Are you a champion of Immigrant Employment? If you answer yes, apply or submit a nomination for a TRIEC Immigrant Success Award, sponsored by RBC.
Nominations are now open for the TRIEC IS Award: RBC Champions of Immigrant Success. Up to four winners will be selected for: 1) their extraordinary leadership in immigrant employment; 2) the positive impact of their work on both skilled immigrants in the GTA and their own or other businesses; and 3) the sustainability of their initiative(s).
Having been recognized as one of the country’s Best Diversity Employers in 2012 and Best Employers for New Canadians in 2013, it is obvious that Deloitte takes its talent seriously. Whether it’s developing women in business or welcoming newcomers into the Canadian workforce, Deloitte has maintained a steadfast commitment to promoting a diverse and inclusive environment.
In recent years, Deloitte has launched a number of initiatives to integrate people with disabilities into the workplace. “We are always looking for top talent at Deloitte and hiring people with disabilities is an area that we need to continue to focus on,” says Sarah Boon, Senior Manager of Talent Advisory at Deloitte. “As a business we are finding that this is really an untapped talent market.”
In her experience of hiring through Career Edge Organization’s Ability Edge program, Boon has realized the business case for hiring recent grads with disabilities, noting a few key benefits:
Reflecting the marketplace
“Deloitte is the largest professional services firm in Canada. We want to be reflective of the diverse communities in which we live and work. There is a positive impact on morale and team spirit as our workforce becomes even more reflective of our communities.”
Innovative problem-solving
“Our clients expect our teams to be high performing with diverse perspectives, and the global economy requires a broad set of skills and increased innovation to serve the global marketplace. Greater diversity at work means that a wide variety of perspectives are utilized when solving problems.”
Competitive advantage
“We prefer to focus on their abilities; we hire people with the right competencies, diverse skill sets, and talents that will enable them to excel in the job. Having diverse people and an inclusive workplace that supports them gives us a competitive advantage.”
But connecting with the right talent isn’t always easy. Boon explains that it is Deloitte’s goal to be recognized internally and externally as a leader in diversity, and to effectively leverage partnerships in the business community to support this initiative. “If Deloitte wants to remain in a leadership position in Canada, we need to seek out the best talent and be innovative with our hiring practices. We can’t do this alone, so our relationship with Career Edge is very important.”
Businesses aren’t the only ones to benefit from partnerships that serve as a catalyst between employers and diverse talent. Candidates that face employment barriers are given the opportunity to get a foot in the door at leading organizations, allowing them to jump-start their career shortly after graduation.
“I registered and someone from Career Edge emailed me out of the blue, notifying me about this opportunity at Deloitte and that my resume was a good fit,” said Alexander Bergen, a current Ability Edge program intern in Deloitte’s Marketplace Services and Digital Marketing department.
In partnership with Career Edge, Deloitte is making a significant impact on reducing barriers to employment faced by recent grads – particularly those with disabilities – looking to gain meaningful work experience that is consistent with their education and career aspirations.
“This internship allowed me to gain valuable marketing experience with one of Canada’s leading professional services firms. Deloitte is a really strong brand and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”
RBC Royal Bank has further enhanced its partnership with Career Edge Organization by developing the RBC Career Bridge Associate Host Program. This unique program is designed to support RBC’s small and medium-sized GTA-based business clients in connecting with high-potential, internationally qualified candidates to fit their employment needs.
Internships seem to be a perennial “hot topic,” resurfacing every fall in conjunction with “back-to-school” time. Prompted by growing youth unemployment in Canada and increasing controversy about unpaid internships around the globe, the topic was featured on a recent episode of CBC Radio’s “The Sunday Edition” with Michael Enright.
Click here to listen to the program
Click here to go directly to the “4 Keys to a Successful Internship”
In Canada, the democratic process is protected not just as a right but as an opportunity that employers must accommodate. This comprehensive guide explains everything Canadian employers and employees need to know about voting rights in the workplace, regardless of employment status or election cycle.
The Canada Elections Act guarantees that eligible voters must have three consecutive hours available to vote during polling hours. If your work schedule doesn’t allow for these three consecutive hours, your employer is legally required to provide time off.
| Province | Specific Requirements | Notable Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Elections | 3 consecutive hours | Applies nationwide |
| Ontario | 3 consecutive hours | Consistent with federal requirements |
| Quebec | 4 consecutive hours | More generous than the federal standard |
| British Columbia | 4 consecutive hours | More generous than the federal standard |
| Alberta | 3 consecutive hours | Consistent with federal requirements |
Employers cannot deduct pay or impose penalties for time off granted for voting. This applies to all employees, including:
Can employers encourage employees to vote?
