ALL ABOARD
AS ONE B.C. BUSINESS SHOWS, CREATING AN ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE CAN DELIVER BIG BENEFITS FOR EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES ALIKE
Boring, sweaty, repetitive, thankless work–that's dishwashing in a bakery. Turnover tends to be high. But not at Gabi & Jules Handmade Pies and Baked Goodness in Port Moody. “One of our dishwashers shows up an hour and a half early, every day,” says owner Lisa Beecroft.
Beecroft's daughter is on the autism spectrum. When she opened the bakery in 2016, she made it part of the mission to provide opportunities to autistic people. Ten of her 30 staff are autistic, including the three dishwashers.
“When you have an accessible workplace, you quickly
realize everyone brings unique abilities,” Beecroft says. “Autistic people thrive on doing the same thing, every time. And they're loyal, which, as any small business owner in B.C. will tell you, is hard to find.”
The value of an accessible and inclusive business is well established. When Deloitte polled Canadian firms for its report Outcomes Over Optics: Building Inclusive Organizations, it found that inclusive firms were more likely to grow revenue, spend on research and development, and have confident outlooks. Being inclusive also opens up new demographics. About 62 percent of the population works, but less than 50 percent of disabled people do. That's an opportunity as recruiting staff gets tougher.
Businesses must create a welcoming environment for minorities, immigrants, people with disabilities and those identifying as LGBT. Inclusivity extends from job posting through employee experience, from workplace infrastructure to company events.
The impact at Gabi & Jules reaches far beyond giving marginalized employees an opportunity. “The inclusive environment is part of why the other staff work here, too,” Beecroft explains. “It's inspiring to see people succeed, and they want to be a part of that. They tend to be a little more compassionate and aware of the world beyond themselves.”
How can you replicate Gabi & Jules's success? We asked Marco Pasqua, an accessibility consultant representing the Presidents Group, a network of B.C. employers championing more accessible and inclusive workplaces; and Arun Subramanian, director of industry HR development with Vancouver-based go2hr, which specializes in tourism staffing.
1. OPEN THE CONVERSATION
Inclusivity only works if everyone from the boss to the newest employee is on board. The first step is an open dialogue with staff. Encourage questions, accept concerns, and be proactive. It helps to address biases and misconceptions and foster an inclusive environment, a proven way of boosting productivity for all staff.
2. TALK ABOUT LANGUAGE
One of the most common concerns is offending a minority inadvertently, which can paralyze communication. Address these worries by talking about the appropriate language to use. The best approach: be polite, and just ask.
3. BROADEN YOUR REACH
Inform everyone about your inclusive hiring practices. Include a statement on your website and in job descriptions, tell your staff, and commit to it on social media.
4. BE FLEXIBLE
Speaking of job descriptions, take a critical look at them, scrutinizing what skills are really required and which ones are just nice to have. Be clear about both. Take the same flexible attitude to applications and interviews by providing them in as many forms as possible.
5. ASK FOR HELP
Many organizations work to increase inclusivity. The Presidents Group and Work BC are good places to start. Other agencies work to prepare, place and train disadvantaged groups; for instance, Pacific Autism Family Network helps integrate autistic people into jobs. The best services continue supporting businesses and employees over the long term, not just during job training. •
To explain the future of recruiting and retaining talent, Sandra Miles uses her own hiring woes as an example. A few years ago, she was looking for a new staff member at Vancouver-based employment agency Miles HR, where she is president and CEO. After a thorough search, the best candidate didn't have the skills and experience Miles wanted but showed the personality and drive she needed.
“We often see amazing talent that doesn't fit the strict definition of what the job requires,” Miles says. “A lot of companies would overlook that person. I don't think that's the right attitude, especially as the job market tightens.”
It's already hard to find employees for many in-demand positions. The provincial government's 2018 British Columbia Labour Market Outlook predicts 130,000 vacant jobs in B.C. by 2028. In a job seeker's market, every company needs a responsive recruiting and retaining plan, Miles maintains. That means throwing out the rigid rules and opening up to possibility: “The candidates that don't check all the boxes often bring unexpected, extra benefits to the position.”
Instead of passing on the applicant, Miles had an honest conversation with her. “I explained that I was going to invest in training her for the job,” she recalls. “I told her it would be two years before I'd see a return on that investment. I asked her if she was committed to that timeline.”
The candidate repaid that frankness by turning down the job. It was disappointing for Miles, but far less than it could have been. “I think employers have to be curious and open to doing things differently,” she says. “If you're not, you're going to miss out on the best talent.”
Here are eight other ways to stay ahead of the competition when it comes to building and keeping a great team.
1. BUILD A BRAND
The culture of the brand is what will attract new talent, Miles notes: “It's what you do, why you do it and how you do it.” If you create an open, responsive culture and communicate it to job prospects, people will want to work for you.
2. BE FLEXIBLE
Just because a position was structured a certain way before doesn't mean it has to stay that way, says Tara Van Zuiden, an executive talent adviser and strategist with Deloitte in Vancouver. For instance, split a full-time job into two part-time jobs, breaking up the positions by skill set. This attracts people who can't or don't want to work full-time and creates opportunities for new candidates.
3. FLATTEN THE HIERARCHY
The next generation of employees grew up with transparency and teamwork at home, grade school and university. They expect the same at work. “The old hierarchical structure, the command-and- control relationship, is obsolete,” Miles says. The entire team should share wins, take on responsibility, work collaboratively and understand the company's strategy.
4. SWEETEN THE DEAL
“When there are significant labour challenges, anything you offer out of the traditional realm is considered an edge,” says Arun Subramanian, director of industry HR development at go2hr, Vancouver-based staffing specialists for the tourism industry. Subsidized staff accommodation helped Sun Peaks Resort attract people in a tight housing and labour market. Meanwhile, one local business owner had a vacation home he let staff use. “It was not a big cost to him but was a huge benefit for employees,” Subramanian says. “But be authentic. Sleep pods, foosball and gourmet meals may work for Google, but are not a fit for many businesses.”
5. GET CREATIVE WITH BENEFITS
“What works for one person is not going to work for all,” Miles says of benefits. “Curated packages is the future. It's a big ask, but there are little ways you can create individual value.” Younger employees might care more about free massages and a six-month sabbatical than life insurance coverage. An older employee might prefer training opportunities or help with a gym membership. Adjusting benefits throughout a career will help with retention, Miles says.
6. INVEST IN EMPLOYEES
Training staff not only benefits the company with more knowledge but also encourages them to stay. Opportunities to grow and learn keep a job interesting, and it pays off even when employees move on, Subramanian says. “They might go out and tell five people that it's a great place to work.”
7. FORGET SECRECY
Compensation packages should be fair and transparent. “You can't hide anything anymore,” Miles says. “Backroom deals are obsolete. It won't be long before all salaries are posted online.”
8. AVOID THE GOLDEN HANDCUFFS
“People think you can't have turnover, but when people stay longer than they should, it's expensive,” Miles warns. “If they don't care, it affects their performance, it affects their team, it affects the clients.” Encourage good staff to stay, but also know that new blood brings “new energy, new ideas and new ways of doing things,” Miles advises. “You need all those things to sustain and push a business into the future.” •