Research shows that an effective Respectful and Inclusive Workplace Program contributes to the bottom line
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Better financial performance: In a global study across all business sectors, 90% of the executives reported seeing a connection between diversity and their company’s success.
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Higher brand loyalty: 71% of LGBT individuals and % of respondents idenfiying as allies consider a company’s support for LGBT equality when purchasing.
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Employees in a “speak-up” culture are three and a half times as likely to contribute their full innovative potential.
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Leaders who give diverse voices equal airtime are nearly twice as likely as other leaders to unleash value-driving insights.
Pressing for progress
Research has shown that barriers – visible and invisible – in recruitment, retention, and promotion may be excluding well-qualified women from full participation in skilled trades careers. (See Blog #7 for more about barriers to women in skilled trades.)
It’s often difficult for organization leaders to see the barriers. In a study of 44 multinational firms, the Boston Consulting Group found that management often saw their diversity initiatives through “rose-coloured glasses.” The study highlighted one company as an example: management believed that it’s promotion processes were transparent and neutral, but only 18% of women and 40% of men in the company believed their employer’s staffing processes were gender-neutral.
Resources:
- BuildForce Canada. Online Respect & Inclusion Toolkit. Release Date: late 2018.
- BuildForce Canada. Representation of Aboriginal People and Women in Canada’s Construction and Maintenance Workforce. May 2016. See www.dev-bf-hub.pantheonsite.io/en/products/representation-indigenous-canadians-and-women-canadas-construction-and-maintenance-0.
- Boston Consulting Group. Shattering the Glass Ceiling. 2012. See www.bcg.com/documents/file110083.pdf. Accessed January 14, 2018.
- Newsweek Vantage. Achieving Results: Diversity & Inclusion Actions with Impact. 2017. See www.newsweek.com/diversity-inclusion-actions-impact-download-workplace-articles-study-689453. Accessed January 14, 2018.
This project has been funded by Status of Women Canada.
Respectful and Inclusive Workplaces
