going through the exercise of completing the questionnaire
helps them to consider diversity and inclusion’s impact on their
organization in many different ways. The tool does not just look
at internal (HR-related) impacts, but also products and services
development and delivery, marketing and communications, suppliers
and many other areas throughout the organization where
diversity and inclusion can have a tremendous impact.
Employers have also remarked that the questions within the
Self-Assessment portion of the Inclusivity Index sparked internal
discussions around topics that their organizations had never
previously considered. Some organizations used the questions
to initiate such simple initiatives as conducting a WCAG (accessibility)
assessment of the organization’s online presence and
print materials. One organization realized that increasing employees’
knowledge of the internal practices of job classification
and promotion information would help eliminate the corporate
perception that managers were free to give salary adjustments
and promotions out on their own without process and oversight.
When employers are armed with new information about the
performance of their organizations and the perceptions of their
employees, they can create data-driven strategies and initiatives
to improve organizational performance. ■
Zakeana Reid is CCDI’s director of Western Canada, and project
manager for the Employer Inclusivity Index. Cathy Gallagher-
Louisy is CCDI’s director of knowledge services. CCDI has become
the trusted advisor for all issues related to diversity, inclusion,
equity and human rights management within Canada’s workplaces.
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