This resource is a labour of love.

It has been developed by those of us whose passion and daily

work is to support people on their journey to employment. Its publication was driven by our deep
care for those facing barriers to traditional employment, and respect for the strength and resilience
of those experiencing the challenges of poverty.

We know that there are thousands of people in our own community, and in communities across
this province, who are ready and willing to work when connected with the right opportunity.
Essential to this connection are supportive employers: business owners and managers who
are motivated to meet their own employment needs while providing unemployed and under-
employed individuals with the stability and dignity that comes with meaningful work.

If you are reading this guide, it is likely that you are a current or potential supportive employer.
Employing people can be difficult on its own, and employing people who face extraordinary
challenges can be intimidating. This guide will help you navigate the realities of employing people
with disabilities and other barriers to employment, equipping you to be an excellent manager
to those on their employment journey. It offers inclusive workforce best practices distilled
from many decades of experience and expertise from business leaders, human resources
professionals and others at the frontlines of supportive employment. It can help your business
become more innovative by tapping into readily available talent to meet your hiring needs.

On behalf of community economic development practitioners, I’d like to thank all of the
contributors, stakeholders, writers, and designers for making this resource a reality. And I would
like to thank the BC Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction for funding this project
and getting it into the hands of those who need it most. May it serve to strengthen and support
an innovative and inclusive economy.

Sincerely,

Matthew Smedley
Executive Director & CEO of Mission Possible,
and Project Lead for Untapped Talent
USING THIS B2B GUIDE
Informative and Easy to Use This resource is divided into three sections:

Information in this resource has been gathered

from business leaders and subject matter Business Benefits to
experts with experience in developing
innovative, inclusive and supportive hiring Hiring and Retaining
and retention practices. Untapped Talent
Success stories and valuable lessons learned
are shared by organizations that employ people
with persistent barriers to employment and
Recruitment Practices to
showcase how businesses benefit by adapting Gain Access to Different
employment practices. Individuals who have Sources of Talent
overcome adversity also share their unique and
insightful personal perspectives around the
benefits of being engaged in the workforce.
Retention Practices
By sharing these experiences with other to Keep Employees
businesses, the goal is to provide a useful
Engaged, Once Hired
framework for building capacity within
organizations to tap into untapped talent.
These practices also benefit communities
overall, by getting more people included in Additional helpful resources for
the local economy and above the poverty line. employers are included at the
end of each Recruitment and
Retention section.

DISCLAIMER: Any views, opinions and guidance set out in this resource and supporting website are
provided for information purposes only, and do not purport to be legal and/or professional advice or
a definitive interpretation of any law. Anyone contemplating action in respect of matters set out in this
resource or website should obtain legal advice.
 Table of Contents

SECTION 1 SECTION 2
BUSINESS BENEFITS OF HIRING AND RECRUITMENT PRACTICES TO GAIN
RETAINING UNTAPPED TALENT ACCESS TO DIVERSE TALENT
6 INTRODUCTION 20 EMPLOYER BRANDING
6 The New Normal 21 Key Elements of a Strong Employer
7 B2B Resource Brand
7 Why Hire from This Diverse Talent Pool? 21 Website & Careers Page
7 Why Inclusive Cultures Matter – 22 Building Community Partnerships
Business Benefits of Diversity 22 Diversity Statement
9 Getting Started 23 What to Expect When Working with
an Employment Service Provider
10 WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A SUPPORTIVE
EMPLOYER TO ENGAGE UNTAPPED 26 DEFINING JOB REQUIREMENTS
TALENT
26 Non-traditional: Informal, Honorarium
10 What is Supportive Employment
and Part-Time Casual Jobs
10 What Motivates Organizations to be
26 Have Odd Jobs?
Inclusive?
26 Traditional: Regular Part-Time
11 How Can my Business be an Inclusive
and Full-Time Opportunities
Employer?
27 Job Description
12 RE-THINKING WORK AND WHAT’S
POSSIBLE FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION 28 SOURCING CANDIDATES
12 What Work Can Look Like 28 Sourcing Options
13 How Employment or Social Assistance 30 REVIEWING APPLICATIONS
Factors In 30 Step 1: Screen Candidates –
13 THE TALENT POOL Yes, Maybe, No
13 Potential Workforce 30 Step 2: Take a Closer Look
14 Barriers 31 Pitfalls to Avoid
14 Having a Job Helps to Overcome 33 INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES
Barriers and Transforms Lives 33 Types of Interviews
15 It Also Transforms Business Culture 34 Working Interviews
15 Lessons Learned 35 What Can you Ask in an Interview
16 What Does Supportive Employment (and What Can’t you)?
Mean to You 35 Pitfalls to Avoid
19 BUSINESS SELF-ASSESSMENT
19 Ten Quick Yes or No Questions to Help
you Get Started
37 ASSESSMENTS AND PRE-EMPLOYMENT 51 FLEXIBLE ARRANGEMENTS,
CHECKS ADJUSTMENTS AND ACCOMMODATIONS
37 Assessments 51 Flexible Adjustments to Bring Out
37 Reference Checks an Employee’s Best
38 Appropriate References (Referees) 53 Duty to Accommodate – Obligations
39 Criminal Record Verification of Employers and Employees
39 Drug and Alcohol Testing 55 Duty to Inquire
39 Reference Check Questions 56 Requesting Medical Information
40 Education/Certification Checks 57 Accommodating Addictions
in the Workplace
40 OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT
58 Stigma
40 Verbal Offer
59 Employee Wellness
41 ONBOARDING NEW EMPLOYEES
59 PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH & SAFETY
41 Post Offer / Pre-Start Date
59 A Psychologically Healthy
42 First Day
and Safe Workplace
44 Benefits of Job Coaches
62 EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT
45 DECLINING AN APPLICANT
62 Investing in Employee Development
45 Keeping Your Employer Brand in Mind
62 Development Opportunities
46 Providing Feedback
62 Skills Inventory
47 Recruitment Resources and other
Links for Businesses 65 ENGAGEMENT, RECOGNITION
AND PERFORMANCE
65 Employee Engagement
65 Employee Recognition
66 Involve Employees
67 Performance Management
SECTION 3 68 Progressive Discipline
RETENTION PRACTICES THAT 68 Culpable vs. Non-Culpable Behaviour
KEEP EMPLOYEES ENGAGED 69 Suspension or Termination

49 FOSTERING A SUPPORTIVE 70 DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT

WORKPLACE CULTURE 70 Create a Respect in the Workplace
49 Workplace Culture Policy
50 Flexibility and Curiosity 71 Retention Resources and other
50 Employee Resource Groups Links for Businesses
50 Inclusive Leadership
51 Diversity and Inclusion Training
Section 1 BUSINESS BENEFITS of HIRING and
RETAINING UNTAPPED TALENT

INTRODUCTION

The New Normal

Staff shortages: they’re here! Let’s face it; you can’t go too far without seeing Help Wanted, We’re Hiring,
Interviews Onsite Today or Sorry, We’re Closed signs. Businesses of all sizes are finding it hard to find
and keep employees. This reality is motivating employers to rethink employment. Many are reviewing
recruitment and retention practices, and making adjustments to remove barriers, as a way to tap into
talent previously overlooked.

In Canada, we have an aging boomer population, increased retirements, declining birth rates, steady
job growth and fewer people to fill opportunities. A 2018 report by the Business Development Bank of
Canada concluded that labour shortages are holding Canadian businesses back and are most serious
in Atlantic Canada, British Columbia and Ontario1. And, in a recent Deloitte study of over 750 hiring
decision makers, 76% indicated that attracting candidates is the #1 challenge in their organization2.

Yet, there is an entire pool of who people who can work, want to contribute and who are often
overlooked as a result of traditional employment practices. Recruitment practices aimed at screening
candidates out once served a purpose, but in today’s labour market, are outdated.

We’re operating in a time where we need all talent on deck; people with disabilities (visible or not),
people who face persistent barriers to employment, including individuals living with addiction and other
mental health challenges, barriers that have typically excluded people from the workforce. Seriously?
Yes! Employing people with diverse abilities, who live and do business in our communities, has value
to organizations and to society as a whole.

1 BDC Study – Labour Shortage: Here to Stay, September 2018

2 Glassdoor Deloitte – Statistical Reference Guide for Recruiters, 2018

B2B Resource
This business to business resource aims to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) easily adapt
hiring and retention practices, in most cases at no cost. Learn from other businesses on how to be more
responsive to workforce needs, stay competitive and viable, simply by doing things differently.

Doing things differently doesn’t need to be difficult, but with major workforce shortages currently facing
Canadian employers, now is the perfect time to innovate employment practices to find and keep available
talent. This Guidebook will help you:

——Adapt recruitment and retention practices to gain access to a wider resource pool
——Learn from other businesses about what’s worked best for their companies
——Understand what could be holding people back from working with your business

This resource could also be useful for large employers who are interested in learning more about how
to adapt to be a more inclusive employer to access talent.

Why Hire from This Diverse Talent Pool? Why Inclusive Cultures Matter –
Approximately 1 in 5 Canadians have some Business Benefits of Diversity
kind of disability or barrier, visible or not3. Progressive employers recognize that workforce
Simply put, there is a largely untapped pool inclusion of diverse talent offers significant benefits to
of people who are ready, willing and able their business. Well documented research shows that
to work! organizations with inclusive cultures, compared with
those that are not, provide many competitive business
Many business leaders already recognize advantages4:
that workforce inclusion of people with
diverse skill sets is important to the

6x 2x
success of their organizations. This includes
business led organizations like the MORE
Presidents Group, a leadership table for LIKELY
BC employers and its online Community • to be innovative MORE LIKELY
of Accessible Employers, Discover Ability • to anticipate change to meet or exceed
Network in Ontario, Prospect in Alberta, and respond effectively financial goals
the Hire for Talent network in Atlantic
Canada, and Social Enterprise employers in

1.4x
Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Business
to business networks sharing successes,
driving change - and leading the way with GENERATE
intentional, inclusive hiring in Canada, to more revenue
the benefit of their organizations.

3 Statistics Canada Report on Employment and Disability, 4 Deloitte Human Capital Trends – Diversity and Inclusion at Work, 2017
2017

7
Consumers prefer to see themselves reflected and valued in companies they do business with.
Being inclusive of people from different backgrounds, with different skill sets and abilities increases a
business’s financial success through an increased customer base. Consumer research consistently shows:

• 92% of consumers favour, and 87% would give their business to companies that hire people
with diverse abilities5

• 53% of Canadians either have a disability or a close connection to someone who does
• For your business, that means tapping into the estimated $55.4 billion CDN buying power
of Canadians with a disability, which grows to $366.5 billion CDN annually when you add
in friends and family6

A consumer advantage, financial and innovation advantages, in addition to access to talent. The question
really is, can your business afford not to be inclusive?

5 Discover Ability Network

6 Canadian Business SenseAbility

8
Getting Started
Now that you know more about what is included in this resource, the question is where to start?
Here are a few suggestions on how you can use this Guide to help you begin to innovate your
hiring and retention practices:

• This resource has a lot of valuable content and may take some time to review, decide whether
you want to go through it all at once, or take-in smaller bites to review

• If you have time and are super-motivated to find new sources of talent, sit down and review
the entire resource or one entire section at once, highlighting practices that your business could
benefit from the most

• Provide the resource link to your managers, and/or hiring lead in your company and ask them for
feedback on opportunities to adapt current practices

• Identify key areas you are most interested in from the Table of Contents and review those sections
first to highlight where to start

• Start with the Business Self-Assessment on page 19 – this could help to determine whether
or not this information is relevant to your business needs

If you are already an employer who values having employees involved in workplace decision making,
start by asking your employees, what hiring or human resource practices they suggest be adapted
to make it easier for others to work with your business. Remember, if you are experiencing a staff
shortage, your employees are feeling it too by an ongoing increased workload.

Employer Quote: Hiring managers who believe

in the value of everyone in the workplace pays off.
When employees enjoy
coming to work, there is a
real sense of purpose. They feel
connected to each other and community, they have
increased self-esteem by contributing to something.
This holds true for all employees, not just people
with barriers.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A SUPPORTIVE EMPLOYER TO ENGAGE UNTAPPED
TALENT

What is Supportive Employment

Being a supportive employer helps people to lead productive, purposeful lives, earn an income and
experience social inclusion. As a business, it means providing employment that supports individuals
who have struggled in the past with earning an income due to barriers to employment. These barriers
could be disability related, other factors like social stigma and bias against people with mental health
or addictions, or systemic barriers like racism, transphobia and homophobia.

