The Case for Developing Recruitment and Retention Strategies including Strategies to Access the Aboriginal Labour Pool. 1
Session Outcomes What do you want to learn today? 2
Today s Objectives Define who is an Aboriginal person Understand your needs Recruitment Explore Employment Equity statements Identify candidate concerns Recruiting Do s and Don'ts Retention Develop strategic goals Next steps 3
Who Are Aboriginal People? 4
Aboriginal includes: Métis, First Nations, & Inuit 5
Why Are You Doing This? Why are you looking to recruit Aboriginal people into your workforce? 6
Group Work In groups of 3 4, Take 3 minutes, Develop a list of why you are embarking or considering embarking on such an energetic undertaking, that is, recruiting Aboriginals. 7
Why??? Good business You need labour Urban Aboriginal Peoples Study Environics Institute You are already doing business It s the right thing to do 8
Recruitment Where s Waldo??? 9
Where Can We Find Aboriginals? IANE Events PS Aboriginal Student Centres Batoche Their Communities Etc etc etc 10
How Did You Learn About The Job? Personal Initiative (26%) Aboriginal Organization (18%) Family or Friend (12%) Internet (12%) Gov t Employment Centre (9%) Help Wanted Ad (6%) Job Fair (6%) 11
Candidate Concerns A huge consideration for many Aboriginal applicants is what the employer and the workplace is like. Specifically, is the workplace a welcome place or will they be an outsider? 12
Potential Candidate Needs Develop a familiarity with the potential employer. That is, a one on one relationship with another individual. Is the workplace Aboriginal friendly? 13
Employment Equity Statement Employer X is committed to Employment Equity and Diversity and invites applications from Women, Aboriginal People, Persons with Disabilities and Visible Minorities. 14
OK, That s Great! Now tell me what that preceding Employment Equity statement means? 15
Excellent!!!. Now can you provide me with examples of how it has worked and been successful in expanding the diversity of your workforce? 16
Have You Had Difficulty Finding Work? Not Enough Education (29%) Lacked Required Work Experience (19%) No Means Of Transportation (16%) Not Familiar With Jobs (13%) Didn t Know Where To Look (6%) 17
Recruiting Don'ts Recruiting once a year. Relying on expensive glossy recruiting tools. Hiring the first candidate that comes along. Not attending Aboriginal events. Be afraid. 18
Recruiting Do s Build rapport with the candidates, and the staff that work with these individuals. Develop a rapport with anyone who will listen to you..elders, education counsellors, etc. Spend time on site speaking to potential candidates. 19
Recruiting Do s Ask for help. Hello, my name is Joe Employer and I am interesting in posting a position with your organization. To whom should I speak regarding this matter? NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK 20
Retention Can you keep Aboriginal employees once you hire them? 21
Why Have You Left Jobs? Better pay (28%) Returned to school (21%) End of contract (19%) Laid off (11%) Difficulty adjusting to workplace (4%) Left to care for family member (4%) Moved (4%) 22
Strategic Goals Document the extent to which the infrastructure is in place to facilitate the ability to target and encourage applications from Aboriginal candidates. Determine the extent to which proactive measures have been put in place to remove impediments to the recruitment of Aboriginal candidates. Determine the extent to which progress has been made staffing positions with qualified Aboriginal candidates. 23
Aboriginal Voluntary Self- Declaration Form Please check the statement most applicable to you. I (please print) declare I am a First Nations person (Status/Registered/Treaty/Non-Status) I am a Métis person I am an Inuit person I declare myself to be an Aboriginal person because All information I have given herein is true and complete and may be verified. Signature:, Date: Why should I self-identify as being of Aboriginal descent? Identify areas in which Aboriginal applicants are most successful at gaining employment Track the number of Aboriginal people who have applied, been interviewed and hired by the WRHA Identify gaps in Aboriginal participation that can provide a target for 24 future employment initiatives
The All Important Question Are you looking to introduce Aboriginal employees to your workplace for the first time, or do you have an established Aboriginal workforce? 25
Simple Things If your present workforce is currently non-aboriginal, it will be necessary to create a welcoming environment that is sensitive to the needs of new employees. This can be achieved through some simple methods, such as providing the successful applicant with a clear description of his or her responsibilities and how their role fits within the organization. 26
Start Small Summer employment and internships can also be an excellent way to market your organization and to introduce yourself in order to expand your Aboriginal workforce. 27
You re Not Alone See IANE Aboriginal Employment and Training Best Practices handout. 28
Current Staff Concerns It would be advisable to provide current staff with cross-cultural sensitivity training. A major concern on the part of current staff is tokenism. Utilize a mentor, buddy, etc., for the new Aboriginal hire. 29
Staff Policies Are your internal policies reasonably flexible? 30
Definitions for the purpose of this policy: Definitions for the purpose of this policy: Family member shall be defined as the employee s child or the child of the employee s spouse or common-law partner, the employee s spouse or common-law partner, the employee s father/mother, the spouse or common-law partner of the employee s father/mother. 31
What about Aunty? Contrary to the Euro-Canadian idea that you are the sole property of your parents, many Aboriginal cultures view children as a collective community responsibility. Therefore, multiple Aunties, Grandmas, etc. 32
Special Leave Special leave is leave granted by the Employer with full or partial pay and which is not dealt with by other Clauses of this Article. This Clause provides the necessary flexibility to allow consideration of all applications for leave. 33
PSAC CA Leave With Pay for Family-Related Responsibilities (37.5 hours) Leave With or Without Pay for Other Reasons and Personal Leave with Pay Key Changes to PSAC Collective Agreements http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/hrpubs/coll_agre/kc-mp/psac-afpc02- eng.asp#leave_prov 34
The Bottom Line Success is achievable, and relatively simple. 35
The Champion Identify a person who is committed to this initiative. Provide them with the power, resources, and authority to affect change. Continually monitor results, change course as necessary, and celebrate ALL successes. 36
Today s Objectives Define who is an Aboriginal person Understand your needs Recruitment Explore Employment Equity statements Identify candidate concerns Recruiting Do s and Don'ts Retention Develop strategic goals Next steps 37
Good luck with recruiting, and thank you for working towards creating a workforce representative of the Canadian population. 38
Questions? 39
Thank You 40