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Canada proudly embraces its diversity. We are, after all, a nation founded by immigrants, and one of the most multicultural countries in the world today. We recognize our Aboriginal history, we demand gender equality, and we accommodate the needs of others.
New Canadians, people with disabilities, Aboriginal peoples and women make up a large and growing portion of our workforce, and this growth shows no signs of slowing down in future. According to Statistics Canada, by 2031 one in three Canadians will belong to a visible minority, and one in four will be foreign-born. The Aboriginal population has also been on a steady upward trajectory, as well as the number of women in the workforce. And as the population ages, more and more of our workforce will identify as having a disability.
Whether or not we’re part of one of these groups, we all benefit from diversity being properly represented in Canada’s workplaces.
What is a diverse workplace?
“A diverse workplace, to me, is a workplace that is representative of its community,” says Lisa A. Kuiper, who works for Brock University’s Career Services.
In Canada, that means a workplace representative of its multiculturalism. We live in a country where:
• Over 20 percent of the population is foreign-born—more than any other G8 country, according to Statistics Canada.
• Diversity numbers are high in major cities,
such as Toronto, where almost half of residents are immigrants.
• Aboriginal peoples make up four percent of
the population.
• Half the population and half the workforce is female.
• 3.8 million adults report having a disability—over 13 percent of the population.
The benefits of representing all these groups in the workforce are numerous. For one, diversity can help companies think about their product or service in new ways, says Paulina Nozka, career consultant at Ryerson University.
“I think recognizing that we don’t all have the same perspectives, and ideally listening to these different perspectives, is what makes a diverse workplace work,” says Nozka. “When you have to consider different points of view, you will end
up with a better product or service that’s going
to better fit the needs of the population.”
Major Canadian employers such as RBC appear to support this notion as well. The financial institution has an entire diversity section on its website, which states in part: “RBC believes diversity and inclusion represent incredible business and economic potential. We know innovation and creativity is spurred by different perspectives. With demographic and population shifts, globalization, advances in technology and communications, diverse perspectives in common purpose have huge potential to drive innovation and growth for companies and economies around the world.”
Diversity policies like this embrace the benefits of a workforce that represents the full population of not just Canada, but the whole world. From the RBC website: “We believe for Canada to succeed in the global marketplace, attracting, employing and fully integrating immigrants in our workforce is imperative.”
Kuiper says that hiring people with disabilities
is beneficial to employers as well. “It makes good business sense to recruit and hire diverse workers,” she says.
She cites a federal government study, “Rethinking
DisAbility in the Private Sector,” that heard from senior business leaders who echoed her statement. The study states, “Although mainly intuitive, their beliefs are supported by the performance of corporate diversity leaders on the capital markets, as well as data on employee retention and productivity.”
About half of Canada’s disabled population are part of the workforce—a number that has increased despite the barriers that people with disabilities face.
Companies realize diversity matters
Employers are recognizing that a diverse workforce is beneficial to their company culture as well as their products and services. That’s why many major companies have strong diversification programs in place, and have made it a top priority.
RBC says that strong leadership is important for diversification efforts to take hold: “Proactive, visible and engaged leaders drive change. We believe an active group of diversity leaders will accelerate the achievement of our diversity goals through their direct actions, their own development and by inspiring others.”
Google has recently made efforts to strengthen diversity both in its own ranks and within the technology industry as a whole. The global tech giant made waves when it released information about its own workforce’s diversity, which is 70 percent male and 30 percent female, and also
61 percent white.
These imbalances are why Google establish a diversity program: “Google is committed to bringing together
people—in our workforce, our industry, and on the web—who have a broad range of attributes, experiences, and points of view. We believe our differences make us stronger, and produce better, more innovative work.”
Part of Google’s strategy to change these numbers is by taking an active role in education.
The company’s Senior Vice President of People Operations, Laszlo Bock, said in a blog post: “There are lots of reasons why technology companies like Google struggle to recruit and retain women and minorities. For example, women earn roughly 18 percent of all computer science degrees in the United States. Blacks and Hispanics each make up under 10 percent of U.S. college grads and each collect fewer than 10 percent of degrees in CS majors. So we’ve invested a lot of time and energy in education.”
