The land now called Canada has been stewarded by a diverse community of Indigenous Peoples for millennia. The settling of European colonizers in the 16^th century, however, began a series of events that ultimately resulted in a methodical and comprehensive campaign to systematically strip Indigenous Peoples of their land, culture, belief systems, and even children. In many ways, the oppression of Indigenous Peoples has become embedded in Canadian culture and continues to this day in various forms. But people in Canada and the rest of the world are increasingly expanding their awareness of this history, including the injuries and scars that Indigenous communities bear, and how they play out in today’s world. If you want to learn more, we recommend starting with some of the resources listed below.

Catalyst Resources

• Report: Building Inclusion for Indigenous Peoples in Canadian Workplaces
  This Catalyst report shows Indigenous Peoples pay an emotional tax at work and experience low levels of psychological safety. It points to actions that managers and team members can take to build the understanding, relationships, and work environments necessary to help Indigenous Peoples belong, contribute, and thrive in the workplace.
• Women in the Workforce – Canada
  Read statistics on the demographics of women in Canada, as well as their education, participation in the labour force, and leadership positions, and the size of the gender wage gap.
• Must-Read Book on Racism, Colonialism, and Indigenous Life in Canada

Other Resources

• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• Truth and Reconciliation coverage from APTN

Interactive Maps

• Native Land Digital
  Explore this interactive world map to learn which Indigenous territories, languages, and treaties are associated with your location.
• National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
  Click the map to see dates in which residential schools, events, and hearings were active.

Land and Treaties

• Territory Acknowledgement Native Land Digital
• Unceded Lands Okanagan College Library
• Vast Indigenous Land Claims in Canada Encompass Parliament Hill The New York Times
• Treaties and Agreements Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
• Treaties, Reconciliation and Indigenous History in Canada CBC video
• ‘We didn’t sign that treaty’: in Canada, the Anishinaabe fight for land they never gave up The Guardian 

Racism

• Anti-Indigenous Racism in Canada National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health
• Painful Discrimination Still Confronts Too Many Indigenous People Macdonald-Laurier Institute
• Canada Has a Long, Documented History of Racism and Racial Discrimination. Don’t Look Away The Globe and Mail
• Canada’s Dark Side: Indigenous Peoples and Canada’s 150th Celebration Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective
• Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City Tanya Talaga

Residential Schools

• Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
• Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre The University of British Columbia
• Residential Schools Amounted to ‘Cultural Genocide,’ Report Says The Globe and Mail
• Truth and Reconciliation Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada
  A moving series of articles focused on the challenges and opportunities of reconciliation.
• Sugarcane Documentary Explores Residential School Intergenerational Trauma and Resilience CBC
• Secret Path
  An album, graphic novel, and film based on poems by Gord Downie, inspired by Chanie Wenjack, a child who died in 1966 after escaping from a residential school in Ontario.
• Picking Up the Pieces: The Making of the Witness Blanket
  A 90-minute video documenting artist Carey Newman’s creation of a “witness blanket” that incorporates and honours objects reclaimed from residential schools.

Sixties Scoop

• Sixties Scoop Indigenous Foundations
  An overview of the Sixties Scoop, “the mass removal of Aboriginal children from their families into the child welfare system, in most cases without the consent of their families or bands.”
• CBC Podcast Solves Decades-Old Mystery of Saskatchewan Girl Lost in Sixties Scoop CBC
• ‘The Sadness That Never Goes Away’: Sixties Scoop Survivor Battles to Be Recognized as Indigenous Ottowa Citizen

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

• Annual March Honours Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women CBC
• Missing or Murdered – and Dismissed University of Toronto Magazine
• Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• Indigenous Women Are Preyed on at Horrifying Rates. I Was One of Them The Guardian

Police Brutality

• CHRC Concerned by Findings into Overrepresentation of Indigenous People in Prison Canadian Human Rights Commission
• Why Are Indigenous People in Canada So Much More Likely to Be Shot and Killed by Police? CTV News
• Police Brutality in Canada: A Symptom of Structural Racism and Colonial Violence Yellowhead Institute
• Black, Indigenous People Overrepresented in Fatal Police Encounters in Canada CBC News video
• Canada’s Prisons Are the ‘New Residential Schools’ MacLean’s
• Jaskiran Dhillon Draws Attention to Indigenous Youth Tangled in Colonial Institutions The Manitoban

Terminology

• Why We Say “Indigenous” Instead of “Aboriginal” Animiiki
• Indigenization Guide: Aboriginal, Indigenous or First Nations? BCcampus

Allyship

• Indigenous Allyship: An Overview Wilfrid Laurier University
• Build Together: IndigAlly Booklet  Canada’s Building Trades Unions

Explore Further

• Sign up for Indigenous Canada, a free 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course taught by Tracy Bear and Paul L. Gareau of the University of Alberta.
• Pick a book from #IndigenousReads to immerse yourself in a new story.
• Check out CBC’s Unreserved podcast to hear from Indigenous change makers across Canada.
• Explore Indigenous Issues 101 on âpihtawikosisân, Métis writer and educator Chelsea Vowel’s website about Indigenous law, language, and culture.
• Visit the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, BC, either online or in person to experience the art and culture of local Indigenous communities.
• Plan an online or in-person trip to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, MB, to honour and reflect on the rights of people from Indigenous communities.
• Watch a variety of films and documentaries on First Nations and Métis as well as Inuit subjects hosted by the National Film Board of Canada.
• Watch A History of Indigenous Languages—And How to Revitalize Them, a 13-minute TED talk by Indigenous linguist Lindsay Morcom.

