Canadian HR Reporter

N E W S 10 www.hrreporter.com Employers in spotlight as DEI initiatives rated Glassdoor is now including demographic ratings for race, ethnicity and gender identity so employers may want to take a closer look at their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, writes John Dujay discussing on a regular basis, as opposed to something that people don't want to talk about," she says. "Across our whole industry, diversity and inclusion obviously is a very hot topic right now." Do ratings tell the whole story? But Glassdoor's rating system doesn't really tell the whole story, as averaged scores don't provide enough informa- tion, says Tara Robertson, diversity, equity and inclusion consultant at Tara Robertson Consulting in Vancouver. "If Apple's score is 4.6 out of five — I'm not sure actually what it is — that doesn't tell me a whole lot about what Black women at Apple are experiencing or women at Apple… or the few Indigenous folks who work there," she says. "As a DEI professional, I'm never inter- ested in what the average person thinks. winners of Glassdoor's 2021 Best Places to Work in Canada. "I feel excited about that because it dovetails nicely with our own deepened focus on our diversity, equity and inclu- sion [DEI] strategy, and we have a really strong data-driven approach to pushing our DEI agenda forward," says Amy Cosgrove, vice president of people for North America at Sage in Atlanta. Having Glassdoor "focused on the same data-driven area is going to help us continue with our own data-driven approach and really explore more about what we can do with the feedback that we get from Glassdoor in addition to our own initiatives," she says. For Sage, exposing these specific types of data points can only bring out posi- tive changes within organizations, says Cosgrove. "[Glassdoor] did say that they're making these changes so that they can help organizations shine a light on ineq- uities in their workplaces, pay inequities and other diversity disparities. I think they're honestly trying to help organiza- tions with their DEI approaches." The move obviously stems from every- thing that started last year in the United States, with recognition of the challenges for women as well as other minori- ties and diverse groups, says Rowena LaFlèche, vice-president and managing partner for Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba at David Aplin Group, an employment agency in Edmonton. "We really want that diversity and inclusion and to bring it to the fore- front and make it a topic that people are I'm curious about what specific commu- nities are experiencing or who doesn't feel included or who doesn't feel like they're having an equitable experience." Rating sites such as Glassdoor also tend to focus on negative experiences, which can skew the ratings, according to another recruiter. "Glassdoor has been about employee sentiment, and you'd get a whole bunch of different responses from disgruntled employees to those that just had a bad experience," says Ari Aronson, founder and CEO of Ari Agency. "A lot of times, you're reading these reviews and there's a healthy amount of looking through to see what speaks to you around what might be truthful or maybe what might not. If someone was laid off or let go, and, of course, they had a bad experience, but if you knew more of the context, that review wouldn't really be as relevant." Employers' imperfections exposed for all to see So far, Glassdoor is the biggest site to provide such data, but there are others that are dipping their toes into it, says Cosgrove. DEMOGRAPHIC INSIGHTS ON GLASSDOOR 800,000 Number of individual demographic insights provided 187,000 Number of employees who have provided information 3,300 Number of companies rated based on demographic information 3 in 4 Number of users who read at least four reviews to assess a company BY allowing employees to post reviews about what it's like to work as a marginalized person at a particular employer, Glassdoor is giving jobseekers a more detailed glimpse inside a company's culture. For example, the job ratings site found that the average rating by Black workers is 3.3 versus the overall ratings of 3.5. So, what will this mean for employers looking to attract and retain employees? "Glassdoor is basically saying, 'Hey if this wasn't already on your priority list, then put it on there,'" says Vicki Carayannakis, who works in marketing at Ari Agency Executive Search and Digital Recruitment in Toronto. Sage welcomes additional data The move is welcome news for software services company Sage, as one of the "Glassdoor is basically saying, 'Hey, if this wasn't already on your priority list, then put it on there.'" Vicki Carayannakis, Ari Agency Sources: Glassdoor

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