Embracing diversity and providing all our employees with a safe workplace where they can pursue their goals without prejudice is a crucial principle for us at Fender Katsalidis.

We have worked hard to build a culture at FK that is representative and inclusive of people from all walks of life, and we pride ourselves on having an open and accepting studio environment. At FK, we believe our diverse workforce and the differences between our people make us better designers and lead us to deliver well-rounded design outcomes.

We ensure all our processes within recruitment, promotions and salary reviews are all based on merit. We promote an open dialogue with employees through regular forums and surveys for feedback to ensure we are continually improving our processes to stay aligned with our values.

Fender Katsalidis is committed to the welfare of our entire team, and we encourage employees to take steps to care for themselves. The well-being of our people is paramount, and so we offer an Employee Assistant Program (EAP), a confidential service that provides counselling via trained professionals who can offer helpful advice and guidance on a range of matters.

Mentoring relationships have always been part of FK’s culture and are one of the most effective forms of professional development for employees. At FK, our program aims to provide mentees with invaluable guidance, support and assistance that can be rewarding for all participants. Mentorship also provides mentors to the opportunity to develop unique coaching and teaching skills and productively share learned experience and knowledge.

As a part of FK’s ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion within our team we recognise the importance of supporting employees and their families during their parenting milestones and upon their return to work.

FK supports our new parents with eight weeks of paid parental leave payment, making no distinction between primary and secondary caregivers. Beyond the initial 8 weeks, FK also recognises that taking time off impacts our employees superannuation, it was important for us to supplement this to ensure our people are set up for the future, as such FK also tops up employees superannuation while they are on extended parental leave. Upon return, parents are welcomed back into the workforce with flexible work plans to ensure a smooth transition and accommodate family needs.

"At FK, our heartfelt duty to constructively respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ culture can be uniquely enacted through our privileged practice of architecture as we help build sustainable future enriched by the learnings of First Nations peoples.

The essence of architecture is to make the world a better place, and the commitment by FK to true reconciliation is a fundamental step towards our contribution." – Karl Fender, Founding Partner, Fender Katsalidis

We are proud to live in a country with the world’s oldest continuous living cultures and we see it as our responsibility to acknowledge, listen, learn from First Australians.

At Fender Katsalidis, we have established a Reflect RAP. Our path along the journey of reconciliation will be taken by each team member, company-wide. Individually and collectively, we must unlearn, learn and reconcile. We have established a working group with members from all levels of the business including a Gooreng Gooreng strategic advisor to ensure we are investing in meaningful connections, relationships and activities.

FK’s RAP aims to provide a guide to understanding how to recognise First Nation’s People’s cultural practices and their connection to Country. Our RAP’s objective is to understand as designers directly involved with land and community, to understand more about our built environment through the respectful relationship of cultural engagement.

We see this as our responsibility in a shared journey to a fairer and honest Australia. To lead as a company and practice and create positive and powerful change, we are committed to the vision and purpose of Reconciliation Australia and undertake our part as shapers and creators.