Insights into Diversity and Inclusion Practices in GTA Workplaces2017

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Table of Contents

Foreword 3

Executive Summary 4 Research methodology 6

Employersdefinediversityandinclusion 8

Employers describe their focus 11

Thebusinesscaseandgroupsoftalent 11

Employers’diversityandinclusionpracticesandsuccesses 21

ProgressandoutcomesofD&IinGTAworkplaces 32

Employersencounterbarrierstoprogress 38

Onthehorizon–trendsandnewinitiatives 40

IdentifiedStrengthsandGaps 43

Appendix1:Descriptionofresearchparticipants 44

Appendix2:ResearchTools 47 KeyInformantInterviewsProtocol 49

OnlineSurvey 54

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Foreword

ThisreportformspartofalargerprojectconductedbytheTorontoRegionImmigrantEmploymentCouncil(TRIEC).ThisresearchreportsummarizesinsightsaboutGTAemployerpracticesandpressingneeds,drawinginsightsfrominterviews,websiteanalysisandanonlinesurvey.

Inadditiontothisresearch,thebroaderprojectalsoincluded:

ExtensiveliteraturereviewofDiversity&Inclusion(D&I)research,conceptualframeworksandcompetencymodelsdrawnfromCanadaandbestpracticesinternationally;

Collaborationwithanexpertworkinggroupofemployerrepresentativesfromavarietyofsectorstoidentifythebehaviours,skills,andknowledgerequiredtocreateaninclusiveworkplace,andtodeveloptheseintoacomprehensivecompetencyframework;

GuidanceonintegratingtheD&IcompetenciesintotheTRIEClearninganddevelopmentinitiativesandprograms;

RecommendationsforaD&Imeasurementframeworkandmethodology;

DevelopmentofevaluationmethodsandtoolstomeasureanddemonstratetheimpactofTRIEClearningprograms;

Consultationwithmorethan30employersandkeyinformantsthroughone-on-oneinterviewsandWorkingGroupsessions;

Adialoguesessionwithcloseto100representativesofinternationallyeducatedprofessionals,immigrantservingagenciesandemployers;and

Validationatcriticalpointswithstakeholdersandkeyinformants.

TheothermaterialsandreportsareavailablethroughTRIEC.ThisTRIECinitiative,andothers,willleadtomoreskilledimmigrantsbeingemployedinjobscommensuratewiththeirskillsandexperience,andequipmoreworkplaceswithintheGTAandbeyondtobecomeinclusiveandleveragethetalentsoftheirdiverseworkforce.

Acknowledgments

ThisreporthasbeendevelopedwithinthecontextofabroaderprojectfundedbytheOntarioMinistryofCitizenshipandImmigration.

Morethansixtyindividualsandorganizationsprovidedinformationandinsightsthroughfact-findinginterviewsorparticipationinanonlinesurvey.

TheresearchwasconductedbyateamfromCamProfInc.andGraybridgeMalkam.

Project Background

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ThisresearchexploredcurrentdiversityandinclusionpracticesofemployersintheGreaterTorontoArea.Insightsweregatheredfromavarietyofemployers,serviceproviders,andotherinterestedindividuals.Thedepthandvarietyofresearchinputshelpstoidentifytrends,strengthsandpotentialgaps,aswellasquestionsforcontinuedexplorationandmonitoring.

Theresearchthemesandkeyfindingsincluded:

Definitions of diversity and inclusion.

Manyemployersaremovingbeyondafocusonthefourdesignatedgroups(EmploymentEquity)andprotectedgrounds(humanrightslegislation)toconsiderawiderrangeofdifferencesandtheirintersections.While‘diversity’remainsafocus,thereisincreasingemphasison‘inclusion’.

The business case and the priorities.

TheGTAemployerswhoarereflectedinthisresearchexpressarangeofrationalesfortheirinterestindiversityandinclusion(D&I).AchievingEmploymentEquitycompliance,throughanequitablerepresentationofthefourdesignatedgroups,continuestobeastrongfocus.ManyemployersprovidegeneralstatementsofD&Ivaluesandintent,withoutaclearlyarticulatedlinktoimportantorganizationaloutcomes.TheequitableparticipationofwomenintheworkplacehasbeenaD&Istartingpointformanyemployersanditcontinuestobeacommonfocus.

Diversity and inclusion practices.

TheGTAemployersinthisresearchhaveatleastafewD&Ipracticesinplace.Almostallwhowereinvolvedhavethepoliciesforfairness,accommodationandfreedomfromharassmentthatareseenasminimumrequirementsintoday’sOntarioworkplaces.Somegobeyondthese,withinitiativesthataimtocreateaworkplacewherepeoplefeelsafe,respectedandvalued.Theseparateinitiatives,whileofteneffectiveindividually,donotnecessarilycoalesceintoastrongstrategicapproach.EmployersareattemptingtodosomemonitoringoftheimpactoftheirD&Ipracticesandnewinitiatives.TherearesomeelementsinplaceforemployerstomoreeffectivelymeasureD&Iresultslinkedtointendedorganizationalgoals,butthereislittleevidenceofthisbeingawidespreadpractice.

Progress and outcomes of D&I approaches.

Evenamongthisgroupofparticipatingemployers,whomaybefurtheradvancedthanothers,itisclearthatthereisworkstilltobedone.Inmostcasestheorganization’sD&Istrategyandspecificbusinesscasearenotcoherentlyexpressed.Responsesfromserviceprovidersandothercommittedindividualssuggesttheremaybeimportantgapsinunderstandingbetweenemployersandthestakeholderswhocouldsupporttheminmakingprogress.

Executive Summary

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Critical gaps or barriers.

Theresearchconfirmedthatmanyofthebarriersthathavebeenlongrecognizedcontinuetobechallengestoemployers.TheargumentthatD&Ieffortswillleadtosuccessfulorganizationaloutcomesforaparticularemployerdoesnotseemtobecompellingorwell-articulated:theeffortoftenseemstoogreatand/orthepayoffoftenseemstooremote.

Future initiatives and possible trends.

Ingeneralmanyemployersseemreadytomovebeyondrecruitmenteffortsthatfocusedondiversitytonowconsideringamorestrategicapproachtoinclusion.Itappearsthatmentalhealthisafocusonthehorizon;howeveritwasnotclearhowemployersseethisalignedtoD&Iplansordesiredorganizationaloutcomes,norwhatinitiativestheywillputinplace.

Therearechallengingbarriersthatlimitorganizations’progresswithdiversityandinclusion.Keyamongtheseisthefrequentabsenceofaclearlydefinedstrategyandsetofplans,andonlyageneraldefinitionoftheD&Ibusinesscase.Notcoincidentally,itisrarefororganizationstohavecoherentmeasurementsystemsinplace.Employersandserviceprovidersallstrugglewithtoomuchtodoandlimitedresources,andinthiscontextbuildingemployers’long-termcapacityforinclusiongetsinsufficientattention.

However,theresearchalsohighlightedseveralstrengthsandopportunitiesformomentum.Thereisgenuinecommitmenttocreatingdiverseandinclusiveworkplaces,andmanygoodpracticesareinplace.Thereisastrengtheningfocusoncreatinginclusiveworkplaces,asorganizationsseethatastheroutetorealizingimportantorganizationalbenefits.

Therearechallengingbarriersthatlimitorganizations’progresswithdiversityandinclusion.Keyamongtheseisthefrequentabsenceofaclearlydefinedstrategyandsetofplans,andonlyageneraldefinitionoftheD&Ibusinesscase.Notcoincidentally,itisrarefororganizationstohavecoherentmeasurementsystemsinplace.Employersandserviceprovidersallstrugglewithtoomuchtodoandlimitedresources,andinthiscontextbuildingemployers’long-termcapacityforinclusiongetsinsufficientattention.

However,theresearchalsohighlightedseveralstrengthsandopportunitiesformomentum.Thereisgenuinecommitmenttocreatingdiverseandinclusiveworkplaces,andmanygoodpracticesareinplace.Thereisastrengtheningfocusoncreatinginclusiveworkplaces,asorganizationsseethatastheroutetorealizingimportantorganizationalbenefits.

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Theresearchquestionsthatareaddressedinthefollowingsectionsofthereportare:

• Definitions of diversity and inclusion Whetherexplicitlyorimplicitly,howdoemployersconceptualizetheseissues?

• The business case and the priorities WhatdoGTAemployershighlightasthedesiredbenefitsofD&I?Whichdemographicgroupsarethefocusofattention?

• Diversity and inclusion practices Whatareemployersdoingandwhatdotheythinkisworking?Whichinitiativesareseentobemostsuccessful?Howdotheymeasuretheirsuccess?

• Progress and outcomes of D&I Whatisthecurrentlevelofmaturityofemployers’D&Iapproaches?Howhavetheyevolvedandtowhatextentaretheyguidedbyadefinedstrategy?WhataretheindicatorsofoutcomesfromtheirD&Iefforts?

• Critical gaps or barriers Whatchallengesdoemployersfaceinbecomingmoreinclusiveintheworkplace?

• Future initiatives and possible trends WhatmightbeonthehorizonforD&IinGTAworkplaces?

Muchhasbeenwrittenaboutemployers’practicesfordiversityandinclusion.Theintentofthiscurrentresearchstudyhasbeentobuildonthatknowledge.

Inthecontextofamorecomprehensiveprojectfocusedonsupportingthecreationofinclusiveworkplaces,thisresearchprovidedtheopportunitytoexploretheperspectivesofemployers,serviceprovidersandotherinterestedindividualsoncurrentD&IpracticesofemployersintheGTA.Theinsightsareparticularlyhelpfulbecausethey:

• FocusdirectlyontheGTA.Torontoisoneofthemostdiversecitiesintheworldandhometoawiderangeofemployers–largeandsmall,globalandlocal,invirtuallyalleconomicsectors.

• Bringsomeevidencetosupplementandstructurethevaluablewisdomthatisgainedfromongoingconsultationwithemployers,informalexperienceandanecdotes

• Helptoinformdecisions.Thedepthandvarietyofresearchinputscanidentifytrends,strengthsandpotentialgaps,aswellasquestionsforcontinuedexplorationandmonitoring.

Introduction

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TheresearchinvolvedthreeactivitiestoexploretheD&IpracticesofGTAemployers:

• Reviewofemployers’websitesandotherpubliclyavailableinformationfor15employersandoneunionidentifiedasleadersindiversityandinclusion

• Anonlinesurveyopentoemployers,agenciesinvolvedinimmigrantemployment,andotherinterestedindividuals,gathering40responses

• Interviewswith14employersand6agenciestogatherinformationanddeeperinsightsaboutemployerpracticesintheGTA

TheresearchsamplesarenotdesignedtobestatisticallyrepresentativeofallworkplacesintheGTA.Asmuchaspossible,theywereconstructedtobereflectiveofawiderangeofemployerswithinterestinimplementinggoodpracticesfordiversityandinclusion.Suchasampleisusefulingatheringqualitativeinsightsaboutpractices,perceivedbarriersandbenefits,andidentifiedgapsandneeds.

Web-based research

ThefirstphaseoftheresearchwasareviewofpubliclyavailableinformationforasampleoffifteenGTAemployersandoneunion,representativeofvarioussectorsthatareimportantintheGTAarea,andthathavedemonstratedaninterestandcommitmenttoD&I.AquickscanoftheD&Ipracticesoftheseemployerswasconductedthroughareviewofcompanywebsitesandotherrelevantwebsites.Informationoneachemployerwascollectedaccordingtoaresearchtemplate,providedinAppendix2.

Theemployerswerechosenfromseverallists:

• Canada’s Best Diversity Employers 2017 http://www.canadastop100.com/diversity/ Thelistofwinnersofanannualcompetitionheldsince2008byMediacorpCanadaInc.,thatrecognizesemployersacrossCanadawithexceptionalworkplacediversityandinclusivenessprograms,includingprogramsforemployeesfromfivegroups:women;membersofvisibleminorities;personswithdisabilities;aboriginalpeoples;andlesbian,gay,bisexualandtransgendered/transsexual(LGBT)people.ThefinalistsarerecognizedasdiversityleadersintheirindustryandregionofCanada.

• TRIEC partners, obtained from TRIEC’s website http://www.thementoringpartnership.com/partners/employerpartners/partners/

• Hire Immigrants Success Stories: http://www.hireimmigrants.ca/success-stories-home/

Research methodology

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The15employersandoneunionarelistedbelow;additionaldetailsareprovidedinAppendix1.

• AccentureInc.

• GeneralMotorsofCanadaCompany

• Humber

• KPMGLLP

• LiUNALOCAL506

• LoblawCompaniesLimited

• Manulife

• OntarioPowerGeneration

• PepsiCoCanada

• Procter&GambleInc.

• RogersCommunicationsInc.

• StikemanElliot

• TDBankGroup

• Toronto,Cityof

• WilliamOslerHealthSystem

• YMCAofGreaterToronto

Thekeyfindingshavebeenintegratedintothisreport.Detailedresultsareavailableinthecompanionreport,WebsiteReviewofGTAEmployerD&IPractices.

Online survey

AnonlinesurveywasdistributedduringMayandearlyJuneof2017,viatheFluidSurveysplatform.

Surveyquestionsweretailoredforthreetargetaudiences:employers,serviceprovidersoragencies,and‘others’.(seeAppendix2forthesurveyquestionnaire.)Thesurveywasanonymous,althoughrespondentsweregivenanopportunitytoprovidetheiremailaddressiftheywereinterestedinattendinganinvitation-onlywebinaronthefindings.

Email,socialmedia,andwebsitenoticeswereusedtoinviteGTA-basedemployersandserviceproviderstoparticipate.Approximately175organizationswerereachedthroughadirectemail;theywerealsoencouragedtoforwardthesurveylinkwithintheirnetworks.

Intotal,45responseswithatleastsomeusabledatawerereceived.(SeeAppendix1foradescriptionoftherespondents.)

Key informant interviews

Atotalof20interviewswerecompletedwithGTA-basedemployers(n=14)andserviceproviders(n=6).Theinterviewswereconductedbyamemberoftheresearchteam,bytelephone.