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Introductory Resources

Start here for statistics and data on Indigenous Peoples, an interactive map of tribal lands around the world, and the importance of Indigenous land acknowledgment and the right way to do it.

• Women of Color in the United States: Quick Take Catalyst
• Implementing the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169: Towards an Inclusive, Sustainable and Just Future International Labour Organization
• Interactive World Map of Native Land Native Digital Land
• Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Native Governance Center
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples United Nations

Colonialism

The United States is built on colonialism and the separation of Indigenous Peoples from their native lands, languages, and cultures.

• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States [book] Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Zinn Education Project
• The Decolonial Atlas The Decolonial Atlas
• This Land [podcast] Crooked
• Settler Colonialism as Structure: A Framework for Comparative Studies of U.S. Race and Gender Formation Sociology of Race and Ethnicity

Criminal Justice

Indigenous Americans are victims of violent crimes at more than twice the rate of all US residents and are the group most likely to be killed by law enforcement.

• The Forgotten Minority in Police Shootings CNN
• ‘It Haunts Your Life’: California’s Legacy of Police Violence Against Native American Women The Guardian
• How Can Police Minimize Racial Profiling of Native Americans, Others? Investigate West
• Native Lives Matter Lakota People’s Law Project
• Tribal Law Enforcement Tribal Court Clearinghouse

Education

Established in the US in the 1800s, boarding schools are where many Native children were taught to assimilate and punished in numerous ways when they didn’t, such as when they spoke their tribal language instead of English.

• Death by Civilization The Atlantic
• The Schools That Tried—But Failed—to Make Native Americans Obsolete The Atlantic
• Let All That is Indian Within You Die! NARF Legal Review
• How the US Stole Thousands of Native American Children [film, 14 minutes] Vox

Pay Gap

Native American women earn only 60 cents for every dollar a White man does, adding up to a loss of $2,055 every month, $24,656 every year, and $986,240 over a forty-year career.

• Native American Women Can’t Wait for Equal Pay National Women’s Law Center
• Native Women Face Larger Gender Pay Gap Navajo Times

Voting

While Indigenous Americans practiced their own form of government before they were colonized, it has only been in recent decades that they were granted the right to participate in the US democratic process with the full rights of citizens.

• How the Native American Vote Continues to be Suppressed American Bar Association
• How Native Americans’ Right to Vote Has Been Systematically Violated for Generations The Guardian
• Voting Rights for Native Americans Library of Congress
• ‘Jim Crow, Indian Style’: How Native Americans Were Denied the Right to Vote for Decades The Washington Post

Work

Data on Indigenous Peoples in the workforce is difficult to find, and when available is not split up by tribe, only by broad categories.

• American Indians and Alaska Natives in the U.S. Labor Force U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Best Practices: Creating an Inclusive Workforce for Native Americans U.S. Department of Labor
• American Indians and Alaskan Natives in the American Workforce U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Further Resources

• American Indigenous Business Leaders AIBL
• Gather [film] Gather
• Tribal Elders Are Dying From the Pandemic, Causing a Cultural Crisis for American Indians New York Times
• Circle of Stories PBS
• National Museum of the American Indian Smithsonian

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• DEI Measurement
• Organizational Structures for DEI
• Creating a DEI Strategy

Looking Toward the Goal: Inclusion

Although organizations must begin a diversity journey by understanding the current talent in their workforces—including breakdowns by gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, sexual orientation and more—just having diversity isn’t enough. To reap the benefits from increased diversity, organizations need to work toward inclusion. The Society for Human Resource Management defines inclusion as, “the extent to which each person in an organization feels welcomed, respected, supported and valued as a team member.” Catalyst research shows that when people feel included, they are recognized for the distinct characteristics they bring to the team (uniqueness) and feel as though they are true insiders (belonging). Inclusion is a state in which everyone can be authentic, contribute fully and meaningfully, grow, develop, and thrive. As the Royal Bank of Canada put it, “In simple terms, diversity is the mix and inclusion is the mix working well together.” Increasing diversity is the first and critical step. But it’s inclusion that makes companies, cultures, and workforces strong.

Consider the Business Case

People looking to increase diversity at organizations are often asked to make the case for why it is necessary. Much research has been done to demonstrate that when done well, diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace can lead to increased revenue, reduced costs, greater innovation, and increased employee engagement, productivity, and commitment. Notably, for companies to serve the market effectively, their workforce needs to look and think like their customer base.

Catalyst Resources for Making the Case

Knowledge Burst

• Why DEI Matters Supporter Exclusive

Practices

• Unilever: Changing the Game, Unlocking the Future Supporter Exclusive
  To achieve the ambitious goal of 50/50 gender balance, Unilever had to hold all leaders and business areas accountable. That’s why the initiative includes features such as the Gender Appointment Ratio (GAR) and gender-balanced slates to help managers meet their targets. Unilever’s Global Diversity Board monitors progress on an ongoing basis.
• Sodexo—The Business Impact of Gender-Balanced Teams Supporter Exclusive
  Sodexo found that gender-balanced teams—those with 40%–60% women in management—had higher KPI results than other teams. Specifically, these teams were more engaged (four point higher global engagement rate over non-balanced teams); had higher brand awareness (five points higher); had better client retention (12% increase); and had more positive profit and growth over three consecutive years.