Absolutely! While employers should not tell employees who to vote for, it is good to encourage employees to exercise their right to vote. But remember to stay completely neutral in your messaging. Even if a particular political party is favourable to your organization, it is not right for an employer to use their authority to impose their political beliefs on employees.
Employers must:
While many working Canadians are familiar with voting and the election process, it can be a bit of a mystery to many, especially youth who are first-time voters or people who are new to the Canadian workforce.
For immigrants who are Canadian citizens, this upcoming election may be the first opportunity they will have to vote in Canada. These employees might come from societies where voters’ rights are not recognized in the same way as they are in Canada, or they may be unfamiliar with our system. Recent graduates may be familiar with voting, but less familiar with the rules of the workplace.
If your organization has people who are new to the Canadian workplace and may be voting for the first time, ensure they understand their rights under the Canada Elections Act and know where to access information about where and how to vote. Click here for more tips for first-time voters
Employees should:
This is one of the most common questions. The answer is yes. And no.
According to the Canada Elections Act:
“Every voter is entitled to have three consecutive hours in which to vote. Employers whose employees have three consecutive hours of their own time available during polling hours need not allow additional time for voting. If, however, an employee does not have this time available, it is stressed that the amount of time required:
In other words, if polling stations are open until 8:30 p.m. and your employee finishes work at 5:30 p.m., then he or she would have 3 hours to vote during their own time. But if they face a one-hour commute home to their polling station after work, then they are left with two hours to vote—meaning the employee may request to leave an hour early.
For persons with disabilities, accessing polling stations might be more challenging if there are barriers along the way. For this reason, they may require additional time to get to and from polling stations. It’s important to let people with disabilities know that there are now three ways to vote: by special ballot, at an advance poll, or on polling day. The special ballot allows Canadians to vote by mail or in person at the office of their returning officer. By law, polling stations must have level access, and in the rare cases where they do not, transfer certificates are available so that electors with disabilities can use a different polling station that is accessible to them. Click here for more information about Persons with Disabilities and Canada’s Electoral Systems
Beyond election day voting, Canadians can also:
Several vital cases have reinforced workplace voting rights:
Q: Can I ask employees to use vacation time to vote?
A: No, voting time is a separate legal entitlement.
Q: Do I need to provide time off if the employee could vote during advance polls?
A: Yes, the right applies to election day regardless of advance polling options.
Q: What documentation should I keep regarding voting time accommodations?
A: Record requests, approved schedule adjustments, and any relevant communications.
Q: Can my employer decide when I take time off to vote?
A: Yes, the time off is granted at the employer’s convenience, but they must ensure you have the required consecutive hours.
Q: What if I work multiple part-time jobs?
A: Each employer has an independent obligation to provide time off if needed.
Q: What should I do if my employer refuses time off to vote?
A: Document the refusal and contact Elections Canada or your provincial electoral body.
* Updates and Amendments: This guide is regularly updated to reflect the most current legislation. Last reviewed: May 2025
The Maytree Foundation’s blog, “Maytree Conversations,” posted an article by Shannon Klie, Writer and Content Developer, hireimmigrants.ca, ALLIES, entitled “Internships: Low risk, big return,” highlighting innovative programs for bringing qualified international talent to the workplace.
Career Edge Organization’s paid internship program was cited as “a novel approach” for businesses to test out potential candidates for fit and expertise.
The Regional Municipality of Halton has addressed this concern by centralizing the cost of internships. Individual departments don’t bear the cost of an intern, providing further incentive for managers to bring in skilled immigrant interns.
Because the Region partners with Career Bridge, managers have access to many pre-screened, professional new immigrants to fill intern spots. That’s a win-win. And, employers are increasingly recognizing the power of internships, according to an analysis of organizations shortlisted to the Best Employers for New Canadians competition in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Click here to read the full article
Read Next: What makes an internship a success? 4 things employers should know
From the July, 2010 Issue of CareerBulletin
In a competitive job market where candidates tout more credentials and technical skills than ever, fit is increasingly becoming the differentiator.
What is organizational fit? It means that above and beyond being “qualified” for the job, the employee’s goals, values and preferences are aligned with those of the organization. It means there is working chemistry between the employee and his or her team, and that coming to work every day is a pleasure and not a drag.
Here are a few things employers can do to ensure they are attracting, hiring and retaining the right people for their organizational culture.
Career Edge Organization has connected thousands of prospective interns with host employers for over a decade. I am delighted to be one of these fortunate job seekers to land a role that has allowed me to make leaps and bounds in my professional development after only a few months.
What constitutes a successful internship?
