Building a foundation of respect - Part 17 | BuildForce Canada

Building a foundation of respect - Part 17


Welcome to the BuildForce blog on Respectful Workplaces! Here we explore issues and provide advice, research, tools, and checklists – everything our industry needs to create respectful and inclusive workplaces where everyone can succeed. Who will benefit? Leaders, managers, HR staff, and anyone who wants to understand how to create and support a Respectful and Inclusive Workplace. To meet the challenges of the 21st century, the Canadian construction and maintenance industry must be able to recruit and retain workers with a diversity of backgrounds such as Indigenous people, women, immigrants, and young workers. This means building respectful, safe and inclusive workplaces where all workers can succeed. Some of these challenges are: A quarter of a million skilled workers retiring over the next decade. Increased globalization demands more awareness of different cultures. The changing needs of a changing workforce. Increased demands for corporate social responsibility such as fairness and equity.

ASSESSMENT QUESTION OF THE MONTH:

Does your organization tie leaders'/managers' performance reviews, pay and bonuses to creating and supporting a respectful workplace?

Research indicates that tying pay to performance is important for the success of a respectful and inclusive workplace initiative.

  • Your respectful and inclusive workplace initiative must align with the organization's goals:
    • leaders/managers must be able to see how it will help them achieve their goals.
  • Be prepared to train leaders in the knowledge and skills they need to be respectful and inclusive leaders.
  • Make sure that the organization can measure the success of any respectful and inclusive initiatives (see Blog #15).
  • Introduce the performance measures a few years before the accountability:
    • leaders/managers need experience in understanding what they must do to meet the performance goals.

Canada - A success story of diversity! Happy Canada Day - July 1, 2018 - •	By 2036, immigrants and second-generation individuals could represent nearly one person in two (between 44.2% and 49.7%).  - •	By 2020, half of the workforce will be made up of Millennials (born 1982-1999). - •	In 2016, women aged 15 years and older represented nearly half (47.7%) of the labour force compared to 37.3% in 1976; an increase of close to 30%.

OUR NEXT INSTALLMENT: Does your organization review recruitment, retention and advancement policies to identify and eliminate barriers to inclusion?

PREVIOUS INSTALLMENT: Committing the resources necessary for an effective Respectful and Inclusive Workplace Plan

Read from the beginning. Click here to start at Part 1.

Resources:

What can an effective Respectful and Inclusive Workplace Program deliver? The BuildForce Canada Respectful Workplace Online Self-Assessment Tool ~ Release date - late 2018 ~ The Respectful Workplace Self-Assessment Tool allows organization leadership to assess their progress toward a Respectful and Inclusive Workplace and benchmark their progress confidentially against other construction organizations.Each month we will feature an  "Assessment question of the month."  So make sure to be a regular visitor! Watch for the release of the BuildForce Canada Online Respectful and Inclusive Workplace Toolkit, including The Respectful Workplace Online Self-Assessment Tool: to assist organization leadership in assessing their current situation and identifying where they may need to make changes; The Respectful and Inclusive Workplace Online Training Course: to train workers on how to create and support a respectful and inclusive workplace; and The Respectful Workplace Policy Framework and Implementation Guide: to assist organizations in creating and implementing a policy that supports a respectful and inclusive workplace.

Join the conversation: Do you hold leaders/managers accountable for achieving the goals of your respectful and inclusive workplace initiative?

Status of Women Canada logo
This project has been funded by Status of Women Canada.