All together now- The importance of diversity and inclusion in bridging the network gap

Authors: Anya-Kaye Parkes, Christine Dyal, Robin Hyewoan Song and Sia Papadopoulos 

The NetWORK IT campaign 

This blog is part three in the NetWORK IT campaign led by Centennial College public relations and corporate communications students. Through collaborations with CivicAction and Centennial College Career Services, this campaign strives to spread awareness of the network gap and provide networking resources. 

Click here to find out more about Operation #NetWORKIT

Diversity and Inclusion

The network gap is the employment advantage some people have based solely on who they know. According to LinkedIn, “where you grow up, where you go to school, and where you work, can give you a 12 times advantage in gaining access to opportunity.” The harsh reality is many young people’s access to opportunity is hindered by uncontrollable factors such as race, age, gender, and socio-economic status. 

According to a 2020 report by Boston Consulting Group and CivicAction, a resume with a “white-sounding name” received three times the number of call-backs as a resume with a “black-sounding name”. The same study also found that Black people are 30 per cent less likely than any other race to be in the candidate pool of a job via networks.

Organizations, whether big or small, need to recognize and appreciate that we live in a diverse and multicultural society and that it should be reflected in every workplace across the country. More diverse companies are better able to win top talent, and improve their customer orientation, employee satisfaction, and decision-making. Many organizations already follow a model that supports diversity and inclusion through their hiring processes and corporate culture. Check out Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, which lists employers across Canada that have exceptional workplace diversity and inclusiveness programs. This is a great resource when entering or reentering the workforce.  

Michael Bach, author and CEO of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, once explained, an inclusive workplace means one where “people can come to work and bring their whole self, and not feel like they have to leave a piece of themselves at home. And whether that piece is visible or invisible, they don’t get to hang up their ethnicity or their religion or their ability at the door when they walk in the office.”  In the same interview, he points out that diversity does not stand alone, it works hand in hand with inclusion. Without inclusion, diversity fades away as it leads to disengagement.

In the aforementioned BCG and Civic Action report, it’s revealed that, “systemic anti-Black racism driving employees away doesn’t just impact those workers – it also results in a financial hit for businesses, as the average cost of replacing an employee is 33% of their annual salary.”

Another excellent resource that encourages diversity is CivicAction’s DiverseCity Fellows, “an award winning leadership experience for diverse leaders in the greater Toronto region who are looking to supercharge their leadership skills and network, explore urban cities and discover how to make a positive change in their communities.” This resource inspires people from diverse backgrounds to take an active role in bridging the network gap by becoming leaders and elevating their voices.Adding to the list of great resources is CivicAction’s CivicMatch, an initiative focused on ensuring those who are Black, Indigenous or otherwise racialized and are from the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area are given opportunities to become better leaders by connecting them with already established leaders, exposing them to excellent networking opportunities.