Friday, October 29, 2010

Why the reluctance?

Another study was issued this past week which reported that "FP 500 boardrooms are not reflective of the broader population of Canada".

Somewhat more alarmingly the study (by the Canadian Board Diversity Council) showed a big gap between how boards perceived their own diversity and the actual reality. For example, even though a good number of directors felt that diversity was very important the study reported that while 62% of company directors believe their boards are diverse only 15% of board members are women. These numbers simply don't add up!

It's hard to understand, when study after study proves that diversity has a positive bottom line impact, why diversity isn't being embraced more fully by Canadian corporations. Tellingly, the larger the company is the more likely they are to have a more diverse board and to have policies and strategies in place for increasing the diversity of their board.

The message seems pretty clear. Want to create a successful company? Make sure you have a diverse workforce, and when it comes to creating a diverse workforce you must start at the top.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Diversity Resources for Employers

There are many resources for employers looking to increase the diversity of their workforce but one can argue that there are so many that it can be overwhelming to know what services you actually need or who to actually speak to about it.

This is where the TalentOyster Partner Network comes in. Our partners range from settlement and training agencies to law firms and recruiting agencies and everything in between, the common element is that they are all groups and/or organizations who work with or help support the various diversity affiliate groups that TalentOyster reaches and that companies like yours may be interested in.

Here are a look at a few of our partners that provide services and/or information as resources for employers.

  • Settlement Agencies - Settlement agencies work directly with newcomers to Canada on skills and language assessment and when required Canadian workforce training, interview preparation and language training. These agencies also provide services in the areas like diversity and sensitivity training and recruiting/hiring for diversity for progressive companies interested in increasing their diversity. On TalentOyster these agencies, who support different geographic areas, include Skills for Change, The Newcomer Centre of Peel and COSTI immigrant services.
  • Business and Diversity Thought Leadership - There are a couple of companies who provide consulting and/or other services regarding recruiting, hiring and expanding your workforce through diversity. For example Head2Head is a TalentOyster partner who provides Canadian based organizations of all sizes with traditional and non-traditional recruiting services and consulting. Leadership Reframed provides consulting and additional services to companies looking to improve their leadership and mentoring capabilities, especially when it comes to recruiting young people, including recent graduates into their workforce.
  • Information, News and Topical Issues - Diversity in the workplace is Canada's only, online publication dedicated to diversity in the workplace. Each month their newsletter features relevant news and information about diversity in the workplace as well as ideas, tips and suggestions from industry leaders. It's a great way to stay on top of the latest trends and topics when it comes to diverse workforces in Canada.

There are other partners that you can find on our site but these are the ones who tend to be most employer facing. If you know of another great employer resource that we haven't mentioned here be sure to leave a comment and let us know.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Newcomers and unemployment

The Community Foundations of Canada recently reported that unemployment levels among university educated newcomers to Canada are four times higher than the national average. It's a pretty damning statistic.

Let's face it by itself the idea that new immigrants would have more trouble finding work isn't too surprising. Work experience is so vital in choosing the right candidate after all. But these are university graduates! And four times is quite a disparity at that level.

What this stat suggests more than anything is that many companies are not in fact hiring the best candidates for a job, but the ones that are the easiest to hire. Just like stopping for a drive through burger instead of making a sandwich, sometimes doing the quick and easy thing just seems okay but for your long term health it's simply a recipe for disaster. Sometimes when your hiring process includes a healthy serving of diversity it can take longer to complete, but the results are worth it.

Hiring someone based on the work they can actually do for you rather than just the fact that someone felt the name on the resume was more "familiar" is just a smart thing to do. Statistics though say that many companies simply aren't doing it.

Friday, October 22, 2010

The TalentOyster Newsletter : Are you a subscriber?

The TalentOyster Newsletter is a weekly email newsletter that speaks to job seekers and progressive employers alike. Each week there are two or three short articles on a number of subjects, some geared towards job seekers and some employers.

