Loretta Lam

10/24/2022

Happy Diwali!

or is the Hindu ‘festival of lights’ celebrated every year in autumn. In Hindi, Diwali translates to ‘row of lights’ and it is the most important holiday in the calendar as it marks the New Year.

May this festival of lights bring peace, health and joy to the world.

05/09/2022

Loretta Lam, Chief Strategist at Focus Communications, is honoured to be part of the Marketing Awards 100th milestone year and as the Co-Chair of the . Congratulations to all the nominees and winners. And a big thank you to our Jury and multicultural marketing peers for your conscientious contributions to creative excellence and advocacy of inclusion and equity in the marketing industry. You have come a long way to win the recognition and respect you deserve.

Winners will be announced at the 2022 Marketing Awards ceremony on June 15th, 2022. Preview the 2022 nominees: https://marketingawards.strategyonline.ca/Nominees

05/09/2022

Survey: What Diversity and Inclusion Policies Do Employees Actually Want?

Research from BCG found that around three quarters of employees in underrepresented groups—women, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ employees—do not feel they’ve personally benefited from their companies’ diversity and inclusion programs. A survey of over 16,000 employees in 14 countri...

04/25/2022

Did you know 5 million Canadians are set to retire by the end of this decade?

In February 2022, Canada released a new immigration plan to fill labour market shortages and grow Canada's economy.

The 2022–2024 Immigration Levels Plan will help cement Canada’s place among the world’s top destinations for talent, creating a strong foundation for post-pandemic economic growth.

Skilled immigrants are critical to company performance. According to Harvard Business Review, diverse teams are proven to remain objective, be more innovative, and outperform in decision making.

Canadian employers should not miss this opportunity to create a truly diverse and inclusive work culture and system to effectively integrate these incoming skilled immigrants which will be the key source of your workforce in the coming decades.

Read IRCC's official statement: https://buff.ly/3sEE6py

04/19/2022

40% of companies discussed , , and in their Q2 2020 earnings calls, however, inclusion remains the most difficult metric to track.

To effectively track inclusion, Gartner Inclusion Index outlines how to measure employee perceptions of inclusion, what effective action looks like from leaders, and common pitfalls to avoid. Organizations must ensure the perceptions are properly captured with plans to act fast on the results.

Read more: https://buff.ly/3hYBz5Q

Seven key elements to look at, according to research.

04/18/2022

Research: What Inclusive Companies Have in Common

Data from a survey of 19,000 HBR readers.

04/16/2022

Read HBR's 5 Strategies to Infuse D&I into Your Organization

One-off initiatives aren’t enough.

04/16/2022

How Sharing Our Stories Builds Inclusion:

Numbers don’t inspire changes in behavior — people and stories do.

12/14/2021

The year of 2020 has changed the world’s conversation. There is a new normal and expectation of , , , and (I.D.E.A.).

Every leader could benefit from watching Jane Elliott’s “blue eyes brown eyes” experiments.

It is so easy for the leaders and employees of the majority to fall into traps of and . Encouraging honest two-way dialogues in a trusted environment, and embracing voices of employees and leaders of diverse backgrounds, would enable new and different perspectives that are brought to the table.

Learn about Keith’s approach in driving an employee-led approach to diversity, equity and inclusion:

Diversity and inclusion are crucial business performance issues.

12/10/2021

For younger job seekers, and in the workplace aren’t a preference. They’re a requirement.

76 percent of employees and job seekers said a diverse workforce was important when evaluating companies and job offers, according to a Glassdoor survey.

Canada has one of the world’s most diverse populations. By 2031, one in three will be visible minority and one in four will be foreign-born. For your company to stay competitive and attract skilled talents, a proven Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Accessibility strategy that is built into the overall business strategy is crucial for the organization’s success. These young employees and new Canadians would prefer to work with a company that values their voices and contributions, and see diversity and inclusion at the senior management level.

Read more: https://buff.ly/3DFWW32

11/26/2021

Executives tend to think they’re hiring and promoting fairly when they’re not.

Companies that try to apply analytics to the challenges of at work often complain that the relevant data sets don’t include enough people to produce reliable insights—the sample size, the “n“, is too small.

Therefore, data volume alone won’t give leaders the insight they need to increase in their organizations. They must also take a closer look at the individuals from underrepresented groups who work for them—those who barely register on the analytics radar.

Read Maxine’s story on Harvard Business Review: https://bit.ly/3wI0xKr

Facebook’s global director of diversity explains why stats alone won’t solve the problem of organizational bias.

10/29/2021

After the recent release of the and D&I survey, last week Institute released a study that reveals severe underrepresentation of Chinese Canadian leadership across all sectors.

The study identified three key barriers to senior leadership positions that Chinese Canadians face:

1. The existence of racial and gender biases, stereotypes, and discrimination in the workplace;
2. The masculinized and westernized leadership stereotype to which many Chinese Canadians struggle to conform; and
3. The lack of mentorship support and role models at the senior executive level – there is no

It’s been proven across multiple industry reports that racialized working professionals often experience barriers to receiving support and recognition in the workplace, where diversity and inclusion is not embraced.

CPAC identifies strategies to increase equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the workplace, which include raising awareness and understanding, a strong commitment from the top, a solid E.D.I . infrastructure, intentional, effective policies and practices, and an inclusive corporate culture.

For full report: https://buff.ly/2ZmImij

Diversity Strategist, Loretta Lam, will be speaking at the Nov 8 – 10 4th annual Internal Communication Conference on how communication plays a key role in creating an inclusive brand and corporate culture. Register today: https://buff.ly/3GovFVe

Publications Reports Underrepresentation of Chinese Canadian Leadership in the Greater Toronto Area October 2021 CPAC Institute