Construction Inclusion Week: CMiC’s Journey Towards Improving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within their Culture and Hiring Practices
With Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) coming into the fore in recent years, many organizations have taken the opportunity to revisit their HR practices and their jobsite culture. CMiC is no exception. If there’s anyone who has been at the center of all of this activity, it’s our resident HR expert, Lorena Rogovsky. Below is an abridged transcript of our interview with Lorena.
Q: To date, what hiring practices have you applied to ensure that you are promoting DEI?
A: For starters, we looked at our [HR] team to ensure that there was wide representation in terms of race, age and ethnicity. Following that, we viewed our hiring processes to ensure that that we hire the candidates with the best experience and skill set. Finally, we [HR team]. are currently in the process of setting up additional training for hiring managers and are developing best practices for hiring.
Q: What challenges or setbacks has the pandemic caused in promoting DEI?
A: From an awareness perspective, we found it difficult to reach as large an audience as we would have liked when conducting educational sessions. With Zoom fatigue and many employees having to play double duty by having their children attend school from home, it was challenging to spread the word.
However, with plans to return to the office in the near future and hopefully a return to a ‘new normal’ in 2022, we are planning on offering these types of educational sessions in-person again.
Q: Looking ahead, what does CMiC have planned to improve our jobsite culture in terms of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion?
A: To provide strength in numbers, we reached out to our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) committee to place greater emphasis on DEI and to design and deploy concrete programs intended to drive measurable outcomes. We learned that they were already ahead of the game as they had recently appointed a DEI lead.
We are currently in the midst of planning a series of DEI workshops (both virtual as well as in-person, once we return to the office). Our aim for 2022 is to launch a microsite which will include an online library with a wide array of CMiC and 3rd party DEI resources and assets. In addition, we will be working with company leaders to develop long-term strategies, programs and outcomes.
Q: On top of “Construction Inclusion Week,” are there any other initiatives in the pipeline or other partnerships in the making?
A: We are currently exploring participating in additional initiatives with Raising the Roof. On top of that, we are in the process of looking for new partnerships, so stay tuned on that front!
Q: If any CMiC employees want to join CMiC’s DEI team, what steps should they take?
A: I would recommend that they either reach out to our DEI lead, Farhana Ahmad (at Farhana.Ahmad@cmic.ca) or me (at Lorena.Rogovsky@cmic.ca).
With all the activity in motion and plans in the making, it’s clear that at CMiC, commitment to DEI is tangible and growing!
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