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Change management is a foundational component of EDIB

Change management is a foundational component of EDIB

The change in organizational culture brought about by the EDIB journey can be uncomfortable, difficult, and result in the creation of distinct groups based on beliefs, values, and experiences.

In these cases, it is crucial to bring together the team on organizational values, aligned ways of working, and commonly shared beliefs that impact the work of these individuals.

In our work with clients, much of our audit time is spent advising clients on approaching the change management and coaching them on difficult conversations and team dynamics. Some of our key lessons learned include:

  1. Understand what your team truly desires either through focus groups or surveys or 1:2:1s
  2. Understand what the resistance to change may be or will be and how to address it
  3. Identify champions within the organizations

 This is the start of managing organizational change.

Always, feel free to take Veza Global Inclusion Self Assessment Quiz as way to measure where your organization is on the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion maturity model.

 

Through honouring, let us be the voice of change

Through honouring, let us be the voice of change

In the last few years, this week in May has shown us as a society where we need to do better, be better, scream for change and create change within our sphere of influence. 

  • May 25, 2020: George Floyd was murdered
  • May 27, 2021: Announcement by Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation of 215 unmarked graves found at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School site. 
  • May 24, 2022: Twenty-on (21) including 19 kids killed by a shooter in Uvalde, Texas

Each of these incidents was devastating on their own. We honour the lives that were lost. Through their sacrifice, we hope we can be the catalyst for change. 

We have seen how these events outside the business world impact our work internally, as our team members are human. They experience emotions, reduced productivity and shock. They are enraged, and rightly so. Political beliefs are brought into the workplace and are causing more division, but it isn’t because of political beliefs. It is the space that we create to understand why someone believes something and remember that they are the same person who they were the day before – even though they may believe something different than us. 

The foundation of the equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging work that Veza does is to ensure we remember not to label each other as that is where we separate ourselves from the other. It is about finding common ground as all of us are hurting somehow. In coming together through veza (connection), we can truly heal.

For all those who have sacrificed their lives so that we can change as a society, we honour you. We will remember what you have done. You did not have to go in so much pain. You didn’t deserve that. What you do deserve is that each of us who is still here will be your voice, the catalyst for change needed, and see others with compassion as we use our voices for the change. 

If you are feeling helpless or unsure of how you can make a change:

  1. Remember, your voice matters. Who has the influence to champion the change you seek? Talk to them and engage them to be your champion.

     

  2. Pick one topic where you can make an impact and dive in. There is much change needed in this world. Allow yourself to be drawn to the closest one to your heart.

     

  3. Find a community of supporters who are also looking to make similar changes. There is power in numbers. 

At Veza, the foundation of our work is in coaching individuals who are passionate about creating change in the world. That is where we started in 2009 formally. Reach out to us, and we are happy to have a conversation with you on your change-making plan.

6 Ways to Reduce Unconscious Bias in the Workplace

6 Ways to Reduce Unconscious Bias in the Workplace

What is Unconscious Bias?

Scenario: Imagine that you used to work at a coffee shop called “Expresso” and had an amazing experience with the company, even though it was a lot of hard work. Now imagine yourself interviewing two candidates for a position of warehouse worker. One of the candidates used to work at Expresso but has no prior warehouse experience and the other has at least 3 years in warehouse experience. Both candidates are very impressive but only one can fill the position. Who will you choose? You might be more inclined to choose the candidate that worked at Expresso just because you share the same experience even though they are less qualified. This is an example of a phenomenon called unconscious bias and we commit it without knowing. All of us have some form of implicit bias and it is perfectly natural. However, if left unregulated it can be destructive to workplace diversity and inclusion.

 TRY: Here is a test you can take from Harvard that is designed to measure strengths of associations you have developed towards social groups.

 

How Does Unconscious Bias Happen?

The brain is an amazing organ. According to an article by Spectra Diversity, it is constantly working to process billions of information from our environment. However, our attention can only grasp a few stimuli at a time. Therefore, our brain is taking in information in the “background” building connections and associations about our outside world and social groups subconsciously. This is how we are biologically wired to learn and survive and it greatly influences our behaviours, attitudes and decisions.

 

How Bias Affects Your Workplace

While having implicit bias is a normal human characteristic, it has implications for the workplace that can stunt many of your inclusion and diversity efforts. For example, you might misjudge employee abilities in the hiring and evaluation process keeping you from acquiring the best and most qualified applicants. Workplace bias could also be driving up your costs unnecessarily. Erfan Daliri states that the cost of turnover and rehiring due to workplace bias is up to $64 billion annually. In one report by The Center for Talent Innovation (now called Coqual) bias was associated with more burn out, higher turnover and employee resentment which manifest into conflicts. It was also associated with lower employee retention, engagement and innovation.

 

 

Types of Unconscious Bias

Before beginning to manage for implicit bias perhaps the most important and crucial step is to become aware of our own biases. Biases can take many different forms. We’ve listed five that can potentially be in your workplace. For a more comprehensive list check out this article by Lisa O’Donnell at Great Place to Work.

