Diversity and Inclusion the First Step of Many
Diversity and Inclusion the First Step of Many
How Diverse Workforces Don’t End With Hiring
As we continue to teeter along the precipice of massive social and political change, and in an effort to better reflect the general populous – more and more companies and sectors are taking the necessary and much needed steps to increase diversity and inclusion in their workplaces.
To get directly to the point: Diversity in the workplace is a key to successful businesses. Not only does diversifying a workforce better reflect society and indicate a level of corporate sensitivity towards a customer and consumer base, but it also makes for a better business practice overall. By opening a workforce to a variety of different racial backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, abilities, behaviours and beliefs, workplaces are also opening themselves up for a diversity in thought, perspective, and collaborative problem-solving skillsets. They further open themselves to customer connection, employee motivation, quality improvement and more rounded training practices.
What is important to remember when working to further diversify a workplace is that there is no sure-fire single way to tackle it. Though it may seem like a good start, diversity and inclusion does not stop once the hiring process has been adjusted and after the hire has been made. The act of promoting diversity in the workplace is not the same as executing it successfully. It is more than tokenism, more than a quota to be filled or “boxes to be checked”, and more than a passing trend. Quite simply: diversity and inclusion is not something that needs to be continuously debated – it is an opportunity that needs to be put into action and actively tackled.
The act of inclusion is a long-term dedication to evolving alongside necessary changes in the hiring process. It is the willingness not only to diversify the initial candidate hiring pool, but to create a workplace that is wholly inclusive for a variety of different employees, with strategies to retain said employees and dismantle and rebuild old business mindsets and structures. It is the inclusion of diversity not only in the employee pool, but amidst executives, CEOs, leaders and boards. It is the day-to-day effort to create a healthy, accepting environment for employees and working constantly to eliminate unconscious bias, lumping individuals into categories, and workplace harassment.
In order to encourage and retain diverse hires, businesses must be willing to change and adapt, not only in how they search for said individuals, but in how they organize the workplace overall. This can come in a variety of different forms, including training, the formation of diversity boards, and providing more accommodations. For example, our current situation has demonstrated that remote work is not only achievable, but dynamic and flexible in its results. By continuing to offer the option of remote work even after we begin to re-adapt to a post-COVID world, businesses will be opening further options for accommodation, increasing their hiring pools and giving chances to good employees who may not have otherwise been considered.
Like anything else, businesses should be reflections of society they are in – colourful, diverse and dynamic. The act of diversifying workplaces is not easy, but it is reasonable to say that, now more than ever, it is fundamental.
What’s Next ? The Workplace of the Future
What’s Next ? The Workplace of the Future
Just recently, I was mesmerized by a photo of a café in Paris. People were spilling out onto the sidewalks – holding hands, laughing, smiling. Life appearing normal again. It made me think wistfully of what the future will look like as Canada reopens.
That’s the question our partners posed to clients in virtual coffee sessions we’ve held over the last few months. We asked leaders how they saw workplaces coming back to life. As we compared notes, three major themes emerged that we wanted to share with you as we prepare our workplaces to re-open.
Change with the Change
I’ll bet you thought the burning issue would be workplace transition. It was up there, but ranked second. The first theme was the most powerful – leaders are recognizing our values have shifted and are considering how these changes will affect everything from retaining employees to culture and productivity.
We heard from leaders the value of protecting families will be long lasting. Concentrating on mental well-being will also be a primary focus. Smart organizations are preparing for what is being called “total burn-out”; a condition affecting employees’ physical, mental and financial security.
And just recently we heard about how pandemic worries have been engulfed by the response to the murder of George Floyd. Preparing thoughtful and collaborative corporate responses to these seismic shifts, signals your organization, recognizing that we live in a changed world.
Work you can undertake to calibrate your organization are to revisit your vision, mission and values. Facilitate open conversations to clarify your organization’s position; don’t’ just talk about it, but demonstrate equity by engaging as many diverse voices as possible. Set timelines to ensure timely responses; wait too long and it will reflect poorly.
What we saw in our clients was that drawing strength from the guiding principles of humanity and humility went a long way to helping employees feel secure, respected and welcome when they return.
Help Employees Connect
A second theme leaders felt essential was frequent return to work communications coupled with the importance of broadcasting support for pandemic efforts.
When it comes to workplace transition, the second theme, leaders underscored consistent and frequent return to work communications were essential. In the next breath, they spoke about the importance of broadcasting support for pandemic efforts.
