Strategic Inclusion

INCLUSIVE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE PROGRAM

An online program to empower yourself & your organization with fundamental knowledge to create a more inclusive workplace.

IDEA-B (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Belonging) are fundamental aspects of thriving organizations now and in the future. Access practical tools, information, resources and community to bring valuable expertise to your organization.

The program is eligible for CPD credits for Certified HR professionals. CPHR BC & Yukon is the grantor of the Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR™) designation in BC and the Yukon. As a member of CPHR Canada, CPHR BC & Yukon contributes to setting and upholding the national standards for the CPHR.
CPHR Canada represents 31,000 members in the Human Resources Profession across nine provinces and three territories in Canada

Why take this program?

Cultivate an innovative environment that celebrates different perspectives and ideas by prioritizing IDEA-B (inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, belonging). The program has been intentionally built to support you while you are leading or supporting cultural change through the active creation and/or expansion of your organizational policies, procedures, culture, and initiatives that embody the change towards inclusion and increased representation of historically marginalized populations.

Who is this program for?

Strategic Inclusion is designed for Human Resource professionals and other organizational representatives who are looking to access industry-leading training to make a real impact in policies, procedures and culture of their organization. Become an IDEA-B champion inside your organization, and ground into the fundamental skills and information to support your career and leadership.

Objectives

Recognize the societal and organizational barriers for equity deserving populations and how to address them from a place of resiliency.
Understand how to further develop and enhance IDEA-B policies and practices to integrate into your organizational culture.
Enhance your ability and confidence to facilitate difficult conversations, understanding impact of programming and bias on these conversations and implement aligned actions.
Nurture your ability to navigate change from both practical and tactical perspectives.
Build on self resilience while supporting others who are championing for common goals.
Solve complex organizational struggles through expert provided guidance and support.

Commitment (8-week program)

8 modules over 2 months with an opportunity for Q&A
Opportunity to receive up to one hour of one-on-one coaching for confidential, real-time needs
Access to a “Community of Practice” Slack channel to support active learning and collaboration between participants and subject matter experts
Shared resources and recorded live sessions
Final in-person networking event (date TBD)

What is included

8 modules
Discussions from the desk of an Equity, diversity and inclusion consultant
Workbooks

Office hours periodically
Modules are include presentation / classroom-style learning intertwined with activities, reflection, sharing of resources and real-situations within the peer-activating community. Each session will have a short guided meditation to ground us into the work.
The final, in-person networking event will be an opportunity to:

Build connections with other HR leaders, facilitators & not-for-profits working in this space.
Celebrate growth and success towards inclusion and belonging.
Identify commitments moving forward & what else we as individuals and our organizations can do.

What Our Students Say

The Strategic Inclusion program provided valuable theory and practical takeaways which as an organization we are actively implementing into creating our Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategy.

As a participant, the instructional approach taken by Veza Global in delivery of the DEI modules via Zoom was very hands-on which led to interactive group discussions on theory, engaging speaker sessions, who were well-versed in DEI topics/practices. This led to further discussion around real-life DEI case studies and experiences.

There was a succinct flow from one topic to another in the delivery of the seven (7) modules - very organized with key takeaways, discussions, and resources. Which had direct application and connection to our organization’s strategy and action plan. As an example, in one of the modules we focused on Benchmarking from a theoretical approach, had interactive discussions about connecting benchmarking to the organizational goals and specifically the DEI portfolio and practical takeaways that we will be embedding in our benchmarking project as a part of our larger Global DEI strategy and action plan(s). I would confidently recommend the Createwith Resilience program to Human Resources/DEI practitioners seeking to building out or enhance their DEI strategies, actions plans and programs within their organization.

Manager, HR at a global tech company

I am simmering over all of the knowledge and tools which have been shared over the past couple of weeks and I am grateful to continue to learn in this space.

Allie, Hinterland Games

Veza Global and Catchy Consulting compiled a very comprehensive curriculum, including seven topical modules based on an overall set of objectives for the program. These seven DEI focused modules went in-depth on specific topics related to organizational resilience, policies and practices, application of DEI to the employee life cycle, difficult conversations and bias, sponsoring and championing employees, and more. The course offered definitions, written and presented content, workbooks, additional resources and an open space for questions and answers (Q&A).

The content of these modules was further enhanced by the participation of subject-matter experts as guest speakers, who brought their perspective on specific topics to the group and contributed their expertise on problem-solving approaches and best practices. Additionally, “office hours” were provided, allowing participants to bring specific, real-time situations forward and ask questions and obtain advice. I found this particularly beneficial as it fulfilled my need to understand specific actions our organization needed to take, or it validated the approach we were already taking.

