All posts in category workplace inclusion

Rewards & Recognition –Excerpt Chapter 6


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Authors:  Evelina Silveira and Jill Walters

I will never forget one of the first meetings I had when I was just starting my business. I met with a young financial services manager who was rethinking how the company was rewarding its top performers. He noticed that nothing much had changed with their rewards program over the last 20 years, even though the demographics of his sales team were completely different.

He told me that the standard reward for the top performers was an all-expense paid holiday in Las Vegas. No spouses were allowed. Predictably, the week consisted of drinking, gambling and the like. Typically the only people who would attend these events were Canadian-born males.

Eureka! He came to realize that something was not working. His workforce demographics had changed considerably. The same-old-same-old was not going to wash. Not only for him, but also for his top performers who were now comprised of women, single parents, immigrants, religious minorities and those who liked to take a vacation with their spouses instead of leaving them at home.

If he continued with the historical trip to Las Vegas every year, would he really be rewarding all of his top performers? No. Most would not want or be able to attend. And what effect would this have on employee morale and feelings of inclusion?

Bottom line: Critically examine your rewards and recognition program and see if it is truly inclusive.

Rewards & recognition ideas

Special recognition pins, thank you letters, gift cards, time off or a write-up in your company newsletter don’t cost a lot, but they show that you have made an effort to reward your employees. Here are some more ideas:

  •  offer prime parking spaces—free! for a month!
  • hold contests with prizes for the best and most cost-effective reward system
  •  install a diversity & inclusion suggestion box in your workplace for employees where you can post problems or issues you would like to address and employees—even those who may be too shy to speak up or who wish to remain anonymous– can submit their ideas and may even be awarded a prize if theirs is considered the best
  •  ask your top employees what they need to succeed, extending that privilege to all employees, contingent on job performance

In her book, Care Packages for the Workplace- A Dozen Little Things You Can Do to Regenerate Spirit At Work, Barbara Glanz discusses more low cost and no cost ways to make employees feel appreciated valued and respected.

Consider how you would feel if you received the following types of recognition from your boss?

Business Cards
Ensure everyone in the organization has a business card reflecting the uniqueness of the employee it represents. Consider adding a quotation, a motto or a graphic.

Handwritten Notes
Send a handwritten note to at least one employee each week. Pick one consistent day of the week to get it done. You could recognize the special contribution this person has made to the creation of a better workplace.

Success Stories
Collect company success stories on video or audiotape. Interview the people involved. It is a great way to demonstrate company pride and to introduce your organization to a new employee. Put the two-ton policy manual aside. Instead offer them a recorded compilation of your success stories. It makes them feel included right from the beginning and reinforces what a welcoming team they’ll be working with.

The best sources of recognition and rewards are tied specifically to the needs and interests of the recipient. There are a number of online programs and checklists for free that you can use that make a busy manager’s job much easier. Take a look at the following website. It’s filled with alignment tools, worksheets and more.
http://bit.ly/1tZf25z

Evaluating a rewards & recognition program

Imagine for a moment that you are a financial services manager and the time has come to evaluate your rewards program. As a result, you discover how to reward and recognize more employees in more meaningful and perhaps cost-effective ways.

With that in mind, here are five questions to keep in mind when you are putting together a rewards and recognition program:

1. Are the criteria for rewards, incentives and recognition transparent?

Check at least once a year to ensure employees in all divisions are aware of them. Mention them during your employee orientation and in your employee communications.

2. Is the process for recognition well understood by all?

Supervisors and departmental managers can be responsible for this. If people don’t understand the process, then it is not a fair one.

3. Does the staff person still want to be rewarded and recognized in the same way this year as in previous years?

Maybe last year they received a day off, so maybe this year they would prefer a gift certificate.

4. Do you have a yearly plan in place which analyzes the relevancy and fairness of the recognition, incentive and reward programs?

Here is an opportunity for you to check with various departments and staff in different positions to see if the rewards are really what they want, and if they feel that they are truly attainable.