Quick Take

• Why Diversity and Inclusion Matter

Webinar

• The Business Case for Retaining Black Women Supporter Exclusive

Reports

• Aligning Actions to Values: The Catalyst CEO Champions For Change
• Getting Real About Inclusive Leadership

Getting Beyond the Business Case

Although Catalyst has produced research and tools about making the case, we encourage companies to get beyond the business case, which grew out of a need to explain the business benefits (especially financial benefits) of diversity to stakeholders. However, the connection between financial rewards and diversity is impossible to prove because research can only establish a correlation, not causation, between the two. Further, even though the business case for diversity has been documented for decades, it never seems to be enough, and can even drive underrepresented talent away from considering applying at companies that link the business case with their bottom line. Organizations that still ask for more proof that gender diversity is good for business never seem to ask for the business case demonstrating that the status quo or all-male leadership teams and boards are good for business. The constant demand for the business case combined with the recent increase in companies freezing or dissolving DEI programming or departments are stall tactics, indicating an organization’s unwillingness to change. The cost of doing so is high and can lead to poor retention and future talent overlooking a company as a good place to work entirely. Companies should focus on diversity as a talent issue, and recognize that to be an industry leader, it is critical to tap into the full talent pool, and put energy and resources toward recruiting and retaining diverse employees to create inclusive workplace cultures where everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute and succeed.

Catalyst Resources for Getting Beyond the Business Case

Reports

• Promises vs. Progress: 2 Keys to Keeping Employees Feeling Good and Staying Put
• Exposé of Women’s Workplace Experiences Challenges Antiracist Leaders to Step Up
• Words Aren’t Enough: The Risks of Performative Policies

Webinar

• First Steps—The Business Case for Diversity: Is This a Silver Bullet? Supporter Exclusive

Other Resources for Getting Beyond the Business Case

• Beyond the Business Case—Diversity in the Workplace Above the Law
• Moving Beyond the Business Case for Diversity Eos
• This Is the Real Cost of Cutting Diversity Programs Fast Company
• 5 Ways Resisters May Be Undermining Your DEI Program and What to Do About It Fortune
• Stop Making the Business Case for Diversity Harvard Business Review
• Beyond the Business Case for Diversity: What Leaders Must Do Knowledge at Wharton
• It’s (Past) Time to Get Strategic About DEI McKinsey & Company

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Measurement is critical for monitoring and resolving pay inequities. The Gender Pay Gap: Ask Catalyst Express offers resources on implementing holistic organizational solutions to closing the gender pay gap and keeping it closed.

For organizations starting a diversity initiative, the following entries in the Ask Catalyst Express series will be especially helpful:

• The Business Case for DEI
• Creating a DEI Strategy
• Organizational Structures for DEI

Measuring for Change

Measuring for Change is a group of DEI advocates, corporations, academics, and trade organizations that supports the adoption and use of a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure gender and other types of diversity in their organizations. The KPIs include:

• Percentage of representation on an organization’s board.
• Percentage of representation by employee category.
• Pay equality: the ratio of compensation by employee category (i.e., equal pay for equal work).

Catalyst Measurement Resources

Tools

Getting Started

• Beginning a Measurement Process: A Tool for DEI Leaders  Supporter Exclusive

Understand Your Organization’s Equity Gaps, Challenges, and Areas of Opportunity

• The Vital Signs Toolkit  Supporter Exclusive
  • Determining Actions for Inclusive Policies and Practices  Supporter Exclusive

Hold Leaders Accountable

• How to Hold Your Organization Accountable to DEI Goals  Supporter Exclusive

Practices

• Boston Scientific: Accelerating Progress for Women by Creating Equal Opportunities for Growth  Supporter Exclusive
  The first steps in accountability are setting goals and measuring progress over time. Boston Scientific therefore set annual DEI goals for each member of its Executive Committee, which can be cascaded to managers throughout the organization. In 2019, the company then invested in building more advanced capabilities within its Talent Analytics and Insights (TA&I) team. The TA&I team built the firm’s first robust DEI dashboard featuring data visualization, which is updated monthly for leaders. The dashboard tracks hiring, promotion within and across business units, and attrition metrics by gender, ethnicity, region, age, tenure, and career level, among other characteristics. The TA&I team is also exploring ways to measure other dimensions outside of the United States and Puerto Rico, where asking about race and ethnicity may be prohibited, to capture as much of employees’ full identities as possible.
• Enbridge: Informed Insights and Inclusion  Supporter Exclusive
  Enbridge shares its Diversity Dashboard with all employees, with the ability to segment the data by job level, functional area, and geography, including trending information on hiring, promotion, and turnover rates. Enbridge further shares its representation goals publicly and reports on progress. Within the energy industry, this level of transparency is groundbreaking.
• The Hartford: A Deliberate and Courageous Transformation  Supporter Exclusive
  The Hartford enhanced its performance goals for DEI by launching its Unit DEI Planning Process in 2021. Every year, all 16 of The Hartford’s units—with the help of their unit DEI councils—create these customized plans. CEO Chris Swift then personally reviews them and finalizes the score, based on recommendations from the Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Officer. To ensure that the scoring is transparent, the company has sharply defined “foundational,” “good,” and “best” performance characteristics for each of its four pillars (accountability, inclusiveness, brand, and talent), setting very clear expectations for all employees. The Hartford takes this process a step further by combining these scores with qualitative feedback that focuses on how the work is accomplished.