Eachinterviewlasted30-45minutesandfollowedasemi-structuredformat(seeAppendix2fortheinterviewprotocolandquestions).OneoftheinterviewswasagroupconsultationsessionwithTRIECstaff.Allresponsesweretranscribed,codedandanalyzedwithstandardqualitativeanalysismethodology.Intervieweeswereassuredofconfidentiality.Theywereadvisedthattheywouldreceivethefindingsandwouldbenotifiedoftheinvitation-onlywebinartoreviewanddiscusstheoutcomes.

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Employers define diversity and inclusion

Thisresearchsuggeststhatthereisofteninconsistencyandalackofclarityinemployers’definitionsofdiversityandinclusion.SeveralemployerwebsitesprovideageneralstatementaboutDiversityandInclusion(D&I)withoutdistinguishingbetweentheconcepts.Inthesecases,theemphasisisalmostalwaysonaspectsofinclusion.Inexternalcommunications(websites),mostemployersdefinedD&Iintermsofitsapplicabilityforitsemployees,butsomeemphasizedD&Iintermsoftheircustomer/client/patientbase,withimplicationsforgoodsandservices.SomealsoextendedD&Itosuppliers.Inthewebsiteswereviewed,mostemployersdonotdistinguishexplicitlybetweendiversityandinclusion;thelanguageismorelikelytomakereferencetoaspectsofinclusion.

Toreduceconfusion,manyemployershavedevelopedaformaldefinitionofthetwotermsindependentlyandnowprovidethemontheirwebsitesandintheirinternalcommunicationsandeducationalmaterials.Asoneemployercommented,“Nowwehaveastandarddefinition.Weheardfromfocusgroupsthatpeopledidn’treallyknowwhatitmeans.”

Diversity

Mostemployersuseadefinitionofdiversitythatreflects‘difference’.Somearerestrictiveinnature,listingasmallnumberofcategoriesofdifferencesuchasrace,gender,anddisability;orlistingalltheprotectedgroundsunderhumanrightslegislation.Othersaremorecomprehensive,referringtointersectionalityamongtheidentitycategories,ordifferencesinperspectivesandbackground,oreven‘alldifferences’.Finally,somedefinitionsgobeyondtheindividualtorefertotherepresentativenessoftheworkplace.Thefollowingquotesfromtheinterviewsandsurveyresponsesareexamplesoftherangeofperspectives:

• ‘Encouragingemploymentofallregardlessofrace,religionandsexualorientation’

• ‘Theuniquepersonalcharacteristicsthatdistinguishusasindividualsandgroups.Theseincludebutarenotlimitedto:age,sex,gender,genderidentity,race,ethnicity,physicalandintellectualability,class,creed,religion,sexualorientation,educationalbackgroundandexpertise.’

• ‘Allthecharacteristicsanddifferentbackgrounds’

• ‘Recognizingsimilaritiesanddifferencesrelatingtocultureandethnicity,age,gender,language,socio-economic;beyondIEPsandethnoculturalperspectivetorecognitionofintersectionality’

• ‘RepresentativeofOntario’

• ‘Representationofalldifferencesandreflectionofthesocialmulticulturalfabric’

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Someemployers,particularlythosewhodonotappeartohaveadoptedaformalizeddefinitiondistinguishingbetweendiversityandinclusion,emphasizethatdifferencesshouldbevalued.Forexample,researchparticipantsofferedthefollowingtoexplainhowtheydefinediversity:

• ‘Aworkplaceconsistingofemployeeswithavarietyofculturalbackgroundsandknowinghowtosucceedinamulticulturalworkplaceissoughtandhighlyvalued’

• ‘WerecognizethediverseandmulticulturalcompositionoftheSocietyandappreciatethedignity,worthandcontributionofeachParticipantwhoparticipatesintheactivitiesoftheSociety.’

• ‘Differencesareembraced,notjustdifferencesoforiginandracebutalsodifferencesinthoughtsandideas.’

Inclusion

Withinthisresearchsample,definitionsofinclusiongenerallyaddresstheabilityofpeopletohaveapositiveexperiencewithintheworkenvironment.Someaddressthecharacteristicsoftheworkplaceenvironmentandculture(equitable,freefromharassment)whileothersdescribeanindividual’ssubjectiveexperiencesuchasfeelingfreeto‘bethemselves’,andfeelingappreciatedandvalued.Insomecases,thedefinitioncontainsanelementoftheorganizationbeingabletobenefitfromthecontributionsofeveryone.Thereisoccasionallyafocusonparticularaspectsofidentitysuchasrace,genderorage;morecommonly,thewordingtendstoreferto‘everyone’,orimplythatalldifferencesareincluded.Thefollowingdefinitionsofferedbyresearchparticipantsreflectsomeofthesevariations:

• ‘Staffwithvariedbackgrounds,ethnicities,religionsages,genders,orientationsworkingtogetherandgettingpromotedandsharingmeals’

• ‘Ensuringarespectful,accessible,safeandinclusiveenvironmentthatisfreefromdiscrimination,harassmentandviolenceforallemployees,customersandvisitors’

• ‘Thisisaboutthecollective:havinganequitableenvironmentandculturethatembraces,respects,acceptsandvaluesdifference.’

• ‘Makingpeoplefeelvalued,caredforandinvolved’

• ‘Peoplecanexpressthemselvesandbethemselves’

• ‘Howthesedifferencesarebeingengaged,leveragedandutilizedforagreatoutcomewhileenablingastrongsenseofbelonging,valueandrespect’

• ‘Beingabletocontributefully’

• ‘Leveragingtheuniquenessandbelongingofeachperson’

• ‘Inclusionisaworkplaceculturewhereleadersbringbestteamsforbestresults’

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Thereareclearindicationsthat‘inclusion’israpidlybecomingthepreferredemphasiswithindiversityandinclusion.Someorganizationshavereversedtheterms,referringnowto‘InclusionandDiversity’.

Thehopeappearstobethat‘inclusion’willbemoreuniversallyacceptedbypeople,avoidingthenegativereactionsthattheword‘diversity’sometimesevoked.Additionally,afocusoninclusionprovidesnewargumentsforthebusinesscasefordiversityandinclusion,bymakingalinkbetweenanorganizationalculturewhereallpeoplecancontributefullyandorganizationaloutcomessuchasinnovationandmarketplacesuccess.

Whendiversityisdownplayedordescribedsolelyas‘diversityofthought’,theninclusionbecomesverysimilartoamoregeneralfocuson‘employeeengagement’.SomeintervieweesexpressedaconcernthatthiscouldleadtominimizingtheveryrealbarriersthatcertaingroupsandindividualsfaceinCanadianworkplaces.Thereisanimportantvalueincontinuingtopairtheconceptsof‘diversity’with‘inclusion’.

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Employers describe their focus: The business case and groups of talent

ThissectionoutlinestheinsightsgatheredregardingGTAemployers’prioritiesandareasoffocusfortheirD&Iefforts.UnderstandingwhatisimportanttoemployersisacriticalstartingpointtobeingabletoengagewiththemeffectivelyandsupporttheirD&Iprogress.InanintentionalapproachtoD&I,theinitiativesandactivitieswillaligntotheorganization’sdesiredoutcomes.However,theresearchresultssuggestthatformanyorganizationsthereisoftenaweakconnectionbetweentheirstatedgoalsandtheactivitiestheyreport.

The drivers of employer commitment to diversity and inclusion. OneoftheobjectivesoftheresearchwastoexplorewhatrationaleorstatedpurposeemployersgivefortheirD&Iactions.Withintheinterviews,employerswereaskedtodescribetheirorganization’s‘journey’forD&I–howitstarted,whattheoriginalreasonswereandhowtheymighthavechangedovertime.Sevendifferentapproachescouldbeidentified,asdescribedbelow.TheyarenotmutuallyexclusiveandmanyresearchparticipantsmentionedmultiplepotentialbenefitsofD&I.Inmostcases,however,onewasclearlydominant.Forexample,onefederallyregulatedemployermentionedthebusinessbenefitsofhavingimmigrantemployeeswhocanhelpdevelopandtestnewproductsandservicesforthevariousculturalcommunitiesintheirtargetmarket,yettheD&IstrategyandactionplansarefocusedsquarelyonmeetingEmploymentEquitygoalsforrepresentationofthefourdesignatedgroups.These‘mixedmessages’areprobablyreflectiveofeitheradesiretoclaimamorestrategicorloftygoalthanbeingcompliance-driven,orperhapsofbeinginthemidstofagradualevolutionfromonedrivertoanother,duringwhichtherecanbeinconsistenciesasoldpracticesaremis-alignedwithnewdirections.

Thesevendriversdescribedbeloware:

1.Compliance:

2.Deliveringonapublicservicemandate

3.Beingmarket-driven

4.Attractingandretainingtalent

5.Valuingemployees

6.Generalbenefitsofhavingamixofbackgroundsandperspectives

7.Reputationandbrand

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1. Compliance

Manyemployersbegantheirdiversityandinclusionworkwithafocusoncomplyingwithlegislativerequirements,particularlytheworkforcecompositiongoalsofEmploymentEquity.Thisfocuscontinuestopermeatetheworkofmanyoftheseemployers,assuggestedbyoneinterviewee:“Thelargercompaniesandthosewitharequirementtodosofocusondiversity.Theyarenotasfarastheythinktheyarewithrespecttobeinginclusive.”Thefollowingexamplesillustratetheperspectivesoftheseemployers:

• Oneemployer’sEquity,DiversityandInclusionCommitteehasthefollowingstatementof‘philosophyandvalues’,from2015:

• [Employer]and[unionlocals]arejointlycommittedtotheprinciplesofemploymentequity.Specifically,theyrecognizethat:

• AllpeopleareentitledtoequaltreatmentinemploymentinaccordancewiththeOntarioHumanRightsCode.

• Designatedgroupmembers(Aboriginalpeople,personswithdisabilities,visibleminoritiesandwomen)areentitledtobehiredandpromotedinanenvironmentthatisfreeofbarriers,includingsystemicanddeliberatepracticesandpoliciesthatdiscriminateagainstthemasmembersofadesignatedgroup.

• AfederallyregulatedemployerintheprivatesectordescribedtheircurrentD&Iefforts:“Wefocusonfivesegments:gender,visibleminoritiesandnewcomers(combined),aboriginals,peoplewithdisabilities,andLGBT.WecompareourrepresentationratestoexternalavailabilityfortheEmploymentEquity(EE)groups.ForLGBTit’sabusinessormarketfocus.”Althoughthisemployerhasrecentlystartedtoshiftitsfocustotheoperationalandbusinessbenefitsofdiversityandinclusion,theirdescribedstrategyandplansrevolveprimarilyaroundworkforcecompositioncomparedtoexternallabourmarketavailabilities(EEcompliance).

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2. Delivering on a public service mandate

Publicsectoremployers,healthcareandeducationalinstitutions,andnon-profitsinvolvedindirectservicedeliverytoclientsoftenemphasizedthevalueofD&Iforoperatingintheexternalenvironmentanddeliveringontheirpublicservicemandate.Theseorganizationsaredrivenbystandardsforclientserviceinadiversepopulationandtheimportanceofreflectingtheirconstituency(community,patients,clients,students).Inthesecases,therewasoften(althoughnotalways)abroaderimplieddefinitionofdiversity,beyondthefourdesignatedgroups.Themandateandpoliticalenvironmentisoftenakeydriverandthedemographicsoftherelevantclientpopulationarearelevantconsiderationforshapingtheworkplace..Forexample:

• “Ourbusinesscasereliesmostlyontalentandcustomerservice.Wehaveacustomerservicefocusonyouth,olderadults,newimmigrants–sotheycanthrive.”[publicsector]

• “Thiswasaninitiativeofourmunicipalcouncil;ithashadaD&ICommitteeforseveralyears.D&IwasalsoveryimportantinthecurrentMayor’scampaignplatform.”[publicsector]

• “ItisimportantforustoberepresentativeofOntario.”[non-profit]

• “Asaneducationalinstitution,diversityispartofourmandate.”[post-secondary]

• “Wewanttoensurewe’readdressingaccessbarriersandhealthdisparitiesinvulnerablepopulationsinourarea.”[healthcare]

• Insomecases,theexternalfocusissopredominantthatthereislittleemphasisoncreatinganinclusiveworkplace.“Wedotalkaboutsupportingeachotherasdiversecolleagues,butthereisnotalotoffocusonthat.”

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3. Being market-driven

Privatesectoremployersalsoseeaneedtoreflecttheirmarketandcustomerbase.Mostnotablyamongtheseresearchparticipants,employerswithaninternationalcomponenttotheiroperationsormarketsexpressaninterestingreaterdiversity,particularlyIEPs,sothattheycanmoreeffectivelyoperateinaglobalenvironment.Examplesofbeingmarket-drivenincluded:

• “Researchandmanyareasofexpertiseareinternational–itcanbeasmallcommunity,andpeopleareconnected.Thereforetherearelotsofmotivatorstohavegoodinternationalrelationsinsmallareasofexpertise.Wewantthebest.”[healthcare]

• “D&Iisveryimportantforthetechnologysector.Forinnovation,Canadaneedstodrawtalentfromallovertheworld.“

• Afewemployersreportedthattheyneedstaffwithinternationalexperience-i.e.whospeakthelanguageandunderstandthenuancesoftheircompany’stargetmarkets.

• Oneintervieweedescribedanemployerintheirnetworkwhoisproudtosaytheyonlyworkwithnewimmigrants.Thishasenabledthecompanytobuildconnectionsandopenupbusinessindifferentcountries.

• “Wehaveputafocusonadvancingwomenintomanagement.Ourrationalewasbasedonananalysis–80%ofcustomersarewomen,butonly15%ofstoremanagers.”[retail]

• “Inmyexperience,thebankingsectorisenthusiastic–theywantcustomerstobeabletogotothelocalbranchandseesomeonewholookslikethem.”[serviceprovider]

• “Thefocusistoleverageeveryone’suniqueskills,andtheirlivedexperience.Ourbusinessfocusondiverseclients,anddevelopingproductandservicesforthem,sendsamessagethatlivedexperienceoftheteammembersisimportant–toprovideinputtoproductdevelopment.ForexampleweusetheAsianemployeenetworktotestproductsandservicesetc.,alsoIndianandPakistaniemployeestotestaparticularprocessthatisrelevanttotheircommunity.”