5. Is this the best way staff wishes to be rewarded?

This is an important question to be asked, either when a staff member first comes on board or as part of their orientation package. Some people, for instance, don’t like public displays of recognition. Make a check-list.

One of the biggest morale busters I have seen as a corporate trainer is when an employee felt that he could do the training but the company hired a corporate trainer instead. This can spell disappointment for the employee and may even lead to a sourness that spills into the diversity training session in ways such as discrediting the trainer or hijacking the workshop.

As a result, what could have been a worthwhile experience is spoiled. Trust me, if you don’t want to use an employee, at least give him a reason why or try to involve him in other ways that can help nurture his interest and competencies.

Ultimately, your goal is to create a culture of inclusion where the top talent you’ve hired is engaged and feel they can be themselves, where creativity and innovation are fostered and encouraged, and where the process is effective and yet cost-effective. As we mentioned before, juggling all these balls can be a daunting task.

Copyrighted 2015 Diversity at Work/Diversity Partners

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by diversityatworkinlondon on April 6, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in compensation and benefits, human resources planning, morale, performance management, recognition, rewards, workplace inclusion, workplace wellness
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Posted by diversityatworkinlondon on April 6, 2015

https://diversityandinclusionatwork.com/2015/04/06/rewards-recognition-excerpt-chapter-6/

Quick and Easy Ideas for LGBT Workplace Inclusion


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Evelina Silveira, President, Diversity at Work in London Inc.  Author, Diversity and Inclusion on a Budget:  How to have a more engaged and innovative workforce with little or no dollars.

Pride Month is coming up and now is the time to take a look at what your organization is doing to create workplace inclusion for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgendered employees.  Even though I am a big supporter of LGBT inclusion in the workplace and in the community at large, sometimes I find myself stumped at what can we do in our organizations to advance the cause?  I figured that there were other people out there who likely feel how I do, but don’t know where to begin.  I did some research and I came up with a few ideas below that are really quite easy to do.  You don’t have to have a big budget, but you will see that these ideas will no doubt contribute to a more caring, engaged and productive workplace.

  • Don’t assume everyone is straight.
  • Remember to communicate a zero tolerance policy that inappropriate comments or jokes will not be allowed.
  • Keep in mind that LGBT employees often have children, spouses and partners. Show interest in their lives as well.
  • “Coming–out” is usually a risky thing to do in the workplace. When someone shares this with you, thank them for their trust in you and honour their need for privacy.
  • Convey verbally and in writing that professional development and promotional opportunities are solely based on merit.
  • When you are embarking on diversity and workplace inclusion training remember to include LGBT content.
  • Include any policies or benefits to LGBT employees on your website as you would for other groups. In the case of a global operation, it is important to let employees know how LGBT company practices and societal approaches abroad may be different if a transfer or travel is involved.
  • Don’t overlook LGBT causes when you are looking for outreach opportunities in your community. Considering the prevalence of bullying and higher levels of suicide among LGBT youth, these groups could use more resources.
  • Send out a Happy Pride Month message in your newsletter, intranet or other form of communication, just as you would with any other special month.
  • Ask employees if they have any ideas to improve LGBT inclusion in the workplace or marketing/customer service efforts to this population. These questions should be posed to your employees in general and not singling out LGBT in your organization.

 

If you would like more easy and low-cost ways to make your workplace more inclusive, consider purchasing our eBook, Diversity and Inclusion on a Budget  at http://www.yourdiversityatwork.com/ebook/ .

 

 

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by diversityatworkinlondon on May 28, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Discriminatory Hiring Practices, Diversity Training, equitable hiring practices, Job Ads, LGBT, LGBT youth, Political Correctness, Positive Spaces, Pride Month, Safe Spaces, Workplace Bullying and Harassment, Workplace Communication, Workplace diversity and inclusion, workplace inclusion
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Posted by diversityatworkinlondon on May 28, 2014

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Tips for Avoiding Subconscious Bias In the Hiring Process


Evelina Silveira, President, Diversity at Work in London Inc.   Publisher, Inclusion Quarterly.

Let’s face it — we are human!  But when it comes to equitable hiring practices, our “humanness” can get in the way of hiring the best candidates.  There is a growing body of research that says that we are more likely to hire attractive people for certain jobs based on their appearance and not their qualifications.  Research shows that even small children think that people of colour are less trustworthy and not as friendly , and these biases continue on into adulthood and influence hiring practices.

The unfortunate reality is that the best people are often not chosen for a job because our subconscious bias gets in the way.

As a small business owner, I am conscious of this now more than ever.  I want to hire the best people, because if I don’t , I lose money and the reputation of my business.   Good people make me good as well. Business owners see and immediate connection with the bottom-line and are no doubt more likely to choose qualified people than looking for only “fit”.

It would be so easy if more people felt this way but they often don’t.   That’s why we need to build in processes to help reduce the occurrences of bias. When it comes to fair hiring practices, the key word is “structure”.  Structure allows for all members of the hiring committee to keep on track.  Problems arise when committee members “go off the script”.

Here are some tips to support the integrity of your hiring processes.

Check you biases at the door.  Remember the focus needs to be on skill rather than “fitting in”. If your goal is to hire “someone who will fit into the organizational culture” you will undoubtedly hire people who are the same as the rest and not necessarily the best employees.  Certain cultures and age groups and those with a diversity of thoughts and opinions, will be out of the running. Sometimes interviewers are afraid to hire the best because they fear losing their job to the candidate. But hiring the best people is a good indication of a progressive leadership team.

Map out your hiring process.  It is a good idea to use a flow chart or another kind of chart to identify who will be responsible for each stage in the process. Having a visual to work from will help you to see what links may need strengthening to increase the fairness of the process.  For example, one way to reduce beauty bias is to start with a preliminary online or standardized interview which removes the possibility of subjectivity.

Zoom in on the key competencies for the job, and structure the processes around it.  If your job posting requires an advanced level of technical skills in a particular area, be sure to have this tested within your screening process.

Involve multiple people in the interview process.  The screening committee should be made aware of fair hiring practices and be committed to getting the best candidate possible.

Ask the same questions of everyone.  Avoid asking extra questions of some and not of others.  You  give a candidate an unfair advantage.

Included a weighted scoring sheet.  Keep to the most important competencies and weigh them according to the job.  Relying on written responses alone is not enough.  This makes the process far too open to interpretation, bias and illegal hiring practices.  If your interview process is ever questioned by the candidate or authorities you can at least show that you had some structure in place.  Having a scoring sheet throughout the process:  recruitment, interviewing, and reference checking will cut down on the bias.  You owe it to the candidate and to the reputation of your organization to follow a structured system.

Focus on the key issues.  Can the candidate do the job? Based on their responses and prior work history, will they do the job?  If they have not done the job before, what qualities have they demonstrated in the interview process or skills have they obtained from other experiences that make the case that they can do the job.

Conduct reference checks.  Ensure that all candidates referees are asked the same questions.

Don’t forget empathy.  Looking for a job these days is harder than ever and there are so many people in need of one. Always keep in mind how you would like to be treated.  Think about how you would feel if someone less qualified got a job that should have been yours.

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by diversityatworkinlondon on May 14, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Cross Cultural Differences, discrimination against poor and disabled, Discriminatory Hiring Practices, equitable hiring practices, Generational Differences, Immigrants, Job Ads, job ads, discriminatory hiring practices, discrimination against poor and disabled, workplace inclusion, equitable hiring practices, workplace accommodations, New Canadians, Ontario Human Rights Commission, Racism, Religious minorities in Canada, Workplace Communication, Workplace diversity and inclusion, workplace inclusion
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Posted by diversityatworkinlondon on May 14, 2014

https://diversityandinclusionatwork.com/2014/05/14/tips-for-avoiding-subconscious-bias-in-the-hiring-process/

Communicating Over the Telephone When There Is A Language Barrier


Evelina Silveira, President, Diversity at Work in London

Talking over the phone can be hard enough when you cannot analyze the body language; but what is it like when you have a difficult time understanding English? The stress, frustration and feelings of helplessness can be magnified, unless you have a patient person on the other end of the line who is willing to go the extra mile to be attentive.