Challenges diverse workers face
Although most people seem to agree that diverse workplaces are beneficial to all involved, that doesn’t mean diversity comes easily. There are barriers to overcome for both the employer and employee who is new to the work environment.
Kuiper and Nozka both say training is key to retaining diverse workers. The employer must take the extra time to engage these workers and help acclimatize them to the company and its culture, and employees must educate their employers on their background and abilities, and try to dispel myths, Kuiper says.
Nozka stresses the need for openness from both employer and employee, as well as coworkers: “Openness goes farther than anything else.”
Employers also must recognize that employees who come from different cultural backgrounds may have a tough time fitting into the workplace.
“The fact that it seems to be so informal in the workplace here, where bosses talk to their subordinates and there isn’t that distinction of ‘Mister,’ ‘Sir,’ or ‘Ma’am,’ ” Nozka says, can be a tough adjustment for employees that come from societies where the workplace is more formal and hierarchical. “And also that managers trust their workers to do their job well and often encourage them to work independently. There can be less of that ‘someone sitting over your shoulder watching you work.’ ”
Another example of a workplace culture shock in Canada would be the way we work in teams.
“Those coming from cultures that are more community- and group-oriented may find that teamwork here could be more challenging because Canadians tend to be more individualistic,” says Nozka. “People advocate on their own behalf here more than they’re used to, and a lot of [newcomers] aren’t comfortable with that.”
The way to fix this is by taking the time to train employees on the workplace’s culture and practices, she says. And employees can learn by paying attention to cues and body language, and listening closely to what people say.
People with disabilities also face certain barriers when entering the workplace, such as lack of accommodation and misconceptions from coworkers about their disability. Employers can help break these barriers by, again, taking the time to train the new employee, and by training their coworkers on how to work together.
Building a personal connection is important in the workplace, Nozka says. “No matter who you are or what your background is, when you look for the things you have in common with others, it becomes easier to work together and succeed,” she says.
While our cultural backgrounds, gender and abilities may be visible on the outside, we ultimately all have our own perspective.
“I think in the end every workplace is diverse, because diversity isn’t just culture, being from a different country. We all bring our own different perspectives into the workplace,” Nozka says. “They say even two kids raised by the same parents can look at the world completely differently. We all have our lens, based on our experiences and how we view the world.”for more info, check out avant career
New Canadians, people with disabilities, Aboriginal peoples and women make up a large and growing portion of our workforce, and this growth shows no signs of slowing down in future. According to Statistics Canada, by 2031 one in three Canadians will belong to a visible minority, and one in four will be foreign-born. The Aboriginal population has also been on a steady upward trajectory, as well as the number of women in the workforce. And as the population ages, more and more of our workforce will identify as having a disability.
Whether or not we’re part of one of these groups, we all benefit from diversity being properly represented in Canada’s workplaces.
What is a diverse workplace?
“A diverse workplace, to me, is a workplace that is representative of its community,” says Lisa A. Kuiper, who works for Brock University’s Career Services.
In Canada, that means a workplace representative of its multiculturalism. We live in a country where:
• Over 20 percent of the population is foreign-born—more than any other G8 country, according to Statistics Canada.
• Diversity numbers are high in major cities,
such as Toronto, where almost half of residents are immigrants.
• Aboriginal peoples make up four percent of
the population.
• Half the population and half the workforce is female.
• 3.8 million adults report having a disability—over 13 percent of the population.
The benefits of representing all these groups in the workforce are numerous. For one, diversity can help companies think about their product or service in new ways, says Paulina Nozka, career consultant at Ryerson University.
“I think recognizing that we don’t all have the same perspectives, and ideally listening to these different perspectives, is what makes a diverse workplace work,” says Nozka. “When you have to consider different points of view, you will end
up with a better product or service that’s going
to better fit the needs of the population.”
Major Canadian employers such as RBC appear to support this notion as well. The financial institution has an entire diversity section on its website, which states in part: “RBC believes diversity and inclusion represent incredible business and economic potential. We know innovation and creativity is spurred by different perspectives. With demographic and population shifts, globalization, advances in technology and communications, diverse perspectives in common purpose have huge potential to drive innovation and growth for companies and economies around the world.”
Diversity policies like this embrace the benefits of a workforce that represents the full population of not just Canada, but the whole world. From the RBC website: “We believe for Canada to succeed in the global marketplace, attracting, employing and fully integrating immigrants in our workforce is imperative.”