• Oneemployercommentedthattheyhadlearnedfromthefailureofothers.“OneofourcompetitorslostalotofmoneyinCanadabecauseofalackofculturalsensitivity.”

Inamorespecificinstanceofbeingmarket-driven,theincreasingdemandsforsupplierdiversityaredrivingsomeorganizationstobemorediverseandinclusive.TheFederalContractorsProgramisoneexampleofthisfactor.Otherexamplesmentionedbyresearchparticipantsincluded:

• “Inthetechnologysector,supplierdiversityisimportantiftheyareworkingwithU.S.companies.Forexample,U.S.companiesaskquestionsregardingsupplierdiversity,andwhethertheyaretier2,tier3,etc.”

• “Withinthelegalservicessector,someclientsdemandthedemographicsofthefirm’sworkforceandthefirm’splansforimprovement.Thisbecomesarequirementtogetbusiness.”

• “Wearecertifiedasadiversesupplierandthathelpsustowinnewbusinesswithlargefirms.”

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4. Attracting and retaining talent

The“talent”businesscasewasarticulatedbysomeemployers.Thesestatementsarenotverydetailed,butgenerallyaddresstalentshortagesandchallengeswithretention.Forexample:

• “Talentisreallyakeyfocus.”

• “Recruitmentisbig.“

• “Alotoforganizationsrealizedthattheydidn’thavegoodpracticesforinclusion,suchasconsistentonboardingprocesses.Theyrealizedthatthismightbetherootcauseofturnover,andotherissuessuchasconflict.”

• Aserviceproviderexplainedthathiringimmigrantscanimproveretention:“Wefindthatpeoplearestayingonthejob–allthepeopleIhaveplacedarestillthere–thatisarealpositiveforanemployer.”

• Afewresearchparticipantsmentionedthatthedriverof“talent”ismostevidentinthetechnologysectorbecauseofongoingskillshortages.

5. Valuing employees

Severalemployersdescribedthedriverforinclusionthroughavalues-basedcommentabouttheimportanceofcreatingarespectfulandwelcomingworkplace.Whiletherecanbealinktobetterorganizationaloutcomes,itisusuallyonlyimplicit.Examplesinclude:

• “Wewantallemployees,tofeelliketheycanbewhotheyarewhileatworkwithoutfearofnotbeingaccepted.”

• “PeopleatthetopofourorganizationtalkaboutD&Iandrespect–thevalueitbrings,thebenefitsofbringingthebestofeveryoneandnotexcludinganyone.Peopleareourgreatestasset–andgettingthebestfromthemwillbegoodforbusiness.Weneedtofindwaystomakethemfeelgenuinelyincluded.”

6. General benefits of having a mix of backgrounds and perspectives

Whetherlabeledas‘innovation’oramoreenjoyableworkexperienceorbetterproblem-solvingfromthoughtdiversity,afewintervieweesdescribedthebenefitsofhavingamixofpeople.Aswiththestatementsaboutvaluingemployees(above),thesecommentsareaspirationalratherthanspecific,andseldomhaveanexplicitlinktoorganizationaloutcomes.

• “Problemsolvingisbetterwhenacompanyhasdiversefolks.”

• OneemployerdescribedthebusinessbenefitsofD&Iasthe“foundationofinnovation,ofdiversewaysofresolvingproblems.”

• “Iseethebenefitsas:itisnicehavingdifferentperspectivesandideas;andasaresultofhavingadiverseworkforce,funthingshappen–e.g.employeeluncheswithfoodfromdifferentcultures.”

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7. Reputation and brand

Organizationsseethattherearepotentialbenefitsinbeingrecognizedasaninclusiveemployer.Thiscanincludetheabilitytoattracttalent(‘employerofchoice’),buildapositivecorporatereputation(‘responsiblecorporatecitizen’),orimprovebusinessprospectsbygainingpublicprofileandvisibilityinthemedia.Someresearchparticipantsdescribeditasfollows:

• Onecompanythatparticipatedinanawardprogramhighlightedthebenefitofthegainedpublicity:“Wereceivedalotofmediaattention.Thiswasagoldmineforoursmallcompany–wewereabletoshareourstorywithnewcustomersasaspringboardtotalkaboutbusinessopportunities.”

• “Positivefindingsonouremployeesurveyaboutinclusionwouldalsohelpustobrandourselves–i.e.beingabletosaytofutureemployeesthatweareagoodcompany;sharewhatcurrentemployeesaresaying.”

• “Agoodreputationonthisisaboutmorethanjuststockvalue–itisareflectionofhavingengagedpeople.”

• “Wefindthatemployersarealsocompetitive–theywillfollowothers.”

8. Other drivers for diversity

Therewerealsootherdriversfordiversitythatwerementioned,basedonparticularexperiencesoftheresearchparticipants.Thesearenotthemostdesirableofbusinesscaserationales,buttheyareevidentlystillaGTAreality.Forexample:

• Largeemployerinbankingreachedouttoaserviceprovidertoconnectwithpeoplewithdisabilities;theemployerisdoingitto“meetaquota”,accordingtotheserviceprovider.

• Twoparticipantsmentionedthathiringnewimmigrantscanbecosteffective.Theemployercangetthesametalentbutpayless.

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The “identity” characteristics to which GTA employers pay attention

AlthoughdefinitionsforD&I(seeabove)oftenreferto‘thoughtdiversity’oreveryoneasauniqueindividual,demographicsandrepresentationratesintheworkforcearenonethelessstilltopofmindformanyemployers.TheresearchexploredwhichidentifiablegroupsofemployeesarereportedasbeingthefocusofmostattentioninGTAworkplaces.

Oneintervieweecaptureditwell:“Organizationstendtotakeaspecificfocus,forexampleyouth,etc.Theirfocusisnotinclusionofabroadcross-sectionofpeople.”Employersareseenas“jumpingfromgrouptogroup.Itisnotsystematized,itisreactive,basedonthemostrecenthottopic,thesectorandthemarket.”

Asdescribedabove,thefoundationisoftenacompliancefocusonrepresentationofthefourEmploymentEquitydesignatedgroups.However,theattentionisneverevenlydistributed.

Intheonlinesurvey,the‘other’respondents(notemployersorserviceproviders/agencies)wereaskeddirectlywhich‘diversitygroups’oraspectsofidentityseemtobethehighestpriorityoftheGTAemployerstheyarefamiliarwith.Respondentswereaskedtoselectuptothreepriorities.Asthefollowingchartshows,theyreportedthatwomenseemtobethegroupreceivingthemostfocusfromemployers.Ethnoculturaldiversityrankedsecond.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8Aboriginal people

Gender identity / expression

Religious diversity

Sexual orientation

Age / generational -- mature workers

Age / generational -- youth

Newcomers / immigrants (internationally educated professionals)

People with disabilities

Mental health

Newcomers / immigrants (general)

Ethnocultural diversity

Gender diversity (women)Which identity aspects seem to be employers’ highest priority?(‘others’,n=13,upto3choices)

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EmployerswereaskedabouttheD&Ipracticesthattheyhaveinplace(seenextsection).Foreachpracticethattheyreportedasbeingamongtheirmostsuccessful,theywereaskedaboutthegroup(s)thatitwasprimarilyfocusedon(ifany).Of29practicesthatwerehighlighted,9weredesignedfor‘allgroups’and3hadresponseof‘unknown’.Oftheremaining17practices,10includedafocusonvisibleminoritiesorethnicgroups,7includedafocusonLGBTQ,and7includedafocusonwomen.Atotalof4wereidentifiedashavinganyfocusonimmigrantsornewcomers.

ArecentsurveyofemployersinthePeel-Haltonregionexploredsimilartopics.Withmorethan600employerstakingpart,thevastmajority(74%)reportedthattherewasnoprioritytargetpopulationfortheirdiversityandinclusiongoals.ThisgroupcouldwellincludeanumberofemployerswhohavenoparticularD&Igoals.Forthoseemployerswhodidreporthavingaparticularfocus,thetopfourgroupswerewomen(selectedby7.4%ofemployers),youth(6.1%),newcomerstoCanada(5.2%)andracialminorities(2.7%).Therewerevariationsbydifferentindustrycategories,forexample:20%ofprofessional,scientificandtechnicalservicesfirmscitedwomenastheirprimaryfocus;15%offirmsintransportation&warehousingidentifiednewcomers.

Thewebsiteresearchfocusedonselectedemployers:thosewhohavepartneredwithTRIECand/orthoserecognizedasleadingemployersbecausetheyhaveexceptionalworkplacediversityandinclusivenessprograms,includingprogramsforemployeesfromfivegroups:women;membersofvisibleminorities;personswithdisabilities;aboriginalpeoples;andlesbian,gay,bisexualandtransgender(LGBTQ+)people.SpecificallywithrespecttoIEPs,thewebsiteresearchrevealedthatfewemployersmakeadistinctionamongimmigrants,newcomers,orinternationallytrainedprofessionalsintheirD&Iinitiatives.ImmigrantsaresometimesincludedinD&Iinitiativesaimedatvisibleminorities(althoughnotallimmigrantsfallunderthiscategory)orethnicdiversity(whichappliestomorethanimmigrants).

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Employersandserviceprovidersprovidedadditionalinsightsduringtheinterviewprocess:

• “Gendergetsalotofattention.Thisistrueinmostorganizations.Manyhavewomen’sadvancementprograms,etc.Buttheyarenotfocusingonanythingelse.Sometimesthisexacerbatestheexclusionforothers.Theseprogramsareofmostbenefittowhitewomen,itisnotanintersectionalperspective.”

• Onelargeemployerwithafocusonfivegroupscombinesvisibleminoritiesandnewcomersinonecategory.Theintervieweereportedthat“althoughthissegmentisputtogetherintheoverallstrategy,therearedistinctplansforeachgroup.Forexample,forvisibleminoritiesitisaboutcareeradvancement.Ornewcomers,itisabouthiringthebesttalentandintegratingthemintotheorganization.”

• Employersreportedpayingspecificattentionto:

• Immigrants(includinghiringaswellasadvancingintomanagement)

• Women

• LGBTQ

• Agediversity,includingMillennialsoryouth

• Peoplewithdisabilities(physicalandalsoAutismspectrum)

Conclusion

TheGTAemployerswhoarereflectedinthisresearch,eitherthroughdirectparticipationorindirectlythroughtheinsightsofstakeholdersorthroughthereviewoftheirwebsites,expressarangeofrationalesfortheirinterestindiversityandinclusion.AchievinganequitablerepresentationofthefourdesignatedEmploymentEquitygroupscontinuestobeastrongfocus.

Manystatementsaboutgoalsandintendedbenefitsofinclusionappeartobevaguestatementsofvaluesandintentwithoutaclearlyarticulatedrationaleorstrategiclinkthatconnectsinitiativeswithoutcomes.Traditionally,genderhasbeenastartingpointformanycompaniesandperhapsasaresultofrecognizedslowprogressand/orthewidespreadmediaandpoliticalattentiononthenumbersofwomeninseniorroles,itcontinuestobeafocusformanyemployers.

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Employers’ diversity and inclusion practices and successes

TheresearchprovidedanumberofopportunitiestoexplorethepracticesthatGTAemployersareusingtomeettheirdiversityandinclusiongoals.Websitereviews,surveyresponsesandinterviewsproduceaninterestingportraitofD&IactivitiesintheseGTAworkplaces.

D&I initiatives and best practices

ThereviewofwebsitesofemployerswhoarerecognizedasleadersinD&Iuncoveredmanypracticesthatemployerswantedtohighlightpublicly,beyondthosethatareworkplace-focused.WesummarizethemherebecausetheydemonstrateemployercommitmenttoD&I,arevaluableinbuildingawarenessandorganizationalbranding,andoftenoverlapwithworkplace-focusedinitiatives.

Externalrelations(participationandinvolvementinconferences,boards,externalD&Iinitiatives,linkswithcommunities)areanimportantaspectofanorganization’sD&IworkandallowemployerstopromotetheirinitiativesorD&Iingeneral,reachouttocommunitiesandspecificgroups,learnandshare,strengthentheirassociationwithlike-mindedorganizations,andextendorgrowtheirinfluence.D&Iisalsoimportanttomanyemployersatthegovernance(board)level.SeveralorganizationshaveBoarddiversitypoliciesand/orhavemadepubliccommitmentstoincreasingthenumbersofwomen,inparticular,onBoardsandinseniormanagementroles(e.g.,The30%Club,theCatalystAccord).Theseeffortsareconsistentwithabusinesscasethatconsiderstheorganization’sbrandandreputationwithjobseekers,stakeholdersandmarkets.

Someinitiativesarefocusedoutwardsandaredesignedtoleadeventuallytomorediversitywithintheorganization.Theseinclude:

• internships,workplacementsandotheremploymentprogramsaimedatspecificgroups

• onlinetoolstoassisttargetedgroupswiththeirjobsearch

• mentoringfortargetedgroups

• supportofstudentorganizations

• workshopswithcommunitypartners

Someinitiativesreportedonwebsitesarecustomer-focusedorbringaboutbenefitsforclients:

• Seekingdifferentiatedfeedbackalongdimensionsofdiversity(e.g.oneorganizationexpandedgenderidentityandsexualorientationquestionsinitsmonthlycustomerquestionnairetobetterunderstandthediversityofitsclients)

• Internalworkinggroupstoprovideuserfeedbackonthecompany'sproductsandservices

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• Productsandservicestailoredtodiversegroups(e.g.servicesofferedindifferentlanguages,multiculturalproducts,dedicatedorflexiblepricingforcustomerswithaccessibilityneeds)

• Initiativeswithcommunitypartnersforthebenefitofspecificordiversegroups

Mostoftheactionstocreateaninclusiveworkplacetakeplaceinternallyandareaimedatemployees.Theseactionsare,broadlyspeakingsimilartothebestpracticesthatwereaddressedinthesurvey.