Sometimes both “fluency” and “accent” can create barriers over the telephone. In the first case the person may have an inadequate vocabulary to express themselves and in the latter they may have an accent but be very fluent. Quite frequently, you will get both an issue of fluency as well as accent.

Eliminate distractions like background noise.

In any case, when you are dealing with someone over the phone that you cannot understand you will need to eliminate as many distractions as possible where you are and where they are. This call will require a lot more out of you so you will have to “hyper-focus” on what the person is saying.  If you have any background noise where you are, move to another spot to take the call. If the noise is coming from the other person’s place say: “I am sorry, but I am having a hard time hearing you. I hear noises and I cannot hear you very well. Would you please move to an area which is quieter?” Usually this works, or if they cannot move to a quieter place they will call you back when things have settled. Or you may find that you have to make the best out of communicating with background noise.

Remember to speak slowly.

While you are speaking the other person may be trying to translate what you are saying in their head. They could also be trying to write things down. It takes time to make the mental transition, so give them time. Even though you are speaking slowly, try not to be patronizing, people can tell when they are being disrespected even over the phone. Just because someone has a language barrier doesn’t mean they lack intelligence.

Speak at a normal volume.

It always surprises me that when we are faced with language barriers there seems to be an almost automatic response to speak more loudly.  That doesn’t work, and could actually backfire on the phone making the other person agitated.

Speak in short sentences.

If you speak in short sentences you will likely pause more and speak more slowly. This will help the other person interpret what you are saying more easily.

Enunciate clearly.

If you are sloppy with your enunciation, this is the time to speak very clearly. Make your consonants shine! It is easy to say: “Whad’ya wanna do?”; But it will be hard to understand. Instead you will want to say: “What would you like to do?”

Get rid of the jargon.

Choose words carefully. But also remember that abbreviations, acronyms and others can be very culturally specific and confusing. Say the whole word and not a short version of it.

Take the call in steps.

Sometimes people will ramble on especially if they are emotional. You may find that they are giving you lots of information and you are feeling overwhelmed. If you can find a break in the conversation say something like this: “Can we stop here for a moment? I would like to make sure that I understand what you are asking?” Repeat what you believe you have heard and clarify. What you are doing is paraphrasing what was said. This allows you to check in every so often to make sure that you understand before you ask the caller to continue with what they are trying to communicate. It also shows your caller that you are interested in his/her message because you are checking the message. If you have only understood part of the message than you can ask more questions to obtain the information that you need.

Try again.

If you think that the person on the other end of the line does not understand what you are saying, instead of repeating what you said in the same way, try different combinations of words or descriptions. I usually find that this helps. Similarly, if you don’t understand what the other person is saying on the other end of the line you can say: “I am sorry but I do not understand, could you explain this again to me in a different way?”

Seek Help.

In the worse case scenario, when you don’t think you are getting through and if a face-to-face meeting is impossible you may want to get another person involved who is familiar with one of the languages. It could be someone that you work with or alternatively, you could ask the caller if he/she can have a friend or family member call you back that you can speak to.

It is important at all times to convey to the person with the English language barrier that you want to help them and want to give them good service. For most English as a Second Language Speakers they find the telephone to be a huge barrier and communication can be very stressful. Having a patient person on the other end of the line, who is willing to go slowly with them, and communicates a sincere interest in wanting to help them, goes a long way in making the call smoother for everyone involved.

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by diversityatworkinlondon on March 18, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Cultural Adjustment, English As a Second Langugage, Immigrants, Language Barriers, telephone etiquette, Workplace Communication, workplace inclusion
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Posted by diversityatworkinlondon on March 18, 2014

https://diversityandinclusionatwork.com/2014/03/18/communicating-over-the-telephone-when-there-is-a-language-barrier/

The Bachelor: Language Barrier Is Not An Excuse


Written by: Evelina Silveira, President, Diversity at Work in London Inc.

