Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER April 17, 2017 NEWS 9 There's only one designation framework that Canadian businesses value. In only 2 years, the CHRP, CHRL, and CHRE have become the benchmark for professional accreditation across Canada. It's easy to understand why, but don't take just our word for it: Out of 250 senior Canadian businesses leaders surveyed about HRPA's 3-designation framework*: 64 % believe it enhances the contribution of HR in their company 57 % believe it changes the strategic position of human resources in their company 70 % believe it enhances their view of HR's ability to find the right people for the right job CHRPs outside of Ontario, the deadline to keep your CHRP by transferring to HRPA is May 31, 2017. After that you will need to meet all new requirements. Visit hrpa.ca/keepit * LegerWeb surveys of 250 senior business leaders across Canada taken at random March 2017. For More Info: hrpa.ca/designations You deserve the designations that business leaders value "(But) the main event is this re- ally low standard for reasonable accommodation that will allow federal employers, provincial em- ployers and the parapublic to re- fuse reasonable accommodation to any religious minority with the most minor of justifications — that's the problem." Complacency concerns The EU ruling targets Muslim women, said Renée Bazile-Jones, senior director at the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion in Toronto. "What it really represents is fear, particularly fear of individ- ual differences," she said. "We are hard-wired to fear differences and the target moves over time... And the level of current discourse — the new target — is anyone who is a Muslim." While Canada is well-protected — with "fairly prescriptive laws" and human rights legislation that protects minorities — seeds of opposition continue to germinate periodically within certain politi- cal circles, said Bazile-Jones. In 2015, then-prime minister Ste- phen Harper vowed to introduce legislation requiring new Cana- dians to remove head coverings during citizenship ceremonies. "We should not be complacent," she said. "It is important for us to pay attention and be mindful. I think one of the things that we do as Canadians is underestimate the level of anger that people who feel disenfranchised feel. ere is a certain level of complacency that we are not the U.S. and we're not representative globally of the rise of conservatism that we're seeing, particularly around European elections." Despite a prime minister fa- vouring multiculturalism and di- versity among citizens, Canada is still fallible, said Banerjee. "I don't think that we should consider ourselves to be immune to the kinds of rhetoric that has been playing out in the rest of the world," she said. "at's a mistake and that puts Canadian employ- ers and Canadians in danger of becoming complacent." "You already see more hate crimes and more expressions of intolerance even within the Ca- nadian context since the changes in terms of Brexit and Donald Trump's election. e public, who are already there in the fringes, becomes a little bit more embold- ened. If we don't stay vigilant and reaffirm our focus and our values of accommodation and tolerance and inclusion, there's no reason why we wouldn't fall into similar kinds of public rhetoric that other places have." The EU ruling extends the banning of religious attire well past the public sector all the way down to general employers, said Banerjee. "My concern is that employers and particularly those that already held these sorts of views — (who are) not open to diversity to begin with — feel a little bit more em- boldened to institute these kinds of policies," she said. Concurrently, Canada has a chance to become a leader in for- eign talent as the United States heightens border restrictions, making this an economic issue alongside a humanitarian one, said Banerjee. "If Canada wants to maintain that perception of being a destina- tion of choice for the most highly skilled immigrants and students, it needs to be vigilant," she said. "Right now, we are seen as be- ing a destination of choice. If im- migrants want to come here, we have to remain that inclusive and diverse society that people want to come to." Advice for HR All of this means heightened stakes for human resources de- partments, said Bazile-Jones. Practitioners should proac- tively work to understand their specific workforce, ensuring ques- tions on the topic of inclusivity are included in employee opinion surveys in order to have hard data to provide corporate leaders. "HR practitioners are crucial to the success of any organization, but they sometimes get pushed away from that table," she said. "But, strategically, they bring that vision of how to apply people resources in the organization to achieve objectives. So it is impor- tant to be able to look at what lead- ers are being held accountable for, and provide them the information that supports their success." It is also important for HR members to recognize their un- conscious biases, and reaffirm organizational commitment to inclusion as all employees are re- sponsible for the success of such efforts, said Bazile-Jones. For HR to succeed, buy-in from senior management is imperative, as is religious accommodation to the extent of allowing people time to pray in safe spaces, said Banerjee. Other possible policy procedures include preventing implicit bias in the hiring process by instituting blind hiring, which removes names from resumés to ensure successful recruitment is based on merit alone. "Those small little measures really set apart organizations to show that they're welcoming places," she said. "What employ- ers need to remember is that a lot of these women, who happen to wear hijab or other religious garb, are a huge source of talent, and they should be tapping this talent rather than losing out on it." To remain 'destination of choice,' inclusivity key HEADSCARF < pg. 3 "I don't think that we should consider ourselves to be immune."

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