Initiativesthatwerehighlightedwithintheleadingemployers’websitesinclude:

• SupportforandfacilitationofEmployeeResourceGroups.Althoughthesewerefrequentlymentionedonwebsites,theywerenotcommonlyreportedwithinthesurveysample.Thisislikelyduetohavingmoresmall–mediumemployersinthesurveysample,wherethenumbersofemployeeswouldnotwarranthavingERGsornetworks.

• Traininganddevelopment:courses,workshops,networkingandevents.Somearetargetedatspecificgroupsofemployees;e.g.,recruiters,managers,women.Topicsvary,rangingfromD&Iawarenesstoleadershipdevelopment.

• Recognition(proclamations)andcelebrationofspecialevents(e.g.InternationalWomen’sDay,PrideDay,heritagefestivals,multi-faithdays)

• Safe/positivespacecampaigns

• IntranetsforD&I

• FundingandsupportforD&Iinitiatives

• EmployeeD&Iawards

• Shiftorscheduleaccommodationforreligiousobservanceandfaithrooms.Somesmall-mediumemployersintheresearchsamplealsoemphasizedtheircommitmenttomakeaccommodationforemployeeswithdisabilities(temporaryorpermanent)andfamilycareresponsibilities.

• Interventionintoconcernsandcomplaintsresolution

OneintervieweecommentedthatD&Iawardprogramsareprimarilyamarketingexerciseandconsequentlysomeoftheinitiativesthatarehighlightedbyemployersintheirexternalcommunicationslacksubstance.Theintervieweehighlighted,“Forexampletheymighthaveawork-lifebalanceprogram,butusingitisacareerlimitingmove.Theytalkbutdon’twalk.”Thesurveyandinterviewsinthecurrentresearchprovidedanopportunitytoexplorethepublicdeclarationsmoredeeplyandwithawiderlensthansolelythepracticesoftheleadingemployers.

Inthesurvey,the“other”respondents(i.e.,individualswhoarenotemployersnorserviceproviders)wereasked:Howoftendoyouseeemployerstakingactiontocreateaworkplacethatisrespectfulandwelcoming?

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Always

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

0

1

3

3

6

Alsointhesurvey,agencyrespondentswereaskedwhetheremployerstheyworkwithuseanyofalistof29identifiedD&I‘bestpractices’.ThelistwasdrawnfromsourcessuchastheInclusiveWorkplaceIndex(IWI),theGlobalDiversityandInclusionBenchmarks,recentsurveyssuchastheConferenceBoardofCanada’sbenchmarkingstudy,andtheearlierreviewofemployerwebsites.Thepracticesweregroupedintofourbroadcategories:Recruitment&Hiring,EmployeeDevelopment,WorkplaceCultureandLeadership.(Seethelaterchartand/orthesurveyquestionnaireinAppendix2forthelist.)

Almost40%oftheresponsesfromtheserviceproviderswere“don’tknow”,suggestingthattheagencydoesnotactivelydiscussthesepracticeswiththeiremployerpartners.Thismightreflectamissedopportunityformoreactiveandengagedpartnership.Whenagenciesdidprovideanassessment,justoverhalfoftheactualratingswere“No,notusually”.One-quarterwere‘occasionallyorinconsistently’,andonly7%oftheratingswere“Yes,consistently”.

How often do you see employers taking action to create a workplace that is respectful and welcoming?(‘others’,n=13)

Of13respondents,themostcommonresponsewas‘sometimes’(n=6).Remainingresponsesweresplitamong‘rarely’(n=3),‘often’(n=3)and‘always’(n=1).Overall,theseindividualsdonotcreateapositivepictureofemployers’activeandconsistentcommitmenttoinclusiveworkplaces.

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Althoughthisisadmittedlyasmallsample,theseagenciesweremostlikelytoindicatethatemployershadthefollowingpracticesinplacetosomedegree:

• Targetedoutreachtounder-representedgroups

• Policiestoremovebarriersinthehiringprocess

• Practicesforequitableaccesstotraininganddevelopment

• Policiestoeliminateharassment

• Practicestomakeaccommodation

Employerswereaskedhowfrequentlytheyusethe29D&Ibestpractices.Ascanbeseeninthefollowingchart,employersweremuchmorelikelytosaythattheyusethesepracticesconsistently;almost40%oftheresponseswere‘yes,weusethisconsistently’.

Not sure

They used to, but not currently

No, not usually

Occasionally or inconsistently

Yes, consistently

Agency perspective on employer use of listed D&I practices

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Not sure

We used to, but not currently

No, not usually

Occasionally or inconsistently

Yes, consistently

Thereisawiderangeinthelikelihoodthatcertainpracticeswillbeusedbyemployers.Acrossthe29practices,eachofthepracticeswasreportedlyusedbyatleast6ofthe21employerswhorespondedtothesequestions;somepracticesweredescribedasbeingusedbyalmostallemployers.(Seefollowingchart)Thepracticesthatareleastfrequentlyusedarethoserelatedtometricsbrokenbydemographicgroup–trackingstatisticsforhiring,promotion,participationindevelopmentprograms,aswellasexaminingemployeeengagementandsatisfaction.Thepracticesmostfrequentlyusedarerelatedtohavingpoliciesinplaceforfairnessandequity,harassmentandaccommodation.D&Icommunicationandtrainingarealsocommonwithinthisparticularsample.

Onaverage,theemployersinthissurveysamplereportedusingapproximately17ofthe29practices.Someemployersreportedusingallofthelistedpracticeswhileothersuseonlyahandful.Therewasnotanevidentpattern–forexample,whileonelargeemployersubjecttoEmploymentEquityusedallofthepractices,sotoodidasmallnon-profit.Itshouldberememberedthattheseareself-reportedandnotverified;itispossiblethatsomeemployersover-statedorunder-statedtheiruseofthesepractices.

Inthesurvey,employersalsohadtheoptiontolistotherinitiativestheyhadimplemented.Responseswereeithermorespecificexamplesofoneofthepractices,suchaslistinga‘lunch&learn’topicasanexampleofD&Itraining,orwereearlymentionsofpracticesthatappearedlaterinthesurvey.Nonew,innovativeapproacheswereuncovered.

Employer use of 29 D&I practices (n=21)

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0 20 40 60 80 100

Consider D&I in decisions such as procurementParticipate in award programs for D&I

Communicate externally the organization's commitment to D&ILeadership team are advocates for D&I

Communicate to workforce the importance of D&ISenior managers are actively involved in D&I

Senior managers have D&I objectives and reporting requirementsOverall D&I strategy

LEADERSHIPTrack retention / turnover by demographic

Explore perspectives of different demographic groups of employeesSpecial events to promote D&I

Employee Resource Groups or networksEmployee surveys re: D&I culture

Clear expectations for employee behaviours & skills re: inclusionD&I training or education

Solid practices for accommodationPolicies to eliminate harassment at work

WORKPLACE CULTUREMonitor representation in advancement programs

Track promotion rates by demographicPolicies to remove barriers to career advancement

Targeted learning and development to under-represented groupsTrack participation rates in learning & development, by demographic

Assessment of learning & development needs of under-represented groupsPolicies for equitable access to training & development

EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENTSolid onboarding for diverse groups

Applicant and hiring statistics by demographicBias reduction training in recruitment

Policies to remove barriers in hiringTargeted outreach

RECRUITMENT & HIRING

Percentage of employers using D&I practices

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ForeachofthefourgeneralcategoriesofD&Ipractices,surveyrespondentswereaskedtoidentifyoneoratmosttwopracticesthattheyconsideredhadbeenthemostsuccessfulapproach,andthentocommentontheimpactithadandhowtheyknewithadbeensuccessful.Themostcommonlymentionedsuccesseswere:

• Policiestoremovebarriersinthehiringprocess

• Targetedrecruitmentoutreachandbroadadvertising

• Trainingandothersupporttoreducebiasinthehiringprocess

• Targetedlearninganddevelopmentprogramsforunder-representedgroups

• Diversityandinclusiontraining

• Policiestoeliminateharassmentintheworkplace

• DirectinvolvementofseniormanagersinD&Iinitiatives

Fromtheinterviews,itisinterestingtonotewhichpracticestheemployerschoosetoemphasizeinresponsetoanopen-endedquestion(seeinterviewprotocolinAppendix2).Thefollowingexamplesreflecttherangeofinputreceivedanduncoversomeinnovativepractices:

The personal touch in small companies

• “Atstaffmeetings,everyoneisrequiredtosharewhatthey'vebeendoinginpastweek,otherscancomment-can’thavenothingtoreport-makeseveryonefeelheard.Everyoneremainsstandingtomakeithappenfast.”

• Wedoalotofoutsideactivities–e.g.haveanupcomingdinnertomarksomeworkwehavebeendoinginBrazil.Everytwomonthswedosomethingoutsideoffice-spousesareinvitedtoo.”

• “Eventhoughweareasmallcompany,weallowstafftotakeonemonthvacationasmanyareimmigrantsandtheywanttogohome(internationally).”

• “Wehaveabuddysystem–anewhirecancallanyoneinouragencywhospeakstheirlanguagetoclarifyanyissues.”

• “Wedooneononeperformancereviews-usually1-3timesayear–andweincludeadiscussionongoalsandgapsrelatingtoeachperson’sindividualityandD&I.Weencouragethemtotakeanideaandallowthemtoimplementit–thisisaneasyandimportantmeasure.Wefocusoneachperson’sstrengths.”

• “Wedoone-on-one’severyweek.Wesitdownfor30minutes:15minutesfortheemployeeonwhatevertheywanttotalkabout(notabouttheirprojects)and15minutesforthemanagertodothesame-helpsopensdoorandbuildsrelationship.Ifsomeonefeelslikeanoutsider,thisisawaytohelpthemfeelincluded.”

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Learning and development

• “Wehavemandatorytrainingonunconsciousbias,andothereducationtohelpserveaglobalcommunity.Wepartnerwithagenciestoprovidethistraining.”

• “We’reemphasizingtrainingforfirstlinesupervisors.WeliketheTRIECvideosasawaytohelpfrontendmanagersunderstandculturalnuances.”

• “WearedoingUnconsciousBiastraining,butinafun,simpleway–thekeymessageisthatit’seasytotrainbiasesandhardtoremovethem;weareavoidingafocusonthesciencebehindit.Thetrainingisverywellreceived,scoring98/100forusefulnessandeffectiveness.We’reusingitglobally–seniorleaderswillhavetodelivertraining.”

• “SeniorleadershipmonthlymeetingsnowallocatetimetotalkaboutD&I–e.g.amemberofourD&ICouncilpresented"LearningBursts"–ashortpresentationonimportanceofappropriatewording.Ouraimisthatthiswilltrickledowntomiddlemanagersandemployees.”

• “Wehavehadamentoringprogramsince2015–itwasoriginallyforprofessionals,butwerecentlyrolledouttotheclericalgroup(wethinkitwillhelpfrontlinepeopleinfieldoperationslocations.)”

Changing systems and practices

• Someemployersemphasizedchangestotheirrecruitmentpractices–creatingstrongpartnershipswithagencies.

• “Weinstitutedamulti-faithprayerroominourmetro(GTA)operationallocation–we’rehopingtodoitatourcorporateofficetoo.”

• “Wenolongerdoperformancereviews-equityandinclusionareembeddedina360indexforleadersinanumberofareas–e.g.usingdiverseperspectivestolead.”

External relationships

• “WesupportvariousWomeninTechinitiatives.”

• “Overall,wetrytopartnerwithorganizations/vendorsthathavesomedemonstratedinterestinD&I.Forexample,weuseathirdpartyvendorforourFamilyandEmployeeAssistancePlan(FEAP)–theyofferservicesin150languages.Weareproudofthat.In2016,wedidareviewofallagenciesandrecruitingfirmswewereusing–weretainedthosethatdemonstratedD&Iasimportant;weendedtworelationshipswheretherewasnotastrongD&Icommitment.”

• Inonesmallcompany,thecompanyownersdoalotofvolunteeringandmentoringinprogramsfornewimmigrants.

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Communications

• “WeuseSlackasacommunicationstool.WeputoutacallonSlacksayingwewantedtorecognizePridemonthandcurioustoknowifanyonewantedtotakepart.Wegotsomuchpositivefeedback–Iwassurprisedthatsomanypeoplepaidpositiveattention.Asaresults,agroupofemployeesmetandtheyarerollingoutsomeactions.Initiativesdon’thavetobebig–e.g.forPride,wewillhaveamoviescreeningandSlackchat.Whateverwedomustbemeaningfulandrespectfulforthatgroup.”

• “We’retryingtobuildmanagers’awarenessabouthowtheyworkwithindividualemployees.Westartedbysendingarticles(biweeklynewsletter)ontopicslikeunconsciousbiasandthebenefitsofD&I.”

Practices for measurement

TheresultsoftherecentPeel-Haltonemployersurveyhighlightimportantgapsinorganizations’measurementpractices.Theareasthatreceivedthehighestscoresfor“Needsimprovement”were‘trackingthecontributionofdiversityandinclusiontocorporateperformance’(27%)and‘trackingprogressintheimplementationofdiversityandinclusiongoals’(25%).Asdiscussedabove,akeydevelopmentalstepinbecomingamoreinclusiveworkplaceisthestepofmovingfromaseriesofisolatedD&Iinitiativestoacoherent,business-linkedstrategy.Measurementisacriticalenablerofamorecoherent,strategicandimpactfulapproachtoD&I.

Thewebsitereviewidentifiedthosemeasurementpracticesthatemployerschoosetohighlightintheirpubliccommunications.Thechoiceofwhattodiscussonalargeemployer’swebsiteislikelytobequiteintentional.Presumablythesepracticesarecredibleandeasilyunderstoodbythepublic,areconnectedtothecompany’sdesiredpublicpositioningwithrespecttoD&I,anddonotraisepotentiallyawkwardquestionsthattheemployermightnotwanttoaddresspublicly.

• SomeemployershaveconductedsurveysthatincludeaspectsofD&I,eitherwithinamoregeneralemployeesurveyorinatargetedD&Icensusorquestionnaire.

