Diversity and Inclusion

Two timely pieces of research on the topic of measuring Diversity were released today from the Toronto Board of Trade and Ryerson University.

The first one, a discussion paper called Lifting All Boats: Promoting Social Cohesion and Economic Inclusion in the Toronto Region, by the Toronto Board of Trade, concludes that even though Toronto attracts the best international talent, the numbers continue to show that overall foreign-trained professionals in the region remain underemployed and their skills and experience untapped. The second study, A Snapshot of Diverse Leadership in the GTA, by DiverseCity (an initiative of the Toronto City Summit Alliance) and The Diversity Institute at Ryerson University, concludes that visible minority leadership in the GTA is in fact moving in the right direction, but change is happening at a slow rate.

The stats around the presence of diversity in the GTA are impressive. For instance, the GTA is one of the most diverse regions in the world with 44% of our residents born outside of Canada. Back in 2008 The Conference Board of Canada predicted that by 2011 Canada’s net labour force growth would be entirely dependent on immigration; with Toronto region leading the way in this respect. Well, since we’re now less than 7 months away from this prediction becoming a reality why are our numbers still lagging? As the DiverseCity research points out, there are organizational trailblazers and there are laggards in each sector.

After having attended this morning’s release event of the second DiverseCity Counts Report, it was inspiring and hopeful to see about 100 of the region’s top corporate, public and voluntary sector leaders in attendance to show their support on this issue. Dr. Eric Hoskins, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, spoke eloquently about the social and economic benefits of local bridging programs that welcome, prepare and integrate newcomers into the Canadian workforce. In the true sense of the word, the purpose of bridging programs is to create a bridge between a newcomer and a potential employer. Clearly, this is not a one sided equation. It takes lots of work as a newcomer to navigate through the job search process, not to mention honing language skills while understanding a new culture. From an employer perspective, there also has to be an existing organizational culture in place to welcome, prepare and integrate an internationally qualified individual into their organization. As Dr. Hoskins stressed, bridging programs really do work. He cited the Ontario Government’s leadership in hiring internationally trained individuals (ITI) through their ITI Internship program (operated by Career Edge Organization’s Career Bridge Paid Internship Program) as just one example of a successful bridging program that has launched the careers of hundreds of ITI’s while achieving a key goal of the Ontario Public Service which is to be an inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible organization.

Since measuring business results is not a new concept and the reality is that there is a strong business case for embracing social cohesion, economic inclusion and diverse leadership – let’s all commit to ensuring the diversity needle moves forward to ensure the future prosperity and competitiveness of the GTA.

This article is by Guest Blogger: Janice Rudkowski, Director, Marketing & Communications, Career Edge Organization

A couple of days ago I read that female executives in the federal public service are on the rise.

This prompted Maria Barrados, president of the Public Service Commission, to state that “given the representation of women, I think it’s fair to look at the act.” The act she is referring to, of course, is employment equity law.

The bureaucracy’s watchdog is saying that now is the time to consider whether women should still receive preferential treatment under the law, and many agree.

This prompted the National Post’s editorial board to write, “just hire the best person for the job” on their blog this morning, saying that while parliamentarians are reexamining policies around women, they should take the next step and repeal protections for the other three “favoured” groups – aboriginals, visible minorities and the disabled.

The article went on to say, “If a general mentality of prejudice in favour of men – i.e. a systemic discrimination – ever existed, it is long gone.”

Is it?

While women have made strides in Canadian government, they are still underrepresented in corporate Canada, particularly in executive roles and on boards.

Aboriginals, persons with disabilities and visible minorities continue to be underrepresented in all sectors.

Most importantly, while diversity can perhaps be measured in numbers, inclusion is a different story.

Equity laws should be looked at as training wheels for organizations it looks like the Federal Government is ready to have them removed, where hiring practices for women are concerned. But this should be done with caution and each of the protected groups deserves its own careful considering.