The work of Linda Hasenfratz, CEO of Linamar, was cited as a glowing example. Linda helped scale up production of ventilators, used the trucking division to help food banks and harnessed supply chains to provide much needed PPE (personal protective equipment) to front line workers. These are the proud stories employees and customers will remember long after the pandemic has ended.
It’s vital to concentrate on internal communications. One idea is to plan water cooler events during weekly huddles by opening video calls 15 minutes before and keeping them open 15 minutes after. These opportunities, as well as setting up special instant messaging help employees stay connected.
Intriguing Decisions Await – But not for the Faint of Heart
A third theme centred on making balanced strategic decisions in five areas.
- Trade-offs between technology investments and the other two biggest financial commitments – employees and rent
- Redesign of organizational footprints and structures, reimagining workflow and compensation
- The need for open, flexible and agile thinking to parse out ever-moving compliance targets
- Reimaging strategy when rule books have been thrown out of the window
- Pushing the pause button before re-introducing cumbersome practices that slowed down organizational decision-making and innovation
As you prepare your re-opening and re-boarding plans, size up and audit everything that’s been touched by the pandemic. Don’t be surprised when practices that evolved during the pandemic work better than older methods. If you haven’t already, engage diverse enterprise wide teams to give you the straight goods on what could and should change. Embrace the “3S” mantra: streamline, shortcut and sustain. If there ever was a time for evidence-based decision making, this is it.
WEBINAR
To help you navigate over the next few months, the Phelps team has assembled an expert panel who will be sharing their perspectives on what the future of work will look like. From a digital perspective we will be welcoming Rashmi Swarup, VP Digital Learning, TVO and Simon Chan, VP Talent Academy and Future of Work at Communitech. Weighing with a human resources lens, they will be joined by: Carrie Pond, CHRO, Trillium Health Partners; Kurt Webster, Director of Human Resources, Scepter; and, Mary Madigan Lee, whose broad experience crosses the health, retail and financial sectors.
So get the coffee pot on, and be sure to join us for an insightful Zoom conversation on June 25 at 10:00 a.m. for “What’s Next?: The workplace of the future”.
Coffee Chat with Lawrence Eta, CCO – City of Toronto
Coffee Chat with Lawrence Eta, CCO – City of Toronto
A conversation between Lawrence Eta, Chief Technology Officer of City of Toronto and Jayson Phelps, Partner of Phelps.
On this video, we explore the pre, during and post-pandemic scenarios of the City of Toronto with the questions:
- What was the City of Toronto’s digital capacity pre COVID-19, compared to where you are today?
- Have you had to adjust your approach as a leader to still be able to provide support to your team virtually?
- What might be different coming out of COVID-19?
Join our conversation with a member of the Senior Leadership team of City of Toronto to gain valuable insights transferrables to your sector.
To view this interview, visit: https://bit.ly/CCLawEta
Phelps Is Here for You – Whatever It Takes
Phelps Is Here for You – Whatever It Takes
Today we find ourselves in a place few could imagine. Prepared as our organizations are, the magnitude of the COVID 19 virus is in a category of its own. Phelps is here to support you through these unprecedented times. Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of our community, including our employees, clients, candidates and their families.
The Phelps team will do whatever it takes to help your organization respond to human capital needs as they arise. Phelps will remain open serving clients throughout the COVID 19 period. Should additional social distancing regulations be put in place, our entire team will continue to work virtually and remotely, to provide you with uninterrupted Executive Search and Leadership Advisory services.
At this time of rapidly changing conditions, we have identified 5 key pivot points in which you may need support. In consultation with our International Partners, Panorama, we have refined human capital best practices to next practices that will sustain your organization through COVID 19.
- Accelerated leadership and human capital strategic planning have been designed to ensure you are prepared to lead in times of high-pressure.
- Interim solutions at your fingertips. We have a rich network of seasoned executives, managers and professionals who are able to work with you at a moment’s notice.
- Career Transition processes have been accelerated to support difficult staffing decisions in the days ahead.
- Coaching individual talent and teams to rise to the occasion during times of crisis harnesses and aligns everyone’s talent, creativity and innovation.
- Advisory services for Boards and CEO/C-suite to provide experienced consulting during crisis-management and crucial decision-making moments.This is the time you will be asking extraordinary things from your team and colleagues; and there’s no doubt, unanticipated things will be asked of you. Accelerating performance, mastering a steely-eyed focus and pivoting with every turn in this pandemic is what will ensure your organization emerges wiser, stronger and ever more agile.
As we care for the vulnerable, treasure our front-line health workers and those who are combatting the virus, we’re as determined as you are to pour every ounce of energy, resources, and ingenuity to flatten the curve. Together, we will overcome this moment.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out.