By Lisa Kopochinski
As the daughter of Indian immigrants, growing up in Waterloo, Ont., Sandeep Tatla says her mother and father always stressed the importance of getting a university education.
While her parents did have degrees, they didn’t work in their respective fields in Canada, but as general labourers in the manufacturing industry. This seemed to have a lasting effect on her.
“Growing up, I don’t think I had a clear idea of what I wanted to be,” said Tatla. “I do recall wanting to be a teacher when I was in grade four, but that was probably because teachers were the most visible role models I had.”
What Tatla did know, however, was that she wanted to help people. It was at York University that she decided to double major in psychology and law and society.
“I liked the idea of being a therapist or a lawyer,” she said. “Looking back, I really only vaguely knew what each of these professions did. By the end of my degree, I wanted to be a lawyer. It was my law and society courses – especially the ones that examined issues of inequity – that really inspired me to be an advocate for change. I knew I could do that effectively with a legal education. Interestingly, while at York I also took a few HR courses and really enjoyed them. I’m fortunate now to have a career that really brings together all of my passions and interests.”
As a lawyer practicing in labour, employment and human rights law, Tatla noticed many clients struggling with issues she calls the mismanagement of diversity.
“Issues related to retention, turnover, poisoned workplaces, harassment, discrimination and bullying really affect productivity and cost employers,” she said. “As a lawyer, many times I was cleaning up the mess of mismanaged diversity. I really wanted to move away from cleaning up the mess to providing the proactive advice to prevent the issues from arising in the first place. That led me to move into this developing area of HR.”
With a career trajectory that includes positions at several law firms and at PricewaterhouseCoopers and George Brown College, Tatla joined the Ontario College of Trades in early 2014 at chief diversity officer (CDO).
HR Professional recently caught up with Tatla to find out more about this new area of HR that she calls hugely rewarding, but “not the easiest job because you’re advocating for change.”
As CDO for Ontario College of Trades, what are your main areas of responsibility?
Sandeep Tatla: I’m really excited about this role and I am really enjoying how dynamic and challenging it is. It’s the first role of its kind in Canada, and I’ve been told in North America. While most CDOs are responsible for advancing diversity and inclusion in organizations, my mandate is to advance diversity and inclusion in the trades sector in the province of Ontario. There are approximate 500,000 tradespeople in Ontario working in virtually all industries across the province – including mining, motive power, construction, natural resources, industrial and education. In addition to working with tradespeople, I work with various stakeholders, including employers, unions, government, agencies and educational institutes and special interest groups. All are key and instrumental in any change strategy.
How did you come to work in your current role?
ST: I’ve never mapped out a real plan for my career in terms of here’s where I’d like to be in x years or this is where I need to go. I’ve really taken or made opportunities for myself. In my last role I had wondered what the next step was, but then when this role presented itself, it was clear the next step was to move from organizational diversity to tackling a larger and much more complex challenge of diversity in the trades in Ontario.
What do you like most about your job?
ST: That I am working to make a change in an area I’m passionate about. I can’t imagine working without purpose. I think being authentic is very important and being able to help people have opportunity and show up to work and be their true and best selves is hugely rewarding.
What does a typical day at work for you look like?
ST: My days range from meeting with stakeholders, presentations to hunkering down at my desk and researching and determining ways to tackle diversity and inclusion issues in ways that are effective across different work environments and everything in between.
What are some of the challenges you experience on a day-to-day basis?
ST: My biggest challenge is my expectations. I’d like to see change now, yet in this line of work change takes times. You have to be patient and recognize the fruits of your labour in different ways. Celebrate the successful steps you’re taking to achieve your goals.
Another challenge is managing the misconceptions people have. I’m not the “politically correct” police. In most cases, I don’t want people to be politically correct, but rather understand differences and authentically learn how to speak respectfully with and about others. Being “politically correct” doesn’t mean you understand; in many cases, it is quite the opposite. You’ve been told what to say and do versus taking a moment to understand individual differences. Along those lines are people who give you lip service that they’ve bought into diversity because they think it’s the “right” thing to do. I’d rather have you challenge me if you’re not sure so that we can work together to understand why diversity and equity are important. False support is much more damaging in the long run to achieving diversity and inclusion goals. Very little offends me in my line of work. The reason I’m here is to educate.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
ST: I don’t have much spare time with two little kids. When I’m not working, I love spending time with my family and being outdoors. I also like to watch documentaries – usually about people, culture and food.