improving diversity, equality and inclusion february 2012

Improving diversity, equality & inclusion

by Toronto Training and HR

February 2012

Contents3-4 Introduction to Toronto Training and HR5-6 Definitions7-9 Benefits from diversity and inclusion10-12 Male and female leadership styles13-17 Encouraging a better gender balance18-20 Older employees21-30 Ageism31-40 Improving the inclusion of LGBT employees41-47 Considerations around transgender48-57 Hiring immigrants58-60 Workplace behaviour61-65 Diversity and inclusion strategies66-70 Getting top management on board71-72 Leading change to progress diversity73-74 Effective diversity and inclusion communications75-76 Business rationales for initiatives77-79 Measures to promote and monitor80-82 Questions to ask interviewers83-85 Observations about management and evaluation86-88 Training89-91 Design of a diversity and inclusion initiative92-94 Must-haves of an effective program95-100 Case studies101-102 Conclusion and questions

Introduction

Introduction to Toronto Training and HR

• Toronto Training and HR is a specialist training and human resources consultancy headed by Timothy Holden

• 10 years in banking• 10 years in training and human resources• Freelance practitioner since 2006• The core services provided by Toronto Training and HR

are:- Training event design- Training event delivery- Reducing costs- Saving time- Improving employee engagement &

morale- Services for job seekers

Definitions

DefinitionsWhat is diversity?What is inclusion?

Benefits from diversity and inclusion

Benefits from diversity and inclusion 1 of 2

Reducing the potential for backlash impact as associated with affirmative actionMeeting diverse customer demands more effectivelyImproving understanding and ability to succeed in the complex globalization of markets

Benefits from diversity and inclusion 2 of 2

Delivery of the psychological contract, improved employee relations and reduced labour turnoverImprovements in the quality and performance of the internal workforce in terms of skills, creativity, problem solving and flexibility

Male and female leadership styles

Male and female leadership styles 1 of 2

TYPICALLY MALETask-orientedAutocraticCommand-and-controlPunishment-oriented

Male and female leadership styles 2 of 2

TYPICALLY FEMALETeam playersDemocraticTransformationalReward-oriented

Encouraging a better gender balance

Encouraging a better gender balance 1 of 4

Demand targets for recruiting women to managementManagerial and leadership shortlists must include women candidatesMonitor to ensure women are getting their fair share of opportunitiesAsk women in senior management to mentor younger colleaguesSet up and publicize a women’s network


Set up and publicize a women’s networkCreate women role models within the companyOffer family friendly workplace policies including flexible working hours and career flexibilityPromote on merit, but discriminate positively when candidates are equally qualifiedProvide opportunities for development


Identify what is ‘unique about your organization’ that would be of interest to potential women job applicantsPublicize positive results of employee surveys, flexible working conditions, and commitment to training and developmentEnsure appraisal systems are gender neutral and performance focused


Offer personalized career paths to retain the best talentEnsure performance evaluation systems neutralize the impact of parental leave and flexible working arrangementsEncourage gender diversity indicators in executive performance reviews

Older employees

Older employees 1 of 2

Should older employees be allowed to request to work flexibly? This might help to meet the needs of both the employer and the employeeWhat role do older employees want to play in the organization? Would an employee like to continue working, but in a less senior role? Can an older employee work effectively as a mentor to younger and less experienced colleagues?

Older employees 2 of 2

Performance management systems should be in place and properly applied-as with all employees, if there are concerns about capability or performance these should be addressed

Ageism

Ageism 1 of 9

What is age discrimination?IT CAN:affect anybody regardless of how old they areadversely affect employment opportunities, especially those of older people and younger peopleresult in failure to consider skills-based abilities, potential and experience in the workplace

Ageism 2 of 9

result in significant legal costs, compensation, and settlements paid to avoid defending expensive discrimination claims

Ageism 3 of 9DIRECT DISCRIMINATIONThis applies to all protected characteristics. It is treating someone less favourably than another person because of a protected characteristic that they have. For example, it is promoting someone because they are of a specific age, regardless of their ability or experience. Direct age discrimination can potentially be objectively justified in the same way as indirect age discrimination.