Kuiper says that hiring people with disabilities
is beneficial to employers as well. “It makes good business sense to recruit and hire diverse workers,” she says.
She cites a federal government study, “Rethinking
DisAbility in the Private Sector,” that heard from senior business leaders who echoed her statement. The study states, “Although mainly intuitive, their beliefs are supported by the performance of corporate diversity leaders on the capital markets, as well as data on employee retention and productivity.”
About half of Canada’s disabled population are part of the workforce—a number that has increased despite the barriers that people with disabilities face.
Companies realize diversity matters
Employers are recognizing that a diverse workforce is beneficial to their company culture as well as their products and services. That’s why many major companies have strong diversification programs in place, and have made it a top priority.
RBC says that strong leadership is important for diversification efforts to take hold: “Proactive, visible and engaged leaders drive change. We believe an active group of diversity leaders will accelerate the achievement of our diversity goals through their direct actions, their own development and by inspiring others.”
Google has recently made efforts to strengthen diversity both in its own ranks and within the technology industry as a whole. The global tech giant made waves when it released information about its own workforce’s diversity, which is 70 percent male and 30 percent female, and also
61 percent white.
These imbalances are why Google establish a diversity program: “Google is committed to bringing together
people—in our workforce, our industry, and on the web—who have a broad range of attributes, experiences, and points of view. We believe our differences make us stronger, and produce better, more innovative work.”
Part of Google’s strategy to change these numbers is by taking an active role in education.
The company’s Senior Vice President of People Operations, Laszlo Bock, said in a blog post: “There are lots of reasons why technology companies like Google struggle to recruit and retain women and minorities. For example, women earn roughly 18 percent of all computer science degrees in the United States. Blacks and Hispanics each make up under 10 percent of U.S. college grads and each collect fewer than 10 percent of degrees in CS majors. So we’ve invested a lot of time and energy in education.”
Challenges diverse workers face
Although most people seem to agree that diverse workplaces are beneficial to all involved, that doesn’t mean diversity comes easily. There are barriers to overcome for both the employer and employee who is new to the work environment.
Kuiper and Nozka both say training is key to retaining diverse workers. The employer must take the extra time to engage these workers and help acclimatize them to the company and its culture, and employees must educate their employers on their background and abilities, and try to dispel myths, Kuiper says.
Nozka stresses the need for openness from both employer and employee, as well as coworkers: “Openness goes farther than anything else.”
Employers also must recognize that employees who come from different cultural backgrounds may have a tough time fitting into the workplace.
“The fact that it seems to be so informal in the workplace here, where bosses talk to their subordinates and there isn’t that distinction of ‘Mister,’ ‘Sir,’ or ‘Ma’am,’ ” Nozka says, can be a tough adjustment for employees that come from societies where the workplace is more formal and hierarchical. “And also that managers trust their workers to do their job well and often encourage them to work independently. There can be less of that ‘someone sitting over your shoulder watching you work.’ ”
Another example of a workplace culture shock in Canada would be the way we work in teams.
“Those coming from cultures that are more community- and group-oriented may find that teamwork here could be more challenging because Canadians tend to be more individualistic,” says Nozka. “People advocate on their own behalf here more than they’re used to, and a lot of [newcomers] aren’t comfortable with that.”
The way to fix this is by taking the time to train employees on the workplace’s culture and practices, she says. And employees can learn by paying attention to cues and body language, and listening closely to what people say.
People with disabilities also face certain barriers when entering the workplace, such as lack of accommodation and misconceptions from coworkers about their disability. Employers can help break these barriers by, again, taking the time to train the new employee, and by training their coworkers on how to work together.
Building a personal connection is important in the workplace, Nozka says. “No matter who you are or what your background is, when you look for the things you have in common with others, it becomes easier to work together and succeed,” she says.
While our cultural backgrounds, gender and abilities may be visible on the outside, we ultimately all have our own perspective.
“I think in the end every workplace is diverse, because diversity isn’t just culture, being from a different country. We all bring our own different perspectives into the workplace,” Nozka says. “They say even two kids raised by the same parents can look at the world completely differently. We all have our lens, based on our experiences and how we view the world.”for more info, check out avant career
