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Illuminate Opportunity: Equity in the Workplace - Reading Materials Chapter 11: Engaging and Retaining – Diversity

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Back to Illuminate Opportunity: Equity in the Workplace

Introduction

Many employers are experiencing heavy competition for talent, particularly for jobs that are portable out of our sector, such as engineers, construction managers and ICT professionals.

To prospective employees, the electricity sector is seen as generally stable and well-paid… but not always as dynamic or innovative as other industries.

Incoming talent wants to work for organizations that don’t pay lip service to diversity and inclusion, but embrace it by providing a supportive environment where everyone can express their views and opinions, and where different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives are valued.28

Asian female engineer wear yellow safety hard hat standing and holding blueprint while checking infrastructure

When inclusion is high, recruiting high quality talent is easier: referrals from employees from all backgrounds increase, those involved in recruitment can more easily showcase your organization’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and they make more bias-aware hiring decisions, thereby hiring the best candidate.

It also builds the reputation of your organization with external stakeholders. Investors, customers, business partners, regulatory agencies, the public, managers, and employees are increasingly looking at a company’s record of creating a workplace that is diverse and inclusive.

Are you able to tell a compelling organization “story” about DEI?

Supporting resources

Illuminate Opportunity: Everyday Inclusion

Achieving diversity of thought and perspective in Alberta’s electricity and renewables sector is a tremendous opportunity.

Video

Transcript

Electricity Human Resources Canada

spoke to Alberta’s electricity employers

to see why diversity, equity and inclusion are critical to them.

Here are some of their perspectives…

I don’t have to be convinced that applying a more equitable approach in my company is a good thing.

We’ve already fine-tuned our recruitment and development practices to remove barriers.

Trouble is, we continue to have issues with keeping these great new hires

and we’re just not sure why…

I recently read that new hires from diverse talent groups sometimes join a team

where they are the only person “like them” – making them feel isolated.

Our CEO asked what we can do to better engage and retain our employees.

We had gained insights on possible issues through our employee survey,

but he wanted to speak directly with employees to find out more.

It is important to regularly do a pulse check on experiences of inclusion in our company

so we can provide any needed supports.

So,

I asked our employee resource group if they could help us.

They were open to sharing – and appreciate that they have the support of senior leadership.

Have you ever entered a new environment and felt that you didn’t fit in?

Being the “only one” with an unfamiliar characteristic on the team

can sometimes lead colleagues and managers to unconsciously make assumptions about our abilities or interests.

Although unintended,

this can result in behaviours that can make us feel demotivated or devalued.

For example:

When ideas you propose are questioned or dismissed.

Being regularly interrupted during meetings – and leaders not calling it out.

Not being recognized for contributions or successes.

But ever since our leaders have been sharing their own personal stories about inclusion,

there’s been a noticeable shift – for the better.

For instance, managers have been:

Making it safe to propose novel ideas

Questioning inappropriate comments and jokes; and

Empowering employees to make decisions

And on teams, everyone is playing their part by:

Setting inclusive norms on how to work together

Rotating team tasks so anyone can take on any role; and

Applying a “no interruptions” rule for meetings – and enforcing it

I’ve heard from employees from all backgrounds that these small changes are helping them feel truly more at home.

Does this mean that we’re on the right track?

Congratulations

Your company is definitely on the way to a culture of everyday inclusion.

As we’ve seen, all the good policies in the world won’t make a difference

unless everyone is made to feel welcome, no matter the differences.

Consistently demonstrating such seemingly small

but powerful – everyday actions will help spread inclusion and respect throughout our organizations.

When this happens, it’s easier to attract employees from all backgrounds

and make them want to stay.

And our stakeholders, customers, and community partners will see the benefits too.

Inclusion is the third element for illuminating opportunity in Alberta’s Electricity Sector.

Electricity Human Resources Canada has developed a guide

that features quick reference tools and other materials to help you with the “how”.

To get started, go to: electricityhr.ca

Inclusive workplaces are critical for keeping talent

Positive Culture of Collaboration: When employees feel welcome and included in their team, they feel free to express their views and opinions, leading to better team performance and organizational decision-making.

Retain Skilled Talent as an Employer of Choice: Create a culture where each employee feels valued for the unique skills they bring and that they are supported to reach their potential.

Strengthen Ties with Communities, Customers and Stakeholders: Support building long-term partnerships with Indigenous and other under-represented communities, and enhance the organization’s reputation with stakeholders and external stakeholders.

Woman engineer, power engineer in helmet checks power line using computer tablet online.

Priority DEI Practices for Employees

DEI practices prioritized by diverse talent groups (based on research in 14 countries with 16,000+ women, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ2+ employees) include:29

  • Women: Visible role models in leadership, parental leave, childcare assistance.
  • Women, men and people with disabilities: Flexibility programs, typically including teleworking, reduced hours, or condensed work weeks.
  • Visible minorities: Eliminating bias from the day-to-day, such as in how teams are staffed, or how meeting attendance is decided.
  • LGBTQ2+ employees: Efforts to create an inclusive day-to-day experience, accommodating a broader gender orientation (e.g. through gender-neutral washrooms, or non-binary gender choices in surveys and HR data).