Diversity already exists in our communities, and among your customers. It’s innovative because
supportive employers intentionally and actively make a point of encouraging applicants from diverse
backgrounds to apply to work with their organization. They invest time and resources to remove barriers
for employees, and they hire managers that also support that. The value and importance of inclusion
is built into the business right from the top and senior managers believe in it.

Supportive employers focus on people, flexibility, communication, building trust, connection, and positive
relationships within their organizations, to the advantage of their business.

What Motivates Organizations to be Inclusive?

There are many reasons business leaders choose to provide a supportive workplace and it’s different
for every company. Leaders will say they are driven to be inclusive because they:

——Clearly understand the business advantage

——Have personal experience with adversity or barriers to employment
——Are motivated to make a positive difference for others
——Take intentional steps to ensure their workforce reflects community and customers
——Are of a generation where inclusion is valued and expected
——It’s their mission and they have established their business with inclusion in mind

10
How Can my Business be an Inclusive Employer?
The following key principles are important to consider as you set your sights on being an inclusive
employer. Actually, you may find this approach benefits not just people who need additional support
to be successful at work, but all employees in general as it creates a genuinely more positive, engaged
and caring workplace culture:

CREATE A CULTURE OF INCLUSION – intentionally building it into your business mission, vision
and values

RESPECTFUL WORKPLACE – fostering professional, considerate and open communication where

all employees can do their best work

ABILITY FOCUSED – recognizing abilities, focusing on what a person can bring to the role, as opposed
to what they cannot

FLEXIBILITY – implementing work adaptations and reasonable adjustments to make it possible

for people with barriers to work with your organization

INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT – acknowledging that each person is unique, and may require different
things in order to do their best work

SET CLEAR EXPECTATIONS AND PROVIDE EFFECTIVE ONBOARDING, TRAINING

AND/OR COACHING - so people know what they are doing and can get up to speed faster

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS – working together with organizations in your community that are
business focused and can provide you with resources tailored to your business
 RE-THINKING WORK AND WHAT’S POSSIBLE FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION

What Work Can Look Like

If you are struggling to find and keep staff, it’s a prime
opportunity to re-think how work is performed in your Inclusion Tip
organization. Not all jobs need to be full-time and not Flexibility is a Win/Win
every job seeker wants to or can work full-time hours.
Hiring someone for 2 or 4 hours a week
Being flexible is key. It provides an opportunity for or month can be a real win for business.
employers to innovate how business goals are achieved It’s a great opportunity to get odd jobs
by rethinking jobs, how they are structured, delivered completed like cleaning out a store
and performed. For example, your business may have
room, filing, general office cleaning, or
temporary needs for someone to do certain tasks on a
other one-off jobs. Being able to offer a
one-off basis, on a casual basis, on-call part-time or a
small amount of hours weekly or monthly
regular part-time basis.
can work for your business and your
The diagram below, developed by LEDlab and Urban employee. For a person who has been
Core, outlines the different ways people engage in work absent from the workforce for a period
in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Some individuals of time, or who is learning to live with
may only have the capacity right now to work more an episodic condition, small amounts of
informally or periodically, until they gain confidence and work can support successful reintegration
stability in their lives as they re-enter the workforce. into the workforce.

Income Generation Continuum

INFORMAL HONORARIUM PART-TIME PART-TIME FULL-TIME

Binning, One-off temporary CASUAL REGULAR More than
vending, tasks (e.g. event “0-Hour Contract” Guaranteed 35 hours per
etc. clean-up) as-needed work regular hours week

When ready, people may progress, and adapt to more work, or be able to work more consistent hours.
Think about opportunities in your organization and where people who experience barriers to employment
can contribute somewhere on the continuum from Honorarium to Full-time.

Inclusion Tip Different Work Options

If you are interested in exploring different work options to benefit your business, contact
a local employment services provider like WorkBC or Community Living organizations in BC.
Share this resource with them to help start the conversation around viable options for your
business needs. Ask if they collaborate with other employment services providers, including
social enterprises or non-profit organizations, to make it easier to expand your reach for talent.

12
How Employment or Social Assistance Factors In
People with disabilities and people who have persistent barriers to employment can work and earn
additional income while receiving social assistance. Your employees receiving social assistance are
responsible for managing their earnings, not you as the employer. As a supportive employer, you will want
to have a good understanding of the parameters. Although many people would prefer to earn the most
they can, people with barriers rely on those financial supports and associated programs like counselling
and Pharmacare. They may prefer to earn within the maximum amounts so it doesn’t jeopardize what’s
secure, especially with uncertainty that comes from starting a new job opportunity or re-connecting to the
workforce after a long period of absence.

There are earnings exemptions that limit how much a person can earn, either monthly or annually before
wages are deducted dollar for dollar, which vary depending on the province in Canada. You can Google
‘earning exemptions’ for your province or territory to find specific information for your region.
If you are in BC, you can find more information about earning exemptions here:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/services-for-people-with-disabilities/
disability-assistance/on-disability-assistance/annual-earnings-exemption.

THE TALENT POOL To understand the potential resources of this diverse

untapped talent pool in Canada:
Potential Workforce
• There are 6.2 million Canadians living with
The untapped talent pool is made up of
disabilities – the largest of all minority groups
people who have different backgrounds and
experiences. It may include people living with • More than 75% of people with disabilities
disabilities including mental illness, and others acquire their disability as adults and
who live with barriers, sometimes persistent anyone can become a part of this group
barriers to employment. Ultimately, the potential at any time, whether temporarily or
workforce includes people who are often
permanently7
overlooked when it comes to employment:
• Close to 10% of people in Canada live
• People challenged by low literacy, cycles in poverty
of poverty, lack of stable housing, trauma,
abuse, poor social skills and lack of stable • By the time Canadians reach 40 years of age,
social connections 1 in 2 will have or will have had a mental illness,
including depression, anxiety, PTSD,
• People with diverse cognitive/intellectual an addiction problem8
abilities, learning disorders or autism
• The employment rate of people with disabilities
• People with physical disabilities is half what it is for people without disabilities
including mobility, hearing or vision loss
• The unemployment rates for people living
• People living with illnesses such as with a severe mental illness is 70% to 90%9
Parkinson’s, diabetes, epilepsy, MS,
gastrointestinal disorders, arthritis or
7 Discover Ability Network
recovering from cancer, a brain injury,
8 Canadian Association for Mental Health, 2019
stroke or heart disease
9 Mental Health Commission of Canada, Aspiring Workforce, 2019

13
Barriers
Barriers to employment can be either personal barriers experienced by the individual, or barriers that are
present in the workplace, attitudes towards people who are different, HR policies and practices, whether
intentional, conscious or not. Some workplace barriers can actually be barricades to employment.

Consider how the following personal barriers may play out in your organization or other businesses
today, preventing people from gaining employment:

• Stigma and trauma related to poverty, mental illness and addictions, abuse, social isolation
and homelessness

• Lack of life skills, digital literacy, employment experience, education or lack of early exposure
to positive opportunities

• A lack of Canadian work experience and language barriers

• Low literacy, gaps in work history, lack of employment skills, lack of family support, attitudinal
and behavioral issues

• Multiple disabilities
• Discrimination based on Indigenous background, ethnic origin or gender expression
People who experience multiple barriers are not well served by traditional job search methods,
employment programs and rigid hiring processes aimed at screening-out candidates. The real barriers
are not necessarily addictions, it’s things like having a learning disability, poor self-esteem, mental illness,
or lack of readiness for the workplace. That, combined with unconscious bias towards people who
face multiple barriers, can keep an individual in a constant cycle of unemployment, under-employment
and poverty.

Having a Job Helps to Overcome Barriers and Transforms Lives

Being an inclusive, supportive employer changes lives every day! These employers are proven to enable,
empower and nurture individuals to overcome the challenges they face10. As part of the research for
this guidebook, a number of people from diverse backgrounds (age, gender, abilities, mental health,
addictions, Indigenous and ethnic backgrounds) who reside and work in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
shared their experiences with supportive employment.

Each person talked about what unique inclusive recruitment and/or retention practice worked for them,
and how their lives benefits as a result. These employees also shared advice for employers who were
interested in being more inclusive.

10 Success Themes in Supportive Employment, Enterprising Non-Profits, 2014

14
It Also Transforms Business Culture
Throughout this B2B resource, Employer Comments,
Lessons Learned, Inclusion Tips and Case Studies are
provided to showcase different ways organizations have
benefited from inclusion.

Business leaders who employ people who face or have faced

multiple barriers to employment also report personal change
and resiliency in many people who were connected to jobs
in their businesses:

• We are constantly amazed by what people have gone

through and how resilient they are. People are grateful
for the opportunity and make fantastic employees, are
dedicated and really value the opportunity they have
been given.

• Most surprising - in corporate environments people talk

about life balance issues. We’ve not heard that here
one single time. We don’t need to keep our employees
engaged; we just need to listen to them.

• The sense of dignity that is gained through work and the

community and connection that comes
with the work.

• It pays dividends over the long term and will bring stability.
• People can have a change in mindset as to how they see themselves - there is a real growth
in confidence.

• There is a “dignity” in taking and having responsibility. Employment provides dignity and purpose
and provides a ladder out of poverty.

Lessons Learned
If lessons can be learned from employers in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver who employ people
who live with or experience barriers to employment, these lessons can be applied to any business
anywhere with occasional, casual needs or part/ full-time employment opportunities.

15
WHAT DOES SUPPORTIVE EMPLOYMENT MEAN TO YOU?

When I went through depression, Not working was the death of me.
it was so hard. I have stability now, Working now, not just to make money,
I am in touch with my family again, I can live with little
I’m a whole new me and it changed and be happy.
my life.

It provides meaning
Reduces debt.
- doing something where When people ask what you do,
Diet improves.
you can make and you are doing nothing...work I like to have
a difference in gives me purpose to my day. something to do.
the world.

A place that’s I have a home,

Confidence and purpose supportive, understanding, a stable life, which
- gaining that back is so flexible with hours, and I appreciate, and I
important. helps me cope. am grateful.

16
 Gets me back on my feet, builds
I am a better mom, a better person
self-esteem and confidence which is
and giving back when I can to help completely lost when in deep trouble
someone else. and depression.

I’m nicer to others and nicer to my son. So many people look at

Now there’s hope. Previously I threw addiction and they look at you
money away but now I’m more aware of where like you are never going to be
my money goes. anything. When people see
people like me come back, they
have a different look – it can
It’s an environment where I feel humanize you again.
supported and heard, where there’s
room for growth and if I make a
mistake, there’s room for compassion I have a sense of worth,
and respect. make good choices and do
good in my community.

It can be more promising for family, kids, grand-kids and improves depression.
Work helps to cope with that, and it means I can make friends.

17
 Employer Case Study: Mission Possible

In 2007, the leadership team of Mission Possible held focus groups and surveyed residents living
in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The top issue after the need for more adequate housing was the
lack of employment opportunities available to those challenged by poverty. While many residents
had the desire and ability to work, their disabilities and various barriers to traditional
employment made accessing work difficult. They felt overlooked simply for where they live
or because they need flexibility and are not able to work full-time.

In response to this need, Mission Possible began to create exterior

property cleaning jobs. To help facilitate more people moving into
employment opportunities, Mission Possible developed a model
that begins with training that focuses on soft-skill development.
This is complemented by regular employment coaching with trained
staff. And finally, transitional employment is offered in their social
enterprise that allows individuals to start out at a manageable pace and
increase their workload based on their personal capacity. The goal is
to offer recent, supported work experience as a stepping stone into a
permanent job with another employer—like you!

This supportive employment approach creates impact that is real and

highly visible! Those who have not worked for years quickly begin
to see their physical and mental health improve, their stress
levels decrease, and their sense of confidence and dignity soar.
They also begin to break out of isolation and feel more connected and
included in the community and economy. And many are able to access
more adequate housing with the additional income they can earn.

Fast-forward a decade and this impact has continued with

demonstrable success. Mission Possible, along with multiple other
social enterprises in Vancouver collectively generate over $16M
in revenue, employing over 2,200 individuals with barriers to
employment11.