I hate to admit it, but like 10 million other viewers around the world I became hooked on The Bachelor reality program and saw it for the first time this last season. After a long hard day’s work, watching scenes of beautiful people and places and with absolutely no intellectual demands on my brain – The Bachelor was actually a relaxing way to unwind.

For the last 20 years I have worked with New Canadians so I have grown to learn a lot about second language acquisition. Most of the people who I have worked with would be at the Canadian Language Benchmark of 5 or over so their English is good enough for a survival job – at the very least. For the first few weeks, I was trying to figure out whether the bachelor, Juan Pablo really had a language barrier or were they referring more to his accent. I came to realize that while he might not know all of the slang and idioms like “the little package” he was referring to, but he could not blame his rudeness on his language barrier.

First of all, Juan Pablo has studied in the United States and worked in English television programming,obviously he would have had a very good command of the language. When he spoke he did not make a lot of the usual grammatical mistakes you would expect someone with a language barrier to make. He used articles and pronouns appropriately. Sharleen, the opera singer hit the nail on the head when she said she was looking for someone who was “more cerebral”. She was looking for someone who she could have an intellectual conversation with and it wasn’t him. Juan Pablo did not have a language barrier that prevented him from having an intellectual conversation: he simply lacked depth.

Even with New Canadians with low levels of English like a 5 or lower, they can often make connections, analysis and evaluations of events although with grammatical mistakes. However, if you listen, you can hear the depth of their logic. A language barrier does not make you self-centred. Juan Pablo’s lack of insight and ego-centrism has nothing to do with his language barrier.

He cannot use his language barrier to make excuses for his derogatory comments about gay people and those with cognitive delays. He has lived in the United States long enough to know that these comments are unacceptable.

Furthermore, when his parents said that he was often rude that was very revealing. Although Juan Pablo says he “likes to be honest”, this type of directness is sometimes even too much for North Americans. But according to Edward T. Hall’s theory of high context communication among Latin’s, Juan Pablo’s communication style would be highly inappropriate for a culture that likes to handle conflict in a more indirect way than spelling it out the way he did. I gather his style would not be a big hit among Latin people who are known for their exceptional politeness.

And by the way, Juan Pablo, you cannot blame your language barrier for not knowing how to say: “I love you” or “Will you marry me?” But blame it on something else. Sometimes, “it’s not easy” but it’s not “okay”. I have two pieces of advice for you: seek a therapist and get a thesaurus.

MP900440971[1]

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by diversityatworkinlondon on March 16, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Language Barriers, Political Correctness, Second Langugage Acquisition

Posted by diversityatworkinlondon on March 16, 2014

https://diversityandinclusionatwork.com/2014/03/16/the-bachelor-language-barrier-is-not-an-excuse/

Quick and Easy Ways To Make Your Staff Meetings More Inclusive


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Evelina Silveira, President, Diversity at Work in London

Do you find yourself engulfed in a monologue that doesn’t seem to end, hoping that your staff will say something?

Staff meetings can be an effective and powerful way to:  communicate information; gain new ideas; and increase morale.  They don’t have to be painful and the sooner you can turn the focus from “me” into “we” the better.  Let’s take a look at a few ideas that will help make things easier for your participants to communicate with one another and with you.

1.  Timing is everything. Your participants need to be available.  Family time is important so please don’t schedule meetings at times that are difficult for staff to attend, for example after work hours or before work.  Remember employees have a lot of extra responsibilities these days with eldercare, childcare and more.  Your staff is not going to be very happy to come to a meeting if they have to rearrange their schedule outside of office hours to come to work.  Check  multi-faith and school calendars to ensure that your meeting time does not present a scheduling conflict for others. Avoid scheduling meetings during peak-hours. Meeting times during a lull will be much more appreciated.