If as an employer you are interested in having some appropriate content featured in our newsletter please contact us at support@talentoyster.com with your ideas and we will be happy to discuss them. Content that shows real-world insight into diversity hiring practices helps us provide value to our candidate users and newsletter subscribers.

If you aren't already getting the newsletter you can subscribe here.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Why you really should be committing to diversity

The biggest mistake companies can make when trying to diversify their workforce is to treat it as a passing fad. Diversity in the workplace isn't a passing fad, but a real long-term solution for talent sourcing in Canada.

Statistics Canada and the Conference Board of Canada predict that by 2015 there will be 350,000 more jobs than workers in Canada. The problem is even worse when you look at skilled workers or candidates with specific experience.

And don't expect simply to flip a switch in 2015 and suddenly become a workplace that's enticing to diverse candidates. Like any organizational culture change success won't come overnight. Creating a more diversified workforce means creating a company culture that embraces diversity and that takes time, energy, and commitment from the top down.

Real success in diversification can only come from taking a longer, strategic view. Don't create a six-month "quick fix" plan to diversify your workforce. Develop a multi-year integrated strategy that allows you to learn from mistakes and build on your successes.

What elements should your plan consider? Here are some ideas to get you started.

  • Improve the diversity readiness of your organization. The reality is that many people don't work well with "different" or the "other". There are many diversity agencies who offer assessment and training of your current workforce to educate and promote ideas of acceptance and the importance of a diverse workforce. Knowing that your current team will be welcoming to a diverse workforce is a critical first step.
  • Make sure you get your employment brand in front of everyone
  • Define and measure success. Like any people strategy your diversification strategy should have objective goals which can and are measured so you know you're on the right track.

These aren't all the steps you'll need to take but they are a start. Remember if you aren't committed to diversity then you won't be effective at making your workforce diverse. And if you're not diverse then you simply won't be hiring the best talent, or soon enough any talent at all.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

GM's Approach to Workplace Diversity

Late last month as part of its 11th Annual Automotive Summit the Rainbow PUSH Coalition presented a Trailblazer award to Kevin Williams, President and Managing Director of GM Canada for innovation, leadership and commitment to workplace diversity.

GM's extensive diversity strategy includes communicating with over 5 million diverse Canadians through Diversity Media Services (a sister division of TalentOyster) partner publishing network and thus Doreen Iannuzzi, blogger and new media person for Diversity Media Services had a chance to interview Mr Williams on GMs diversity strategies and initiatives. Topics covered include how GM defines diversity, the need for commitment to diversity initiatives and some specific examples of how GM is working to increase inclusiveness in their company.

To read the interview please visit http://diversitymediaservices.com/blog/2010/gms-approach-to-workplace-diversity/ and and be sure to leave a comment to let us know what you think about how GM defines workplace diversity and the initiatives they are taking to create an inclusive work environment.

Welcome to the Diversity Employment Blog

Hello and welcome to the diversity employment blog, brought to you by the fine folks at TalentOyster, the leading diversity job board in Canada. In this blog we will look at trends, issues and innovations when it comes to diversity employment in Canada. This blog is open to anyone to read of course but the intended audience is companies, HR staff, recruiters and hiring managers who are interested in diversity employment issues.

What does "diversity employment" actually mean? Well, in Canada it means companies who successfully hire from the widest possible sourcing pool. This pool includes visible minorities, new immigrants, aboriginals, women, persons with disabilities and GLBT and it's rare to find organizations, even progressive ones, who speak to all these groups successfully.

The "success" in hiring part is also (somewhat obviously) important but it can be at times overlooked. Finding diverse candidates is one thing, being able to successfully integrate them into your workforce though is something else again. One of the issues we'll be touching on in this blog as a regular issue is how do you really make an inclusive work environment open to everyone?

So, again welcome and please browse through some of our posts and tell us what you think.