The key piece to this achievement is due to the supportive practices

of social enterprises. The majority of the individuals employed are able
to succeed not because of extensive classroom training, but because
they are hired by employers who recognize that although they have
experienced trauma, illness, accidents, or other challenges in their
lives, they have gifts, talents, assets and abilities to offer. They simply
need a supervisor who has the right mix of empathy and best
practices to help them thrive.

11 Buy Social Canada

18
BUSINESS SELF-ASSESSMENT
Do you need to innovate recruitment and retention practices to find staff for your business?
Are you intrigued about inclusive hiring and don’t know where to start?

The following questions may help prompt greater interest in learning and developing more
inclusive practices to meet current and future workforce needs.

Ten Quick Yes or No Questions to Help you Get Started

1. Do you have job openings or a need for someone to work with your business?

2. Is it challenging for your company to attract and find candidates for job openings?

3. Is your organization connected to the community you do business in? If not, would you like it to be?

4. Are your customers diverse?

5. Do you provide employees with a respectful workplace?

6. Do you show you care about your staff and promote a healthy work-life balance?

7. Could your business be more flexible and provide occasional or part-time hours in addition
to full-time hours of work?

8. Do you consider that underlying bias (conscious or not) may shape your hiring decisions?

9. Do you currently have a culture in your workplace that values inclusion of people facing or
experiencing barriers to employment? If not, do you aspire to have a more inclusive culture
in the future?

10. To meet your workforce needs, are you open to adjust your typical hiring practices to reach qualified
job seekers you may not have considered in the past?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then your business is ready.
Read on. This B2B Guide for innovative hiring and retention will help!

19
Section 2 RECRUITMENT PRACTICES to GAIN
ACCESS to DIVERSE TALENT

This section highlights innovative ways for employers to adapt recruitment

practices, including candidate sourcing, interviews and the selection process,
to gain access to a wider talent pool.

EMPLOYER BRANDING
Most business leaders recognize the importance of developing a strong consumer brand, one that
attracts customers to your business. The same concept applies to your employment brand. Whether you
run a small business or a large company, having a strong employer brand will attract more people who
want to work with you. A business that is seen as providing employees with a caring, respectful place to
work, is highly valued in today’s employment market. This can be leveraged to make it easier and more
cost effective for you to hire and retain from a much wider talent pool.

Be creative when designing your employment brand:

• Put your employees centre stage and include short video testimonials—on your website or send via
social media—of diverse employees sharing their career path and why they love working for you.

• Share “A Day in the Life” profiles of diverse employees working in different jobs.
• Seek feedback from diverse groups of people on how your employment brand can attract diverse
candidates.

20
Key Elements of a Strong Employer Brand
Like your ‘Customer Value Proposition’, the most important part of a strong employer brand is your
‘Employee Value Proposition’ – what you offer your employees. The following five elements will bring
your value proposition to life as an innovative, inclusive employer:

CULTURE – A healthy workplace culture is characterized by trust, collaboration, responsibility

and support. It aligns with the company’s goals and values and is made up of positive relationships
between colleagues, managers and leaders. Caring, empathetic managers are crucial. Through
coaching and encouragement they set their employees up for success including those with barriers
to employment.

WORK ENVIRONMENT – Factors that contribute to a positive work environment range from
understanding job responsibilities to having a healthy work-life balance. Other factors include
a sense of autonomy, personal achievement, respect and recognition.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES – Inclusive employers focus on capacity building through training, coaching
and feedback. They provide flexible job opportunities, which gives people many ways to engage in work,
and for companies to tap into diverse talent.

COMPENSATION – Employee satisfaction with compensation and rewards. Important considerations

are fairness and equity. Supportive employers also consider whether non-traditional compensation may
be of value, including bonuses and meal plans.

BENEFITS – This includes typical benefits like health care, as well as others such as personal days,
wellness initiatives, assistance with childcare and respite opportunities.

Website & Careers Page

Your website tells the world who you are, what you do and how you do it. It’s also an opportunity
to promote your company to potential candidates. Start by making sure your website is accessible,
so people can easily access information. Is your application process creating an unintended barrier?
Ask a diverse group of people to “test drive” your careers page and highlight any areas that are not
accessible or that can be improved.

A separate and dedicated careers page provides information that demonstrates why your business
is an employer of choice. Things to include on your careers page, in addition to current job openings:

• Your mission, values and employment awards recognition

• How to apply, including accessible options for applying in person or by mail
• The recruitment and selection process
• Supports available for people with disabilities, or other people who experience barriers to employment

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Building Community Partnerships
Community partners and employment service providers can help you find new sources of talent, skilled
employees that you might have overlooked. There are many great organizations that provide supportive
employment programs for people who live with or have experienced barriers to employment, such
as people with disabilities, Indigenous people or new immigrants. This includes social enterprises
who have built successful business models to support local communities. In British Columbia, for
example, WorkBC and Community Living BC are there to help support people with disabilities to obtain
employment, at no cost to your business.

You can also contract with community partners

to deliver certain aspects of your business,
especially where you are finding it difficult
to hire staff.

Diversity Statement
Send a clear message to job applicants that your business
strives to provide an inclusive workplace and that you
encourage candidates with diverse abilities to apply. Include
a Commitment to Diversity statement on your website or
include it in your company Mission, Vision, Values.

Examples of Diversity Statements include:

• We are a social enterprise that provides customers with a social return on investment. Our mission
is to provide top quality professional services while also offering job opportunities to people who
have barriers to employment, such as poverty and disability. (CleanStart BC)

• Vancity welcomes applications from all qualified job seekers, and if you are an applicant with
a disability, we will work with you to make reasonable workplace accommodations you may
need for your best work performance.

• A career at ICBC is more than a job. It’s an opportunity to be part of a talented, diverse and inclusive
team in an environment that promotes growth and development.

Inclusion Tip Employee Value Proposition

The best way to ensure that your Employee Value Proposition hits the mark with inclusion is to ask
the experts: your employees. Ask what they like the most about working with your company, if they
view the business to be supportive and what you can do to provide a more inclusive environment.
Include all staff in these conversations. You can do this through team meetings, an informal online
survey, 1:1 meetings, focus groups or through an employee engagement survey. You can also reach
out to a community partner for ideas and support.

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What to Expect When Working with an Employment Service Provider
Sharing your business goals, values and workplace culture will help an employment service provider
to understand your unique business needs. As an employer, don’t be afraid to ask questions, be clear
about your expectations and share the reality of your business. Having an open discussion upfront will
set everyone up for success as you work together to find talent.

The best way for a partner to understand what it’s like to work with your business, is for a service provider
to spend some time in your workplace, observing how work is done. This enables them to better assess
match - what candidates would be a good fit for the job duties, the team and your work environment.

The following checklist was provided by Open Door Group, a non-profit that specializes in helping
support individuals with barriers find employment. These are services and resources that are typically
available to employers when working with a community partner:

✓ A supported approach to accessing local candidates

 Identify needs and match those with local candidates

 Develop job-preparation workshops that specifically target the needs of a specific

employer or industry

✓ Ongoing support post-placement

 Follow up support to both the employer and new hire based on need

 On-the-job coaching for candidates to help support onboarding

✓ Access to training
 A variety of training for managers and staff based on desire/need

(e.g. Mental Health First Aid, Diversity in the Workplace, etc.)

 Connecting employers to additional training offered in the community

✓ Support navigating and accessing valuable resources

 Government resources, including wage subsidies (when applicable)

 Community resources including accessibility supports & assessments

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 Inclusion Tip Flexibility

To be a more supportive employer and gain access to a wider talent pool, are you open to a flexible
work schedule or working from home options? In your postings, do you make a point of inviting
applicants from diverse backgrounds and abilities to apply?

Here are some questions to ask an employment services provider in your

community, to help you assess if they are the right partner for your business:
— What services do they provide to support — How do they prepare job seekers for
the employer throughout the recruitment, employment and what kind of support
onboarding and probationary periods? do they provide after hire?

— Are they open to visiting your workplace — Will they work onsite in your workplace to
in advance of introducing any candidates support training and onboarding, if needed?
in order to view the work environment and
— Can the service provider help to prepare
gain a clear understanding of the job duties?
your existing team to welcome a person
with a barrier such as a disability?

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 Employer Case Study: Gabi and Jules

In Port Moody, British Columbia, a small municipality east of Vancouver, you will find a little bakery
and coffee shop called Gabi and Jules. Known for their delicious pies, and other yummy offerings,
Gabi and Jules is also known for something special: they are an inclusive, supportive employer.
As they say on their website, “Our mission is to passionately create exceptional pies and baked
goodness in a collaborative environment inclusive of individuals of all abilities.”

Lisa Beecroft and her husband Patrick named their bakery after their two daughters, one of whom
has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Lisa wanted to create a place where families with children
with ASD would feel welcome. She also wanted to create a workplace that recognized the
value in everyone and where people with disabilities, ASD in particular, are welcome, can
contribute to the workplace and build employment skills.

As a small business without a dedicated human resources team, Gabi and Jules has partnered
with employment service providers to help fill job vacancies and to deliver on their commitment
to be a supportive, inclusive employer. Lisa has found it helpful to be clear from the start
with any partner that she works with about the support that she needs as an employer.
Asking questions and setting clear expectations has helped Lisa and employment partners to
work effectively together.

Lisa hears often from customers that they come to Gabi and Jules because they feel welcome
– they never feel judged. And candidates come to Lisa, with resume in hand, because they
know that Gabi and Jules is a supportive employer; they want to be part of that! Because the
Beecrofts were intentional with their vision, mission and goals for the bakery right from the start,
their employer brand has sent a strong, clear message: everyone is welcome here.

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DEFINING JOB REQUIREMENTS
Traditional and non-traditional ways to define job requirements can give you access to a wider talent
pool; you may have otherwise not been aware of.

Non-traditional: Informal, Honorarium Have Odd Jobs?

and Part-Time Casual Jobs If your business has a need for one-off ‘odd
There are employment programs in communities jobs’ or casual labour, you could be creating
that allow for a slower integration back into meaningful opportunities for people in your
work for people absent from the workforce for community to earn money, increase their
a lengthy period. This approach allows people skills, gain experience and begin to improve
to successfully re-integrate at a pace they can their livelihoods. Contact a social enterprise,
handle and begin to work more hours on the community living organization or employment
pathway to a sustainable income. These programs service program provider in your community
could be highly valuable to your business as to discuss your needs. These organizations
they reduce the level of ongoing employment can provide people who they pay to meet your
commitment and could provide an opportunity requirements.
for people in your community to work.
Traditional: Regular Part-Time and Full-Time
It is important that anyone working with your Opportunities
company on an informal or part-time basis be
For more traditional opportunities, the
covered under WorkSafe BC. If employed directly
following will help you define requirements
with your business, they should also be on payroll,
receiving an amount that is at least minimum wage. prior to conducting a candidate search.

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Job Description
A thoughtfully crafted job description will help determine what’s needed for the position and target
recruitment for qualified candidates. It also helps existing employees fully understand their job duties
and assists with performance management.

The following key elements will help you to develop a strong job description.

JOB TITLE When creating a job title, be specific, in this section. Just like with the responsibilities
short and simple. Steer clear of non-traditional job and duties section, consider what is required
titles such as “Rock Star Line Cook”, “Warehouse and what is not.
Ninja” or “Administrative Unicorn.” Consider the
diversity of your audience when they read the job • Are you hiring for fit, attitude or qualities?
title – will they know what it means? Words like
• Can you train for skills that might not be
“rock star” and “ninja” are gendered: they tend
strong, or experience not yet gained?
to appeal more to male candidates, which means
that you may be excluding half of your potential • Are there parts of a job, like repetitive tasks,
candidate pool right from the start. that can be carved-out from the full job
description, to make it possible to create
COMPANY AND JOB SUMMARY Summarize
the job duties and share important information an opportunity for someone less skilled
about your company to potential candidates. to contribute and still get your business
It’s a perfect opportunity to explain why your needs met?
business is a great place to work by sharing your
commitment to diversity and inclusion, important JOB POSTINGS Ensure job postings support
elements of your employer brand, a definition your brand proposition and include the following:
of your workplace culture and values.
• How to apply: online, email, in person
RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES List the key
• What’s required: do you require a resume,
responsibilities and activities of the job. Clarify the
cover letter or a copy of certification?
tasks before you start and consider the specific
qualifications and skills needed by the person • Salary and benefits: the range of
doing the job. Keep in mind as you write this compensation or hourly rate of pay and any
section, especially if your intent is to be inclusive, relevant benefits and key perks that would
to differentiate between duties that are essential— appeal to potential job seekers
bona fide occupational requirements—and those
that aren’t. • Location: work location
QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS Education, • Status: part-time, full-time, on call,
previous work experience (paid and volunteer), temporary, contract
certifications, soft skills such as problem solving,
and communication skills, etc. should be included • Hours: hours that the employee will work

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 Inclusion Tip
Inclusive Language
Before posting the job, review the job description for any language that is not inclusive. Asking for
another person’s feedback can help you identify any possible unconscious bias. Is the language
easy to understand for those whose first language is not English? Do you really need a person to
have the level of qualifications, skills and previous experience you have always asked for or have
things changed since the last time you hired for this job? What could you reasonably adjust within
the job description to be more inclusive and tap into a larger talent pool?

