IO Releases First Annual EDI Report

Governance:

• Built an EDI department comprised of two distinct but equally important teams: Indigenous Relations Team and Inclusion Team

Education:

• Hosted cultural leaders to share their life experiences, knowledge and humour, including Indigenous Elders who recognized the equinoxes and solstices in 2022, and shared the ways in which we can all prepare for the change of seasons physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
• Provided an opportunity for colleagues to attend a virtual tour of the Woodland Cultural Centre, formerly the Mohawk Institute Residential School, which included viewing the facilities and hearing survivor testimony, in recognition of National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
• Welcomed Holocaust survivor Nathan Leipciger, who shared his experiences of living through the Nazi invasion of Poland.

Talent:

• Reviewed IO’s Talent Acquisition Strategy and proposed several measures to enhance the diversity of the talent pool at IO and build an inclusive talent pipeline. This included recruitment targets for priority groups and attending recruiting summits hosted by and for equity-deserving groups, among others.
• Launched the EDI Learning Journey for individual contributors.

Leadership:

• Conducted a training sessions tailored for our Board of Directors to support the ongoing prioritization and investment in equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Initiated the EDI Leaders Learning Journey, a mandatory series of training sessions geared specifically for people leaders.

Community & Culture:

• Introduced 7 Employee Resource Groups to serve as cultural collectives at IO to support the building of awareness, drive allyship, and create a safe and open forum for employees to meet and support one another in building community and belonging.
• Created a network of Inclusion Ambassadors to function as extensions of the EDI office and build awareness across the organization and within teams of key EDI initiatives.

Process & Policies:

• Developed resources to support a more inclusive approach to day-to-day work through our Inclusive Meeting Guide, Inclusive Email Guide, as well as the introduction of “Guidelines for Discussing Racism” to support colleagues through their learning journeys and provide best practices for discussing racism and help build resiliency in having conversations about race.
• Released IO’s first-ever Request for Standing Offer (RFSO) for EDI to support our intention to improve processes, policies, education, and accessibility on issues around racism and systemic barriers that exist for equity-deserving groups in Canada.

Networks & Partnerships:

• Activated IO’s first Indigenous Engagement Roadmap to ensure that IO purposefully prioritizes equity of access and outcomes for Indigenous Communities with our partners, and to promote opportunities that reflect the current and future needs and capabilities of all Indigenous communities.

EDI Data & Measurement:

• Launched the “Count Me In” survey to better understand employee experiences through individual and unique dimensions. The survey also enabled IO to identify, understand and mitigate unfair bias within processes and policies, and to identify and monitor those systems that do not promote equity and inclusion.