Infographic

• How to Create Transparency in DEI Measurement: A Guide for Senior Leaders

Reports

• Promises vs. Progress: 2 Keys to Keeping Employees Feeling Good and Staying Put
  When employees perceive that their organization is held accountable for DEI goals, they are twice as likely to feel included, be engaged, and intend to stay with their employers.
• Intersectionality: When Identities Converge
  Adopting an intersectional framework at work starts with asking critical questions of yourself, your employees, and your organization. Start with reevaluating or revamping your approach to metrics.
• Towards a More Equitable Future: The Catalyst CEO Champions For Change
  Establishing a baseline of the current racial and ethnic diversity at your organization is a critical step toward positive progress. Outside of North America, gathering consistent and accurate data on race and ethnicity can be challenging. Consider the tips in this report to jumpstart your efforts in collecting reliable data.

Topic Overview

• Inclusive Self-Identification  Supporter Exclusive

Webinar Recordings

• Catalyst Measuring for Change Event: Nuts and Bolts: Building and Growing Your DEI Measurement Process  Supporter Exclusive
• Measuring Diversity in a Global Environment  Supporter Exclusive
• Propelling Change Through DEI Measurements  Supporter Exclusive

A Brief Note About Benchmarking

Catalyst does not have a benchmarking service. Freely available benchmarking data can be difficult to find and sometimes may not even exist. We have attempted to gather what is publicly available, understanding that while external benchmarking can be useful, it doesn’t give a complete picture of an organization’s talent pipeline. Catalyst believes organizations should seek solutions through internal benchmarking to identify the organization’s own strengths, challenges, and opportunities. The Vital Signs Toolkit will help you ask the right questions to gain insight into your own organization’s talent pool.

Gather External Data

• Spreadsheet of Organizations with Publicly Available Diversity Data  Supporter Exclusive
  • To receive this, please submit a request.

Other Benchmarking Resources

• Women in Business  Grant Thornton
• Women in the Workplace  Lean In / McKinsey & Company
• Spencer Stuart Board Indexes  Spencer Stuart
• Overview of BLS Statistics on Employment  U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• EEOC Statistics  U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Corporate Diversity Database  USA Today
• Gender Data Portal  World Bank
• Global Gender Gap Report  World Economic Forum

Do you need additional resources or questions related to measurement? The Catalyst Information Center can help.

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A Note on Transgender Inclusion
Transgender refers to people whose gender identity, expression, or behavior is different from those typically associated with their assigned sex at birth. “Transgender” is an umbrella term that includes a diverse group of people. As a group within the LGBTQ+ community, transgender people face unique barriers. A truly effective diversity policy includes all aspects of diversity, including gender identity and gender expression. This guide helps employers create more inclusive workplaces for transgender employees—and thus, all employees.

Catalyst LGBTQ+ Resources

Quick Take

• LGBT+ Workplace Issues

Infographics

• Flip the Script: Sexual Orientation in the Workplace  Supporter Exclusive
• Flip the Script: Transgender in the Workplace-Actions  Supporter Exclusive
• Flip the Script: Transgender in the Workplace-Words  Supporter Exclusive

Tools

Gain Understanding

• What Is Gender? A Tool to Understand Gender Identity  Supporter Exclusive
• LGBTQ+ Terms to Know

Practices

• TD: Forever Proud. Forever Progressing.  Supporter Exclusive
  In 2012, Catalyst highlighted TD’s multi-pronged strategic approach to supporting and building an inclusive workplace for 2SLGBTQ+ colleagues. Now, over a decade later, TD’s work has expanded to a global initiative that centers on showing up for the 2SLGBTQ+ community every day by delivering a comprehensive suite of programs, benefits, support systems, and accountability mechanisms. This approach recognizes and addresses barriers to inclusion for the intersecting identities of those within the 2SLGBTQ+ community and creates positive impact for the bank’s internal and external stakeholders.
• Barilla: An Italian Family-Owned Company’s Journey to Global Inclusion  Supporter Exclusive
  Since the beginning of its journey, Barilla has made significant progress. From 2015 to 2021, Barilla has scored 100% on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, and in 2017, it was the first company in Italy to support the Standards of Conduct for Business launched by the UN Human Rights Office to tackle LGBTQ+ discrimination in the workplace. Voce, the company’s largest ERG, has been instrumental in bringing LGBTQ+ voices to the forefront, including in countries where they are not culturally accepted.
• IBM – Leading the Cognitive Era Powered by the Global Advancement of Women  Supporter Exclusive
  LGBT+ inclusion is strong at IBM and reflects the company’s commitment to creating a workplace that works for everyone. Its LGBT+ constituency added the “plus” to fully encompass the various dimensions of diversity within the population and also include allies. IBM has 31 out executives in five countries and encourages voluntary self-identification. IBM provides benefits coverage for same-gender couples around the world, resulting in coverage for 94% of the IBM global population. IBM has used its influence to partner with supporting organizations (e.g., Lesbians Who Tech), compel insurance companies to cover LGBT+ couples, fight for legislation supporting bathroom access for transgender people, and dismantle bias to keep markets and communities open and welcoming for all talent.