SOURCING CANDIDATES
To attract a wide, diverse pool of talented job seekers, you need to engage
with people in a variety of ways.
To reach candidates, it’s no longer enough to simply advertise a job in one place. This is where your
employment brand can help – the stronger the brand, the greater the interest will be in working with
your business.

Sourcing Options
Here are some ideas to reach potential employees for your business:

• Use your Website — Add a banner to your home page that announces, “We are hiring! Apply now!”
Include your Commitment to Diversity statement in a spot that is easy for potential candidates to see.

• Engage Through Social Media — Reach candidates through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
These are great places to share your inclusive workforce success stories, highlight innovative hiring
and promote your business as a great place to work.

• Work with an Employment Service Provider — Contact your community partner or employment
service provider, provide the job description and seek referrals. Ask if they can customize an
employment initiative for your company. Can they upskill people in the community by providing skills
training and certification with your business in mind? If you had the need, you could hire multiple new
employees at one time that way.

• Use Job Boards — If you advertise your job openings on job boards such as Indeed.com and on
Craigslist, be sure to include that diverse candidates are welcome to apply. Also consider websites
and job boards that are unique to industries and specialized free job boards to reach candidates with
diverse abilities in Canada.

• Collaborate and Expand Your Network — Share job openings via email with colleagues and
customers, business and industry groups, or training institutions, especially those that have programs
aimed at your inclusive hiring efforts.

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• Attend Targeted Career Fairs — Seek out and attend inclusive hiring fairs in your community that
have a proven audience of qualified, diverse candidates. In addition to a hiring manager or member of
your human resources team, consider inviting other employees to attend and share their experiences
as an employee.

• Build Candidate Pools — If you have regular openings, you can also host monthly information
sessions about opportunities and invite people to attend to find out more about the jobs you have
to offer, what you look for in candidates and how to apply.

• Create an Employee Referral Program — Invite your employees to help you find talent.
Who knows better what it’s like to work with your company than existing employees?

• Employment Agencies — For jobs that are hard to fill, when time is of the essence, or you don’t have
the staff to look after the hiring process, consider working with an employment agency (for a fee).
Be sure to let them know you are an inclusive employer and welcome diverse applicants.

Employer Case Study: Common Thread

Nestled in a bright, light-filled corner of a top floor warehouse in East Vancouver is Common
Thread, a cooperative social enterprise that provides practical and flexible training and
employment in industrial sewing for people who are living with mental health challenges,
or who are experiencing other employment barriers.

Participants can work from home assembling craft kits, or at the East Vancouver location
where they have flexibility in the number of hours they work.

The crafting program is about social engagement as much as it is about earning an income.
A program manager visits participants in their homes, brings them supplies, gathers assembled
kits and will also just sit, have tea and visit. For a person living with a serious mental illness, these
visits are an opportunity for regular social connection.

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REVIEWING APPLICATIONS
Now it’s time to review and screen applications. Two steps are highlighted below to get you to a short-list
of candidates quickly.

Step 1: Screen Candidates – Yes, Maybe, No

Based on information in a resume, knowledge of the applicant, a referral recommendation and possibly
a cover letter, you are assessing applications for the following criteria:

At this stage you may choose to intentionally screen-in applicants who identify as being from a group
that has experienced barriers to employment, especially if you are motivated toward inclusion and the
candidate has been referred by a trusted community partner. This is a chance to easily increase diversity
within the selection process and to provide an opportunity for people who are often underrepresented
in the workforce to be considered. If they don’t have the skills required, they can then be screened out.

Does the candidate meet the basic requirements for the job? o Yes o Maybe o No

Step 2: Take a Closer Look

Things to consider as you take a closer look at your ‘Yes’ applications:

• Can the applicant meet the bona fide occupational requirements of the position?
• Do they have the required education, certifications and/or licences? If not, is this something
you can provide on the job? Is there a community partner that can help?

• Are you going for the most qualified person, or are you open to considering fit?

• Are you able to increase diversity by providing mentorship for someone with less experience?

After the second step you should have a short list of ideally, three to five
applicants and are ready to move to the interview stage.

Inclusion Tip
Community Partnerships
Build an ongoing relationship with a community partner that specializes in supporting
underrepresented groups, such as people recovering from addictions, mental illness, Indigenous
people and people with disabilities. These groups are rich with untapped talent and reach out
in different ways in the community to engage with local unemployed job seekers. For example,
many will host free meals or other gatherings that bring together people in the community to talk
about employment opportunities.

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 Inclusion Tip
Opportunity for Disclosure
You may not know if the candidate identifies as having a disability or is from a diversity group
unless you encourage and provide an opportunity for disclosure during the application process.
While you cannot ask if the person has a disability, you can ask them to let you know if they require
any accommodations, or ask what adjustments, if any, would be required for the candidate to do
their best.

Pitfalls to Avoid

——UNCONSCIOUS BIAS A common unconscious bias that affects hiring managers is called
Similarity Bias. Simply put, we prefer people who are like us. If we see on a resume that a
candidate grew up in our hometown or went to our school, we may develop an affinity towards
them without realizing it. Focus on matching applicants’ abilities and experience with the job
requirements.

——PLACING AN EMPHASIS ON HOBBIES AND INTERESTS It’s common to associate an applicant

who has played team sports as being a team player. You might not consider that a person who
has diverse physical abilities, or who didn’t have early access to play team sports due to socio-
economic status, may have the same skills.

——USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO SCREEN APPLICANTS While reviewing an applicant’s social media
profiles may provide a broader view than just a resume does, it also may highlight things that are
irrelevant to the job. It’s best to avoid looking at the social media profiles of applicants.

——SCREENING OUT RESUMES FOR SPELLING ERRORS If you are hiring for a job that requires
a high attention to detail and excellent written communication skills, then a resume free of spelling
errors is important. However, if the job doesn’t require that, consider the other essential skills and
abilities without focusing on errors. A candidate who has experience working with their hands,
cooking, assembling kits or picking and packing orders, may not need strong written skills.

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 Employer Case Study: Embers Staffing Solutions

Embers is Canada’s only non-profit temporary staffing agency, providing socially responsible temp
services for companies in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. Their mission is to provide clients
with high-quality, reliable, professional workers that exceed their expectations, and to
support workers to improve their skills and advance their careers.

Embers was launched in 2008 to reach people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside that needed help
in transitioning back to work. As a temporary staffing company founded and based in Vancouver,
Embers delivers a higher level of service to employers requiring temp services workers, while
providing compassion and tangible supports to workers, including training.

Temporary jobs can be a highly effective means of re-entering the workforce after an absence,
or to transition into a new job market, whether through a skilled or general labour position.
Candidates are talented, reliable and proven workers. Daily, close to 200 people are connected
to employment through this temporary help agency.

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INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES
The interview is an opportunity for you to learn more about the candidate’s experience, skills, abilities,
interests and assess their overall fit to the job. It’s also an opportunity for the candidate to decide if they
can see themselves thriving with your business!

Give thought to and plan for the accessibility needs of diverse applicants. People who use a wheelchair
for mobility, people with hearing or vision impairments, people who can be anxious during interviews,
or those with diverse cognitive abilities may require an accommodation during the interview process.

When you know in advance that a person may be uncomfortable or won’t do well with structured
interviews, a conversational approach in an informal setting can help candidates to open up.
Helping candidates to relax allows for a more genuine conversation and an opportunity for people
to connect in a more authentic way.

Types of Interviews
There are different types of interviews
Inclusion Tip
that can serve different purposes: Interview Adjustments
Adjustments during the interview process
WORKING could include holding the interview
TELEPHONE
IN-PERSON INTERVIEWS
OR ONLINE in a quiet space if the person gets
INTERVIEWS AND WORK
INTERVIEWS overwhelmed by noise, or a wheelchair
TRIALS
accessible location if the applicant uses
a wheelchair for mobility, understanding
communication options for a person who
is deaf or hard of hearing, or a job coach
for support if the candidate has diverse
cognitive abilities.

33
Working Interviews
Working interviews can be very effective at determining whether a candidate can do or learn task-oriented
jobs. This approach is especially useful when considering candidates with diverse cognitive abilities,
people who are non-verbal or for people whose anxiety gets in the way of communicating well in a
structured interview setting. It’s also a chance for the individual to learn more about the opportunity
by experiencing the tasks first-hand. A show, do, review approach works best, where:

• The candidate is shown how to do a task (for example, facing a shelf)

• Has an opportunity to do the task and (after being shown how to do it)
• Strengths are reviewed on how well the candidate could perform the task
When working with an employment service provider, WCB is usually covered through their employment
programs, which reduces the liability if someone is injured on your premises. Job Coaches in these
programs can provide tips, suggestions and checklists to the employer on how to best explain or
demonstrate tasks in ways that the candidate learns best.

For longer work trials, where someone is brought on for a day or more, the candidate would need
to be paid and covered under the company’s WCB plan to reduce liability.

To determine whether the working interview should be paid or unpaid,

consider these general guidelines and review WCB regulations to confirm

Is the candidate Are you using this as a less Are you offering this
performing the actual than two hour test as part of as a trial period of work
job duties? If yes, your hiring process? If yes, (a day, week, etc.)? If yes,
PAID UNPAID PAID

Inclusion Tip
Communicating
Some people who are deaf or hard of hearing rely on lip-reading, but not all. Use alternative ways of
communicating by asking in advance what works best for the individual. Some people communicate
through sign-language, so booking an Interpreter is an option. Others communicate well by written
communication, so offering an opportunity for the applicant to complete their interview questions
on computer or writing back and forth works well.

34
What Can you Ask in an Interview (and What Can’t you)?
Questions should always relate to the requirements of the job. Stay away from questions that are
irrelevant, invasive or illegal. Some employers don’t base interview questions entirely on exploring
previous work experience or academic achievements, but more on shared life experiences to identify
people with potential, rather than to eliminate candidates. If you are planning a casual, informal interview,
communicate this in advance so the candidate is more at ease and knows what to expect.

If an applicant has a disability, you cannot ask them for a diagnosis, the status of their health, nor the cost
of accommodations, if required. Unless the applicant brings it up, staying away from personal questions
regarding the nature of disability is recommended. You can, however, ask job-related questions, or if they
require any adjustment or accommodation to do their best work in the position.

Preparing an interview guide in advance of the interview will help to ensure consistency of the approach
and that relevant questions are asked of each applicant.

Pitfalls to Avoid

——BASING YOUR HIRING DECISION ON A FIRST IMPRESSION It is natural to have a strong

first impression. When interviewing an applicant, it’s important to set aside your first impression
and consider the applicant’s overall potential.

——JUDGING COMMUNICATION It can be difficult to judge communication when a person is

nervous, anxious or when someone is from an Indigenous or cultural background where silence is
valued and respectful. Interviews can be daunting, and people will likely open up more once hired.

——ASKING IRRELEVANT QUESTIONS Make the best use of the allotted interview time by asking
questions that are directly relevant to the work that the successful applicant will be responsible for.

——KNOW WHETHER TO USE OPEN ENDED OR CLOSED ENDED QUESTIONS Open-ended

interview questions prompt discussion and provide more details to decide whether there’s a good
match. Closed-ended questions (ones that require a yes or no answer) work well for people with
diverse cognitive abilities and others who may not do well with structured interview questions.

——FORGETTING WHAT THE APPLICANT SAID Take notes. Trying to remember who said what
between multiple applicants is almost impossible. Recording responses allows for record keeping,
whether the applicant is declined or hired. Ensure that written comments are only in reference to
the candidate’s ability to do the job.