2.  Provide the agenda, minutes and supplementary materials in advance.   With our increasing diversity in the workplace, it is important for us to remember that some people will need more time to read materials in advance to get a background on the subjects discussed.  This is especially true for those with English language barriers or with certain learning disabilities who would find it particularly difficult to read materials on the spot and then comment on them.

3.  Assign a meeting buddy.   Designate one of your staff as a go-to-person to help orientate new employees to the staff meeting topics.  Persons with English language barriers or those who are transferred from other departments, and new hires can really benefit from a meeting buddy.  Taking this step also goes a long way in conveying the message that meetings are important and that their participation is valued. Spending even an hour before the staff person’s first meeting to give them a background on the process as well as the history/background of various topics will be very helpful.

4.  Introductions.  Ensure that each person gets introduced and has a name tag preferably black on white. This is especially good for people who are bad with names.  Printed name tags with a good size font will also help you to identify others who may be sitting further away.  You don’t need to use these all the time, but consider putting them on when you have a guest attending your meeting or when you have new staff.

5.  Try something new.   Add a video or case study for discussion.  Use stories or quotes to inject your point.  With so many possibilities these days with meeting technology and free videos, there is really no excuse anymore for dull meetings!  Be creative and your staff with love you for it.  By changing things around, chances are you will both see a different side of one another and that’s a good thing.

6.  Get a grip on yourself. If you are not sure how your chairing is going and you really want to find out how your meeting style is perceived, all you have to do is:  Ask!  Institute a four or five checkmark  assessment at the end of the meeting and it can tell you how inclusive your meetings really are.  Here are a few quick questions you can ask your participants

1.  Did you feel that you had an opportunity to express your thoughts at the meeting?    YES or NO

2.  Did the chair share the floor?          YES  or NO

3.  Were the participants encouraged to express differences of opinion?   YES or NO

4.  Do you have any ideas for future meetings?    YES  or NO

5.   Additional comments_______________________________________

Here are just a few quick and easy ways to make your workplace more inclusive.  If you would like more information, please check out our other publications:  The Inclusion Quarterly, and Diversity and Inclusion on a Budget:  How to have a more engaged and innovative workforce for little or no dollars.  Visit  http://www.yourdiversityatwork.com.

 

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by diversityatworkinlondon on December 11, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Chairing Meetings, Meetings, Staff Meetings, Uncategorized, workplace accommodations, Workplace diversity and inclusion, workplace inclusion
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Posted by diversityatworkinlondon on December 11, 2013

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Accessibility Revisited: Who is Your Fort Knox Office Serving?


MP900302836[1]

By:  Evelina Silveira, President,  Diversity at Work

In my line of work, I do a lot of web research and phone calling, gaining exposure to a host of companies and services.  It amazes me how many barriers organizations have placed on the public that they serving.  Whether it is a non-profit or a private company, you are often faced with one barrier after another, sometimes falling into a deep black hole of an automated message or an email address as a point of contact.

For example, the other day I found myself contacting agencies that serve some of our most vulnerable populations:  people with addictions, mental health issues and new immigrants.  All I wanted was to speak to someone about training, but there was no live person to answer the phone.  I thought to myself:  What if I had been someone with an addiction that finally got up enough courage to call for help, only to find that I not only had to listen to a number of options to choose from, I would have to remember them all to make the correct selection?  Unfortunately, dialing “zero’ was not an option to get to a live person, it just sent me back to the main menu.   Similarly, I have encountered this automated approach to mental health services, and anger management programs.   It says a lot about our society when a pleasant, warm and caring voice over the telephone replaced by a cold inaccessible automated system that screams out:  “You’re not important enough to have a staff person speak to you directly”  or “We want you as our clients, but on our terms”. And yet, this is exactly what these people need who are in crisis and seeking help.  Someone who is willing to take the time to speak to them when no one else has.  A credit card-like company approach to streaming calls is not the best recipe for a not for profit to take.

