letter from the editor
WHAT’S
HIDING?
I’ll admit that up until a couple of years ago (when I first
started working on HR Professional magazine), diversity
and inclusion was not something I had ever given much
thought. Like many Canadians, I assumed that since we
live in such a diverse country, that our workplaces – and, more
specifically, the leadership of our workplaces – must naturally
reflect that diversity.
Of course, I now know that this is not necessarily the case
in many Canadian organizations. We’re coming around to the
concept that diversity and inclusion is something that must
be activelyachieved – a point underscored by Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau’s gender-equal cabinet.
Not only limited to gender, a diverse workforce has myriad
benefits for organizations… so why are we taking so
long to catch on? Part of the problem could be that in many
cases, people are not aware of their own biases. As Melissa
Campeau writes in her cover feature, it’s difficult to address a
blind spot if you don’t know that it exists. In this issue of HR
Professional, we explore hidden biases in our workplaces, how
they affect us and how we can begin to mitigate them for the
betterment of ourselves and our companies. Flip to the cover
feature on page 18 to read about hidden biases from the HR
perspective.
I encourage all of us to self-reflect and assess our own organizations
for signs of hidden bias. I think that the working
landscape in Canada is on the verge of significant change, and
that in the coming years our leadership will be more reflective
of our diverse population, an improvement that will benefit
everyone.
Happy New Year and happy reading,
Jill Harris
866-953-2182
jharris@lesterpublications.com ■
VOLUME 33 / NUMBER 1 JANUARY 2016
Editor: Jill Harris | Publisher: Sean Davis
Managing Editor: Duff McCutcheon, HRPA
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THE MAGAZINE OF
HUMAN RESOURCES
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Jason Beeho, Rubin Thomlinson LLP
Dean Bulloch, MBA, CHRE,
School of Business & Hospitality,
Conestoga College Institute
Cheryl Fullerton, Corus Entertainment Inc.
Julie Giraldi, Ontario Hospital Association
John Hamovitch, Intelex Technologies
Paul Klein, Impakt
Claudette Knight, Meridian
Charles Marful, Ernst & Young
Nan Oldroyd, Loblaw
Anthony Papa, Federal-Mogul Motorparts
Laura L. Randell, B.A., CHRE, SEEC
Schulich School of Business
Jose Tolovi Neto, Great Place
to Work® Canada
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6 ❚ JANUARY 2016 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL