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 Employer Case Study: Zero Ceiling

At Zero Ceiling in Whistler, British Columbia, a social enterprise committed to reducing youth
homelessness and raising the quality of life for young people experiencing homelessness from
Vancouver through the Sea to Sky Corridor, interviews are a casual thing. But that doesn’t mean
that they don’t take them seriously and prepare in advance.

They rarely do traditional behavioural-based interviews and prefer to take an informal

approach. Sean Easton, co-Executive Director, prepares their employment program candidates
in advance by letting them know that it will be more of a conversation than an interview and that
they should dress casually.

It’s important to Sean right from the start to set the tone as friendly so that each candidate feels
comfortable. And the interview is not just about assessing the suitability of the candidate;
it’s also about the candidate interviewing them to ensure that the program and experience
is a fit for them, too. To ensure a positive experience right until the end of the process, Sean also
provides constructive feedback should someone not be selected to join the program.

Building relationships, spreading a message of “unconditional love” to youth who’ve had many
doors closed to them in their young lives is what Zero Ceiling is all about, from start to finish.

Inclusion Tip
Personality Assessments
People who are highly detail-oriented can get overwhelmed and stuck when presented with too
many choices. When you know in advance a candidate has diverse cognitive abilities, including
autism, or lower levels of literacy, it’s a reasonable adjustment to by-pass personality assessments
and rely more on the interview to determine whether the candidate is a good match to the job.
ASSESSMENTS AND PRE-EMPLOYMENT CHECKS

Assessments
Depending on the position, candidates may be required to complete assessments or testing in advance
of hire. Testing may include typing speed and accuracy for administrative positions, math skills for
positions that handle cash transactions or testing coding skills for programming.

Some employers use online psychometric tests to assess personality types in line with what is required
for the position, to help choose the right candidate by better understanding personality traits, cognitive
abilities and behavioural style. However, this may unintentionally exclude a huge part of the talent market.
People with low literacy, autism or diverse cognitive abilities will have difficulty completing these
assessments because of the abstract nature of how questions are asked.

Most employers only need to confirm previous

work experience. Positions that require a high
Reference Checks
degree of trust, such as working at a bank or
school or for any job that works with vulnerable Conducting reference checks confirms
people (children, the elderly or people with work experience provided by an
disabilities) may require a credit or criminal record applicant. This can also provide examples
check. This is for the protection of the people of relevant behaviour—positive or
served through the business. otherwise­—in the applicant’s work history
and identify additional training needs
Before conducting a pre-employment check
should that person be hired.
on an applicant, an employer should:
Reference checks are typically conducted
• Include this in the position posting over the phone or via email by either
• Obtain the applicant’s consent the hiring manager or a member of
the Human Resources team who is
• Explain to the applicant why specific checks experienced with conducting reference
are required and ask if there are any red flags checks and familiar with the job
that might come up requirements. Responses should be
recorded, preferably in a reference check
• Keep the information obtained from a form and stored securely to maintain
background check confidential, regardless confidentiality and in accordance with
of whether the applicant is hired privacy legislation.

Pre-employment Check Conducting pre-employment or background checks can

be an important part of the selection process and includes:

CRIMINAL DRUG TESTING

CREDIT EDUCATION/
REFERENCES RECORD for safety sensitive
REPORTS positions CERTIFICATION
VERIFICATION

37
 Inclusion Tip
Disclosing Hardships
Providing an applicant with an opportunity to self-disclose any financial hardships or previous
criminal charges in advance of conducting these checks can provide a chance for the employer
to understand situations surrounding these events and make an informed decision.

Appropriate References (Referees)

Provide applicants with an understanding
of the type of person who should be used
Staff are always committed
as a reference and the information that will and driven to accomplish a shift.
be collected. An ideal reference will:

• Have worked with the applicant recently

and observed their performance in the job

• Be a former supervisor in either a paid or

volunteer position, or a colleague or client
who worked closely with the applicant

• Be able to provide constructive comments

regarding the consistency and quality of the
applicant’s work and describe how to best
support the person should they be hired

Inclusion Tip
Broaden References
When an applicant has not been in the
workforce recently or at all, consider
broadening references. A supervisor from
a volunteer job, an employment program
manager, job coach or an instructor/
teacher/professor may be able to provide
relevant and valuable information about
the applicant’s ability to do the job.

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 Reference Check Questions
Preparing your questions in advance will help you to make efficient use of the reference check
and make an effective hiring decision.

✓ Ensure that all questions relate to the requirements of the job, as well as employee
performance and conduct during their previous job(s)

✓ Probe beyond yes or no answers and try to get concrete examples of the referee’s
experience working with the applicant

Here are some sample questions to ask during a reference check:

 What was your relationship to the applicant?

 How long was the applicant employed at your company?

 What were the applicant’s main responsibilities?

 How would you describe the applicant’s key strengths?

 What are the applicant’s weaknesses and what worked to overcome those?

 Why did the applicant leave the position?

 How could we bring out this person’s best on the job?

 Would you rehire this person if there was a suitable position?

Criminal Record Verification

If a criminal record check is required, candidates should be informed in advance why it’s relevant to the
role. You can make exceptions for offenses that are not related to the position and consider the length
of time since the offense, or whether past offenses are currently still considered an offense as a result of
updated laws, for example, possession or use of Cannabis.

Costs for any pre-employment checks should be covered by the employer.

Drug and Alcohol Testing

Ultimately, employers have a legal responsibility to provide a safe workplace. In industries that are highly
safety conscious like aviation or transportation, employers may include mandatory drug and alcohol
testing as part of the pre-screening process. The type of test will depend on the position and must be
included as part of the application process, so candidates are informed in advance of the requirement.
The employer is not obligated to proceed in the recruitment process if the applicant refuses to take the test.

39
Education/Certification Checks
An education or certification check is conducted to ensure that the applicant holds the level of education
required for the job. Conduct education or certification checks only if they are bona fide occupational
requirements. For example, is a high school diploma or a bachelor’s degree mandatory or could the
applicant have gained the required skills through practical on the job experience?

Inclusion Tip
Easing Back to Work
Some people who have been out of the workforce for a long period of time, or people who live
with multiple barriers, would benefit from working fewer hours of work at first, then scale up as
the person eases into a schedule that includes work. If you are open to considering this, check
with the individual first to see if this would help bring out their best to start.

OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT
Congratulations! You have interviewed applicants for the job, conducted the required pre-employment
checks and are ready to make an offer of employment. Typically, a verbal offer is presented to the
successful applicant first (especially in a competitive job market) and then followed up with a written
letter of offer, also known as an employment contract or employment agreement.

Verbal Offer
A verbal offer is conducted over the phone or in person by the hiring manager or a member of the human
resources department.

For a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing, the verbal offer can be in the form of an email, text or
Teletype (TTY) to let them know you would like to make an employment offer and the written offer will
be sent soon.

For a person who is blind or has a visual impairment, ensure the written offer is available in an accessible
format including large print or as an electronic document (technology makes it easier for a document to
be read aloud). Alternatively, the hiring manager could read aloud the offer and guide the person to sign
in the appropriate space.

If an accommodation or workplace adjustment has been identified during the recruitment process, you
can include this in the letter of offer. In this case, you can state it as part of your commitment to workforce
inclusion of people with diverse abilities. For example, “Our business is committed to accommodating the
needs of employees with diverse needs. To ensure that appropriate accommodations are in place before
you begin work, the following has been identified: the ability to use a noise-cancelling headset while at
work and to be assigned a workstation that is in a quieter area in the office. Please advise your manager
of anything else we can adjust to help you do your best at work.”

40
ONBOARDING NEW EMPLOYEES
A strong onboarding experience continues to Supportive Employer
build positive relationships that set people up
for success. Support from supervisors - effective
Top Tip
training, clear expectations, creating a sense
of community - all helps employees to grow “Employees who experience barriers to
confidence. Being clear on the workplace culture employment such as addiction or mental
is an important element of success. This leaves
health issues can be challenging to support
employees feeling welcomed, included and
because they may have needs that are
informed.
different from those without barriers. I have
When employing people who live with multiple learned that working with a community
barriers, there is a high value placed on building partner that is an expert in employment
relationships. Some people can be more services for marginalized groups is really
challenging to support at first and may take more helpful.”
time from a supervisor. Much of the challenge
comes from a lack of confidence or a lack of
positive supportive role models. It’s important
to understand in advance if extra feedback and
coaching is required and be prepared to work that
into your approach.

Post Offer / Pre-Start Date

Before your new employee starts, you have an opportunity to create a welcoming first
impression and continue to build a positive relationship. Take this time to prepare all
employees by doing the following:

 Send a welcome email to the new employee, confirm start date and time, who they

report to on their first day and an orientation schedule for the first day or week

 Determine what if anything, needs to be adjusted to bring out their best and

if required, have this in place in advance of the start date

 Provide all employment forms and required reading about the company

 Arrange for the things that your new employee will need on their first day (computer

and access to systems and files, uniform if required, business cards, cell phone, etc.)

 Create an employee file

 Send an email to existing employees to advise that a new employee has been hired

Include information such as their start date, previous experience and, with the new

employee’s permission, any additional information that the employees should know
 Inclusion Tip
Workplace Adjustments
Ask the new employee if they require any workplace adjustments in order to help them do their
best work. Examples of an adjustment or accommodation might be a stand-up desk if the person
has back pain, a quiet workspace to enable concentration, checklists for people who have diverse
cognitive abilities, or an earlier/later start time to attend to any regular medical appointments.
For a listing of accommodations that have worked for businesses, visit https://askjan.org/.

If the new employee requires a workplace adjustment or accommodation and has authorized the
manager to share some information prior to their start date, arrange a time to share this information with
other employees. Provide an opportunity for employees to ask questions, but only answer questions that
won’t violate the new employee’s confidentiality and privacy unless you have the individual’s permission.
Including a subject matter expert, such as the job coach of a new employee who is neuro-diverse, for
example, can help to ensure the information is shared appropriately.

First Day
The first day of a new job can be an exciting, but • Explain your expectations regarding job
also an intimidating, experience. Make a positive performance and how it is measured
first impression and help your new employee ease
into the role by taking these steps: • Be clear and specific about attendance and
required procedures if unable to attend
• Make introductions to the other employees
• Check in at the end of the day – how did it go?
• Assign a “buddy” for the first week to provide
a tour of the workplace and answer questions On the first day, plan to have a team coffee
about the job break or lunch to welcome the new employee.
This provides an opportunity for everyone to get
• Review the job description and duties together, to know each other. If you are bringing in lunch,
explaining more about your workplace culture be sure to check for any dietary restrictions.
and how things are done

• Highlight your inclusive culture and

commitment to it as a manager

42
 Supportive Employer Top Tip

“People who are entering the workforce after being unemployed and homeless are often shifting from
a survival mentality to a professional mentality. Be clear right from the start about what is acceptable
in the workplace and what is not. For example, in orientation review your requested notice period
if an employee decides to resign, “If you give us adequate notice as you agreed to when you were
hired, we can better prepare the team for your departure and support you in your search for a new
job by acting as a reference”.

First Three Months The first three months of employment are often the most important.
Here are some things to do during this time period to ensure the
employee is set up for success:

Assess progress and ask Document any challenges

Provide training
what more you can do and the measures that have
and support
to support learning been taken to support them

The format of training may need to be adjusted to meet the learning needs of a person with a cognitive
or physical disability, learning disorders like dyslexia or a person for whom English is a second language.
This also provides an opportunity to take an innovative approach to learning which can often better meet
the needs of many.

43
 Inclusion Tip
Training
Ensure training is inclusive. With diversity of people in your company comes a diversity of learning
styles. Some people learn from performing a task, while others learn by picking up a manual and
studying it. Maintaining an effective learning environment involves knowing the different types
of learning styles and the best approach for each person.

Benefits of Job Coaches

Job coaches not only help and support individuals who encounter barriers
to employment, they also support managers who have questions on what
inclusive hiring might look like.
One of the most important aspects of any employment is the way that training is done, and this is
especially true for people re-entering the workforce after a long period of absence, people with diverse
cognitive abilities or other barriers to employment.

An effective practice is to use a job coach, either an internal employee who is supporting the person for
a successful return to the workplace, or an external expert who is a specialized coach, trained on the
unique needs of the individual (e.g. someone with expertise in coaching people with Down Syndrome).

