Diversity in Canadian Workplaces: Past, Present and Future

The ever-quotable Anchorman gives a satirical inside look at the male-dominated workplace of the 1970s. The classic 2004 comedy is set in a fictional San Diego newsroom where egos run high and scotch flows freely. When the ambitious Veronica Corningstone takes her seat next to Ron Burgundy, the polyester-clad news anchor learns firsthand that “diversity” in not in fact defined as “an old, old wooden ship that was used during the Civil War era,” as he once believed. Pushing back against the rampant chauvinism of the time, Corningstone fights through her male co-workers’ constant sexist jokes and management’s reluctance to acknowledge her talent to eventually land a coveted network job. In reality, the 1970s was a big decade for recognizing workplace diversity in North America, as companies endeavored to align with new guidelines that were being introduced. In 1971, Canada became one of the first countries in the world to adopt a national multicultural policy, when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau officially recognized Canada as a multicultural country. Diversity then and now “Forty years ago, everyone began to talk about gender diversity. Now, when we look at where we are today, what we talk about when it comes to diversity in the workplace has really broadened. Companies are responsible to reflect what society looks like,” says Roxanne Hutchings, Inclusion and Diversity Lead for Accenture Canada. In 1977, the Canadian Human Rights Act was enacted, outlining 10 unacceptable grounds for discrimination: race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, marital status, family status, disability and conviction for an offense for which a pardon has been granted. But the creation of the Act alone was insufficient in dramatically altering the makeup of workplaces across the country. In 1987, the Employment Equity Act was enacted to create a systematic response to address discrimination. With it, the federal government set in place a framework for companies to ensure that all Canadians had the same access to the labour market. The Act legally requires employers to take action to ensure that they don’t merely open up job competitions to diverse applicants, but that they actively hire and train a diverse workforce. Today, companies with more than 500 people on staff may be audited to ensure that women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities are fully represented within their organizations. Having been part of Accenture for 25 years, Hutchings says she has seen the company’s workplace diversity practices expand and evolve. “When I first came in, the focus was on women and LGBT inclusion. Today, we’ve expanded our focus to inclusion of persons with disabilities, and the focus on mental health has increased. It’s changed and has become more talked about. We want to foster a safe and inclusive environment,” says Hutchings. Accenture was one of the first organizations to include an LGBT component in their inclusion and diversity policies, beginning in the 1990s, says Hutchings. Canada added sexual orientation to the list of prohibited grounds for discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act in 1996. Today, the different ways we look at diversity and inclusion have become more central to public discussion and are more visible in society. Thousands from the LGBT community and allies come out to march in Pride parades every year. Paralympic broadcast coverage continues to expand rapidly and viewership has increased by 32 percent in the four years between the Vancouver 2010 Games and Sochi 2014. And an Aboriginal urban music group, A Tribe Called Red, continues to sell out shows around the world, while provoking public dialogue about Aboriginal struggles for equality with their unique brand of “Electric Pow Wow.” However, for each remarkable success story, there is another story about past struggles and challenges ahead. The Canadian workplace is no longer homogenous, as women fill nearly half of jobs and visible minorities are highly represented. But women still earn less than men and minorities are not well-represented in key decision-making positions in Canadian organizations, according to the Canadian Conference Board. Members of the LGBT community continue to face persecution every day in our country and across the globe. Persons with disabilities struggle to be included and accommodated in the Canadian workplace, as less than half of the disabled workforce candidates become employed. Aboriginal people continue to feel the lasting impact of colonization and institutionalized inequality in their communities. They have seen little increase in representation in the workplace, and they continue to earn less than their non-Aboriginal counterparts—Aboriginal women in particular. Canada has a long road ahead towards having a fully inclusive society. The onus does not fall exclusively on politicians and legislators. Employers play a major role in influencing our national culture. Companies that lead Each year, Canada’s Top 100 Employers identifies companies across the country that demonstrate leadership in creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. Accenture and PricewaterhouseCoopers are among two firms that have been called Canada’s Best Diversity Employers. “Diversity is so important at Accenture. We take the widest possible view of inclusion and diversity. We go beyond race, gender, sexual orientation to create an environment that really affords a rich range of types of people and a diverse talent in the workforce,” says Hutchings. The multinational consulting company identifies five main areas of focus as part of a company-wide commitment to inclusion and diversity. These include cross-cultural training and understanding, ethnic diversity, LGBT diversity, persons with disabilities, and workplace equality for women. “We know that diversity is crucial to the fabric of who we are as a company, and it’s so important to attracting unique talent,” says Hutchings James Temple is the Corporate Responsibility Leader for PwC. He says that inclusion is a top priority, one that appears in every element of the business. “The diversity of our teams helps us bring unique experiences and perspectives to the table with our clients,” says Temple. Both PwC and Accenture see the diversity of their teams as a competitive business advantage. What both these firms have in common with other leading firms is that they view diversity as an ongoing journey. For these companies to continue to forge ahead, they must do much more than speak about diversity—they must actively foster it. Diversity and inclusion in the workplace In terms of recruitment, Accenture is always looking for new ways to expand its hiring network. The company recently reported that only one percent of their workforce is Aboriginal. To address this, the company has spearheaded a program to effectively recruit young Aboriginal people. They’re teaming up with the Government of Canada and Accosys Consulting, an Aboriginal-owned technology company, to recruit interns for year-long work placements and to later transition them into full-time employees. As they build a more diverse workforce, Accenture focuses on training to foster an inclusive environment. Operating out of many countries across the globe, Accenture sees first-hand the benefit of cross-cultural understanding. “Cross-cultural training is intended to increase awareness of how other cultures operate and how you as an individual operate, so that we can all learn to communicate better,” says Hutchings. On a grassroots level within the workplace, large companies will often create a framework for employees to create and join peer resource groups. PwC has developed Employee Resource Circles to bring people with shared values together, including “Women’s Up Front,” the Black Professionals Circle, Latin Connections, and GLEE (Gays, Lesbians and Everyone Else). “We support our employees in developing new internal and external relationships and encourage everyone to be involved, not just those who might identify with a particular interest area or group,” says Temple. The output of these groups is valuable to the company, says Temple: “We look to them to help us think through important inclusion-based issues impacting their communities and to help us devise new strategies to help us make a difference to the success of our people, communities and clients combined.” Overall, Temple says that the key to facilitating an ongoing transformation in the workplace is to create the right infrastructure to have every single person view themselves as an inclusion leader. “Change Management takes time, and developing a truly inclusive corporate culture will always adapt and transform as society and business progresses,” he says. Looking ahead By 2031, at least one in four Canadians will have been born outside Canada, predicts Statistics Canada. In that same year, it’s predicted that the majority of new hires will be from an immigrant talent pool. This means that businesses, clients, customers, partners and consumers will also be from many different countries and diverse backgrounds. Today in Canada, the white male continues to dominate the corporate boardroom. Even as a multicultural nation, we are just beginning its journey toward true equality for persons of all cultures, races, sexual identities, genders, abilities and religions. “There’s a lot left to do. We still need to focus on cross-cultural diversity. We will need to continue to raise awareness and capability focus going forward,” says Hutchings. Employers that embrace diversity in their hiring criteria would have, according to an RBC study, access to an additional 1.6 million Canadians to staff their organizations. These newly-employed Canadians would generate an estimated $174 billion in personal income. Companies that can successfully create inclusive environments will reap the rewards. “We must always think about inclusion as a journey and that milestones are just that: movements forward on a continuum of important diversity-based issues, but to know that the work is never done. We must never become complacent,” says Temple. CO