Ageism 4 of 9INDIRECT DISCRIMINATIONIndirect discrimination occurs when:a provision, criterion or practice is applied to all. and:it puts a group with a protected characteristic at a disadvantage when compared with another groupan individual is put at a disadvantagethe employer cannot show it to be a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim

Ageism 5 of 9

OTHER TERMSAssociative discriminationPerceptive discriminationVictimizationHarassment

Ageism 6 of 9

AREAS TO CONSIDERRecruitment and selectionMedical adviceRewardTraining and developmentPromotionEmployee retentionLayoffs

Ageism 7 of 9ACTION PLAN-REVIEWImplement a policy on age, tackling age discrimination as part of an approach to diversity and inclusionUse only objective job criteria essential for satisfactory performance and ensure that these can be objectively justifiedCommunicate the policy on tackling age discrimination to all employees and offer appropriate training

Ageism 8 of 9ACTION PLAN-KEY ACTIONSConduct an age auditRemove the use of age, age guidelines and age-related criteriaChallenge the use of age and age-related criteria in every aspect of employment decision-makingEducate and train all employees about the implications of age discrimination

Ageism 9 of 9ACTION PLAN-KEY ACTIONSUse dates of birth for monitoring purposes and administration onlyMonitor the age profile of your organization at regular intervals to spot unfair discrimination against particular age groupsConsider ways of making sure that all age groups have access to development and promotion opportunities and are motivated to continue to improve the contributions they make

Improving the inclusion of LGBT employees

Improving the inclusion of LGBT employees 1 of 9

ASSESS THE ORGANIZATIONPoliciesInternal knowledge-based activitiesPrograms and practices


BUILD KNOWLEDGEBuild an organization-specific business case for LGBT inclusion with solid dataAssemble all information regarding LGBT inclusion at your organizationEnsure privacy measures are in place to protect employees who choose to self-identify in surveys or in human resources information systemsUse metrics and statistics in your business casefor LGBT inclusion


DEVELOP POLICIES AND PRACTICESSupport efforts by senior leaders, managers and individual contributors to build a more LGBT-inclusive workforceSupport and leverage networks and employee resource groupsEngage potential customers, clients, suppliers and employees through outreach efforts


HOW SENIOR MANAGEMENT CAN SET THE TONEDevelop self-awarenessGet informedTake action


QUESTIONS TO ASK ORGANIZATION-WIDEHave you benefitted directly or indirectly from diversity and inclusion efforts at your organization? Do you recognize how working with others who have benefitted from such efforts has helped you?How can a more inclusive workplace create�opportunities for you as well as others? �


QUESTIONS TO ASK ORGANIZATION-WIDEAre you aware that LGBT-inclusive language �can help LGBT employees feel accepted and encourage them to share their thoughts and feelings more openly without feeling vulnerable to judgement? Have you made efforts to include LGBT employees in informal conversations?Have you actively engaged in behaviours that make LGBT employees feel safe and comfortable interacting with you?�


QUESTIONS TO ASK ORGANIZATION-WIDEAre you comfortable working as an ally or �advocate for an LGBT-inclusive workplace? Ifnot, what is prohibiting you from doing so?Have you heard subtle or overt homophobic�jokes at work or language that might excludesome of your colleagues? Are you aware of how discriminatory �commentsand behaviours contribute to an uncomfortableworkplace for LGBT and non-LGBT employees?


QUESTIONS TO ASK ORGANIZATION-WIDEHow do you avoid saying or doing things �thatcould be interpreted as exclusionary?Do you have a response for inappropriate�comments and behaviours in the workplace?How do you respond when you hear colleaguesusing offensive language?


POINTS TO CONSIDERBe open to education and information�Learn and use the correct pronounsTreat LGBT employees the same as everyone elseDemonstrate your acceptance of LGBT employeesNever make homophobic jokesParticipate in LGBT activities as an ally

Considerations around transgender

Considerations around transgender 1 of 6

DEFINITIONSSexSexual orientationGender identityGender expressionTransgenderIntersex


DEFINITIONSMale to femaleFemale to malePassingStealth


TERMS DEEMED POTENTIALLY OFFENSIVETrannyShe-maleHe-sheTransvestiteHermaphroditeSex-change, sex change operationBio-male, bio-female


Where do I fit?


WHY ARE PEOPLE TRANSGENDER?CulturesBiologyMedical theoriesPsychological factorsRight to choose

NOT a mental illness


Transgender etiquetteOutingHow to be a help and support towards transgender people

Hiring immigrants

Hiring immigrants 1 of 9Increased sustainabilityInnovation, creativity and new perspectivesImproved responsiveness to the needs of the community they serveReduced recruitment costs and turnover ratesHigher levels of skill and education

Hiring immigrants 2 of 9IMPROVING ATTRACTIVENESS AS AN EMPLOYERDevelop promotional materials that depict a diverse workforceParticipate in collaborative activities with immigrant serving organizations to share knowledge Invite someone from the immigrant community to provide feedback on how your organization might be perceived by people from within that communityAttend job fairs and make presentations at post-secondary institutions