Webinar Recordings

• Creating New Norms for Gender Expression & Identity  Supporter Exclusive
• Driving LGBTQ+ Inclusion During the Disruption: The Strategic Advantage of ERGs  Supporter Exclusive
• Forging the Path to True Workplace Inclusion for LGBTQ+ Employees  Supporter Exclusive
• LGBTQ+ in the Workplace: Belonging and Psychological Safety  Supporter Exclusive

Other LGBTQ+ Resources

• 2SLGBTQI Terms and Concepts  Egale
• An Ally’s Guide to Terminology: Talking About LGBT People & Equality  Glaad
• Creating a Trans-Inclusive Workplace  Harvard Business Review
• Corporate Equality Index  Human Rights Campaign
• World Maps  International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA)
• Acting with Pride: A Guide Supporting Businesses to Engage Authentically with Prides Around the World  Stonewall
• Employment Resources  Transgender Law Center

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Many organizations have seen the benefits—for their business outcomes and in support of their employees—of creating more flexible and remote workplaces. Catalyst research finds that employees with access to remote work report increased innovation, engagement, and commitment to their organizations and decreased levels of burnout and intent to leave their jobs. In fact, many workers who have had access to flexible and remote work during Covid-19 report that they would like to continue working in similar ways. Access to flexible and remote work is especially important for working parents affected by school and childcare closures.

What are the next steps—how can an organization make the goal of an inclusive flexible and remote work culture come alive?

Rethink workplace flexibility.
Rethinking workplace flexibility means redesigning the workplace and workday for broad flexibility around when, where, and how work gets done. Flexible work is not limited to only the location flexibility afforded through remote work. Schedule flexibility is also a way to bring more flexibility into your workplace—even for the frontline. In fact, research found that when workers had access to flexible schedules, they reported 29% higher productivity.

If you offer remote work options, build a remote-first culture.
“Remote first” means that even if people are required or choose to be onsite in hybrid workplaces, the default is remote work, such that policies and practices reflect this expectation, and everyone behaves as if they were working remotely to include their colleagues working from different locations or schedules. Remote-first behaviors also help to alleviate proximity bias, ensuring that people still receive career advancement opportunities regardless of schedule or location.

Be open to less rigid hybrid work plans—a flexible combination of remote and onsite work.
Combining the hybrid and remote-first approaches ensures that hybrid working doesn’t become the worst of both worlds, with unequal access to opportunities, creating disparate employee experiences and burnout from “always on” synchronous communication.

It is critical that organizations and leaders are careful not to create two tiers of workers, giving career advantages to those team members who want or need to be onsite more frequently. The environment must be inclusive to ensure that women, particularly women of color, are not left behind.

There is no one-size-fits-all path forward. Although some organizations will move closer to an all-remote model, with full choice around location and schedule flexibility, others will favor a more structured hybrid approach. Regardless of what model organizations implement, inclusive hybrid workplaces must be built purposefully to ensure equal access to career opportunity, the benefits of flexible and remote working, and addressing life/work needs.

Catalyst Resources

Practices

• Creating an Inclusive Hybrid Workplace Supporter Exclusive
  Work from home, remote work, flexible work arrangements: prior to March 2020, many employees around the world had little or no exposure to these concepts. While some organizations had built technological infrastructure and remote-work norms as part of their culture, others had not. The Covid-19 pandemic generated a need for companies to shift radically to implement remote work for office workers and a system of social distancing, testing, and other in-depth health and safety procedures for essential on-site workers. Seven organizations—Colliers, Dentons, EY, General Motors, GitLab, Hilti, and Pitney Bowes—shared their unique perspectives on constructing this new reality of work.
• The Hartford: A Deliberate and Courageous Transformation Supporter Exclusive
  Sustaining its unique company culture was fundamental to The Hartford’s Place of Purpose work model, which has foundational elements of empathy, equity, and trust. Two types of location-flexible work have been available since April 2022 in this model: Hybrid, where employees work two to three days a week remotely, and Remote, where employees work remotely four to five days a week. The model also includes In-office, where employees work in one of The Hartford’s offices five days a week. With these three options, the Place of Purpose model aligns business performance, collaboration, and flexibility.
• Barilla: An Italian Family-Owned Company’s Journey to Global Inclusion Supporter Exclusive
  Organizations with essential or frontline workers often struggle to bring more flexibility to their onsite workers. Barilla’s 2021 Catalyst Award-winning initiative discusses one of their programs to make flexible work available to all employees and addresses inclusive hybrid flexible work now and into the future: Smartworking.
• Deloitte: Inspiring Women Supporter Exclusive
  Deloitte’s different types of flex policies provide employees with a common language to help articulate their needs and request support from their managers and colleagues. Includes:
  • Place Flex: Employees can work remotely or in different offices as needed or desired for overall well-being.
  • Team Flex: Teams on-site with clients may work flexibly so that each individual can have work-life balance.
  • Time Flex: Employees can set their own start and stop times each day to maximize productivity.

Infographic

• 10 Models of Workplace Flexibility
  Models and best practices for building a remote-first and flextime-first work culture.

Online Learning

• Knowledge Burst: Leading Your Hybrid Team Inclusively Supporter Exclusive
• Knowledge Burst: Beyond Remote—Flexibility Is Key Supporter Exclusive
• Knowledge Burst: Running More Inclusive Meetings Supporter Exclusive

Ask Catalyst Express

• Flexible Work Arrangements

Other Resources

• How Companies Stopped Worrying and Are Giving Workers the Hybrid Workplace They Want Fast Company
• The Advantages and Challenges of Hybrid Work Gallup
• Hybrid-Remote: Understanding Nuances and Pitfalls GitLab
• What Is Hybrid Work? The Employer’s Guide to Hybrid Workplaces Kumospace
• Hybrid Work Is Here to Stay. Here Are 7 Ways to Manage Your Workforce MIT Sloan

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Flexible work arrangements are part of “work-life effectiveness,” a talent-management strategy that promotes work environments capable of responding to changes in business needs quickly, creatively, and efficiently while providing employees the control they need to work smarter, address their non-work priorities, and be resilient and effective. A work-life effectiveness approach fosters strong performances by both individuals and organizations over the long term.