• SomeincludeD&Imeasuresinemployeereviews.

• ManyemployersreportontheirD&Iworkincorporatesocialresponsibilityreports,orintheirannualreports.Manyreportsimplyoninitiatives,afewreportonrepresentation(usuallyEEdesignatedgroups),andafewreportonprogressoncommitmentsintheirD&Istrategies.Particularinitiativesmayhavetheirownspecialreports.

Asindicatedabove,thepracticesthatwereleastfrequentlyusedbytheemployerswhorespondedtothesurveywerethoserelatedtomeasurement–trackinghiring,promotionordevelopmentseparatelybydemographicgroup;orusingidentitycharacteristicstoexplorepossibledifferencesinworkplaceexperiencesofinclusion.

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Overhalf(60%)oftherespondingemployersreportedthattheyuseemployeesurveystogainfeedbackonD&Iwithintheworkplace.Onelargeemployer’sexperiencewiththeircurrentsurveyshowshowchallengingthiscanbe:“WearecurrentlydoingasurveyintheU.S.andCanadaabouthowwearedoingonrecognizingandsupportingvariousgroups-whetherourprogramsareinclusive.Wearestrugglingtogetourtargetminimumparticipationrate(40%)–butwearegettingclose.”

Onesubjectmatterexpertintheinterviewsadvisedthatthereisanincreaseindemographicmeasures.However,averylowpercentageofemployersmeasureanythingbeyondacompliancefocus,suchasemploymentequity.OnelargeGTAemployerwhowasinterviewedisplanningadiversitycensusoftheirworkforce;theyplantospendthenext18monthstolaythegroundworkwithemployeestoencourageemployeestoself-identifyagainstarangeofidentitycharacteristics.Withoutaccuratedemographicdataitisdifficulttoconductmeaningfulquantitativemeasurement.

Theresearchsurveyandinterviewsaskednotonlyaboutformalmeasurementpractices,butalsothosequalitativeandlessformalindicatorsthatemployersusetomonitortheeffectivenessoftheirD&Ipractices.WhenaskedabouttheindicatorsthattheirD&Iinitiativesaresuccessful,surveyrespondentsandintervieweesmentionedspecificoutcomesthatshowedtheyhavebeentrackingresultstosomeextent.Forexample,

Diversity in the workforce

• ‘Wehaveahighlydiverseworkforcemanyofwhomarerecentimmigrants.Intotalwespeakmorethan30languagesinaworkforceofapprox.120.’

• ‘Basedondemographicsofournewhires’

• ‘Ithasresultedinmorediversityattheseniorstaffinglevels.’

• ‘Increaseinvisibleminoritiesbeingpromotedindifferentroles,accordingtoourmostrecentEmploymentEquitynarrativereport.’

Impacts on workplace practices

• ‘Ourhiringpracticeisnowclosetoimpartial.’

• ‘OurpreviousESR(EmploymentSystemsReview)identifiedthatemployeeswerehesitanttocomeforwardwithconcerns.Butsincedoingsomeawareness-buildinglastyearwithmanagersandstaff,wehavehadanincreaseinthenumberofemployeeswithrequestsforaccommodation,indicatingmoreconfidencethanbefore.”

• “WefindthatintheGTAmetroregion(GTA)someemployeeswithlanguagebarriersarenowcomingforwardlookingforESLtrainingsupport–thisisasadirectresultofourD&Icommunicationefforts.”

Organizational outcomes

• ‘Moreideas,innovation,employeeandclientsatisfaction’

• ‘Wehavegreatretention:staffneverleave.’

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Employee feedback

• ‘Basedonexitinterviewsandouremployeerepresentativesaskingquestionsaboutdiversitytotheirmembers,itfeelsthatemployeesappreciateoureffortsatcelebratingdifferences.’

• ‘Ouremployeeengagementsurveyincludesquestionsonfeelingrespectedandincluded.Wehaveapositiveresponse,overall;insomelocations/workgroupsitislower.’

• ‘Thefeedbackfromourengagementsurveyismorefavourablesinceweintroducedourinclusioninitiative.’

Takenasawhole,theseindicatorssuggestthatmanyemployersareattemptingtodosomemonitoringoftheimpactoftheirD&Ipracticesandnewinitiatives.Someoftheelementsformoreeffectivemeasurementseemtobeinplace.

Conclusion. TheGTAemployerswhoengagedinthisresearchprojectreportthattheyareactivelyimplementingatleastafewD&Ipracticeswithintheirorganization.Someofthese,admittedly,arepoliciesforfairness,accommodationandfreedomfromharassmentthatareseenasminimumrequirementsintoday’sOntarioworkplaces.However,othersdemonstrateaconsistentcommitmenttocreatingaworkplacewherepeoplefeelsafe,respectedandvalued.Asoutlinedinthenextsection,manyGTAemployersrecognizethattheystillhaveonlystartedtheirD&Ijourney.Theseparateinitiatives,whileofteneffectiveindividually,donotnecessarilycoalesceintoastrongstrategicapproachwithmonitoringfoundedonaclearidentificationofintendedorganizationalgoals.

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Progress and outcomes of D&I in GTA workplaces

Progressanddevelopmentovertime.Employerswhorespondedtothesurveyprovidedaratingoftheircurrentstageofdevelopmentintheir“D&IJourney”.Ascanbeseenfromthechartbelow,8ofthe18indicatedtheyarequiteadvanced–havingastrategicandsystemicapproach(n=5)andbeingarolemodeltootheremployers(n=3).Theremaining10ratethemselvesasearlierinthejourney,including4whosaytheyhavenotyetstarted.TheseratingsseemgenerallyconsistentwiththeirreportsoftheiruseofD&Ipractices(seeprevioussection);the‘rolemodel’employersreportthattheyusemostofthebestpracticesconsistently,whereasthosewhohavenotyetstartedreportthattheyhaveveryfewofthesepracticesinplace.

A role model to other employers

A strategy and systemic approach integrated into the business

A few initiatives in place for inclusion

Focused on achieving legal compliance

Not yet started

4

1

5

53

TheinterviewsgarneredarangeofinsightsaboutGTAworkplaces,fromemployersthemselvesandfromstakeholdersorserviceproviderswhoworkwithalargenumberofemployers.

TherewasaconsensusthatorganizationsdifferintheirD&Iunderstandingandprogress–acrossindustrysectorsandemployersize,inparticular.Forexample,aserviceprovidercommentedthatmanyorganizationsinthetechnologysectorunderstandtheimportanceofD&Ibutstilldon’tknowhowtodealwithdiversetalent.

Amongtheemployersweworkwith,thereisalotofinconsistency,alargerange.Wehaveover10employerpartners,andover50clients.Eachoneisatadifferentpointintheirjourney.

-Serviceprovider

Employers’ Current Stage in D&I Journey (self-reported;n=18)

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Withregardtothestagesoutlinedinthechartabove,mostoftheemployerswhoagreedtoaninterviewdescribedthemselvesinwaysconsistentwiththelaterstagesofthe“journey”.Severaltalkedabouttheprogresstheyhadmade,andhowtheirapproachtoD&Ihadevolvedoverrecentyears.Theseexamplesillustratethissenseofprogress:

• “Historicallywehadthedesiretohaveadiverseandinclusiveworkforceandwehadanumberofinitiatives[…].NowwehaveexcellentsupportfromtheleadershipteamandwehaveanewlyapprovedD&Istrategywewilllaunchinthefall.Itwillpulltogetherthedifferentpieces.”

• SomeorganizationsthataresubjecttoEmploymentEquityconfirmthatithasdrivenprogressinthepast.“WeconductedanEmploymentSystemsReviewin2014andithelpedidentifygapsandopportunities.”“OurESRpromptedustodevelopshort-andlong-termgoals(to2018and2022,respectively).”Theseemployersarequicktopointoutthatacompliancefocuscanco-existwithamorecompleteapproachtoD&I.“OurparticularfocusisonEE,butinherentinthatisD&I.”

• Serviceproviderscommentedthatoverthepastseveralyears,employershavebecomemoreopentohiringimmigrants.“Before,employers/supervisorswouldsaytheydon’thavethetimetointegrateanimmigrant.”Someoftheseemployershavecreatedpositivepartnershipswithagenciesthatcanprovidearangeofdifferentsupportservices.

• “TenyearsagosomeemployerswerenotevenawareoftheconceptofDiversity,itwasnotontheagenda.Theyweresimplytryingtohirefolkswhowereeasytorampup,wouldbestfitin,intheleastamountoftime,andforwhomtheycouldcheckreferences.Nowtheyhaveamoreopenmindtotakechances,andseethatafocusonD&Icanbringinnovation.Maturityandgrowthcanbeseenthrough[actionslikethe]introductionofdiversitychampions,aCSRperspectiveandaclearbusinesscase.”

Strategy. Oneoftheindicatorsofprogressalonganorganization’sD&I‘journey’isthemovefromaseriesofisolatedinitiativestothedevelopmentofaguidingstrategythatislinkedtothebusiness.LargeGTAorganizationsaremorelikelytohave,orbedeveloping,formalD&Istrategiesandplans;butthegeneralconsensusisthatsmalltomediumsizedGTAemployersdon’thavetheresources(bothtimeandpeople)todevelopthesecoherentstrategiesandplans.

Intheweb-basedresearchofrecognizedD&Ileaders,alloftheemployersreviewedshowedevidenceofformalcommitmenttoD&Ithroughmechanismssuchas:

• AdiversitycouncilcommitteethatguidesD&Iinitiatives.Insomecases,therewasspecificmentionofseniorlevelinvolvementinthiscouncil.

Aninclusionfocustakescareofcompliance.

-LargeemployercoveredbyEmploymentEquity

“WeareatamaturitylevelnowtorealizethebenefitsofD&Iandhighlightthose.Forus,itmeansbeinganemployerofchoiceandparticipatinginpositivewayinourcommunities.”

-Largeemployer

Manylargeremployers(>3000employees)havestartedtothinkabout[havingastrategy].Theyrealizetheyneedtofocusonit.

-Serviceprovider

34

• RegionaldiversitycommitteesfororganizationswithoperationsacrossCanada

• OtheradvisorycommitteesrelatedtoD&I;e.g.,women’sadvisorycommittee,LGBTQcommittees,supplierdiversitycouncil,youthadvisorybody

• Involvementofboardmembers,BoardpoliciesonD&I,orinitiativesfordiverserepresentationontheboard

• AssignmentofspecificresponsibilityforoverseeingD&Iinitiativestoseniorofficial

• SpecificteamsdedicatedtoD&I

Almostallemployersalsonotedformalstrategies,policiesorplansrelatedtoD&I.Insomecasesthesewereembeddedwithincorporateplans.SomeemployershadspecificstrategiesforfocusareasinD&I;e.g.,newcomerstrategy,oraboriginalrecruitmentandretentionstrategy.

Theinterviewsrevealedthatthesestrategieshavebeenpromptedbyvariousfactors,includingachangeinleadership,arealizationthatprogresswasslow,adesiretoget‘biggerbangforthebuck’,oranopportunitytointegrateD&IintonewlydevelopedHRorbusinessstrategies.AnumberofemployersdescribedtheirD&Iplanasbeingintegrateddirectlyintotheirorganization’s“PeoplePlan”,orasan“InclusionandEquityPlan”thatisembeddedintothestrategicplanthatincorporatesafocusontheperspectiveofclients/patients,staffandcommunity.Oneemployerdescribedthefundamentaldifferencefromtheirearlier‘plans’tothemostrecent:“Ournewplanincludesastructuredimplementationstrategy-nothingthatwasn’tinpreviousplans,butnowamoredetailedcomponent,”withsupportssuchasarevisedinternalmanagementstructure,clearseniorexecutiveaccountabilities,andabrandforcommunicatingtheplananditsintent.

Incontrast,thefollowingquoteexemplifiestheriskofnothavingasolidplaninplace:

• “WefirststartedD&Iworkin2005,therewassomecommitmentfromleadership[withaninternalandexternalfocus].Westruggledovertheyearstomeetobjectives.In2012weevaluatedandtherealitywasthatnotalotofprogresshadbeenmade.Wehadsetlotsofobjectivesbuttheywerebroadinnatureandmanyemployeesstruggledtofigureoutwhattodotogettosuccessfulachievementoftheplan.”

• Notallemployerscurrentlyhaveplans:“Wearedoingsomestuffalready–itismoreadhoc.They’renotnecessarilyinaD&I“program”–weareinourinfancyintermsofcreatingaformalstructureforit.”

Examiningsomeofthecommentsbyintervieweesisareminderthatcallingsomethinga‘strategy’doesnotmakeitso.Somerespondentssuggestedthatoftenemployersannounceastrategy,butdonotnecessarilyfollowthrough.Somestrategiesarelittlemorethancompliance-focusedstaffingplans.ForexampleoneemployerthatissubjecttoEmploymentEquitycommented:

• “Wereallytrytohoneourstrategybybusinesssegment–whatarethechallenges,whatarethegapsforexamplein[DepartmentA],andin[DepartmentB],visibleminoritiesaredoingwell,whilepersonswithdisabilitiesandAboriginalpeopleshow

35

agap[comparedtolabourforceavailability].Thereforewehavespecialinitiativesforworkforcecomposition–focusedonpeoplewithdisabilitiesandAboriginalpeople.In[DepartmentC],itisfocusedonvisibleminoritiesandwomen–particularly,careeradvancementopportunitiesforthesegroups[becausethatiswherewehaveEEgaps].”

Evidencewithintheworkplace.Theprevioussectionsexploredemployers’currentstatuswithregardtotheirimplementationofbestpracticesthatcreatetheconditionsforaninclusiveworkplace.Inaddition,theresearchexploredtheperspectivesofemployers,agenciesandotherindividualsregardingthecurrentlevelsofdiversityandinclusionwithinGTAworkplaces.Itshouldbenotedthattheresponsesarenotdirectlycomparable–employersweredescribingtheirownworkplaceswhereasagenciesandotherrespondentsweredescribingGTAworkplacesthattheyarefamiliarwith.Asthechartsbelowshows,theemployerswereconsiderablymorepositiveabouttheirownworkplacethantheothertwogroupswereaboutGTAworkplacestheyknow.

