Missed the live event?
The National Workplace Inclusion Forum 2021 is now complete. You can now watch the recorded presentations here. Choose from a selection of free professional development videos and watch them on-demand.
Turn good intentions into tangible action.
About the National Workplace Inclusion Forum
The Forum is a collection of free professional development workshops, resources, and networking opportunities to help you create a more inclusive workplace.
Select events from a menu of professional development opportunities offered by subject matter experts from across Canada, and share training opportunities with your team.
The National Workplace Inclusion Forum was held on October 14th and 21st, 2021.
2021 Focus: What does recruitment and retention look like beyond the pandemic?
Hear from industry experts on the role workplace inclusion plays in meeting the recruitment and retention challenges of today's economy
Learn about Workplace Inclusion Charters: simple tools to improve workplace inclusion that are being adopted in a growing number of Canadian communities
Connect and learn from inclusion leaders across the country
Who is this event for?
The National Workplace Inclusion Forum is a flexible event for inclusion leaders in every sector.
This forum is designed for business leaders, managers and senior leadership teams, human resources professionals, and workplace leaders interested in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
The National Workplace Inclusion Forum will return in 2022.
2021 Agenda
Featured Plenary Sessions
Join management consultant, teacher, and community leader Omar Yaqub for a Q&A on his recorded presentation (available from October 7th). Plus: reflect on lessons from the workshops, think through next steps for your workplace, connect with inclusion leaders from your industry and beyond, and meet service providers who can help realize your organization’s EDI goals. Limited registration.
Inclusive Recruitment & Retention Post-COVID
Explore the role of inclusion practices in helping employers overcome the unique challenges of today’s economy. Panelists include:
IKEA Canada - Maha Rasheed (she/her), Recruitment & Onboarding Leader
Starbucks Coffee Company - Jeremy Jones-Juliá (he/him), National Talent Acquisition
KEYS Job Centre - Erin Ball (she/her), Workplace Inclusion Coach & Disability Justice Advocate
Tourism HR Canada - Philip Mondor (he/him), President & CEO, Tourism HR Canada
City of Kingston - Julia Higginson (she/her), Recruitment & Selection Advisor
Join our national planning committee and honoured guests as we set the tone for the National Workplace Inclusion Forum 2021. This event will be live-streamed and available on demand.
Workshops
Build your own agenda and register for each workshop individually. Event times are listed below in MDT.
Click into each workshop for event details and registration.
In this workshop, organizations will learn about key components and strategies to building inclusive policies and how to embed inclusion into practice. The workshop will use intersectionality and equity, diversity and inclusion lenses in developing policies and embedding practices.
Presented By: Ismaël Traoré, PhD. Hosted by: Tri-Cities Local Immigration Partnership.
Registration now full.
This 1.5 hour workshop will focus on applying plain language principles and theory that participants have already learned. Facilitator will supply a plain language checklist prior to the workshop so participants have an opportunity to self-audit their materials and come prepared with questions and areas to focus on. Participants will be asked to send the facilitator a copy of the document they are bringing to the workshop.
Presented By: Alberta Workforce Essential Skills Society (AWES). Hosted by: Bow Valley Immigration Partnership.
This interactive session builds on the pre-recorded Cognitive Bias and You session (available from October 7th), and will deepen participants' understanding of systemic inequity in organizations and society, particularly with an understanding of how systemic inequities create daily impact in the lives of people within equity-seeking groups inside our organization and our communities.
Presented By: Shereen Samuels, Samuels Consulting Group. Hosted by: South Okanagan–Similkameen Local Immigration Partnership (SOSLIP).
Wanda's workshop will focus on neurodiversity as a workforce asset. She will explain what neurodiversity is, why it is important to understand, suggestions for hiring and retaining neurodiverse talent and building neurodiversity into an IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility) strategy. Wanda will highlight the value of neurodiversity in the workplace, including through inclusive leadership.
Presented by: Wanda Deschamps Liberty Co. Hosted by: Jasper Employment & Education Centre.
This workshop will look at how creating inclusive work-spaces and fostering a sense of belonging can increase retention and build stronger teams that work together effectively.
Presented by: Being Human Services. Hosted by: Medicine Hat Local Immigration Partnership.
Registration now full. An important step in reconciliation is land acknowledgments. Together we will discuss what a land acknowledgment is, the importance of land acknowledgments, and spend time in the workshop crafting a land acknowledgment that is meaningful to you.
Presented By: RISE Consulting. Hosted by: Bow Valley Immigration Partnership.
This workshop will offer employers an innovative approach for taking their EDI profile from awareness to action and will offer many tools for employers to build more inclusive work environments and improve employment practices.
Presented By: KEYS Job Centre, Kingston, Ontario.
This presentation will provide insights informed by one of the largest COVID 19 outbreaks connected to workplaces. The lessons learnt from this experience will provide practical tools for other employers to prepare for the next emergency.
Presented By: Brooks & County Immigration Services. Hosted by: Bow Valley Immigration Partnership.
Based on local research with employers, this workshop will help workplace leaders develop skills and knowledge related to cross-cultural awareness, cross-cultural communication, cultural differences, differences in team styles, and the demographics and religions in the Wood Buffalo community.
Presented by: Multicultural Association of Wood Buffalo. Hosted by: Wood Buffalo Local Immigration Partnership.
This workshop will explore common biases that affect newcomers during the hiring process in New Brunswick and some best practices to help employers to avoid these biases.
Presented & Hosted By: YMCA of Greater Saint John, Newcomer Connections
This workshop will focus on building an organizational culture that supports inclusion and workplace accommodations. You will gain a deeper understanding of why inclusion matters in your workplace and the value of a diverse workforce. We will explore inclusive hiring practices, understanding workplace accommodations and what resources employers can access when employing a person with a disability.
Presented by: Vecova Centre for All Abilities with Disability Related Employment Supports (DRES) and the Alberta Human Rights Commission. Hosted by: Bow Valley Immigration Partnership
In this interactive workshop, we will discuss and address a variety of strategies to improve the retention of diverse team members. Limited registration.
Presented & Hosted by: ACCES Employment, Peel, Ontario
Missed the live events?
You can now watch the recorded presentations and workshops.