Anyone who remembers learning how to ride a bike knows that if the training wheels come off too soon, well, down we go!

What do you think? Tell us by leaving a comment below.

This year at the Vancourver 2010 Winter Olympics, Canada showed the world that we truly have a heart of gold – we topped the podium more than any other country ever. I’m not sure which I heard more of,  I Believe (CTV’s offical song of the Olympics) or O Canada. We should all know both by heart now.

Now, the celebrations continue in Vancouver as the coveted torch arrives again, this time for the 2010 Paralympic Games. The Paralympic Flame will once again be brought into BC Place for the Opening Ceremony this evening which will be broadcast live to Vancouver, and aired again by CTV tomorrow for the rest of Canada.

Here at Career Edge Organization, we have been promoting Abilities in our own way, by creating internship opportunities and launching the careers of graduates of Canadian high schools, colleges and universities with disabilities through our Ability Edge paid internship program.

Last week, Ability Edge participated in two excellent events at post-secondary institutions.

On March 3rd, we were at the University of Toronto Mississauga campus participating as panelists, alongside representatives from TD Bank Financial Group, PepsiCo, Ontario Public Service, National Education Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) and IBM – many of whom are Host Employers to our paid internship programs. In fact, RBC was recently awarded with the Ability Edge Program of the Year Award at our annual Achievement Awards.

The following day we were at George Brown College presenting at “Future Directions 2010,” which was a very well organized and well attended event aimed at connecting students who have disabilities with employers, advice and resources.

As the games carry on in Vancouver, we applaud the champion employers and partner organizations who carry the torch in their organizations!

We’ll be watching the games closely – be sure to check back for updates on the Opening Ceremonies,  Sledge Hockey and other major Paralympic events!

I’m noticing a trend: people are using the terms “diversity” and “inclusion” interchangeably.

Remember when the conversation was about “equality” and equal opportunities? Since the 1970s the topic of workplace equality gained the attention of organizations and 1984 saw the beginnings of Employment Equity in Canada.

But over the past two decades, many organizations ditched the “traditional” language of equal opportunities in their internal and external policy statements in favour of diversity. Whereas equality emphasized non-discriminatory practices in the workplace, diversity was about recognizing the benefits of bringing together the different skills, backgrounds and viewpoints that exist in society.

We’re talking about more than just semantics here. The language an organization uses is a reflection of its values, and something as simple as one word can signal meaningful changes in its policy orientation.

Today, the word “diversity” is sort of becoming like your favourite jeans from last season. They still fit but they’re not in style anymore, and everybody else has a pair.

Organizations that want to stand out and lead the pack are now adding “inclusion” to their diversity statements – among them corporate leaders like RBC, HP and AOL. This begs the question: What is the difference?

Diversity is, quite simply, the “mix.” It means a variety of different kinds of people are at your workplace, reflecting the range of cultures, ages and other variations that exist in the workforce. Inclusion is taking that diversity to the next level.

HP defines inclusion as “a work environment where everyone has an opportunity to fully participate in creating business success and where each person is valued for his or her distinctive skills, experiences and perspectives.”

A salad, for instance, is a great example of “inclusion.”

You can lay out a variety of vegetables on a plate with dressing on the side but that does not make it a salad. It’s just vegetable diversity. In an actual salad, the lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and dressings are all mixed together. This creates synergies where all the parts are working together and the result is far more delicious and impressive than the plate of vegetables you had to start with.

Diversity is the range of differences among the organization’s people – women, people with disabilities, visible minorities, immigrants, LGBT people, blondes, redheads, tall people, short people, sports fans, foodies – you get the picture.

Inclusion is a quality of the organization itself.

Career Edge Organization embraces this shift, recognizing that the best companies are those that have integrated diversity at all levels, creating an environment that supports and leverages their employees so they can reach their full potential.

Don’t get me wrong – a variety of vegetables is better than just a boring plate of carrots. But wouldn’t you rather eat a salad?