BOW VALLEY – Businesses from the Bow Valley and Red Deer gathered for a forum in Banff earlier this month to learn about inclusion in the workplace and officially launch an inclusion charter.
The forum was held on Oct. 16 to connect business leaders from Red Deer with employers from Canmore and Banff who have spearheaded a pilot program designed to help staff from all over the world succeed in the workplace.
The Bow Valley Immigration Partnership (BVIP) developed the Workplace Inclusion Charter with early adopter employers in both communities, and after a successful pilot, gathered together for a forum and to officially launch the program.
BVIP coordinator Meagan Reid said the forum allowed those who have been part of the pilot to share their experiences with interested businesses from Red Deer.
“We have been piloting this Workplace Inclusion Charter for about a year and while we have been doing that, other communities have heard about the work we have been doing and were interested in replicating it,” Reid said.
The Red Deer Local Immigration Partnership was interested and furthest along in terms of being able to develop its own charter. The forum held in Banff allowed both business communities to gather and learn from the work done so far and make commitments to incorporate an inclusion charter into their workplaces.
“There is a lot of work going into this, we are still in the starting phase of our own charter and we have a good base of really strong partners,” said Ezgi Sarioglu with the Red Deer Immigration Partnership. “We are grateful for all the skills and wisdom in this room that has come together.”
Reid said early adopters of the charter took a chance with the project and have put a lot of work into it.
“They have really shown great commitment to inclusion in the workplace,” she said. “All along, we said we were going to recognize them and this is an opportunity for us to start.”
The forum created an opportunity to network and gather feedback on the charter to improve it into the future, as well as recognizing those that have brought it into their workplaces in the Bow Valley.
The charter itself is a toolkit that sets out how workplaces can create a more inclusive culture and environment for staff that come from around the world. It also connects employers with local resources like the immigration partnership to help people integrate into the community.
Cam Stewart with the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission applauded the work to create inclusion in the community and combat racisim.
“We are really honoured that there is so much great work being done on the ground in the workplaces and in the community that governments cannot do,” Stewart said. “That is why we have seen a lot of investment and interest in inclusion and combating racism and discrimination and making sure our workplaces and communities are inclusive for all.”
Businesses that have signed on locally include Pursuit, Caribou Properties, ATB, Banff Park Lodge, the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and Rundlestone Lodge. Rimrock Resort Hotel and Clique Hotels and Resorts were early adopters to the program and representatives from both said the charter helped make their workplaces more inclusive.
“For us it was a way to have diversification in the workplace and really understanding who is working for us and how we can do a better job,” said Andrew Shepherd with Clique. “We can always do better and this is one tool that enables us to do that every day.”
Human resources manager for Clique Jen Cavanagh said the company has noticed that with the charter in place staff are more comfortable in a team environment.
“They interact more with each other and feel more part of the team,” she said.
For Rimrock general manager Trevor Long and manager of human resources Karli Fleury, being part of the charter is a work in progress and one that continues to be about educating and informing everyone in the workplace about diversity and inclusion.
“Our pool of candidates is very diverse,” Fleury said.
“They are people from all over the world and when you see the struggles in the workplace whether it is communication or inclusiveness, naturally as a human resources person and inclusive property you want more information on how to make it better.”
