NATIONAL’s Toronto team came up with the provocative hashtag – #notgoodenough2017 – for the campaign to help launch the Canadian Board Diversity Council 2017 Annual Report Card.
Full disclosure – it was one of our male colleagues, Tyrone Murphy, Director, Project Management Office, who coined it after reviewing the report’s alarming statistics. And, we ran with it.
This morning, we helped to release the report at a breakfast event at our Toronto office along with the CBDC and its other corporate partners. The statistics detailing the progress – or lack – of women on boards by various sectors were prominently displayed throughout the office, including decals on the floor. Our hashtag was even trending on Twitter!
The Financial Post agreed to be our media partner, publishing a front page story full of informative graphics and charts that ran in the Postmedia dailies across Canada.
The hashtag #notgoodenough2017 vividly captured the essence of the report – the progress of gender equality on corporate boards in Canada is progressing at glacial speed and that women hold 22.6 per cent of all FP500 board seats, an increase of only one per cent since 2016.
Numerous studies have shown the more diverse and inclusive a company, the more successful it is.
This prompted us to take stock of ourselves – and while we’re not completely there we are proud to say that we are well on our way.
For example, today, our NATIONAL colleagues speak 31 languages; 67 per cent of our staff and 40 per cent of our partners are women.
Diversity of perspectives, respect, creativity and collaboration are key words that clients use in feedback surveys to describe the culture within our Firm.
The collective influence of everyone working together defines a positive culture and tone at the top that ensures we get the best results for our clients. In 2017, NATIONAL’s Toronto office was recognized as an Employee Recommended Workplace, an award based entirely on employee feedback.
NATIONAL’s on-going journey toward creating a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace begins the moment an individual joins the Firm and is formalized through the robust onboarding and professional development programs each new hire participates in, providing each employee with exposure to colleagues and programs in their “home” office, as well as those around the globe.
- We have built significant and trusting relationships with Indigenous people across Canada and have a specialized team in Aboriginal Affairs.
- We take a leadership role in promoting LGBT and women’s leadership through external sponsorships and community partnerships.
- Diversity and inclusiveness also means helping young Canadians gain experience and access to opportunities through internships and mentorships. In 2017, we launched the NATIONAL Public Relations Emerging Leader Scholarship in collaboration with The Directors College.
We continue to refine and evolve our practices to ensure that our business, our culture, our offices and our people reflect Canada as it is today. At NATIONAL, we believe that the best way to attract and inspire remarkably high-calibre individuals is to invest in our people, whether through our healthcare and financial benefits package, our parental leave program or our continuous learning opportunities.
Next year, when Tyrone sees the report, let’s hope he comes up with: #exceededexpectations2018