Despite fielding thousands of calls each day, the universities and hospitals do have a person answering the telephone.  It is good public relations, and provides a service that is quickly becoming extinct.  Bravo to them, for recognizing that people need information and going through an menu of options is inaccessible for some people with different kinds of barriers.

It is also interesting to note the new trend with leaving telephone numbers off a business’s website.  In some cases, all that is left is an email address.  Others will make it virtually impossible for you to contact them, even if you are their customer.  The message to the consumer is:   “Don’t call us, maybe we will call you if you leave us an email“.

With our increasing emphasis on accessibility and customer service standards we need to bear in mind that the telephone is the first point of contact for many people –especially our most vulnerable.  While machines have been successful in replacing many tasks designed for humans, a kind, well-informed person on the other end of the line makes a difference.  Let’s not forget that accessible customer service standards are the law now in Ontario.  If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to ask yourself :  Is my organization open to the public or have I created a Fort Knox nightmare for my customers and clients?

 

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by diversityatworkinlondon on July 26, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in workplace accommodations, workplace inclusion
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Posted by diversityatworkinlondon on July 26, 2013

https://diversityandinclusionatwork.com/2013/07/26/accessibility-revisited-who-is-your-fort-knox-office-serving/

You’ve Come a Long Way Baby…. But They Haven’t


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Evelina Silveira, President Diversity at Work

News Flash!  Sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape are making the global headlines.  Whether it is the gang rape of women and children in India or closer to home the stories about our Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the American Military.

We have a real global problem. With all of the advances women have made we  are not taking seriously on the job.  We are still in an age where authorities will turn a blind eye to violence against women and children.  We don’t have to look very far to see that women’s basic right to safety continues to be violated even in democratic countries like India, Canada and the United States.

Our Western countries are supposedly the beacons of progress and equality – but I guess that is not the case if you are a woman who wants to enter into a patriarchal institution like the US Military and the RCMP.

I have a few questions for the officials.  Did you ever prepare to have women be a part of your forces?  What proactive steps did you take to ensure that the women would be taken seriously by yourself and those you lead? What policies were put into place? What kind of screening questions were used to disqualify members who could not work respectfully in a male/female workplace? What training was given? Did anyone ever argue that there was a  “business case” for having women in these positions? What kind of training was involved to bring acceptance and respect for fellow female officers in these institutions?   It seems like none of this happened.  Clearly the RCMP and the US Military have failed women when it comes to affording them the same respect that male officers have been given.

 A lot of pain could have been prevented that the brave women endured.  An infrastructure was needed which could have:

  • ·         screened out people who cannot work respectfully alongside members of the opposite sex,
  •        had a knowledgeable and sensitive official who the victims could trust .

We’ve come a long way indeed, but some of our institutions definitely need to catch up when it comes to workplace respect and safety for women.

If you would like more information about gender sensitivity training, please contact:

Diversity at Work   519-659-4777 or info@yourdiversityatwork.com.

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by diversityatworkinlondon on June 10, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Discriminatory Hiring Practices, Uncategorized, Workplace Bullying and Harassment, workplace inclusion
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Posted by diversityatworkinlondon on June 10, 2013

https://diversityandinclusionatwork.com/2013/06/10/youve-come-a-long-way-baby-but-they-havent/

Do Your Job Ads Discriminate Against the Poor and the Disabled?


Evelina Silveira, President Diversity At Work in London Inc.

It is hard enough finding a job these days, but what many recruiters may not realize is that they could be placing unnecessary barriers in the way of good candidates applying for jobs.

With the type of work I do, I frequently  find myself going through job boards looking for trends.  Lately, I have noticed how a position that once covered a small area is now responsible for an entire region.  For example, instead of a human services worker just covering London, Ontario they may need to cover the counties as well.  The job may be part-time and on a contract basis.  I am seeing more jobs requiring a drivers’ licence even when the employee is not required to travel outside of the city or leave the office everyday.