Hiring immigrants 3 of 9BUILDING NETWORKSAttend networking events hosted by immigrant-serving organizations for skilled immigrantsMake use of the personal contacts of current employeesCreate processes to encourage immigrant workers to refer other skilled immigrants to your organizationDevelop working relationships with immigrant-serving agencies and send job postings as part of a targeted recruitment process

Hiring immigrants 4 of 9BUILDING NETWORKSWork with other organizations to address systemic barriers to attracting immigrants Attend community or multicultural events and activitiesPromote your volunteering programs

Hiring immigrants 5 of 9SCREENING TECHNIQUES AND INTERVIEWINGCredentialsCommunicationLack of Canadian experienceBody languageInterpersonal interactionsUnderstanding the languageDifficulty or different ways of expressing oneself

Hiring immigrants 6 of 9CREATING THE RIGHT CULTURESessions where employees share information about their cultural norms, what it’s like to work in their home country, acceptable dress, holidays etc.Lunch breaks where employees bring traditional foodTeam-building activitiesBeing flexible with schedules in order to accommodate employee needsPrograms to enhance work-life balanceConversational English groups

Hiring immigrants 7 of 9QUESTIONS TO ASK AROUND STRATEGYHas our senior leadership made a commitment to inclusion and written it into our organization’s plan?Has our board made a formal commitment to inclusion? Who in our organization is responsible for the strategy? Do we have someone who is prepared to lead thestrategy?Do we know who will help us promote the strategyinternally?

Hiring immigrants 8 of 9QUESTIONS TO ASK AROUND STRATEGYDo we have commitment from employees at all levelsof the organization?Do we need to change our current inclusion or diversity strategy?Do we have an existing strategy or do we need towrite a new inclusion or diversity strategy?Have we allocated the necessary resources toensure successful delivery of this strategy?

Hiring immigrants 9 of 9QUESTIONS TO ASK AROUND STRATEGYDo we know how we will communicate our strategy? Have we developed networks with other organizations to share resources, challenges and best practices?Do we know how we will communicate our successesas well as our challenges?Do we know how we will monitor the progress and evaluate the success of our strategy?

Workplace behaviour

Workplace behaviour 1 of 2

Introduce a value system based on respect and dignity for allAim to describe the desirable behaviours to gain positive commitmentMake clear that everyone has a personal responsibility to uphold the standards

Workplace behaviour 2 of 2

Introduce mechanisms to deal with all forms of harassment, bullying and intimidating behaviour, making clear that such behaviour will not be tolerated and setting out the consequences of breaking the organization's behaviour code

Diversity and inclusion strategies

Diversity and inclusion strategies 1 of 4

Ensure that initiatives and policies have the support of the board and senior managementRemember that managing diversity is a continuous process of improvement, not a one-off initiativeDevelop a diversity strategy to support the achievement of business goals, including ways of addressing the diverse needs of customers


Focus on fairness and inclusion, ensuring that merit, competence and potential are the basis for all decisions about recruitment and developmentKeep up to date with the law and review policies through checks, audits and consultationAddress work-life balance challenges in ways that take account of employee and organizational needs and offer suitable choices and options


Encourage ownership and discourage risk aversion, aiming to create an empowering culture so that decisions do not go upwards without good reasonDesign guidelines for line managers to help them respond appropriately to diversity needs, as they are vital change agents, but give them scope for flexible decision-makingLink diversity management to other initiatives such as Canada’s Top 100 Employers


Be aware that if your organization operates internationally, its approach to managing diversity will need to take account of the ways that individual working styles and personal preferences are influenced by national cultures

Getting top management on board

Getting top management on board 1 of 4

Senior management needs to be actively involved in initiatives to get more buy-in from everyone else-aim high and don’t be satisfied with lip serviceCheck senior management is not just ‘caught up’ but ‘signed up’ and that they don’t just find it easier to seek forgiveness than give supportEncourage senior managers to take a lead in not tolerating unacceptable behaviours such as bullying


Encourage top management to get tough with those lagging behind agreed actions to progress diversityGet top management to understand that key individuals driving diversity need back-up support from senior colleaguesBe wary of hindsight in senior managers when faced with success or questions like ‘Why weren’t we doing this already?’