Job coaches can help you and your employees by:

• Identifying clear strengths the person brings to the role, as well as areas where they may need
additional support

• Communicating what adjustments are needed to bring out the person’s best at work
• Working with the person to help them learn a new job quickly and well
• Developing task checklists or clear instructions to build a strong understanding for the role
in a straight-forward way, and assist with onsite training

• Helping the manager, individual and coworkers navigate social interactions and encourage wider
social inclusion

• Supporting the individual to get them started at work in a positive way

Some people require a job coach as they begin to learn the job and then again, if changes occur during
employment. Ideally coaching lessons over a period of time. Building cohesion, communication and
collaboration leads to successful and sustained employment.

44
DECLINING AN APPLICANT

Keeping Your Employer Brand in Mind

As you go through these discussions with applicants, keep in mind that declining
an applicant is also part of your employer brand.
All applicants not selected for the job will need to be advised. Providing people with this type of feedback
can be uncomfortable, but it’s also an important learning experience for each to better prepare for the
next opportunity they apply for.

Of candidates who have had a bad experience, 72% of them have shared that experience online or with
someone directly.12

If the candidate was referred by a community partner or employment service provider, contact the
referring organization to provide an update on your employment decision. Give as much detail as you
are comfortable with and if the candidate was not a good fit, let them know why. They may be able to
provide a better match to your needs in the future. If skills or experience was lacking in the candidate,
they may also be able to provide training to better prepare the candidate to be successful for future
openings. Either way, it’s a learning opportunity for the individual to further grow and develop.

End the discussion by thanking the applicant for considering your business. If the applicant may
be suitable for a job at another time within your organization, let them know that you will keep them
in mind for future opportunities.

Declining an applicant in a professional, timely and considerate way will help to maintain your employer
brand reputation and leave the applicant with an overall positive impression of your business.

12 Candidate Experience Study, CareerArc

Supportive Employer Top Tip

“Whenever an applicant isn’t selected to participate in our employment program, we always give
them constructive feedback about why they were not chosen and things that they can work on.
And we let them know that we will keep them on our list for when the next program starts.”

45
Providing Feedback
Whenever possible, give the applicant an example of why they were not selected. Providing them with
a suggestion of a skill to build upon or additional training to take can be helpful and reflects well on your
business. Here are some tips for providing feedback:

——Let the person know of your decision in a timely manner, explaining what’s relevant
——Be intentionally kind and respectful
——Whenever possible, decline the applicant by phone and not by email
——Listen to the person and provide an opportunity for them to present any supporting information
——If the applicant becomes upset, maintain a non-defensive and non-confrontational manner
throughout the discussion

——Demonstrate a willingness to review a decision if an error was made. However, if the decision
is final, let the applicant know

46
 RECRUITMENT RESOURCES and OTHER
LINKS FOR BUSINESSES

Additional resources are listed below that may be helpful for your business as you focus on recruitment
of diverse talent. Visit www.untappedtalent.info to access links.

Accessibility Canada
Accommodations A-Z Job Accommodation Network
Accommodations (Employer’s Duty to Accommodate Canada) FAQ
Autism Speaks Accommodations Toolkit for People with Autism
B2B Focused Resources
• Presidents Group in British Columbia
• Discover Ability Network in Ontario
• Prospect Human Services in Alberta
• Hire for Talent in Atlantic Canada
• Global Human Capital Trends - Deloitte (annual updates)
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion Toolkits for Employers
Checklist for What to Include in Letters of Offer
Credit and Criminal Record Checks
Diversity in Employer Branding – Human Resources Today
Effective Interview Guidelines
Inclusive Employment Service Providers in British Columbia
• WorkBC in British Columbia
• Community Living British Columbia
Inclusive Employment Organizations in the Lower Mainland (in addition to BC)
• BC Partners in Workforce Innovation
• CleanStart BC Property Services
• Just Work
• Mission Possible
• Potluck Catering
• EMBERS Staffing Solutions
• Ready Willing and Able
Mental Health Commission of Canada Aspiring Workforce Toolkit
Online Job Boards focused on Inclusion
• Magnet– targets post-secondary graduates
• Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW)
• Spinal Cord Injury
Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Reviews
Pacific Autism Family Network
Privacy, Personal Information Regulations, Provincial or Territorial

47
Section 3 RETENTION PRACTICES that KEEP
EMPLOYEES ENGAGED

You have invested time, effort and resources to hire a new employee. Now it’s time to focus on retention
practices that keep employees engaged and committed to stay with your business. This next section
highlights innovative retention practices so that people don’t leave because:

• The workplace culture is disrespectful, full of bias and stigma

• Employee needs are overlooked, or not taken into account
• Employees are not recognized for their unique contributions
• Employment practices limit and stifle growth
• Managers haven’t received the tools and training to foster an inclusive and safe workplace

Inclusion Tip Be Curious

When we understand each other better, we’re able to communicate and work together better.
Are you a non-Indigenous person wanting to learn more about Indigenous history within Canada?
Visit the Reconciliation Canada website, read a book by an Indigenous author such as Richard
Wagamese, take a trip to the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre or watch a documentary about
Indigenous culture. Be curious to learn about barriers that others have faced.

48
FOSTERING A SUPPORTIVE WORKPLACE CULTURE
Creating a caring, supportive workplace culture isn’t hard, but it does take commitment and intention.
The many benefits of focusing on workforce inclusion of diverse talent are clear: increased innovation,
higher employee engagement, lower turnover costs, and a stronger ability to deliver on business goals.
Valued employees will stay with you longer, which gives your business both a talent and cost advantage!

Workplace Culture
Is your workplace culture positive and engaging?
The following can positively influence workplace
culture and increase employee engagement:

——PURPOSE Recognize that employees

don’t just work to make money. They care
that the work they do provides purpose and
contributes to the goals of the organization.

——LEADERSHIP Effective leadership means

connecting your employees to your
business, empowering them to do great
work, and creating a feeling of belonging.

——APPRECIATION Show appreciation for

efforts and commitment to the business and
recognize employees for work that is well
done. This fosters a greater sense of pride.

——OPPORTUNITY Give your employees the

opportunity to develop their skills, take
on new challenges and grow their career
with your business.

——WELL-BEING Working to support your

employees’ overall well-being­—physical,
social, emotional, and financial—is a key
factor in a healthy workplace culture.

49
Flexibility and Curiosity
Inclusive employers understand that there are times when employees require support through the ups
and downs of life. Displaying curiosity, empathy and flexibility will help a manager to understand what an
employee might be experiencing and how to best support them. For example, adjusting shift start and
end times to accommodate childcare or a recurring healthcare appointment provides the flexibility an
employee may need to stay employed.

Employee Resource Groups

Having an Employee Resource Group (ERG) in your workplace, is a great way to gain greater insights into
unique employee (and consumer) needs. ERGs are voluntary, employee-led and advise their employers
on ways to innovate policies, practices and service offerings. Who better understands the unique needs
of individuals with barriers to employment who are employed with your business, than your current
employees with barriers!

Inclusive Leadership
Some managers are naturally inclusive leaders, while others may need coaching or additional
development. By understanding what inclusive leadership is and why it matters to your employees,
you will gain access to a wider talent pool and keep employees with you longer. Research has found that
“when employees feel they are treated fairly, that their uniqueness is appreciated and they have a sense
of belonging, and that they have a voice in decision making, then they will feel included13.”

So, what exactly is inclusive leadership? It’s about…

• Recognizing, acknowledging, respecting and valuing diverse employees.

• Choosing curiosity over judgement. Understanding why an employee acts a certain way builds trust.
It also helps to move performance and coaching conversations forward.

• Being aware of unconscious biases. Understanding why there is bias, how it impacts decision
making in the workplace and how to mitigate it.

• Treating people equitably, based on their unique characteristics and needs. This means sometimes
treating individuals differently in order to remove barriers to their full participation in the workplace.

13 Research conducted by Deloitte Australia (Deloitte) and the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission

Inclusion Tip Safe Harbour for Employees

Supportive leaders see themselves as providing a safe harbour for employees. This includes meeting
their financial needs, supporting their engagement while at work and ensuring that each person
works well with their peers. This creates a healthy workplace overall, and actively contributes to
a person’s ability to manage their own challenges.

50
Diversity and Inclusion Training
Providing your employees, especially managers and supervisors, with an opportunity to develop
their diversity competency skills will help you prepare to truly foster an inclusive workplace culture.
Training should be ongoing and woven into your business culture. It can be included as part of the new
hire orientation, delivered through informal lunch and learns, team meetings or as part of an employee’s
personal and professional development.

Training that may be helpful for you and your teams may include Unconscious Bias, Mental Health
First Aid and Inclusive Leadership. The Presidents Group in partnership with BC WiN and WCG Services,
offers free training for employers called Accessible Employers 101. See their website for upcoming dates.

You can also reach out to your local Chamber of Commerce or other business associations to explore
what diversity and inclusion training they offer or do a Google search of other professional training
resources available in your community.

FLEXIBLE ARRANGEMENTS, ADJUSTMENTS AND ACCOMMODATIONS

Even though employers have a legal duty • Adjusting work schedules so an employee
to accommodate, many managers fear the can attend ongoing mental health specialist
cost of accommodations or simply don’t appointments.
know how to adjust the work environment,
or practices, to employ a person with a disability. • Providing space for an employee to have quiet
This perception is one of the most significant time, meditate or pray during the work hours.
barriers to employment because in reality, most
adjustments cost nothing at all and can be easy
• Adjusting your bereavement policy to
to do. accommodate Indigenous employees whose
definition of family may be broader than
Flexible Adjustments to Bring Out non-Indigenous people.
an Employee’s Best
• Allowing employees to take “mental health
Being flexible to each employee’s unique needs
days” to help them cope with a mood or
helps set everyone up for success. Adjustments
anxiety disorder, or allowing a pet with them
are made all the time to remove barriers so
at work.
employees can contribute their best.
• Providing a stand-up desk, assistive
Here are a few examples of easy to implement
workplace adjustments: technology or a wheelchair accessible ramp
to accommodate employees with disabilities.
• Lower lighting in workspace to prevent
• Periodic rest breaks can allow an individual
headaches or accommodate vision needs.
to move about, stretch, adjust their seating
• Providing a checklist for someone with position or calm anxiety.
a learning disability.

51
 Employer Case Study: Tacofino

From a small food truck selling tacos in the beach-side surf town of Tofino, British Columbia,
to a chain of restaurants and food trucks in Vancouver, Tacofino has remained true to their roots
and values throughout their growth: providing delicious food, supporting local farmers,
adapting to and celebrating the local communities in which they operate, and employing
amazing people.

Taylor Chobotiuk, Human Resources Director, says that it starts with hiring a great person who
shares the organization’s values. “At Tacofino employees are viewed as individuals. This applies
to all employees, not just those with barriers. We all have unique needs in the workplace.
The Tacofino culture is built on uniqueness and a high value is placed on how we treat each other.”

With that goal in mind, Taylor has been developing leadership training to enable Tacofino
leaders to better understand and respond to the “uniqueness” of their employees.
Examples of this are workshops around inclusive hiring and how to better support employees
with mental health and addictions challenges.

52
Duty to Accommodate – Obligations of Employers and Employees
As an employer, you have a legal obligation to adjust policies and practices so employees can participate
fully in the workplace. This is called a Duty to Accommodate and it means that sometimes it’s necessary
to treat someone differently in order to prevent discrimination.

The employer is responsible for: The employee is responsible for:

——Eliminating barriers that prevent people from ——Making their accommodation needs known
accessing or being included at work. (this does not require the disclosure of the
specific diagnosis, only what creates the
——Minimizing the need for accommodation by
need for accommodation).
reviewing policies and practices to ensure
they are not discriminatory. ——Helping to identify accommodation options.
——Ensuring that all employees and job ——Providing documentation in support of their
applicants are advised of their right to be request for accommodation (if required),
accommodated. including information about any restrictions
or limitations.
——Responding to accommodation requests in
a timely, confidential and respectful manner. ——Accepting an offer of accommodation that
meets their needs, even if it is not their
This is a shared responsibility between the preferred accommodation option.
employer and the employee. An employee
who requests an accommodation should be Employers are obligated to do everything to
clear about the limitations they face and make accommodate a disability up to the point of undue
reasonable suggestions about what adjustments hardship. This varies depending on the size and
could remove the barrier. resources of the employer. For example, a highly
successful multinational business with extensive
financial resources will have a higher threshold
to meet the point of undue hardship than a small
business with limited resources.

