November 26, 2020
By , Human Resources Director Canada
Canadian workplaces have much more work to do when it comes to diversity and inclusion – according to a new study from ADP.
In fact, Canadian employees who belong to an ethnic minority claim to have experienced some form of discrimination based purely on their skin tone – with 32% believing its hampered their career growth.
HRD spoke to Andrea Wynter, head of HR at ADP Canada, who explained the damage this bias is causing to both workplaces and individuals.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion is a top-to-bottom business strategy – not just an HR program,” she told us.
“This is why it’s so important to have a diversity, equity and inclusion vision for your organization that prompts senior leadership buy-in. This includes treating diversity and inclusion like other strategic goals, using data to inform efforts, showing an ongoing commitment through actions, and continuing to learn and adapt.”
And this discrimination seems to extend beyond race, as 19% of female employees believe they’ve experienced judgement based on their gender. What’s more, 25% of Canadians don’t feel comfortable expressing their opinions at work, with that percentage rising to 31% for ethnic minority employees.