Don’t be fooled by their acceptance of diversity as a principle-the going gets tougher when action is requiredMake leaders aware of how important they are in personally supporting diversity openly and in being well informedHelp them to see that good leadership is needed to build the courage in others to deal with unacceptable behaviours


Top executives need to know they are key populations as change agentsLeaders should know they need to align customer and internal behavioursIt requires imagination, even sneakiness, to get senior management on board

Leading change to progress diversity

Leading change to progress diversity

Balance emotional and business factorsLearn to manage individuals as well as groupsAct with patienceTry to correct ignorance and misunderstanding rather than being criticalAcknowledge how scary dealing with diversity is for many peopleExplore individual views and change approaches accordinglyShare their knowledge

Effective diversity and inclusion

communications

Effective diversity and inclusion communications

Take into account workplace culturesUse positive language and focus on diversity opportunitiesInvolving outsiders helps to spot meaningless organizational jargonNote that impersonal communications don’t engage peopleUsing interactive communication is more successful, especially for dealing with sensitive issues

Business rationales for initiatives

Business rationales for initiatives

Tap broader range of backgrounds and skill setsA matter of fairness and moralityNeed talent to understand clients better and increase salesIncreased diversity of customer/suppliersLegal complianceEnhance public imageCEO has made diversity a priority

Measures to promote and monitor

Measures to promote and monitor 1 of 2

Employee policies aimed at improving work/life balance Systematically widening recruitment pools to tap new sources of talent Training to enhance respect for cultural and other differences among colleaguesProviding channels for confidential handling of complaints related to equal opportunityTraining to improve the advancementpotential of minority or disadvantaged people

Measures to promote and monitor 2 of 2

Surveying employees periodically to measure perceptions of equality of opportunity in the organizationMonitoring corporate advertising to ensure sensitivity to cultural differencesOffering language courses to increase awareness of other cultures and promote communicationPeriodic audits to ensure that an organization’s policies, benefits, etc., are in line with competitors and/or other organizations

Questions to ask interviewers

Questions to ask interviewers 1 of 2

Are interviewers aware of common areas of cultural difference such as eye contact, greeting etiquette, use of silence, communication style, etc.?Do you ask all applicants whether they have needs that require special support or accommodation during the interview process?Do managers avoid using terms and jargon in interviews that are specific and meaningful only to members of that specific organization?

Questions to ask interviewers 2 of 2

Are your interviewers able to flex their communication style in interviews?Do you ask all interviewees the same questions?Do interviewers rate candidates based on objective information and not jump to conclusions about someone’s ability to do the job based on race, culture, gender, age or disability?Do interviewers recognize and compensate for their own biases and personal hiringpreferences?

Observations about management and

evaluation

Observations about management and evaluation

1 of 2View progress as distance covered-from the starting point to the goal rather than the goals achieved-this recognizes effort, time and successIncrease the number of measures you use and don’t rely on one set of criteriaUse the eyes and ears of those involved in diversity training or other initiatives to assess how the messages are transforming into new behaviours

Observations about management and evaluation

2 of 2Adopt hard measures to support the business case for diversityCarry out well-designed, properly targeted attitude surveysDon’t depend on out of date and inappropriate HR systemsUse indicators that are specific to an initiative

Training

Training 1 of 2

Build diversity concepts and practices into management and other training and teambuilding programs to increase awareness of the need to handle different views, perceptions and ideas in positive waysConsider awareness-raising programs about diversity and skills training to help people work together better in a diverse environment

Training 2 of 2

Include diversity issues in onboarding programs so that all new employees know about the organization’s values and policiesTrain line managers about diversity, aiming to help them understand the issues and drive them into organizational and operational policies and practices

Design of a diversity and inclusion initiative

Design of a diversity and inclusion initiative 1 of 2

Engage the CEO, senior leadership and other key stakeholders throughout the process Focus on achieving business results Start from and stay aligned with business purpose Be grounded in ownership and accountability Plan ongoing internal and external communication to inform, engage and manage expectations

Design of a diversity and inclusion initiative 2 of 2

AFTER ADDRESSING THESE QUESTIONS…The key business priorities the initiative will help meet The changes in the workforce that are needed to help meet business priorities The changes in the work environment that are needed to help meet business priorities The elements of a diversity initiative that will be put in place to achieve the needed changes

Must-haves of an effective program

Must haves of an effective program 1 of 2

Treat diversity as a business issue, not a HR tick boxSeek specialist advice on its designPay attention to regulatory and legal changesInspire and engage employeesEmbed diversity in your trainingSet aspirational but achievable goals and measures

Must haves of an effective program 2 of 2

Lead from the topCelebrate successes and learn from failures

Case study A

Case study B

Case study C

Conclusion & Questions

Conclusion

SummaryVideosQuestions

improving diversity, equality and inclusion february 2012

Business

tackling age

meet business

increase awareness

age discrimination

business rationales

top management

senior management

case study