Inclusion Tip ATP

Not sure what an employee needs or how to go about it? Try ATP - Ask The Person first. If they have
been living with a barrier for a while, they probably know best what works. If it’s a new situation (for
example, they have experienced a car accident or developed a new illness), discuss how to adapt
the workplace or job with your employee and connect with a subject matter expert if you need
advice or support.

53
 Employer Case Study: Potluck Café Society

At Potluck Café Society, social impact is on the menu! They create jobs and provide healthy
food for people living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Potluck uses culinary training and
employment to help people regain their confidence, skills and economic independence.
Over 50% of their workforce currently faces or previously experienced persistent barriers to
employment. Staff can work flexible schedules from 2 to 35 hours a week, based on their needs.
They recognize that employment is a stabilizing force and a fundamental step towards gaining
greater stability in life, and that many barriers can be overcome with the right support.

Potluck prides itself on its high retention/low turnover. Many staff have been with the
organization for more than a decade - virtually unheard of in the food and beverage sector.
The leadership team believes that everyone has value and they have created a workplace culture
where employees are treated like family. There is a sense of loyalty among staff who are proud to
work there and some have even recruited family members to join the company.

They have a dedicated resource to help staff navigate through challenges or obstacles, so that
they can continue to be productive in the workplace. By providing a caring, compassionate,
nonjudgmental workplace, staff feel comfortable discussing any sensitive issues they may
experience personally. When an employee finds they need to step away from work, or take some
time to gain control over their life issues - which often would typically result in job loss with other
employers, Potluck works with the employee to help overcome those challenges and they are
welcomed back to work once they feel ready to return.

54
 Inclusion Tip Requests for Accommodations

Asking for an accommodation can be uncomfortable for anyone who may fear increased stigma
by disclosing they have a barrier to employment. Or they may worry that other employees will learn
about something they consider private. Whenever an employee discloses something of a personal
nature, handling the situation with respect, empathy and sensitivity will help you to build trust and
find reasonable ways to adjust, so everyone can do their best at work.

Duty to Inquire
If you notice an employee is acting differently or starts to experience performance issues, you have a
duty to inquire if there is something having an impact on them at work. These situations, if they arise
in your workplace, need to be handled carefully and with an empathetic approach. Taking disciplinary
action can make the situation worse. To start the conversation, you can:

——Invite your employee to meet with you and hold the meeting in a quiet, private place
——Let the employee know what you have noticed lately and that you want to better understand
what might be contributing to that

——Confirm you are here to support the person to do their best at work, that you care about their
wellbeing and ask if there is anything you can do to help

——Follow-through on any adjustments you can make that are work related and follow-up to see
the employee is progressing

Taking this approach will help you to understand the situation and better support your employee.
What you might think is a performance issue could be a symptom of a health issue or something
going on in their personal life. They may require an accommodation, time off or coaching.

Supportive Employer Top Tip

“The barriered employees I have are often not the most difficult ones to manage. It is the non-
barriered people who usually need more accommodation and support overall. Those who come
in naming their barriers up front do not leave you to realize six months into a job that they are not
able to do the work, are overwhelmed and having a mental health crisis, and then don’t tell you
about it until they are in the hospital. I think it is important to recognize that people disclosing their
personal issues can be a very positive thing and should not be a reason to not hire or keep someone.”
 Requesting Medical Information
To effectively accommodate an employee’s
disability, the employer may require medical
information. Consider first if it’s necessary,
especially for more obvious situations such
as a broken leg. When asking for medical
information from a family doctor or specialist,
employers must use the least intrusive means
and respect the employee’s right to privacy
and dignity.

If you do require that an employee provide a note

from a medical professional, ensure that the
employee is reimbursed for the cost. Employees
should not be required to pay these costs as part
of the accommodation process.

Employers need to know:

• Whether the employee has a disability

or barrier to employment; and if so

• What accommodation the employee needs

Employers do not need to know:

• The diagnosis or reasons for a barrier

to employment; or

• What caused the need for accommodation

Inclusion Tip Awareness of our Own Biases

We all have unconscious biases. While we can’t get rid of them entirely, it’s important to be aware of
them and what has influenced these beliefs. Do you view a certain group of people in a certain way?
Have you spent time with people within that group or are you judging based on what you have heard
from others or the media? A great way to mitigate bias and eliminate stereotypes is to learn about
and spend time with people who are different than you.

56
 Inclusion Tip Alcohol-free Events

When you plan your next team outing or celebration, consider making it alcohol-free. Not only will
you greatly reduce potential liability, but you will create an environment that is inclusive of those with
addiction and substance use challenges, likely more of a percentage of your workforce than you
might realize.

Accommodating Addictions in the Workplace

This is a topic that’s gaining more attention. Some ways you can accommodate employees with
addictions are:

• Re-assignment to a position that is not safety-sensitive or modifying job duties

• Allowing the employee time to attend meetings and appointments that support their treatment and
recovery process during work hours

• Schedule adjustments, such as changes to start times and number of hours worked
• Short term or long-term leave, with an ability to return to work when ready

For more information regarding Accommodations, refer to the resources at the end of this section.

I previously worked in a high-

Now I do
pressure job.
a low-stress job
that’s community
based — cleaning my
neighbourhood and making sure
that people on the street are being
looked after.

57
 Supportive Employer Top Tip

“The everyday stresses of managing your life and maintaining employment can be hard to handle for
someone on the path to recovery from addiction. Providing a supportive, empathetic workplace can
help an employee manage these stressors and reduce the chance of relapse.”

Stigma
The stigma associated with barriers like poverty and disabilities, especially invisible disabilities such as
mood disorders and addiction, is a powerful thing. Misunderstandings associated with these illnesses
leads to prejudice. People who live with addiction and mental illness are often denied employment and
experience discrimination, both intentional and unintentional, in the workplace as a result.

Unfortunately, stigma also holds people back from getting the help that they need. Stigma prevents
40% of those with anxiety or depression from seeking medical help14.

Stigma and discrimination don’t just hold back people with disabilities - they also negatively impact
people from many different groups: people who experience poverty, Indigenous people, immigrants,
women, visible minorities and members of the LGBTQ+2S communities. Here are some ways that you
can reduce stigma to create greater understanding in your workplace:

LANGUAGE MATTERS Words have power to stigmatize others, knowingly or not, so choose them
wisely. Using terms like “that’s so mental” or “going postal” can spread negative stereotypes about
people with mental illness. Use person-first language: Putting the person first is helpful, for example,
rather than saying “the disabled”, choose to say “the person with a disability.”

NORMALIZE INCLUSION TOPICS If you never talk about addiction or mental illness, the silence
keeps stigma alive. Normalizing the topic, by talking openly about health and overall wellbeing, sends
an important message to your employees that these things matter - that they matter - and that it’s OK
to ask for help when needed. Add a standing agenda item about mental health to your team meetings
or write a weekly wellness tip on a white board in your break room.

14 The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

58
Employee Wellness
Be proactive about creating a workplace that supports overall wellbeing and inclusion for all.
Here are some ideas to help employees learn about wellness and disability topics:

• Hold lunch and learns on different wellness topics

• Participate in initiatives such as Mental Health Awareness Week
• Offer wellness perks such as discounts at a local gym or yoga studio
• Provide 5-minute mindfulness moments in the morning or afternoon for your employees
• Post resources in a common area so employees have easy access to help, if needed

PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH & SAFETY

A Psychologically Healthy and Safe Workplace • 1 in 5 Canadians experience a psychological

Like physical health, psychological (mental) health health condition or illness in any given year
is a continuum and everyone is on it! There and is the number one cause of disability
are many things that can impact our mental in Canada.
health, both in our personal life and at work.
A psychologically healthy and safe workplace • Psychological health problems cost the
promotes employee mental health and works Canadian economy $51 billion per year,
to prevent harm. $20 billion of which results from work-related
causes.
Poor employee mental health impacts job
performance and overall business effectiveness. • 47% of working Canadians consider their work
Here are some statistics about mental health in the to be the most stressful part of daily life.
workplace from the Mental Health Commission
of Canada:

Supportive Employer Top Tip

“Deliver on your employment promise! If you hire someone knowing that they have barriers,
then follow through. Understand and accommodate those barriers. Honour that promise.”

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Fostering a psychologically safe and healthy workplace can boost employee engagement, increase
productivity and reduce health costs, employee turnover, and lost work time due to mental illness
and stress. Here are some strategies to promote psychological health and safety in your workplace
and bring it to life:

EMPLOYEES

——Be supportive of coworkers who are violence, discrimination or harassment

experiencing stress
——Take the opportunity to rest during
——Ask for help and offer help in situations designated breaks and holidays
of workplace abuse
——Build a healthy lifestyle by practicing
——Report any incidences of workplace abuse, wellness

EMPLOYERS

——Lead by example with respectful workplace ——Create opportunities for team building,
behaviours stress-reducing activities and fun at work

——Recognize workplace stressors and changes ——Involve employees in the development

in an employee’s behaviour or performance of workplace mental health programs

——Accommodate employees who need flexible ——Connect employees with resources for
work arrangements mental health, including addiction

——Provide training on mental health in the ——Establish peer support and/or a counselling
workplace network

——Recognize and reward employee ——Establish an incident-reporting and a conflict

contributions resolution system

——Listen to employees’ concerns and

respond accordingly

As you will notice from the list above, the bulk of the responsibility for a psychologically healthy
and safe workplace falls on employers. You will find additional resources at the end of this section
that may be helpful to you as an employer.

Inclusion Tip Stressful Encounters

After a stressful encounter with an angry customer or colleague, it’s important to support your
employee who has had to deal with the situation. Ask them how they are feeling, provide an
opportunity for them to talk about the experience and to take a break or leave work early, if the
experience was traumatic. If your company has an Employee and Family Assistance Provider
(EFAP), encourage them to contact the provider and access counselling support.

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 Employer Case Study: Union Gospel Mission

Union Gospel Mission is in the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Committed to

transforming communities “by overcoming poverty, homelessness and addiction one life at a time”,
the employees at UGM work in a rewarding yet psychologically challenging environment.
And sometimes this work takes a toll on their mental health and overall wellbeing.

UGM took an innovative approach to supporting those employees who needed a break from
emotionally taxing work on the streets of Canada’s poorest neighbourhood. They created a
respite program that provides employees with the opportunity, if they need it, to transfer
to a one-year position that works inside UGM. This program gives employees who are deeply
committed to the work and mission of UGM a sometimes much needed chance to “catch
their breath.” In addition, this practice leads to higher employee retention, as opposed to the
employee leaving due to burnout, which can often be the #1 reason for people who work in caring
occupations to leave their employer.

Taking employee health and self-care seriously is a priority. All UGM employees also receive
nonviolent crisis intervention training, which equips them with the knowledge and skills to
safely handle difficult situations. This type of training acts as a preventative measure because
it decreases the likelihood of them becoming overwhelmed with stress or even fear if such
situations arise in the future. UGM also runs a coaching program, where employees can meet
with professional coaches in a safe space to talk through or receive professional insight
on various matters.

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EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT

Investing in Employee Development Inclusion Tip

Your employees have chosen to work with your Career Development Plan
business for a variety of reasons. Mostly, they
A career path and job satisfaction mean
want to do work that contributes to your success
different things to different people so it’s
and has meaning to them. According to a 2018
important for managers to understand each
Workplace Learning Report conducted by LinkedIn
employee’s needs and goals. There will be
Learning, 94 percent of employees would stay
longer with an employer who “provides career areas that you identify to keep talent engaged
development and training opportunities.” Your and progressing in your company. Creating a
employees are there to earn a paycheque, but more career development plan is formed following
importantly, they also want to learn, develop skills discussion between employer and employee.
and feel a part of something.

Development Opportunities
Providing employees with training and development This helps:
opportunities is essential to setting people up
• To Identify and address any skills gaps
for success. Keeping employees engaged and
challenged means giving them opportunities to learn • You understand targeted training and learning
new things. They may want to develop new skills opportunities that you need to provide to
to move into other opportunities in your company employees, both individually and as a group
or they may want to learn how to do their current
job better. Provide learning opportunities for all • To develop an internal talent channel to fill
employees, not just high achievers, so that they future openings
can grow and take on new tasks and jobs helps to
develop diversity at all levels of your organization. • You identify which skills and abilities you need
to look for in a new hire that will complement
Skills Inventory your existing team
A skills inventory might sound formal but it’s just
about recognizing the different skills and abilities
that exist among your employees. Get to know
your employees’ unique talents and abilities EMPLOYMENT EQUALS
by observing their work, how they interact with FINANCIAL and SOCIAL
others —both coworkers and customers—and INCLUSION
through 1:1 meetings.

