Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Ottawa Community Housing
Overview
At Ottawa Community Housing, we strive to represent the diversity present within the communities we serve. We are committed to engaging employees in creating a workplace culture of inclusion and belonging, where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work and feel valued. Our employees come from all different backgrounds, represent all genders, age groups, sexual orientations, speak a multitude of languages, and share different experiences and perspectives. We would not have it any other way.
Vision
To foster an organizational culture of inclusion and belonging, while representing the diversity present within the communities we serve, which allows us to better understand and serve their needs.
Mission
OCHC is committed to enhancing its focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion through internal initiatives to engage employees and leaders and external initiatives to build partnerships and connect with OCHC communities.
Our Plan
OCHC has developed a formalized multi-year Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Plan because it is important that the organization reflect the diverse communities we serve. It is based on three key pillars:
Attract and acquire a diverse talent pool
Establish and leverage partnerships to enhance the development of a diverse inclusive workplace
Create a culture of inclusivity and belonging through leadership and employee engagement
Internal-facing initiatives to engage employees, and external- facing initiatives to connect with OCHC communities and academic partners, continue to be developed so we can renew our daily commitment to continue building safer, healthier and more inclusive communities.
This on-going work enables the organization to transition from a strictly compliance-based focus to a path of inclusion and belonging through awareness, employee engagement and an inclusion lens approach
Key Initiatives
Corporate Culture:
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Champions Table
Employee Resource Groups
Learning and Development:
Internal Speaker Sessions for Black History/Legacy Month
Engaged external consultant for Anti-Racism sessions with staff and leadership
Released mandatory training on Inclusion and Unconscious Bias through our online learning program
Coming Soon: Launch of an Inclusion Lens toolkit (training to come in Fall 2022
Recruitment, Retention and Employment:
Review of Hiring Practices (More inclusive job postings, OCH Careers Page, hiring process review)
Addition of DE&I questions into the Employee Engagement Survey in an effort to gain an understanding of how employees experience Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in their day-to-day work environment at OCH
Integration of gender-neutral language into collective agreements/employment Launched our very first Peer Support Program