Engaging Employers: Improving Integration Outcomes by Partnering with Canadian Business

1. Engaging Employers: Improving Integration Outcomes by Partnering with Canadian Business 16th National Metropolis Conference March 14th, 2014 Wendy Cukier, MA, MBA, PhD, DU (hon), LLD (hon), M.S.C. Vice President, Research and Innovation Founder/Director, Diversity Institute Ryerson University

2. Outline Ryerson’s Diversity Institute Advantages and disadvantages of partnering with the private sector Our experience: leveraging the business case Conclusions

3. RYERSON’S DIVERSITY INSTITUTE • research on diversity and inclusion in the workplace to improve practices • collaborates with public, private, non-profit and government • evidence-based and customized approaches • focus on EE + 1 but immigration intersects • provide a diversity lens to job creation and employment initiatives at Ryerson (eg. DMZ) • most important lessons: inter-sectionality and social capital

4. Our Experience • Training and Education – advisory councils, instructors, internships, • Large projects: RBC Immigrant, Diversity and Inclusion Diversity Institute current partnerships • SSHRC DiversityLeads – 30+ community partners • TD Bank Rethinking Financial Literacy • Black Experience Project • UARR – Somali Community

5. WHY PARTNER WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR? Where the jobs are Access to funding Access to resources and expertise Access to internships and training Access to sites for research New approaches Improved effectiveness Role models, mentors and coaches: help build social capital

6. Success Stories; Roles Models, Allies

7. CHALLENGES OF PARTNERING What’s in it for them? Understanding THEIR goals and objectives Diversity fatigue; multiple demands Shared outcomes and building trust Bridging cultures - language, values, pace Managing competing messages Priorities change – “diversity happy talk” Differences within the corporate sector: Financial Institutions versus SMEs

8. Oversimplifications

9. OUR APPROACH ECOLOGICAL MODEL Individual Group Organizational Sector Social Environment

10. Moving up the diversity curve Hi-tech and Federally-regulated • Recognize overt and systemic • - Integrated policies • - Metrics • - Work environment is competitive advantage Degree of Formalization SME Manufacturing - Little recognition of problem - No policies - No metrics % of Senior Executives

11. Focus on the Business Case 1. Overcome the skills shortage: TALENT, TALENT, TALENT • Two-thirds of workforce growth fuelled by immigration (2011) • By 2031, 25%-28% of Canada’s population could be foreign-born (vs. 20% in 2006) (Stats Canada) • Under-employment of immigrants costs between $4.1 and 5.9 billion dollars annually (Conference Board of Canada, 2010)

12. 2. Respond to increasingly diverse global markets • consumer power in certain markets (e.g. 50% of GTA residents) • leverage their international connections and improve relationships with their diverse customer base (Gandz, 2001). 3. Increase innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship • Multiple perspectives provide better solutions • Access to knowledge, suppliers, capital, and labour needed to serve ethnic enclaves and global markets (Hiebert, 2006) • Immigrants are more likely to be entrepreneurs – key to economic development – but many leave

13. 4. Increase employee satisfaction, reduce turnover , improve performance Career satisfaction is linked to retention, loyalty, and productivity Diversity and inclusion practices have a significant impact on workplace Engagement of employees in CSR, mentoring, support adds value

14. Perceptions of Workplace (DI and Catalyst, 2007)

15. 5. Reputational benefits versus costs • Pay equity decisions • Negative effects on reputation 6. Benefits outweigh the costs (there are some costs) – and we can help

16. Practical strategies through the value chain Societal level – policies, values, media, culture, addressing stereotypes of leaders and experts Organizational level – human resources but also procurement, product development, services, marketing, philanthropy, building the pipeline; overcoming unconscious bias Individual level – building capacity for success

17. CONCLUSIONS Strategy is about choices Mutual goals as well as differences in values Language : Messages and messengers Make it easy to do the right thing – coordinated, efficient, tools, consistency Build trust and reliability Respect for timelines and process Outcomes: “Just because you are on the side of the angels does not mean you will win”

18. Thanks!

19. CONTACT Diversity Institute Ryerson University http://www.ryerson.ca/diversity diversityinstitute@ryerson.ca 416-979-5000 ext. 7268