A majority (65 per cent) of Canadian employers say they have or are working on implementing a diversity, equity and inclusion policy, while 44 per cent of this group said they’re focusing on DEI to attract and retain employees, according to Benefits Canada’s 2024 Future of Work Survey.

It found around three-quarters (72 per cent) of employee respondents said it’s important their employer focuses on initiatives around DEI. When it comes to DEI training, a majority of employers said they provide this to senior management or employees, including inclusive leadership training (48 per cent), inclusive hiring practices (39 per cent) and unconscious bias training (28 per cent).

Read: How Pizza Pizza is aligning DEI, workplace culture with corporate strategy

“Employees and employers are really thinking about DEI,” said Stephanie Braid (pictured right), director of inclusion, diversity and equity at KPMG in Canada, during a panel session that discussed the survey’s results at the 2024 Future of Work Summit. “Employers that still aren’t meaningfully engaging in DEI . . . risk losing out on top talent. They risk losing trust in the market and, ultimately, growth and revenue.”

As part of its human resources strategy, not-for-profit organization eCampusOntario provides a variety of DEI trainings and awareness campaigns, according to Sonia Grewal (pictured centre), its head of people, during the panel session.

These education and resources include topics such as menopause and neurodiversity in the workplace, as well as an ongoing reconciliation strategy that has involved the entire organization in a structured learning process. This reconciliation effort is furthered by eCampusOntario’s flexible and hybrid working arrangement, which allows it to broaden its talent pool.

Read: A look at what’s next for inclusive employee benefits

“We’re able to tap into talent in even the most remote areas of our province, including some of those areas where our Indigenous members reside,” she noted.

The survey also found two-fifths (37 per cent) of employers said providing inclusive benefits and support programs was among their top priorities. Many employers have added or enhanced — or are looking to add or enhance — their suite of inclusive benefits, including by expanding their list of covered mental-health professionals (24 per cent), parental leave top-ups (24 per cent) and employee assistance programs (24 per cent each), followed by adoption benefits (13 per cent), gender affirmation coverage (11 per cent), obesity drug coverage (10 per cent), fertility benefits coverage (eight per cent) and surrogacy benefits (five per cent).

KPMG in Canada’s inclusive benefits offerings include mental-health coverage of $3,000 per employee and eligible dependants, an Indigenous wellness benefit and inclusive parental leave top-up, said Braid, noting the latter two benefits were based on feedback from the organization’s Indigenous and LGBTQ2S+ employee resource groups.

Read: KPMG offering Indigenous wellness benefit as part of Truth and Reconciliation plan

The survey also found accessibility in the workplace is increasingly becoming an important focus, with 14 per cent of employees noting accessibility should be their employer’s No. 1 priority. Around a quarter (24 per cent) of employers said accessibility was a top priority for them in terms of supporting DEI in their workplaces.

Accommodations and accessibility are a particular focus for generation Z employees, said Eddy Ng (pictured left), a professor of organizational behaviour and Smith professor of equity and inclusion in business at Queen’s University, during the panel session.

“[Gen Z-ers] are expecting employers to allow them to work flexibly. During the pandemic, everything was shut [and] students weren’t able to attend [classes] in person. We’ve allowed greater flexibility in terms of how they learn [and] that expectation is carrying through into the workplace.”

Read more coverage of the 2024 Future of Work Summit.

Download a copy of the 2024 Future of Work Report.