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 Employer Case Study: Hives for Humanity

At Hives for Humanity it’s not just about making honey; they “connect people to nature,
community and themselves, and we do it through the bees.”

Sarah Common, co-founder, CEO and Chief Community Officer, says that success for the
employees and program participants at Hives for Humanity is when they feel that they have a level
of accountability and a sense of ownership of their projects and work. When Sarah is more
“checked-in” with people she is better able to support their growth and development.
To maintain this, they have weekly team huddles, have begun to implement a performance review
cycle, and at the end of the year there is an opportunity to meet one to one and talk about things
that employees are proud of having accomplished and identify areas they would like to develop over
the next year.

At Hives for Humanity it might be the bees that bring people together, but it’s an intentional and
ongoing commitment to helping people to develop in their own unique ways and at their own pace
that keeps them together.

Team members see the value in their work, “It bridges and closes the gap between classes. I can
go into affluent neighbourhoods and teach people about beekeeping! I can see this change in their
eyes. It’s awesome.”

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As you continue to focus on creating a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, keep these things
in mind when providing development opportunities:

——PEOPLE LEARN DIFFERENTLY Provide training opportunities in a variety of ways and be willing
to adjust how the training is delivered to accommodate different learning styles and for people with
disabilities. For example, provide both online and in person training, with opportunity for discussion
and questions.

——BE CREATIVE Broadening your idea of relevant training can help to build skills and foster loyalty
and engagement within your workplace. A course that might seem unrelated to the employee’s job
could help them to build life skills. For example, taking a mindfulness course could help a person
with mental illness better manage their anxiety which will then help them to be more productive and
focused at work.

——MENTORSHIP A mentorship relationship doesn’t have to be between a manager and an

employee. In fact, connecting employees who have different skills and abilities and are from
different diversity groups is an opportunity for them to learn from each other, gain new perspectives
and build relationships.

Supportive Employer Top Tip

“Our business does an employee engagement survey every two years and have made improvements to
workplace culture as a result. For example, we worked on creating a more open, trusting environment
for employees to feel comfortable speaking to supervisors about challenges they were facing on the job.
Overall scores have been high (about 98% positive).”

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ENGAGEMENT, RECOGNITION AND PERFORMANCE
The link to having a diverse workforce and the impact it has on building trust is now well researched15.
This can provide a real advantage to your business.

Employee Engagement Employee Recognition

Building an engaged workforce provides returns Recognizing your employees for the work that they
through more satisfied employees, increased do, the unique skills and talents they bring to the
loyalty, reduced turnover and greater job workplace, contributes to higher engagement.
involvement. You can use your inclusive hiring Recognition can be formal or informal. Often,
commitment to strengthen employee engagement simple acts have the most impact. Saying thank
because people typically like working for you to employees at the end of their shift, for
organizations that care. going above and beyond in how they served
a customer or for how they supported a co-worker
Engaged employees have a vested interest in the is an underrated form of recognition.
success of the companies they work with and
want to contribute to that success. While there You can recognize employees and foster an
are many components to engagement, factors environment of gratitude through these easy tips:
contributing to engagement will be different for
each team member. Ask for feedback during staff • Send a thank you card or place a letter
meetings, performance reviews or via surveys. of recognition in their employee file

• Host a team-building event as a thank you

to employees after a key project is complete
THE HIGHER THE • Bring in lunch on a Friday or have a coffee,
LEVEL OF TRUST juice and muffin station set up to greet your
= employees on a Monday morning
THE HIGHER THE • Share what each person is grateful for that
LEVEL OF EMPLOYEE week or month during staff meetings
ENGAGEMENT
• Provide a bonus or profit share structure
as part of your compensation plan

Performance Reviews
A performance review is an opportunity for you and your employee to formally talk about what
has gone well, the employee’s strengths, areas for improvement and to set development goals.

PROBATION REVIEW ANNUAL REVIEW

just before the probation depending on what’s in place
period is complete at your company

15 https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/human-capital/articles/role-diversity-practices-inclusion-trust-employee-engagement.html

65
 All employees feel proud
to work for the company because
it is truly inclusive
(we receive a lot of employee
referrals for jobs as a result).

You want an employee to feel motivated, engaged and excited about their work and their future with your
business. To ensure that you both get the most out of the performance review meeting, take some time
to prepare yourself. Provide specific examples of your feedback and then allow your employee to share
their views on own performance. Here are some questions to encourage conversation:

• What are you most proud of from the past year in your job?
• How can I be a better manager for you?
• What are your development goals this year? How can I help you to achieve them?
• What parts of your job do you expect to be the most challenging for you in the next
year/six months/quarter?

• What support can I provide for you that will help you with these challenges?

Involve Employees
So that people feel included and respected, involve employees in designing your recognition efforts.
Ask them what they might like. Different cultures may place different value on things such as rewards
and recognition like group recognition vs. individual recognition. One person might appreciate accolades
in front of their coworkers while another might prefer that recognition happen privately.

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 Inclusion Tip Feedback Coaching Sessions

For employees with multiple barriers to employment, informal check-ins that occur throughout
the year can be very effective to stay tuned-in and keeping people engaged. Feedback coaching
sessions could be monthly, or as required.

Performance Management
Managing employee performance is an essential part of a manager’s job. It’s about identifying areas for
improvement, coaching employees to help them achieve their goals. It can also be about progressive
discipline and sometimes termination.

Having regular one to one meetings with your employees may be time consuming but it can also
be a valuable opportunity to support their growth, build trust and increase employee engagement.
Providing employees with a balance of positive feedback with constructive feedback will help to foster
a healthy workplace.

Giving someone positive feedback is easy. Providing constructive feedback can be challenging and
sometimes uncomfortable. Here are some tips to help you prepare to deliver feedback:

——BE TIMELY Give feedback to the employee as close to the incident or situation as possible –
don’t save up examples of things that they need to improve upon for a meeting that will happen
a month later.

——BE RESPECTFUL Have the conversation in private away from other employees. Telling
an employee that they did something wrong in front of their coworkers can create anxiety,
embarrassment and reduces trust.

——BE SPECIFIC Provide a specific example of behaviour and then be clear about your
expectations for improvement.

——LISTEN Give your employee an opportunity to explain the situation from their perspective.
This will help you to better understand the situation and what support you need to provide,
and the employee will feel heard and respected.

——CREATE A CALL TO ACTION Involve the employee in the improvement process. Ask them
to suggest ways to build skills or improve the situation.

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Progressive Discipline
When you hire a new employee and set up their employee file, it’s also a good idea to set up a
performance tracker. The tracker is a written record of coaching or performance management
conversations, and any issues that may come up. This is useful if coaching conversations move to the
progressive discipline stage – you will have a record of what happened, when and how it was addressed
at the time. It’s a good idea to operate by the principle, if it isn’t written down, it didn’t happen.

Informal coaching in the moment can be enough to help an employee improve performance. Sometimes
you will need to move to a formal progressive discipline process. A typical progressive discipline process
consists of the following steps. Note that these may be repeated and, depending on the severity of the
situation, immediate termination may be required.

1
VERBAL WARNING

2
WRITTEN LETTER OF WARNING

3
TERMINATION

Culpable vs. Non-Culpable Behaviour

Before you begin a progressive discipline process, consider if the employee knows what they were doing
was wrong. Do they lack the skills and abilities to do the job? If so, redirect - provide additional training
and clear expectations. Maybe reassign to another opportunity within their capabilities. Was there
something going on for the employee personally? Maybe reach out to find out more and how you can
help. Did they knowingly break the rules? If yes, it may be time to begin progressive discipline.

Inclusion Tip Take an Extra Step

Having to fire a person with a disability or barrier to employment is a fear that gets in the way of hiring
in the first place… what if it doesn’t work out?! Sometimes, despite best efforts to set someone up
for success, it doesn’t work out. Employers who have hired inclusively take an extra step to check-in
with people after they have left to see how they are doing. They also leave the door open whenever
possible, for the person to return if their situation improves and they are ready to re-engage.

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Suspension or Termination
If a previously identified performance issue
recurs, or for situations that are very serious Inclusion Tip
in nature (theft, assault), more significant Attendance, Seek
action may be warranted, ranging from to Understand
suspension without pay to termination
from employment. Supportive employers may approach
attendance issues differently, especially with
Termination of employment is considered
employees who live with multiple barriers
a serious action to take and the decision is
to employment. While organizations may
usually based on many factors, including:
differ in their policies, what they do share
• The severity of the incident and effect is a consistent approach. It’s important
of the incident on others that when an employee fails to show up
or exhibits what you perceive to be bad
• Impact on the reputation and profitability
behaviour, that you ask them about it.
of the company
Seek to understand the situation first and
• Whether or not the employment relationship then decide upon the appropriate next steps.
has been severely jeopardized by the actions
of the employee

• Whether or not the employee was found

to be honest in their discussions

• Whether or not there has been any previous

corrective action

• Whether or not the employee was on

probation, or final conditions of employment

• Whether or not the employee demonstrated

remorse and regret for their actions

The decision to suspend or terminate an employee

should be taken very seriously, handled with
care and documented, with a copy placed on
the employee’s HR file.

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DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT
Sometimes employers don’t hire inclusively because they are concerned about opening their business
up for a claim of discrimination. This fear of the unknown can be easily mitigated by learning more about
what is and isn’t discrimination.

Discrimination and harassment can happen unintentionally or on purpose. Often, issues come up
because of a misunderstanding. An important part of preventing this is to ensure all employees
understand their responsibilities and what’s appropriate behaviour for the workplace. Taking the time
to be clear about what you expect can help reduce issues and create an inclusive workplace culture.
You can do this by creating a Code of Conduct or a Respect in the Workplace policy with a procedure
for reporting and responding to incidents in the workplace.

For more information on discrimination and harassment, refer to resources at the end of this section,
or attend a local training event in your community.

Create a Respect in the Workplace Policy

A Respect in the Workplace Policy reiterates and clearly states a commitment to providing
a safe, healthy, inclusive workplace that is free of harassment and discrimination.

Your Respect in the Workplace Policy should include:

——Definitions of respect, harassment and ——Roles and responsibilities of the employer

discrimination and employee

——Examples of unacceptable behaviour ——Consequences of disrespectful behaviour

——How to resolve and/or report an incident ——Privacy and confidentiality

Provide a copy of the Respect in the Workplace Policy to each new employee as part of their
new hire package and discuss it on the employee’s first day to ensure that they understand it.

To bring your Respect in the Workplace Policy to life, provide ongoing opportunities for your employees
and managers to learn more about diversity and inclusion topics such as intercultural competency,
disability, wellbeing and mental health and unconscious bias. Build skills such as empathy and effective
communication. Not sure what inclusion issues matter most to your employees? Ask them!

When you draft your Respectful Workplace policy, seek advice to ensure that your policy is effective and
legal. For additional information and resources guides to create a Respectful Workplace as well as Tips
for Crisis Intervention, refer to resources at the end of this section.

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 RETENTION RESOURCES and OTHER
LINKS FOR BUSINESSES

Additional resources are listed below that may be helpful for your business as you focus on retention of
diverse talent. Visit www.untappedtalent.info to access links.

Accessibility Canada
Accommodating Addictions at Work
Accommodations A-Z Job Accommodation Network
Accommodations (Employer’s Duty to Accommodate Canada) FAQ
Accommodation Policy Template
B2B Focused Resources
• Presidents Group in British Columbia
• Discover Ability Network in Ontario
• Hire for Talent - Atlantic Canada
Canadian Human Right Commission Duty to Accommodate
Diversity and Inclusion Training BC
Diversity and Inclusion Consulting BC
De-escalation and Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Guidelines
Mental Health First Aid Training
National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace
Privacy Regulations Canada
Privacy, Personal Information Regulations, Provincial or Territorial
WorkSafe BC Respectful Workplace Guidelines

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PARTNER ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PROJECT LEAD DESIGNER CONSULTANTS

CONTRIBUTORS

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