0 2 4 6 8 10

Employers (n=24) Agencies (n=9) Others (n=15)

Very homogeneous, not much diversity

Pockets of diversity in some organizations, or in some areas or levels of the organization

Some diversity but in a few characteristics only

Some diversity across many different characteristics

A lot of diversity throughout the organization(s)

GTA Workplaces: Level of Diversity

36

Therearetworeasonableexplanationsforthediscrepancyinperspectivesaboutbothdiversityandinclusionshownintheabovetables.First,itisprobablethatthoseemployerswhochosetoanswerthesurveyarenottypical,butareachievingbetterresultsthanareotheremployers.Theserviceproviders(“agencies”)whocompletedthesurveyaretypicallythosethatareengagedwithemployerswhoareseeking,oratleastopento,increasingdiversityintheirorganization.OnemightexpectthattheemployersintheirnetworksarealsonotcompletelyrepresentativeoftheGTApopulationofworkplaces.Someemployersintheinterviewselaboratedontheircurrentsituationandgaveevidenceoftheirpositiveworkplaces:

• “Itisaratherdiverseenvironment.Wehavetraineesfromallovertheworld.”

• “Ourcurrentfocusisongender.Wewanttobethebestplacetoworkforallwomenatalllevels.Since2013,morethanhalfofourfull-timemanagersinCanada,inthehomeofficeandinthefield,arewomen–first[unitinourorganization]toachieveit.”

• “Wehaverecentlysucceededinpromotingmoreracializedpeopleandwomenintoseniorranks.”

• “Wearepleasedwithouremployeeengagementresultsonfeelingrespectedandincluded–wehaveapositiveresponse,overall.Ofcourse,insomelocations/workgroupstheresultsarelower.”

• “Ourannualsurveyincludestwoinclusion-relatedquestions(arepeopletreatedfairly;aredifferentpointsofviewvalued)andanetpromoterscore.Andinthepast,thevisibleminoritiesscoredaswellorbetterthantheaverage.”

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Others (n=14)Agencies (n=10)Employers (n=28)

Usually do not feel very inclusive

Some pockets that do a good job of this but it's not widespread.

Inclusive for people who differ in some ways, but not all

Mostly inclusive of a wide range of diversity, but it is inconsistent

Consistently inclusive of people with a wide range of diversity

GTA Workplaces: Level of Inclusion

37

Second,itispossiblethatemployershaveanoverlypositiveviewoftheirworkplaces.Anumberofintervieweesmadecommentsaboutencounteringthesedifferencesinperspective:

• “Inlargeorganizationsdiversitystillneedswork.Theworkforceismorediversebutnotnearlysoinuppermanagementlevels.”

• “Thelargercompaniesandthosewitharequirementtodosofocusondiversity.Theyarenotasfarastheythinktheyarewithrespecttobeinginclusive.”

• “SeniorleadershipandHRoftenthinktheorganizationsaremoreinclusivethantheaverageemployeedoes.Andthereisahugegapwithequityseekinggroups.”

Intervieweeshavealsoemphasizedthecriticalinfluenceofseniorleadersontheprogresstowardaninclusiveworkplace.Leaders’consciousawarenessofthecurrentsituationintheirownworkplace,andinothers,isakeydeterminantofcommitmenttochange.

• “WegotanewCEOtwoyearsagowhoreallygetsit.Theculturechangehasbeenrefreshing.Thereishugeinterestanduptakenow.”

• Accordingtoonesubjectmatterexpert,threeimportantpointsaboutseniorleadershipteamsmakethemlesslikelytobenaturalchampionsforD&I,withoutsomeadditionalawarenessbuilding:

• Theyhavesocialprivilege.

• Theyareatarelativelyearlystageininterculturaldevelopment,wheretheyrecognizesuperficialculturaldifferencesinfood,customs,etc.,butemphasizesimilarityinphysicalstructure,psychologicalneeds,and/orassumedadherencetouniversalvalues.Oneserviceproviderintheresearchreportedthatwhenleadershipteamscompleteanassessment,65-70%areatthe“Minimization”level.

• Theythinktheorganizationisinclusive.Theydon’tunderstandthatothersexperienceitdifferently,andthereforeitisnotafocusforthem.

TherecentPeel-Haltonemployersurveyfoundthattherespondentsweresopositiveabouttheirfirm’spracticesthatit“strainedthecredibilityoftheresults”.Forexample,foranyD&Ipractice,typicallyonly1-2%ofrespondentsadmittedthattheirpracticesneededseriousimprovement.ForadvancedpracticessuchastrackingalinkbetweenD&Iandtheorganization’sperformance,15%ratedtheirpracticeas‘excellent’andoverhalfrateditas‘satisfactory’.Thissuggestsalackofunderstandingofthesepracticesand/oramanagerial‘blindspot’abouttheneedforimprovement.

Conclusion.ManyoftheGTAemployersinvolvedintheresearchratethemselvesasrelativelywelladvancedintheirpracticesforD&I.However,evenamongthisself-selectedgroupofemployerswillingtodevotetimeandenergytothisresearchproject,itisclearthatthereisworkstilltobedone.D&Istrategiesarenotascoherentastheycouldbeanddonotappeartobetightlyconnectedtoimportantorganizationaloutcomes.Employersdidnotclearlyarticulateanylogicalstorylinethatconnectedtheirpracticestoworkplaceindicatorsofinclusionand/ortotheirstatedbusinesscase.Theremaybeimportantgapsinunderstandingbetweenemployersandtheirpartners–theagencies,serviceprovidersandcommittedindividualswhowillsupporttheminmakingprogress.

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Employers encounter barriers to progressIngeneral,mostoftheemployerswhoparticipatedintheresearchhavealreadydemonstratedinterestinmovingforwardwithD&Iefforts.Nonetheless,manyarenotasfaradvancedastheywouldhopetobe.Thesurveyandinterviewsdirectlyexploredthebarriersthatemployersperceivetheyface.

Competing demands. ThemostcommonlymentionedbarrieristhatD&Ihastocompetewithotherorganizationaldemands–forresourcesandattention.Employerswhorespondedtothesurveyweremostlikely(10of14whorespondedtothisquestion)toreportthathavingcompetingprioritieswasoneoftheirthreemostsignificantbarrierstoadvancingonD&I.Otherbarriers(eachselectedby5ofthe14respondents)werealackofresources(humanorfinancial)andnotreallyhavingastrongconsistentcommitment.

Small employers.Itwasnotedthatsmallemployersfaceparticularchallengeswithregardtoresourceconstraints–humanandfinancial.OftentheydonothaveinternalHRorstaffdevelopmentresources;andwithfewemployeesitcanbedifficulttofindtimeforpeopletoparticipateintraining.Manysmallemployersarenotfamiliarenoughwiththesupportsthatmightbeavailabletothemanddonothavethecapacitytolearnaboutthemortakefulladvantageofthem.

Business case.Severalparticipantsmentionedthatitisabarrierwhenthebusinesscaseisnotwellunderstoodthroughouttheorganization.Thisisclearlyrelatedtothebarrierofcompetingprioritiesasdecisionsmustbemadeaboutallocatingtime,energyandresourcestoinitiatives.OnestakeholdersuggestedthatpartofthebarrieristhatmanyD&Ipractitionerscomefromasocialjusticebackgroundandlackthebusinessacumentodevelopandcommunicateacompellingbusinesscase.

Lengthy timeframes.Aninterestinginsightfromtheconsultationisthatevenwhenthebusinesscasemightbeunderstood,thetimeframetoseetheimpactcanbelong.Whenorganizationsaredrivenbyquarterlyorannualtargets,waitingtwoyearstoseetheeffectsonbusinessoutcomeswillmakeexecutiveslesslikelytoprioritizetheD&Iinitiative.Similarly,itcantaketimetoimplementnewD&Ipractices,suchascreatingnewpartnershipsforrecruitmentoutreachorforprocurementwithdiversesuppliers;manymanagerswillbemorelikelytogowiththe‘triedandtrue’ratherthaninvestenergyinalong-termchangewithpossiblyuncertainoutcomes.

Gaining buy-in. Whetherduetoanunclearbusinesscase,persistentmythsandmisconceptions,ortoomanyotherdemands,alackofcommitmentandbuy-inthroughouttheorganizationisoftencitedasabarriertoadvancingwithD&I.Asanexample,oneintervieweementionedthatmanagersincertainareaswillnothireIEPsduetoaworrythatthepersonwillbeover-qualifiedandwillnotstaylong.Anotheremployermentionedthatittakesalotofcoachingofthefront-lineunionizedworkforcetotakeadifferentperspective.Oneindividualemphasizedthatmanagerswillberesistanttogettingonboardiftheyfeeltheyarebeing‘shamed’fornothavingdoneenough;thisintervieweesometimesfeelsthisatD&Irelatedevents.Onestakeholder’sperspectiveisthatemployers

Wehavenotyetcreatedaninternalculturewhereeverypersonrecognizestheirroleincreatinganinclusiveorganizationandinclusivecommunity.Ourbiggestchallengeistheinternalcultureshift.Developingadiversitycompetentworkforceisachallenge.

-Largepublicsectoremployer

Itisjustaquestionofworkload,andfocus.Thereare15trillionthingstodo.

-Largeemployer

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whoarealreadyengagedandfamiliarwithworkingwithnewCanadianswillcontinuetodelvemoredeeplyandarelessprejudiced;thosethathaven’tdoneitare‘shyandafraid’–theyworrywhentheyhearstoriesaboutnewcomerswhocan’tspeakEnglish,oraboutchallengeswithsoftskills,etc.Anemployerconfirmedthisassessment:employersarerisk-averse,thechallengeistohelpthemovercomebias.Onestakeholderemphasizedhowimportantitistoadaptthemessagingtotheindividual,basedonwheretheyare.

Group-specific challenges.Someemployersoragenciesmentionedspecificbarriersrelevanttounderrepresentedgroupssuchas:findingmodifiedworkforinjuredemployees;adaptingmanagementstyletoworkmoreeffectivelywithrecentimmigrants;increasingthenumbersofwomeninfront-linenon-traditionalroles;findingtheresourcesneededtohelpnewimmigrantsintegrateintotheworkforce;andunderstandinghowtoworkwithyouthandMillennials.

Systemic workforce dynamics.ThereareaspectsofworkforcemanagementthatcancreateunintendedbarrierstoD&Iprogress.Forexample,thepopulationofrecenthiresinmanyorganizationsisoftenmorediversethanlong-tenuredemployees.Oneintervieweementionedthatretentionisachallenge:thenewhiresbecomeimpatientforpromotionandwhenthereisalotofmarketplacecompetitionfortalent,theyleave.Anotherexampleidentifiedthatnewhiresmightnothavethesameaccesstonetworking,trainingandcareeradvancementiftheyareworkinginentry-levelpositionsthatarenightshifts,orotherwisefurtherremovedfromtheopportunities.Insectorswherethereisacriticalskillshortage,serviceprovidersreportthatemployersaremoreopentodiversehiring;whenthereisnotsuchashortage,thereislessinterest.

Lack of a plan. Finally,thelackofaclearstrategyandplanwasalsomentionedasabarrier,althoughnotfrequently.Withlimitedresources,employersmaystrugglewithoutdirectionformakingdecisionsandtakingaction.SuchaplancouldalsoalignD&Iinitiativeswiththedesiredorganizationaloutcomes,reinforcingthebusinesscase.Animplicationofnothavingaclearplanisthatthereisoftenalsounclearaccountabilities.Oftenonlythemostseniorexecutiveshaveadefinedgoalfordiversityandinclusion.Atlowerlevelsoftheorganization,otherbusinessgoalscanruncountertogoodD&Ipractices,atleasttemporarily–forexample,ifrecruitersaremeasuredprimarilyon‘timetofill’thentheymaybeincentedtorelyontraditionaltalentpoolsandlongstandingrelationships.Abarriertoclarifyingaccountabilitiesisageneralweaknessinorganizations’abilitytomeasureD&I.

Conclusion. ThecurrentresearchwithGTAemployersconfirmsmanyofthebarriersthathavebeenlongrecognizedintryingto‘movetheneedle’ondiversityandinclusion.Ifthereisonetheme,itisperhapsthattheeffort-to-payoffequationisnotcompelling.Theeffortsometimesseemstoogreat:toomanyinitiativeswithoutaclearplan;theneedforresourcestodesignandimplementD&Iinitiatives;andthetypicalchallengesofimplementingchangeandmaintainingmomentumonlargeinitiativeswithinorganizations.Thepayoffsometimesseemstoolittleortooremote:anunclearunderstandingofthedesiredimpact;aninabilitytomeasurethatimpact;andlongtimeframestoseethebenefits.

Immigrantsaregoodworkers,butsoftskillscanbesuchaburdenthatemployersletthemgo.

-Stakeholder

Biggestblockhasbeenlackofoneoverridingplan.Ourworkwasallbeingdoneinpieces,andwehavelimitedresources.Wewerenotgettingthemostoutoftheinitiatives.

-Largeemployerthathasrecentlybeguntodevelop

aD&Istrategy

40

Employerswereaskedaboutwhattheyseeinthenear-termfutureforD&Iingeneral,andwithintheirownorganizationinparticular.

Withinownorganization.Inthenear-termfuture,manyoftheemployerswhowereinterviewedarealreadycommittedtospecificplansinordertocontinuetomakeprogress.Forexample,onelargepublicsectororganizationhasrecentlydevelopedafive-yearstrategy(to2021)withasequenceofactivities,includingacommunicationplan,adiversitycensus,enhancedrecruitmentpractices,engagementtoolsforleaders,andsuccessionplanningwithadiversitylens;theireffortswillnowfocusonexecutingtheplan.Anotherhighlightedthattheystillneedtoworkonbecomingmoreinternallyinclusive–thisisalreadyanelementintheirorganization’sstrategicplan.Anotheremployerwillcontinuetheirfocusonrecruitmentandretention,oneducatingpeopleaboutaccommodation,andonusingtheirregionalD&Icouncilstopromotechange.