  1. Gender bias: this one is pretty straight forward. It is favouring one gender over another. For example, hiring on the basis of sex for certain positions or the notion that some genders are better for certain positions. This prevents companies from acquiring the best talent based on credentials.
  1. Affinity bias: Showing favouritism for people that are similar to us. We all have the tendency to gravitate to people that are like us. For example, sharing the same language, race, religion, experience or even shared interests. However, to stay innovative it is important to include diverse groups with different experiences and characteristics.
  1. Conformity bias: Our tendency to be influenced with the popular opinion or group majority. Nobody likes feeling rejected or different. Being the social creatures that we are we want to fit in. However, this lack of independent thinking can lower creativity and problem solving in the workplace.
  1. Halo and horn Effect: the tendency for us to generalize a person based on a single trait. In a halo effect, one amazing trait overshadows our overall perception of someone. For example, if someone is an outstanding negotiator then the rest of their skills must also be great. This also happens for negative traits called the horn effect. For example, if someone is not punctual then they must be not hardworking even though it’s not necessarily true.
  1. Confirmation bias: Liz Burton from “High Speed Training” explains that this is our tendency to magnify pieces of information that support our opinions or views and overlook or ignore facts that oppose it. It can mislead us from making the best decisions that are rooted in factual information.

 

Tips to Minimize Unconscious Workplace Bias

  1. Be more aware of your own bias. You can’t solve what you don’t know. By being more self-aware you can identify hidden biases that exists within your mind and find ways to mitigate it.
  1. Be more aware of the unconscious bias at your workplace. Try to determine areas in the workplace where implicit bias exist or can occur. Whether that be in the hiring process or in the evaluation process and fix it. Every workplace system is susceptible to bias and it is the duty of a good leader to solve it.
  1. Encourage an EDI environment. Nurture an environment where employees can feel open and safe to be different and voice their opinions.
  1. Measure your efforts: Have specific and measurable goals set out for your diversity and inclusion plan. Determine ways you can minimize identified implicit bias at work and measure appropriately. To help you get started read our article on metrics for EDI.
  1. Training for Diversity and Inclusivity. Having regular training for EDI not only educates staff but may also help with reinforcement. We offer a 4-Module program designed to help you gain the knowledge and leadership skills to apply at your workplace. Learn more about our EDI course
  1. Diverse leadership. Diversity happens at all levels. Don’t rely on lower-level management to implement diversity efforts, because it matters just as much at the upper level. Management are the ones responsible for making equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) based decisions. Learn how to be an inclusive leader today and contact us for a consultation.

We hope that you found this article helpful. For more articles like this sign-up for our free newsletters.

Share or leave a comment.

 

References

“Brain Stuff: The Neuroscience Behind Implicit Bias.” SpectraDiversity , December 27, 2017. https://www.spectradiversity.com/2017/12/27/unconscious-bias 

Burton, Liz. “What Is Unconscious Bias in Recruitment?” The Hub | High Speed Training. High Speed Training, December 18, 2017. https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/types-of-unconscious-bias/#confirmation 

Chisolm-Noel, Anadri. “Recession Fears: Is Your Business Ready?” IMPACT Group. Accessed November 12, 2021. https://www.impactgrouphr.com/insights/recession-fears-is-your-business-ready 

Daliri, Erfan. “The Cost of Unconscious Bias.” Web log. Erfan Daliri Social Change Consultant (blog). Erfan Daliri, June 14, 2021. https://www.erfandaliri.com/blog/unconsciousbias 

O’Donnell, Lauren. “Understanding Unconscious Bias.” Great Place to Work, July 1, 2020. https://www.greatplacetowork.ca/fr/resources/understanding-unconscious-bias 

Recognizing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Recognizing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Canadian Indigenous Flag by Curtis Wilson of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation near Campbell River. 

 

Recognizing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – By Michelle Casavant, Veza Global’s Indigenous Consultant

 

September is historically a painful month for Indigenous peoples because it was the month when children were torn away from their families to return to residential school.

Bill C-5 establishes the new federal statutory holiday: the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, September 30th.  This bill correlates to the Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action number 80, which called on the federal government to establish a holiday commemorating the history and legacy of residential schools and to honour the survivors, families, and communities.

The Government of Canada fast tracked the Bill after the announcement by Chief Rosanne Casimir of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc of the found remains of 215 children on the grounds of the former Kamloops residential school.

September 30th was Orange Shirt Day, a grassroots movement which was a day to wear orange to commemorate and remember the children that attended residential school, the survivors, their families and communities.

The last residential school closed in 1996 and the effects of the system and colonization are still deeply felt in communities today.

Learning the truth is critical to moving forward with reconciliation. On September 30th, and every day, we need to reflect on the terrible history and ongoing legacy of residential schools, whether it is through personal reflection or with others.

You are invited to watch this powerful interview of former senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Murray Sinclair.

Of note, Murray Sinclair states:

“reconciliation cannot come from a place where the non-Indigenous people think they are being benevolent.”   