Adding a requirement of a driver’s licence these days, can  discriminate against the poor and people with disabilities who do not drive.  When I see how wages have been lowered in many cases during this recession, combined with the increasing amount of contract work versus permanent work, it is quite feasible that there will be a lot of people out there who cannot afford to buy a car for their jobs, or even be able to keep the one they have. A friend of mine was offered a part-time job with a local organization and when she had to tell them she did not have a car to use for the job, they denied her the opportunity.  This by no means was a high paying job and with a little creativity on both the employer and candidate’s side she could have been hired and she would have been the best candidate.

With our increasing emphasis on workplace inclusivity and reducing barriers to employment, employers need to critically examine whether a driver’s licence and access to a car is truly necessary.  Obviously there are some jobs where both will be required, but in most cases they probably are not.

Ask the prospective employee how will they get around without having a vehicle?  They may have easy access to public transportation and are willing to make up the lost time or could be willing to pay for an occasional taxi.  Don’t underestimate what some people are willing to do or the supports that they may have in place to help them get around if they need to.

You can let them know what you can offer them in terms of a budget for transportation based on what you usually allocate to employees for mileage and gas.  As an organization, you can also have employees who are driving to the same area to team up with those who don’t have cars and drop them off where they need to be.  You don’t want certain employees to feel that they are providing a taxi service for people who drive, so look at rotating this.  Obviously, when it comes to hiring  qualified people with disabilities for the job you will need to look at accommodating them to the point of undue hardship on the organization.

With creativity and “thinking outside the box”, we can create more equitable hiring practices.

2 Comments
by diversityatworkinlondon on March 22, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in discrimination against poor and disabled, Discriminatory Hiring Practices, equitable hiring practices, Job Ads, Working Poor in Ontario, workplace accommodations, workplace inclusion

Posted by diversityatworkinlondon on March 22, 2013

https://diversityandinclusionatwork.com/2013/03/22/do-your-job-ads-discriminate-against-the-poor-and-the-disabled/

Stand Up Against the “B” Word


ImageSo it is summer, and things have slowed down and now I have time to do things like watch television.  It seems like it has been awhile since I have watched so much television, but I am going to put a halt to it very soon.   I cannot believe what I am seeing!  Has the world become so numb and accepting of the violence against women in TV?  Reality television has stooped to the lowest level when a bunch of women are vying for a bachelor? Roma women are punching each other and slapping the face of a pregnant woman?  Vancouver beauties fight over who has more filler or botox? And on top of that the “Bitch” word and “Slut” word gets furiously hurled around like it was nothing, even in daytime programming which was once supposed to have higher decency standards!

Since when did it become acceptable and common place to call women female dogs?  I don’t care if some women have reclaimed this word as their own.  The connotation is still negative.  We are ascribing half of the world’s population to the status of an animal.  Why are anti-racist activists so good at challenging the use of derogatory and racist words and women are not?  Is it that women are unsuccessful with challenging it, or are their calls not being heard? When was the last time you saw the “N” word written if full?  You probably haven’t.  The “N” word has become so repugnant in our vocabulary that the mere sight of it, makes a lot of people enraged.  It’s meaning heralds back to a time of slavery, inequality, and the inferior role that black people had in our society.

I wish that we could do the same with the “B” word or the “S” word and others  What will it take for us to see that calling women these words is repugnant as well? It seems that we haven’t really progressed that much. By using these words, we show that we are backward and that women have not reached the same equal status as men in our society.  We still judge them on their submission, passivity, and on their sexual history.

Let’s challenge one another when we use these words against women.  One by one we can make these misogynistic words cast outs from our vernacular.  It is going to take some time but  high time that women enjoyed equal status in this society, don’t you think?

Leave a comment
by diversityatworkinlondon on July 18, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Cultural Marketing, employment equity, equitable hiring practices, Implicit Bias, Political Correctness, Racism, Racism in Media, Sexism in Media, Women, Workplace Bullying and Harassment
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Posted by diversityatworkinlondon on July 18, 2012

https://diversityandinclusionatwork.com/2012/07/18/stand-against-the-b-word/

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