In contrast to my fellow 500-odd interns currently filling positions at host organizations across Canada, I believe I have a unique perspective by working with an intern’s success story from my role at Career Edge Organization itself. In my role as Project Coordinator and Sales Support Assistant, I interact with interns enrolled within the three different internship programs and at all levels of participation. I assist initial job seekers with the registration process and the completion of their internship documents prior to their start date. I provide them with resources throughout their internship and continue communication once they have achieved alumni status.
Considering the extensive amount of Career Edge internships I witness on a habitual basis, I have been able to make a fair assessment of what an intern requires from their employer to succeed in their role, all while growing professionally toward the objective of a rewarding and progressive career.
Checking references is a critical part of the hiring process. At the very least, it is a basic form of risk management that allows employers the peace of mind of knowing they did their due diligence.
Reference checks can also act as a tie-breaker for an indecisive hiring manager, when two or more candidates are a qualified fit for the role and organization.
As employers, we know the importance and value of checking a candidate’s references and so when we’re called upon to give a reference, we know the stakes.
Today’s Globe and Mail features an article by Wency Leung warning employers about some of the potential consequences of giving a bad reference.
These risks can include lawsuits for defamation and privacy or human rights complaints.
In extreme cases dealing with issues like theft, fraud or workplace harassment, it’s understandable that an individual may want to warn an organization against a potential liability.
In fact, I would ask employment lawyers this: is their legal risk involved in not disclosing full details about a former employee? In other words, if you did not warn a company about hiring someone who committed fraud or is a potential danger to the workplace, can you be held legally responsible? This would make for a great discussion some other time but, I digress…
Outliers aside, it’s important to consider that employees who did not excel in one organization may still go on to shine in others.
The Globe and Mail article touches on this:
“…more often than not, friction between employees and their bosses are a result of a bad fit.”
You might recall that our recent quarterly e-Newsletter featured several articles on the topic of person-organization fit. This is because fit is our specialty.
We know from research that one’s fit with an organization impacts their productivity, engagement, satisfaction and retention.
This is important to keep in mind when either giving or receiving a not-so-glowing reference. Before bad-mouthing the former worker, consider whether you think the issues are inherent within the individual or if the negative experience might have just been a result of the situation.
When checking references, employers will often ask, “would you hire this individual again?” This is a safe opportunity to get your point across without splurging on details or venturing into the murky grey area between facts and opinions.
But then keep in mind the impact that answering no, or saying do not hire, may have on the individual. Even if you don’t provide any reasons or details, the employer will then likely be less-than-enthusiastic to hire the individual.
So take “fit” into consideration – the individual may be a real asset to another organization. Think of your own credibility as well. If a former employee succeeds and climbs the ranks in another organization while you were slighting them, you risk appearing unreliable.
Play it safe when giving references – make sure you are well informed of your organization’s policies and practices around it and of course, it doesn’t hurt to know the legal ramifications as well.
I just stumbled upon a great article written for Bloomberg Businessweek by Frank Kern, senior vice-president of IBM Global Business Services.
IBM’s Institute for Business Value conducted a survey of 1,500 C-level execs to answer the question, “What do chief executive officers really want?”
Apparently, executives want creativity.
IBM put creativity at the top of the list of leadership qualities desired by organization leaders. The surprising results represent a significant paradigm shift. Creativity is seldom cited as one of the key traits of leaders. More common leadership traits, as Kern says, include “operational effectiveness, influence, or even dedication.”
According to the article (click here to read it), the study’s other key finding was that “global complexity” is emerging front and centre among issues faced by today’s enterprise leaders, so it’s easy to see why creativity is a trait held in high regard.
Kern goes on to say that creative leaders disrupt the status quo, challenge existing business models and make decisions quickly, avoiding “organizational paralysis.”
Creativity – once viewed as a nice-to-have-but-not-necessary trait, often over looked in intelligence testing – is becoming the most sought-after trait in corner offices everywhere.
This begs the question – how do employers test for creativity?
Many organizations require job applicants to write tests throughout the recruitment process but often these tests are designed to assess competency in the “3 R’s” (reading, writing and arithmetic) or software.
Behaviour-based interviewing can reveal a lot about one’s creativity if candidates provide examples that demonstrate their outside-the-box thinking to solve problems and address workplace challenges. But often, the opportunity to truly demonstrate one’s creativity is neither presented nor encouraged in the interview process.
A classic test of creativity often cited in university Psych courses is “Guilford’s Alternative Uses Task” dating back to 1967. Examinees are asked to list as many possible uses for a common item such as a brick, paperclip, string, etc.
Maybe one day, in the near future, this will be a standard test in interviews and leadership exercises – who knows?
