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UPFRONT
GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY MUST FIX THE
GENDER WAGE GAP
The Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) recently
released a white paper, which called on government and
businesses to address the gender wage gap in Ontario. The paper,
Closing the Gender Wage Gap, a Review and Recommendations,
looks at multiple factors, often the result of unconscious biases,
that are associated with the gender wage gap at various stages of a
woman’s life, from childhood education to the workplace.
“Research shows that at an early age, many young women may
segregate themselves from higher paid careers in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics, or the ‘STEM’ fields, in part
because of ‘stereotype threats,’ ” said Bill Greenhalgh, CEO of
HRPA. “This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed by
government and the private sector.”
Women in Ontario are highly educated, making up the majority
of university degree holders; however, only 39 per cent of
STEM university graduates aged 25 to 34 are women, according
to Statistics Canada.
The report makes 20 recommendations in total, including:
■■ Expand government training on pay equity issues and
solutions – similar to the mandatory Supervisor Awareness
Training the Ministry of Labour requires for the Occupational
Health and Safety Act.
■■ Develop a pilot program to combat negative stereotypes by
exposing young women to positive female role models from the
STEM sectors.
■■ Implement provincial labour market research to project
demand for skills both in the near and distant futures.
The report argues that by taking these concrete steps,
real progress can be made towards closing the wage gap
between men and women. The full report can be found here:
www.hrpa.ca/2016Payequityreport
HALF OF CANADA’S WORKING POPULATION IS
UNHAPPY
Specialist recruitment firm Hays Canada, in a comprehensive
workforce study, revealed that 47 per cent of Canadian professionals
are unhappy in their current job. A majority (86 per cent)
of employee respondents from multiple regions and industries
believe their “fit” with a company and its people is essential to contentment
and success; however, when considering a new job, fit
inevitably takes a back seat to compensation.
Hays Canada’s Fit Series is based on a poll of approximately
2,500 Canadian employers and employees aimed at getting a
comprehensive read of the national mindset on the match between
people, workplace practices and their expected social behaviours.
The negative effects of disparities between people and organizations
also come with a hefty price tag. Forty-nine per cent of
employers admit to interviewing people they felt were not a fit
with their team or culture but hired them anyway. All but six per
cent said the outcome was negative and added that ignoring their
initial impressions cost their company anywhere from $10,000 to
$50,000 and, in a few instances, more than $100,000.
“The majority of Canada’s working population believes fit is
important but when we investigated further, we learned that few
actually know what that means,” said Rowan O’Grady, president
of Hays Canada. “We can no longer afford to have such a relaxed
stance on the value of strong connections between people and
where they choose to work.”
DETERMINING WORKPLACE COMPATIBILITY IS ELUSIVE
According to Hays Canada, fitting in at work is influenced by four
common factors: one’s work ethic, social behaviour, office conformity
and the ability to connect with a team’s working style. How
each of these attributes balance or play off one another determines
compatibility between companies, teams and individuals.
Only one-third of employee respondents know what their ideal
fit is or how to evaluate it. Hays also learned that only 30 per
cent of professionals are confident that they are well matched with
their current working team and a similar number said they simply
don’t know.
“Learning that relatively few people know how to gauge workplace
fit is troubling, but it’s not entirely surprising,” said O’Grady.
“Things like salary, benefits and holiday time are very easily quantified
and so they rise to the top of people’s checklists almost by
default. Assessing intangible things like a person’s preferred level
of social interaction is not clear-cut. Taking candidates out for a
team lunch is a great way to establish a match but it adds new layers
to the recruitment process when employers are already fighting
a losing battle against the clock.”
WOMEN IN ONTARIO ARE
HIGHLY EDUCATED, MAKING UP
THE MAJORITY OF UNIVERSITY
DEGREE HOLDERS; HOWEVER,
ONLY 39 PER CENT OF STEM
UNIVERSITY GRADUATES AGED 25
TO 34 ARE WOMEN, ACCORDING
TO STATISTICS CANADA.
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ SEPTEMBER 2016 ❚ 11