Catalyst Resources

Infographic

• 10 Models of Workplace Flexibility
  Models and best practices for building a remote-first and flextime-first work culture.

Reports

• Remote-Work Options Can Boost Productivity and Curb Burnout
  Remote work is here to stay. Catalyst research demonstrates that remote work can increase productivity and decrease burnout.
• The Great Work/Life Divide in Canada
  Catalyst-CNBC survey finds unfulfilled desire for flexible and/or remote work during the pandemic.
• The Great Work/Life Divide in the United States
  How employee desire for flexibility and concern from companies is driving the future of work.

Online Learning

• Knowledge Burst: Beyond Remote – Flexibility is Key Supporter Exclusive
• Knowledge Burst: Leading Your Hybrid Team Inclusively Supporter Exclusive
• Knowledge Burst: Running More Inclusive Meetings Supporter Exclusive

Practices

• UPMC: Care and Culture Starts and Ends With People: Executive Workforce Demographics Supporter Exclusive
  Flexible work offerings are important in attracting a greater number of applicants across job scope and function. Depending on their roles and department practices, employees can now work remotely, choose and alter their start or end times for shifts, or use compressed workweeks (e.g., a four-day week or weekends only, which is popular among nurses).
• Boston Scientific: Accelerating Progress for Women by Creating Equal Opportunities for Growth Supporter Exclusive
  The company established its Workflex policy to provide employees with more options for the ways they can get their work done. The policy allows them to work at a reduced schedule, work flexible hours, participate in a job share with another part-time employee, and work onsite, hybrid, or remotely. All employees have access to at least some aspects of Workflex (e.g., a lab scientist might not be able to work remotely, but they can work flexibly), and the program may be used regardless of reason.
• How We Lead With Inclusion Through Crisis: Covid-19 Response Stories From Catalyst Supporters Supporter Exclusive
  Eight Catalyst Supporters—Bell Canada, Chevron, Deloitte Australia, ExxonMobil, EY, Pitney Bowes, Royal DSM, and Unilever—shared their stories of how they’re reimagining the future of work, leading with inclusion through crisis, tackling inequities, connecting with empathy, developing trust on teams, and working remotely and flexibly to successfully navigate these unprecedented times.
• Deloitte: Inspiring Women Supporter Exclusive
  Deloitte Flex Policies—Different types of flex policies provide employees with a common language to help articulate their needs and request support from their managers and colleagues. Includes:
  • Travel Flex: Employees may turn down travel on a short-term basis without career penalty.
  • School Flex: Employees can purchase additional annual leave to utilize during school holidays.
  • Micro Flex: Employees may take short breaks for appointments such as the dentist, meetings at school, etc. They are encouraged to indicate these in a shared calendar and make reasons visible, so flexible working becomes the norm.
  • Hours Flex: Employees may work part-time and still continue to advance in their careers.

Tools

• Enhancing Inclusive Employee Experiences: Scenario Planning for the Future of Work Supporter Exclusive 
  Catalyst analyzed four different scenarios of the future of work to better understand shifts related to Covid-19 and illustrate examples of policies and practices to move your organization toward a more inclusive and equitable post-pandemic workplace, including Flexible and Remote Work to Build Inclusive Teams.

Webinars

• Developing Inclusive and Flexible Teams Supporter Exclusive 
• Working Remotely: The Global Impact on Employee Experiences Supporter Exclusive 
• Being Intentional About Inclusion in Flexible and Remote Work Supporter Exclusive 

Ask Catalyst Express

• Inclusive Hybrid Workplaces

Other Resources

• Flexible Working Practices The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
• Extremely Transparent & Incredibly Remote Fast Company
• Why Flexible Work Is Essential to Your DEI Strategy Harvard Business Review
• Americans Are Embracing Flexible Work—and They Want More of It McKinsey & Company

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People’s interlocking identities illustrate the diversity that exists within any broad social group (e.g., women, immigrants, trans people, etc.), and where there are similarities and differences in experiences within these groups due to layers of oppression and privilege. For example, when compared to straight, cisgender White men:

• White women have different experiences and privileges due to sexism;
• Black men experience discrimination due to racism;
• Black women will be impacted by both racism and sexism;
• A gay paraplegic faces biases based on sexual orientation and perceived ability.

Intersectionality makes plain that advancing women—or any broad group—at work means addressing the other social inequities that they face based on their multiple social identities. Considering individuals from an intersectional perspective is a critical component in creating diverse and inclusive workplaces across the globe.