Othersareconsideringnewinitiatives,oftenbuildingontheirearliersuccesses.Forexample:

• Oneemployerhasmadesubstantialprogressadvancingwomenintoseniorleadershippositions.Theynowwanttoleveragethesepracticestoachievethesamebenefitsforotheremployeegroups(e.g.,Black,Asian,LGBT).

• Foronesmallcompanywithalonghistoryofhiringimmigrants,thenextfocusissuccessionplanningandadvancing/developingthemintomanagementroles.

• Conductinganaudittounderstandtheirstartingpoint–buildingondatacollectionmethodsalreadyinplaceintheirU.S.operations(ethnicbackground),butnotyetinCanadaandotherlocations

• SeveralemployersareplanningtodevelopastrategyforD&I.Oneemployerdescribeditthiswayinthesurvey,“DevelopingaD&Istrategyandplanwithinthenextsixmonths–toestablishabroaderfocus/visionforD&I,beclearonwhatwewanttoaccomplish,clearleadershiprole,actionsbeyondrecruitmentfocus.”

Newdirectionsthatwerementionedwereoftenlessspecific.Theyincluded:

• Workingwiththelocalimmigrationpartnershiptobefurtherintegratedintoprogrammingled by others

• ClarifyingD&Iaccountabilityformanagersaspartofbeingaleader

• Communicatingtheexpectationsforemployeestomakesuretheyareonboard;tobeclearthatD&Iisnotjusta‘HRprogram’,butanorganization-wideshift

• Changingrecruitmentmethodstodiversifythestaffintermsofindustryexperienceandethnicbackgrounds

• Movingfromcompliancetoembracinginclusiveculture

Thesurveyaskedemployerstoindicateuptothree“diversitygroups”or“aspectsofidentity”thatwillbeapriorityfortheirD&Ifocusinthenextthreeyears.Themostcommonresponsewasnewcomers/immigrants(general);thisistobeexpectedgiventhenatureofthesurveyoutreach.Theothermostfrequentresponseswere‘mentalhealth’and‘genderdiversity(women)’.

On the horizon – trends and new initiatives

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Comparedtotheindicatorsoftheircurrentfocus(seeearliersection),onecanseethatmentalhealthisexpectedtoincreasesubstantiallyinimportance.Therealsoseemstobemomentumbuildingforanincreasedfocusonnewcomers/immigrantsingeneral.Itispossiblethatemployersarerespondingtotheconsiderablemediaattentionforbothoftheseissuesinrecentmonths.

TrendsforD&I.Employers,agenciesandotherstakeholderssharedsomeperspectivesonthenextstepsforD&Imorebroadly.Fourthemesemerged:

• Asdiscussedabove(inthesectiononDefinitions),theemphasisoninclusioncontinuestoincrease.Similarly,thereisatrendtowardmovingtoamorecomprehensiveviewofdiversity,thatgoesbeyondthefourEmploymentEquitydesignatedgroups,andbeyondtheprotectedgroundsinhumanrightslegislation.Whetherornotthiswillbeunderstoodanddescribedas‘intersectionality’oralongthelinesof‘everyoneisunique’isnotyetknown.

• Organizationsarelookingforeasierwaystoengage.Theyarelookingtopartnerbuttheyfindthesystemhardtonavigate.Oneemployersaiditseemsconfusingandbureaucraticwhenthereisalackofcoordinatedeffortsbetweenvariousagencies–boththoseaddressingdifferentdiversitygroupsandthoseforIEPsonly.

• Theremaybeagrowinginterestinemployerspositioningthemselvesas‘ontherightsideofhistory’asissuesrelatedtodiversityandinclusiongainpublicattention.Concurrently,socialmediaandpublicinterestinacompany’ssocialresponsibilityandcommunityimpactcansupportafocusonequitableemploymentpractices,supplierdiversity,andcustomerservicethatreflectsdifferentneedsandinterests.ThesedynamicsmaydriveanincreasedfocusongainingpublicrecognitionforD&Ieffortsandonbeingabletotellacompellingstoryaboutsuccesses.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8Sexual orientation

Age / generational -- mature workers

Gender identity / expression

Ethnocultural diversity

Religious diversity

Aboriginal people

People with disabilities

Age / generational -- youth

Newcomers / immigrants (IEPs)

Gender diversity (women)

Mental Health

Newcomers / immigrants (general)

Notes:Intotal,14employersrespondedtothisquestion.Onlyoneadditionalemployermarked‘Newcomers/immigrants(IEPs)’withouthavingalsomarked‘Newcomers/immigrants(general)’;thus,thetotalfor‘immigrants’couldbeconsideredtobe9.

Upcoming focus for employers (3 years)

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• SpecificallywithrespecttoIEPs,afewintervieweescommentedthatthecontextischanging.AtleastwithintheGTAthereisgoodawarenessaboutIEPs,butthechallengeistomovetomoremeaningfulengagementwithbothemployersandIEPs.Onesuggestionwastomovebeyondmentoringtofocuson1-on-1,goal-orientedcoachingforIEPs.

Afewindividualsalsomentionedpossibleexternalfactorsonthehorizon.First,mentalhealthisatopicofgreatinterestatthecurrenttime.AfocusonmentalhealthintheworkplacecanoverlapwithD&Iinatleasttwoways:peoplewithmentalhealthchallengescanbenefitfromattentionforaccommodationandinclusion,andaninclusiveworkenvironmentcanhaveanimpactonsupportingthementalhealthofthewiderworkforce.Second,therewillbeabenefitinhavingnewdataoncethecensusresultsarereleased;thiswillhelporganizationstounderstandthelocallabourmarketaswellastheircommunityandpotentialcustomers/clients.Third,thelegislativelandscapeisalwayssomethingtobealertto,includingthepotentialimpactofOntario’santi-racismlegislation.

Conclusion. ManyoftheemployersinvolvedintheresearchhaveidentifiedplansfornextstepsintheirD&Iefforts.Whiletheyreportthatmentalhealthwillbeafocus,noneofthemidentifiedanyspecificinitiativesinthisregardordiscussedhowitwouldlinktotheirD&Iplansordesiredoutcomes.SeveralindicatedthattheyareintendingtodevelopastrategyorD&Iplantoguidetheirefforts.Ingeneraltheyseemreadytomovebeyondrecruitmenteffortsthatfocusedondiversitytonowconsideringapproachesthatwillcreateawelcomingandinclusiveworkplacefortheirmorediverseworkforce.

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Identified Strengths and Gaps

ThefindingsdiscussedabovepermitsomeconclusionstobedrawnaboutthecurrentstateofD&IinmanyGTAworkplaces.

Strengths to leverage

• Thereisacleartrendtoextendthefocusbeyondachievingadiverseworkforcetocreatinganinclusiveworkplace.Thisisapositivemoveforcreatingoutcomesthatwillbenefitbothemployersandemployees:welcomingandcollaborativeworkplaces,greaterretention,strongemployeeengagement,rewardingcareersandopportunitiestocontribute.

• Thereisastrongfocusonthebusinesscasefordiversityandinclusion.ThereisevidencethatGTAemployersarestartingtomoreclearlyseethelinksamongdiversity,inclusionandbusinessoutcomes.Thisisparticularlytrueinsomesectorswhereinnovation,skillsshortages,andservingdiversemarkets/clientsarecriticaldeterminantsofanorganization’ssuccess.

• Thereislegitimatecommitmenttocreatingdiverseandinclusiveworkplaces.

• Manygoodpracticesareinplaceandemployerscanidentifysomepositiveoutcomesandbenefitsthathavebeenachieved.

Barriers and gaps to address

• Mostemployerslackaclearlydefinedstrategyandsetofplans.Theorganization-specificlinksbetweenD&Iandbusinessoutcomes(i.e.,thebusinesscase)areoftenpoorlyarticulatedbeyondthegeneralities.

• Thereisagenerallackofmeasurementprocesses.Asaresult,therecanbesignificantgapsinperceptionamongseniorleaders,employees,equity-seekinggroups,andotherstakeholdersonthe‘currentstate’.Forachievingoutcomes,itisdifficulttomanageinvestmentsandD&Iinitiativeswithoutsomemeasurement.

• Atasystemiclevel,employersarestrugglinginasub-optimizedD&Isystem.Theyreportthattheyfinditdifficulttonavigatetheservicesoffered.Smallandmedium-sizedemployersfaceparticularchallengesinaccessingservicesandadapting/implementingbestpractices.Theserviceprovidersareoftenunawareoftheemployers’practices,makingitdifficultforthemtobeactivepartners.Employers(bothsmallandlarge)aswellastheirserviceprovidersarebusyandstretchedforresources;andtherearesomeindicatorsintheresearchinputreceivedthatthereislittleattentionpaidtobuildingthelong-termcapacityofemployerstobeinclusive.(Forexample,serviceprovidersprovidesupporttoemployerswhoare‘toobusy’tointegrateanimmigrant–effectiveintheshorttermbutisthistherightsolutioninthelongterm?)

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Appendix 1: Description of research participants

Fortheweb-basedresearch,thefollowing15employersandoneunionwerereviewed.

BestDiversityEmployer2017

TRIECTMPEmployer Partner

Sector EmployeesinCanada

AccentureInc. X ManagementConsulting

3,425

GeneralMotorsofCanadaCompany

X Manufacturing 8,264

LoblawCompaniesLimited

X Retail(Food) 28.481

PepsiCoCanada X Consumer 9.358Procter&GambleInc.

X Consumer 1,754

Rogers X 23,177KPMGLLP X X Professional

Services (Accounting)

6,365

Manulife X Insurance 12,868TDBankGroup X X Banking 43,273StikemanElliot X Professional

Services(Legal)1,300

YMCAofGreaterToronto

X Non-Profit 1,546

Humber X Education 1,582WilliamOslerHealth System

X Health 2,994

OntarioPowerGeneration

X Utility 10,840

Toronto,Cityof X X Municipal 22,983LiUNALOCAL506

Union 8,000members

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The‘other’individualswhoprovidedsurveyresponsesdescribedthemselvesas:

• WorkingmostlyintheGTA(n=10);someworkedmostlyelsewhereinOntario(n=3)

• KnowledgeableaboutafewGTAworkplaces(n=7)oraboutmanyGTAworkplaces(n=6)

• HavingmostlygainedtheirknowledgeaboutGTAworkplacesthroughdirectexperienceworkingwithorinorganizations(n=10)

• Immigrants(6arrivedasadults;2arrivedasyouth)orCanadian-born(n=5)

• Participatingintheresearchasaninterestedemployee(n=5),aHRpractitioner(n=4),orotherrolesuchasinterestedimmigrantormanager/supervisor[notethatmultipleanswerswerepermitted)

Therewasnotsufficientinformationabouttheagencyrespondentstoprovideameaningfulbreakdownoftheircharacteristics.

Theemployerrespondentsdescribedthemselvesasfollows:

• Ofthe18employerswhoprovidedlocationinformation,almostallhaveemployeesatworklocationsintheGTA(n=17).TheyalsohaveoperationsinotherOntariolocations(n=6),otherlocationsinCanada(n=4),andoutsideofCanada(n=3).

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5

2

3

3

6

8

13

Survey Respondents

Employer: Less than 50

Employer: 50-100

Employer: 100-500

Employer: 500-1000

Employer: 1000-5000

Employer: Over 5000

Employer (unknown size)

Agency

Other individual

46

• Mostareprovinciallyregulated(n=10).Somearefederallyregulated(n=5)and/oraregovernedbyequity-relatedlegislation(n=7;EmploymentEquity,theFederalContractorsProgramorother).

• Mostwereprivatesectoremployers(n=10);somewerenot-for-profit(n=5)andafewweremunicipalgovernmentorCrownCorporations(n=3).

• Therespondingindividualsweremostlikelytoidentifythemselvesasseniorleaders(n=9);orasD&Ichampion,leadorchangeagent(n=6).Interestingly,nooneidentifiedthemselvesabotha‘seniorleader’anda‘D&Ichampion’.

• Halfoftheemployerswhocompletedthefullsurveyhaveaskedtoreceiveasummaryofthefindingsand/orparticipateinaby-invitationwebinar(n=9).

Interviewparticipantsrepresentedperspectivesfromavarietyofsectors.Includedinthesampleof20intervieweeswereorganizationsdescribedasfollows(categoriesarenotmutuallyexclusive):

• Privatesectoremployers(n=9)

• Publicsectoremployers(n=5)

• Serviceproviders(n=6),includingconsultingservices,networks/associations,oremploymentsupportforunderrepresentedgroups

• Smallbusinesses(n=2)

• Organizationswithafocusontechnologysector(n=4)oronhealthcare(n=2);othershadaprimaryfocusinfinancialservices,education,retailortransportation

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Appendix 2: Research Tools

Organization: Source:

QuestionDefinitions/focus:

• HowisDiversitydefined?Inclusion?

• WhatistheorganizationalbusinesscaseforD&I?

• Doesthefocusweighmoreheavilytowardscomplyingwithlegalobligations,buildingadiverseworkforce,orbuildinganinclusiveworkplaceaspartofbusinessstrategy?Howisthisdemonstrated?

Whichaspectsofdiversityismostattentionon?

• E.g.designatedgroups,immigrants,women,other?

• Howmuchemphasisisthereonimmigrants?IsthereevidenceofaformalD&Istrategyinplace?Whatspecificactionsaretakentocreateaninclusiveworkplace?Thatis–includingchangeandlearningatanindividual/organizationallevel?

• Whatinitiativesareinplace,whoisinvolved?

• Anyspecificactionsrelatingtoimmigrants?Whatbarriersareidentifiedasbeingfacedinworkingtowardsaninclusiveworkplace?Whatbarrierswereaddressed?Whatbarriersremain?Whatsupportshavebeen(orwouldbe)particularlyhelpful?Whatareemployers’“journey”toinclusion?

• Howhaveprioritiesevolvedinrecentyears?

• Whatchangeshavebeenmadeinprogramming/initiatives?

• Whatnextstepsareplanned?

• Howdotheydescribetheircurrentstatusorlevelofmaturity?