The facilitation by Manpreet Dhillon (Veza Global) and Kathy Gibson (Catchy Consulting) created a space built on trust, confidentiality, inclusiveness and openness which meant participants felt supported and open to sharing their struggles and challenges without concern for judgement. This truly enhanced the overall program and created connection among the participants, which, I believe, contributed to an elevated networking experience.

I have participated in many webinars, courses and programs over the course of my career and the format, material breakdown and pace of this program was top-notch. I believe it aligns with the values, intent and spirit of the CPHR designation and would elevate the expertise of CPHR professionals.

Director, ESG at a global tech company

Module 1

Program introduction and foundational IDEA-B

Why we’re not just checking the boxes:

Overview of the program
Facilitator introductions
Equity-deserving populations
Systemic barriers and disadvantages

Amplifying voices
Mentorship and sponsorship
Power and privilege
Executive buy-in, budgeting, and resources

Immediate tactical considerations (phased creation, expansion, and integration)

Module 2

Proactively building an anti-racist organization:

The importance of land acknowledgements
Truth and Reconciliation Day
Stages of an anti-racist organization
Workplace by-standers

Module 3

Harness commitment from across the organization grounded in change management:

IDEA-B practices and other activations

IDEA-B Committees
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
Company Culture
IDEA-B Foundational Training within Organization

Module 4

Reporting processes - benchmarking representation:

Measuring diversity within your organization
Using the Benchmarking Toolkit
TAP Network Salary Survey
Going beyond representation (inclusion and belonging)

Module 5

Employee Life Cycle:

Recruitment
Retention
Promotion and succession planning

Identifying high caliber talent
Supporting and coaching

Module 6

Creation of a respectful workplace:

How to build trust & psychological safety
Constructively resolve conflicts
When to call out vs. call in
Creation of IDEA-B policies & procedures

IDEA-B legalities
Building with inclusivity
Creating a roll out plan
Importance of frequent and timely communications

Module 7

Solving IDEA-B issues through coaching, strategy, and influence:

Making mistakes and learning from them
Creating a culture of conversation
Having hard conversations
Providing constructive feedback

Module 8

Manage change for lasting impact within your organization:

Build resilience and prevent burnout
Compensation and job functions for champions

For any questions and financial support inquiries, please contact hello@vezaglobal.com

Kathy Gibson is the President and CEO of Catchy Consulting Inc. Prior to establishing her company in early 2009, she worked as an award-winning Director of Human Resources for several successful Tech organizations. Kathy has served as a trusted Senior Project Manager, Consultant or Advisor on several influential projects in the province and has presented at the Parliamentary Hearings.

Most recently, Kathy was the Sr. Project Manager of Tap Network's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tech Project. The scope of this project included several key pilots aimed at creating a more inclusive and diverse tech sector. Kathy has been entrusted with the implementation of all pilots across the province, engaging with some 550+ stakeholders and building an IDEA-B Coalition of project supporters. Based on the enormous reach and success of the pilots, the funding was extended to three years. Two of the fundamental aspects of the Project included the development and launch of the IDEA-B Resource HUB with over 400+ tools and resources to elevate employer practices and the execution of several video vignettes to increase public awareness.

Kathy regularly assists organizations with the development of internal resources, programs and launching initiatives to elevate IDEA-B, with consideration of the employee life cycle, compensation, policies, procedures and much more. She has a passion for and is living her dharma when collective impact to the human experience can be made. Known for her sense of humor and approachability, she is an empathetic connector having worked with multiple not-for-profits, tech companies and government over the years.

Kathy Gibson

President & CEO of Catchy Consulting Inc.

Manpreet Dhillon

Veza Global supports organizations to embed Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, & Belonging (IDEA-B) across their operations to create a more inclusive culture that attracts and retains diverse team members and improves performance.

Veza builds and supports the implementation of IDEA-B by applying research-backed organizational maturity models and our proprietary assessment technology assessment technology developed over our 15 years of international experience. Veza was founded by Manpreet Dhillon, who is ranked #15 globally on the 2020 EmPower Ethnic Minority Future Leaders list and has over 20 years of leadership, coaching, human resources, and community development expertise. She focuses on creating systemic change to address institutionalized inequalities through representation from the communities being served.

Veza has worked with small to large organizations in the technology, government, higher education, and commercial real estate industries. Veza is a proud contributing partner to the Tap Network's Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, & Belonging Tech Project in particular the human resources audits component and the development of the IDEA-B HUB. Veza is also proud to be the original developer of the content to support the employment of skilled immigrants through the ascend employmentment program.