Catalyst Resources on Intersectionality

Reports

• Intersectionality: When Identities Converge
  This report highlights how our various identities impact our daily lives, which affects how we perceive the world and how the world perceives us. The piece concludes with ways senior leaders can adopt an intersectional framework in the workplace.  
• Exposé of Women’s Workplace Experiences Challenges Antiracist Leaders to Step Up
  Catalyst research found that half of women from marginalized racial and ethnic groups have experienced racism in the workplace with these experiences often going unaddressed. Senior leaders who demonstrate allyship and curiosity can combat racism, in part by decreasing the climate of silence in their organization and increasing its diversity climate. 
• Emotional Tax and Work Teams: A View from 5 Countries
  Catalyst research found that over half of employees from marginalized racial and ethnic groups are on guard against bias and discrimination on their teams. A team climate for psychological safety can mitigate employees being on guard.  
• Empowering Workplaces Combat Emotional Tax for People of Colour in Canada (see also: French translation)
  Catalyst research uncovered that Black, East Asian, and South Asian professionals who are highly on guard have a dangerously high intent to quit, ranging from 50% to 69%. Canadian employers can start to counter this number by creating empowering work environments for their employees. 
• Emotional Tax: How Black Women and Men Pay More at Work and How Leaders Can Take Action
  This report shows that emotional tax can deplete Black employees’ sense of well-being by making them feel that they must be “on guard.” Emotional tax also results in disrupted sleep patterns, reduced sense of “psychological safety,” and diminished ability to contribute at work. 

Practices

• Barclays – How Barclays is Creating an Inclusive Workplace Supporter Only 
  Barclays, a global financial services firm headquartered in London, has a long history of supporting diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts. Through its Dynamic Working Campaign, Barclays is attempting to ingrain a flexible mindset throughout the firm and champion flexibility as the way work gets done. This Practice also highlights the firm’s innovative This is Me campaign designed to eliminate the stigma around mental health and disabilities.   
• Chevron Australia – PRIDE: LGBT Inclusion, Intersectionality, and Collaborative Partnerships Supporter Only 
  PRIDE, Chevron’s LGBT employee network, was developed as a grassroots employee effort. The group has evolved over its more than 20-year history to collaborate with other internal and external partners to build cross-cultural awareness among employees and to support Chevron’s efforts to attract and retain the best talent. Like all employee networks at Chevron, PRIDE is connected to the Office of Global Diversity, and is closely aligned with Chevron’s values of “people, partnership and performance.” 
• PepsiCo, Inc. – Women of Color Multicultural Alliance Supporter Only 
  PepsiCo is firmly committed to leveraging the diversity of perspectives that its talented associates bring to the company and to fostering a work environment that includes and encourages differing views of the world. A key initiative in that effort is PepsiCo’s Women of Color Multicultural Alliance, which serves as a strategic support and resource group focused on attracting, retaining, and developing women of color in the middle and senior management ranks at PepsiCo. The Alliance has four priorities: enlisting support and awareness; building a sense of community; educating and developing; and increasing representation and improving retention. Major activities over the years have included Power Pairs®, a program that builds authentic relationships and advancement opportunities for women of color through facilitated dialogues with immediate and skip-level managers; a national leadership development conference; and regional networking events. 

Quick Takes

• People of Colour in Canada
• Why Diversity and Inclusion Matter
• Women of Color in the United States

Webinars

• Intersectionality: Cultivating Workplaces That Work for All Women Supporter Only  
• Canada’s Women’s History Month: Celebrating Intersectionality Supporter Only  
• Intersectionality of Gender, Race, and Ethnicity at Work Supporter Only  
• Intersecting Identities and the Impact of Emotional Tax Supporter Only  
• Forging the Path to True Workplace Inclusion for LGBTQ+ Employees Supporter Only  

Blog Posts

• Why Intersectionality Matters 
• 14 Racial Equity Terms You Should Know   
• Five Tips for Future-Proofing Your Workplace   
• “Open the Kimono”: 11 Assumptions Behind a Misogynist and Racist Business Phrase 
• Beware Performative Allyship: 3 Signs to Look For 
• Men of Color at Work: If These Stories Surprise You, You Haven’t Been Listening 

Additional Resources

• Intersectionality – A Definition, History, and Guide Sister Outrider  
• For LGBTQ People of Color, Discrimination Compounds National Public Radio 
• Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics.  Kimberlé Crenshaw 
• Intersectionality at Work: South Asian Muslim Women’s Experiences of Employment and Leadership in the United Kingdom Memoona Tariq & Jawad Syed 
• What’s Intersectionality? Let These Scholars Explain the Theory and Its History Time 
• Intersectional Feminism: What It Means and Why It Matters Right Now UN Women 
• The Effect of Intersectionality in the Workplace New York Times 
• Intersectionality 101 Learning for Justice  

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Catalyst Resources

Reports

• Getting Real About Inclusive Leadership
  Catalyst research uncovered an updated model of inclusive leadership—Leading Outward, Leading Inward—that boosts an employee’s experiences of being valued, authentic, trusted, and psychologically safe at work. See individual country reports for Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• Allyship and Curiosity Drive Inclusion for People of Color at Work
  Catalyst research found that allyship and curiosity, two of the core inclusive leadership behaviors, should be at the heart of a manager’s leadership mindset in order to create a more inclusive, welcoming workplace.
• The Day-To-Day Experiences of Workplace Inclusion and Exclusion
  This report explores inclusion and exclusion in more concrete terms by examining employees’ daily workplace experiences.

Tools

• 5 Strategies to Promote Inclusion: A Manager’s Playbook Supporter Exclusive
  This tool is for team leaders, as well as anyone who manages a project or cross-functional group. It breaks down what inclusion at work looks like and shows you exactly how you can take steps to help all your employees feel included.
• How to Hold Your Organization Accountable to DEI Goals Supporter Exclusive
  Focusing on accountability, one of the core behaviors of inclusive leadership, this interactive tool provides specific guidelines and tactics that DEI practitioners can use to hold their organizations and leaders accountable for DEI goals.
• Quiz: Are You an Inclusive Leader?
  This quiz serves as a starting point for considering what strengths and areas of opportunity you have as a leader for building workplaces that work.