He also notes that reconciliation will take 7 generations, and that Indigenous peoples are doing all the heavy lifting.

Do your part and help with the heavy work by learning the truth, reading the TRC Calls to Action, engaging in conversations, and more. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has a schedule of events for the week of September 27 – October 1, which you can access here.

 

The Equitable Database

The Equitable Database

Connecting Underrepresented Groups With Potential Job Opportunities

Veza Global is so excited to announce the launch of The Equitable Database, the first of its kind in Canada.

The Equitable Database is a database where Veza Global will connect people who are underrepresented and equity deserving who are seeking employment opportunities to business owners/employers who are looking to diversify their candidate pool. People who are underrepresented would entail the following:

  • People who have culturally diverse backgrounds
  • People with diverse abilities
  • People with neurodiversity
  • People who identify as LGBTQAI2S+
  • Immigrants

How to be part of The Equitable Database if you are a person who is seeking employment opportunities?

If you are someone who identifies as underrepresented in the workplace, here are the steps you can take to be part of the database.

  1. Review and update your resume.
  2. Fill out The Equitable Database form. 
  3. You will then be added to a monthly mailing list with job opportunities

My organization is looking to diversify its hiring pool for its current job postings. How do we get access to The Equitable Database?

As an organization you will get the opportunity to diversify your pool of candidates through The Equitable Database. Here is how it works:

  1. Someone from your organization will fill out the Corporate Equitable Database form. 
  2. In the form, you will need to provide a person who we can contact and a link or PDF of your current job postings. 
  3. Your job postings will then be part of our monthly Equitable Database emails to connect those who are seeking employment opportunities with your postings.

What is the purpose of The Equitable Database?

Many of Veza Global’s clients are looking for candidates from pools outside of where they currently recruit from. Veza wants to support and elevate those who are underrepresented in the workforce by connecting them with employment opportunities. Given the current economy and the number of people that are transitioning careers, starting a new business or aligning to their true calling, Veza Global would like to support you in finding your next opportunity. 

This service is completely complimentary with no costs to either individuals and organizations. We are here to support you in your next steps of your careers and EDI journeys by providing this opportunity. If you have any questions or feedback we invite you to share them with us at hello@vezaglobal.com.

Disclaimers

*We use the term People of Culturally Diverse backgrounds as those that are marginalized are not always a person of colour. We focus on creating equal opportunities for those who are/ have been racialized and marginalized. 

*Veza Global is acting as an information provider and is in no way liable for anything beyond the information provided. We are not vetting opportunities nor individuals on this database. We are acting in what we see as being the greatest good of connecting opportunities to individuals. 

Thank you for an impactful 2020

Thank you for an impactful 2020

Dear Veza Global Supporters,

It is important to set the goals, reflect and express gratitude where needed. I wanted to take this time to express my gratitude for all your support this past year. 2020 has been a year of learnings, growth, challenges, awarenesses and impact. For those within the Veza community, many of you have been great supporters in many ways. Our team at Veza, rose to the challenge when the lockdown’s happened, the anti-Asian racism increased, George Floyd was murdered and the #blacklivesmatter movement gained a second wind. We rose through supporting our colleagues through directing individuals in need to the right organizations who had stepped up. We ourselves, took a backseat while we funneled equity, diversity and inclusion work to other disproportionately represented groups who specialized in supporting Black, Indigenous and Anti-Racism. We knew for ourselves that was the right thing to do as it is a marathon, not a sprint. We wanted to remind you all too, exactly that – the work you do is a marathon, not a sprint so the impact you want to make will happen. 

We were able to contribute to the conversation and our impact through having the conversations, speaking at workshops/panels, and educating ourselves on how to be better and do better. Through our own audits, advisory, training work, we were able to bring economic empowerment to disproportionately represented groups by impacting 500,000 people in 2020. We thank you for your continued support in sharing our services so that we could create this impact. 

In this last year, we have had a number of memorable highlights that kept us going. We relaunched the ASCEND program for skilled immigrants with the Immigrant Employers Council of BC. 

We worked in partnership with HR Tech Group to create a Diversity and Inclusion Hub of curated over 300 equity, diversity and inclusion resources. Through this partnership, we audited various tech companies to help them understand where they are on their EDI journey and their path forward. 

Our team created a number of resources to help individuals and organizations to be more inclusive.

We worked closely with the Women’s Enterprise Centre Team to support immigrant women entrepreneurs in the province in terms of peer mentoring, funding and resources. 

We had the privilege of working with Community Future’s Entrepreneurs with Disabilities program and coached a few of their entrepreneurs on their business ideas. 

We worked with some outstanding individuals who are so committed to creating inclusive cultures in various industries from not for profit, tech, real estate, restaurant, government and law enforcement.

What to look forward to in 2021

In the upcoming year, we are looking forward to continuing our equity, diversity and inclusion work and impact. We have some exciting new announcements of programs coming out this year. 

Thank you to each of you for helping us make the impact that we are working to make. There are so many people to thank for this journey, each of them contributed in their own way. 

Warmly,

Manpreet

CEO/Founder

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