Website Review: Information Capture Template

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QuestionWhatmeasuresareinplacetotrackdiversity?Tomonitorinclusion?

• Whatistracked?Whatispubliclyreported?

• Whatvehicle(s)areusedtogatherthisdata–e.g.

• Employeeengagement/EEsurveys?

• Focusgroups?

• ThroughotherHRmetricssuchasexitinterviews,turnover/promotion/L&D/payrates?

• Othertools?

• ArethesemeasuresinplacejustinGTAlocations,orotheroperations(ifany,suchasotherCanadian,international)?

• Anyspecificfocusonimmigrants?Orasimilarproxy“term”(e.g.,newcomer,foreignworker,IEP,visibleminority,etc.)

• Ifso:

• Howare“immigrants”defined?

• Doemployerslookattheintersectionofimmigrantstatuswithanyotherdemographictraits?

• Whatresultshavebeenuncovered?

• Howaremeasurementfindingsused?

IntermsoftheneedsofemployersintheGTA,whattrendsorprioritiesareseenonthehorizon,particularlyregardingimmigrantinclusionintheworkplace?Whatfactorsareexpectedtohaveaninfluence?Anyotherfindingsorcomments….

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Key Informant Interviews Protocol

CONFIDENTIALResearchInterview

Interviewprotocol

Interviewer: Interviewcode:

Organizationtype: Employer:

StakeholderorServiceAgency

Sector:

Organizationname: Intervieweerole:

Notes:

Introduction:

• Interviewerintroducesself,project.

• Thanksintervieweefortakingthetimeforthecall.

• Remindsintervieweeaboutpurposeofcall(seeinformationsheet).

• Confirmthatstillconvenient,includingdurationofcall.(30-45minutes).

• Describetheformat–semi-structured;weencouragecandidcomments;reminderthatconfidential.

• ConfirmationofTRIEC’scommitmenttoethicalpracticesincollectionofdata:

• Youmaydeclinetoansweranyquestionsasked,orreturntoaquestionalreadyanswered.

• Yourparticipationinthisprojectiscompletelyvoluntary.Youmaywithdrawfromtheinterviewatanytime.

• Allcommentsyouprovidewillremainstrictlyconfidential;onlygroupresultswillbereported,andindividualsandorganizationswillneverbeidentified.

• Datacollectedforthisresearchwillbekeptinasecureandconfidentialmanner.

• Asksifintervieweehasanyquestionsforclarificationabouttheresearch.Begin.

Conduct interview using the questions on the following pages as a guide.

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Close:

• Inviteanyothercomments.

• Askifpossibletofollowup/contactagainifrequired.[Forexampletoclarifyordelvedeeperincertainareas/getsign-offonanattributedquote.]

• Askiftheywouldbeinterestedincontinuingtobeinvolved,suchastovalidatesomeoftherecommendationsorthecompetencies.

• Thankindividualfortheirtimeandinsights;TRIECwillbeintouchregardingthesummaryresearchfindingsandinvitationonlywebinar.

Question1. Let’sstartwithaverygeneralquestion.Canyoutellmeyourorganization’s“story”

upuntilnow,regardingDiversityandInclusion?Firstofall,what(andwhen)wasyourstartingpoint,andwhatifanythinghaschangedovertime?

Probes(onlyasneeded):

• WhenandwhydidtheorganizationstarttofocusonD&I?

• WhatweretheoriginaldriversforafocusonD&I?How,ifatall,havethoseevolvedovertime?

• Wouldyousaythefocushasweighedmoreheavilytowardscomplyingwithlegalobligations,buildingadiverseworkforce,orbuildinganinclusiveworkplaceaspartofbusinessstrategy?

2. Keepingwith‘tellingyourstory’,wheredoyouthinkyourorganizationisnow?[wheredoyouthinkemployersyouworkwitharenow]?

Probes(onlyasneeded):

• Howisthesituationtodayinyourcompany[inemployersyoudealwith]differentfromthepast?

• HowimportantisafocusonD&Ito[yourorganization/employersyouworkwith]?

• Whatshowsthatithasthatlevelofimportance(whetherhighorlow)?(thatis,‘howdoyouknow’?)

• Today,whatistheorganizationalbusinesscaseforyourorganization’s[employersyouworkwith]D&Iwork?Howclearlyarticulated(orunderstood)isthat?

• Overall,howinclusivedoyouthinkyourorganizationis[employersyouworkwithare]?

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Question3. Howdoyou[they]defineDiversity?Inclusion?

[Notetointerviewer:Ifthedefinitionisverydifferentthanwhatwemightuse,clarifyhereand/orbeclearaboutmeaninglaterintheinterviewwhenyouusetheseterms.]

4. Do[you/mostoftheemployers]haveaformalD&Istrategyinplace?

Probe(asneeded):

• Ifso,howwouldyoudescribeit?

• Whoisaccountableforit?

• Howwelldoyouthinkitisworking?5. Arethereparticularaspectsofdiversity&inclusionthatgetmoreattentionthan

others,inyourcompany[employersyoudealwith]?

Forexample,istheremorefocusonparticulargroups?

Probe(asneeded):

• Forexample,doesadvancementofwomengetmostattention,orpeoplewithdisabilities,orLGBTQ,etc.?Thiscouldbeformalattention,orinformal(thatis,whatreallymatterstokeydecisionmakers?).

• Howmuchemphasisisthereonimmigrants,newcomers,Internationallyeducatedprofessionals(etc.)

• Canyoucommentonwhythatis?

Asanotherexample,istheremorefocusonparticularindicatorsofD&I,suchasminimizingharassmentcomplaints,orrecruitingawiderarrayoftalent,orreflectingthedemographicsofyourcustomers?

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Question6. Whatspecificactionsdo[you/mostoftheemployers]taketocreateaninclusive

workplace?

[Notetointerviewer:thisislikelytobealonglist.Noneedtogetintodetailsforeachone.Ifneeded,focusonwhatisspecifictoinclusion[vs.diversity],and/orwhatisnew,innovativeorseenasmostsuccessful/effective.]

Probes(asneeded):

• Whatinitiativesareinplace?[probe:Isthatmostlyfocusedonaparticulargroup(women,visibleminorities,newcomers,etc.?Whoisinvolvedinmakingithappen?]

• Anyexplicitinclusion-relatedfocusonchangeandlearningatanindividual/organizationallevel?

• Anyspecificactionsrelatingtoimmigrants/IEPs/culturaldifferences/visibleminorities/etc.?

[Notetointerviewer:thegoalistoexploreforinitiativesthatmightcaptureimmigrants–e.g.,ifthereisaparticularinitiativeforvisibleminoritiesdoesthisintheirmindincludeimmigrants]

7. 1.Whatbarriersdo[you/employers]faceinworkingtowardsaninclusiveworkplace?

Probe(asneeded):

• Whathasbeenthebiggestblocktoprogress?

2.Whatsupportswouldbehelpful?

Probe(asneeded):

• Whatsupportshavebeenparticularlyhelpfulinaddressingotherbarriersthatyouhavebeenabletoresolve?

8. Let’stalknowaboutwhatyouseeonthehorizon.Whathaveyou[employersyoudealwith]gotplanned,orwhatmightbecomingup?

Probes(asneeded):

• Whyisthatseenasimportant?

• Whatbenefitsareyou[they]hopingfor?

• Whatchallengesdoyou[they]foreseewiththat?

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Question9. Do[you/mostoftheemployers]havemeasuresinplacetotrackdiversityorto

monitorinclusion?

Probes(asneeded):

• Ifso,whatistracked?

• Whatvehicle(s)areusedtogatherthisdata–e.g.

• Employeeengagement/EEsurveys?

• Focusgroups?

• ThroughotherHRmetricssuchasexitinterviews,turnover/promotion/L&D/payrates?

• Othertools?

• ArethesemeasuresinplacejustinGTAlocations,orotheroperations(ifany)?

• Anyspecificfocusonimmigrants?Orasimilarproxy“term”?

• Ifso: Howare“immigrants”defined? Do[you/employers]lookattheintersectionofimmigrantstatuswithanyotherdemographictraits? Whathave[you/employers]foundregardingimmigrantinclusioninyourorganization?

• Howaremeasurementfindingsused?10. HavecompetenciesforD&Ibeenusedaspartof[your/employers’]measuresto

increaseinclusion?

Ifso:

• howhave[you/employers]usedthem(e.g.inL&D,jobdescriptions,corporatevalues,etc.)?Whichemployeegroupdidtheyfocuson(e.g.leaders,HR,D&Ichampions,etc.)?

Ifnot:

• Wouldtherebeinterest[inyourorganization/amongemployersyouworkwith]inusingacompiledlistofbehaviours,knowledge,etc.topromoteinclusion?(NotethatthesearecurrentlyunderdevelopmentbyTRIECaspartofthisproject.)

11. IntermsoftheneedsofemployersintheGTA,whattrendsorprioritiesdoyouseeonthehorizonasregardsimmigrantinclusionintheworkplace?

Probe:

• Whatmightaffectthat?

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Online Survey

DiversityandInclusioninGTAWorkplaces:ExploringCurrentEmployerPractices

WelcomeThankyouforyourinterestindevelopinganewandinnovativeapproachtobuildinginclusiveworkplaces.Yourresponsestothisquestionnairewillbecompletelyconfidential.Ifyouhaveanyquestionsregardingthisresearchpleasecontact[name]atourresearchfirm[company],at[email]or[phone].

AboutyouThissurveyasksaboutyourperspectivesontheactionthatGTAemployersaretakingtocreatediverseandinclusiveworkplaces.Whileourparticularinterestisinimmigrantemployment,weareaskingyouaboutthefullsetofDiversityandInclusioninitiativesthatGTAemployershaveinplace.Pleasecheckoneofthefollowing:

Iamansweringasanemployer Iamansweringasanagencythatsupportsemploymentofunder-represented

groups,includingimmigrants Other,pleasespecify...______________________

NOTE:Thequestionsonthefollowingthreepageswereaskedofrespondentswhoself-identifiedasneitheremployersnorserviceproviders(agencies).

GettingstartedThankyouforyourinterestincompletingthissurvey.ThereareseveralquestionsaboutDiversityandInclusion,followedbyafewquestionsaboutyou.

Definitions

Ingeneralterms,howwouldyou(oryourorganization)defineDiversityandInclusionwithinaworkplace?

Diversity

Inclusion

55

YourexperienceofGTAworkplaces

HowdiverseareGTAworkplacesthatyouarefamiliarwith?Thatis,howmuchvarietyorheterogeneityisthereamongtheemployees?(Youcanchoosemultipleanswers)

Veryhomogeneous,notmuchdiversity Pocketsofdiversityinsomeorganizations,orinsomeareasorlevelsofthe

organization Somediversitybutinafewcharacteristicsonly(forexample,amixofagesand

education,butnotmuchethnicdiversity;orviceversa) Somediversityacrossmanydifferentcharacteristics Alotofdiversitythroughouttheorganizations Idonotknow Othercomment...______________________

GTAworkplacesIamfamiliarwithusuallydonotfeelveryinclusive TherearesomeGTAorganizations,orsomepocketswithinanorganizationthatdoa

goodjobofthisbutit'snotwidespread. GTAorganizationsareinclusiveforpeoplewhodifferinsomeways,butnotall GTAorganizationsaremostlyinclusiveofawiderangeofdiversity,butitis

inconsistent GTAorganizationsareconsistentlyinclusiveofpeoplewithawiderangeofdiversity Idonotknow Othercomment...______________________

Never Often Rarely Always Sometimes Don'tknoworNotapplicable

ThinkingaboutGTAworkplacesyouarefamiliarwith,howinclusivearethoseworkplacesforthefullrangeofemployees?Thatis,towhatextentdopeoplewhoaresomehowdifferentfromthemajorityfeelwelcomeandengaged?(youcanchoosemultipleanswers)

Howoftendoyouseeemployerstakingactiontocreateaworkplacethatisrespectfulandwelcoming?

EmployerActions

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Successful PracticesWhatpositivepracticeshaveyouseeninGTAworkplace(s)?Whathashelpedpeoplefromdifferentbackgroundstofeelincludedandtosucceed?

Employer focusThereareseveral"diversitygroups"thatoftenfacebarriersintheworkplace.BasedonyourknowledgeofGTAemployers,whichaspectsofidentityseemtobetheirhighestpriority?Pleasemarkupto3priorities(ifany).

Genderdiversity(women) Genderdiversity(women) Genderidentity/expression Genderidentity/expression Sexualorientation Sexualorientation Age/generational--youth Age/generational--youth Age/generational--matureworkers Age/generational--matureworkers Aboriginalpeople Aboriginalpeople Ethnoculturaldiversity

Alberta Ontario--outsideofGTA BritishColumbia GTA(GreaterTorontoArea) Manitoba PrinceEdwardIsland NewBrunswick Quebec NewfoundlandandLabrador Saskatchewan NorthwestTerritories Yukon NovaScotia OutsideofCanada Nunavut

Notatallfamiliar KnowledgeableaboutafewGTAworkplaces KnowledgeableaboutmanyGTAworkplaces Other,pleasespecify...______________________

AboutYou

Wheredoyouwork,mostofthetime?

HowfamiliarareyouwithDiversityandInclusionpracticesinGTAworkplaces?

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HowhaveyougainedyourunderstandingofDiversityandInclusioninGTAworkplaces?

AreyouanimmigranttoCanada?

No Yes,Iarrivedbeforetheageof21 Yes,IarrivedwhenIwas21orolder

Interestedimmigrant HRpractitioner Interestedemployee Advisorincommunications,legal,

corporatesocialresponsibilityorother Consultantorresearcher Linemanagerorsupervisor Advocateformembersofanunder-

representedgroup Seniorleader

Employmentcounsellor Other,pleasespecify...__________________

DiversityandInclusionchampion,lead,orchangeagent

Your roleWhichofthefollowingbestdescribesyou?(youcancheckmorethanone)

SharingtheinsightsThankyouforyourparticipation.Ifyouwouldliketoreceiveanadvancecopyofthesummaryfindings,pleasegiveusyouremailaddress.Wewillnotusethisinformationtocontactyouforanyotherpurpose.

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