Infographics

• Lead Outward and Lead Inward to Build an Inclusive Workplace
• Flip the Script: Leading Inward Supporter Exclusive 
• Flip the Script: Leading Outward Supporter Exclusive 

Online Learning

• Knowledge Burst: Running More Inclusive Meetings Supporter Exclusive 
• Knowledge Burst: Leading Your Hybrid Team Inclusively Supporter Exclusive
  Focuses on the inclusive leadership behaviors of Ownership and Accountability
• Knowledge Burst: Overcoming Conversation Roadblocks Supporter Exclusive
  Focuses on the inclusive leadership behavior of Courage
• Knowledge Burst: Connecting Across Differences Supporter Exclusive
  Focuses on the inclusive leadership behaviors of Curiosity and Humility

Practices

• Boston Scientific: Accelerating Progress for Women by Creating Equal Opportunities for Growth Supporter Exclusive 
  Boston Scientific added a qualitative element to its measurable goals by adding an inclusive behavior expectation to its People Leadership Commitment. Also, promotion announcements for employees at the director level and above now highlight their inclusive leadership behaviors.

• RBC: Speak Up for Inclusion Supporter Exclusive 
  For senior leaders to foster an inclusive culture, they must set the tone for employees by modeling inclusive leadership themselves. With this behavior, they enable the entire company to support inclusion at every level and in every region. CEO Dave McKay leads with “tone from the top” communications by speaking frequently in support of diversity and inclusion at the bank.

• Deloitte: Inspiring Women Supporter Exclusive 
  The most important element in creating a strong initiative is engaging firm leadership. Deloitte leaders understand that they are accountable for creating an inclusive environment and sponsoring talented women.  The firm also introduced an internal Inclusive Leadership Assessment Tool to help participants recognize where they could improve.

Webinar Recordings

• Leading with Equity and Inclusion Supporter Exclusive 
• Now Is The Moment for Inclusive Leadership Supporter Exclusive 
• Driving Innovation Through Inclusive Leadership Supporter Exclusive 

Other Resources

• Inclusive Leadership Guides, Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion/Centre canadien pour la diversité et l’inclusion
• Inclusive Leadership: Steps Your Organization Should Take to Get It Right, Center for Creative Leadership
• The 6 Cs of Inclusive Leadership & How to Be an Inclusive Leader, IMD
• The Key to Inclusive Leadership, Harvard

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Catalyst STEM Resources

Quick Takes

• Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
• Women in Healthcare

Practices

• Boston Scientific: Accelerating Progress for Women by Creating Equal Opportunities for Growth  Supporter Exclusive
  Core elements include improving diversity awareness and inclusion competency skills for all employees, holding leaders accountable for meaningful efforts and results, and increasing transparency and communication about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and progress. Every employee is responsible for promoting DEI across the organization, regardless of role or level.
• Parexel: Leveraging Gender Partnership to Advance Women in Leadership  Supporter Exclusive
  Different Parexel programs assist women in building the robust internal network that is crucial to advancement. These also successfully engage men as mentors, sponsors, and champions, leveraging their experience and participation in training programs. Regional DEI committees develop and execute strategies reflective of the concerns and needs of their regions. Externally, Parexel has stressed and focused on diversity among its clinical trial participants to create pharmaceutical products that are safe and effective for the populations that use them.
• Medtronic: Igniting Women to Lead Through the Medtronic Women’s Network  Supporter Exclusive
  Medtronic Women’s Network (MWN) is run by employee volunteers—women and men from around the world. Members gain leadership and functional experience to advance their careers and are empowered to drive holistic change. In addition, MWN strategies are strongly linked to company metrics, success measures, and advancement opportunities.
• IBM:Leading the Cognitive Era Powered by the Global Advancement of Women  Supporter Exclusive
  IBM has strategically and purposefully focused on technical women’s career development and advancement. HR and global business leaders partner to drive IBM’s diversity and inclusion goals by attracting and recruiting diverse talent; prioritizing leadership development and talent discussions; and engaging as a good corporate citizen.

Knowledge Burst

• A Code for the Future: Retaining Women in STEM  Supporter Exclusive

Blog Posts

• Closing the STEM Gender Gap
• How I Learned to Excel in a Male-Dominated Workplace
• This Teen Tech Pioneer Has Advice About Making the Future Equitable

Reports

• High Potentials in Tech-Intensive Industries: The Gender Divide in Business Roles
• High Potentials Under High Pressure in India’s Technology Sector

Infographic

• The Gender Divide in Tech-Intensive Industries

Tools

Design and Implement Customized Practices

• Vital Signs  Supporter Exclusive
• Advancing Women in Tech-Intensive Industries: Transforming Organizational Cultures  Supporter Exclusive

Trend Briefs

• AI and Gender Bias
• How AI Reinforces Gender Stereotypes
• AI and Equitable Hiring in a Post-Pandemic World

Webinar Recordings

• Rockwell Automation’s Culture of Inclusion  Supporter Exclusive
• Women in STEM  Supporter Exclusive

Other STEM Resources

• The STEM Gap: Women and Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math  American Association of University Women
• Technical Equity Experience Survey  AnitaB.org
• Resources & Tools  National Center for Women & Information Technology
• Employer Resources  Society for Canadian Women in Science & Technology
• SWE Research  Society of Women Engineers

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