Equity, Inclusion and Belonging – Creating Inclusive Workplaces for the Future World of Work

May 31, 2023

The Humber International Graduate School (IGS) had the distinct honour of hosting an important panel discussion on Creating Inclusive Workplaces in the EnVision the Future World of Work series. Moderated by Humber’s inaugural Vice President, Inclusion and Belonging, Jason Seright, we heard from exceptional leaders in the field, Delany Satheeswaran, Karen Craggs-Milne, Rianna D'Silva, CHRL and Shalise Goffe, CPDS who spoke about what their organizations are doing to support the important work of equity, diversity and inclusion to build better workplaces for all. The session was both informative and thought-provoking with participants engaging in discussion well into the evening.

Jason kicked off the discussion highlighting the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion for the work that we are all doing and emphasizing that this has been and continues to be a core focus for Humber. Through the engaging discussion panelist shared strategies that they are using to create inclusive and diverse workplaces highlighting some of the challenges and tactics used to address these challenges.

Delany Satheeswaran, a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant and corporate social responsibility consultant at CGI talked about their practices and programming to promote diversity and inclusion along with addressing unconscious bias. Though programming exists, as she highlighted, this is not without challenges in an industry governed by billable hours. How is this changing? Satheeswaran said clients expectations are changing, and they are seeking to work with companies who prioritize EDI.

For Shalise Goffe, a senior manager for campus strategy and recruitment at CIBC, it is not just about recruiting a diverse workforce for CIBC, but ensuring that employees feel that sense of belonging once they join. Through employee resource groups, CIBC’s employees can find community which in turn, the bank sees as essential for retention.

As a diversity business partner at Google, Rianna D’Silva has supported the development and launch of their five-part action plan to create positive and systemic changes within the organization. At Google she is often the point person for Google recognized as a subject matter expert on DEI, sometimes this means having difficult conversations with leaders as they navigate this space together.

For Karen Craggs-Milne, as she pointed out, this is about challenging the status quo and really have intentional conversations and actions to address anti-racism, equity and inclusion in her work. For Karen she emphasizes conscious equality and her passion and commitment to this work comes through in everything that she does. Participants engage in discussion well into the evening demonstrating the level of engagement and passion for the subject matter.

The EnVision series is offered through Humber’s Industry and Community Connector Hub at the International Graduate School (IGS) in downtown Toronto. It looks at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on societies, economies and businesses and brings together leaders to discuss issues and possible paths forward to adapt to new realities, ways of thinking and doing, learning and working.

Future sessions will explore the pandemic’s impact and paths forward to create more equitable workforces through equity, diversity and inclusion frameworks, key issues around cybersecurity, and what the trajectory for the future in work means for space, conceptualization and leadership competencies.