Media Advisory - Workplace Diversity and Inclusiveness Forum: Inclusion, Innovation and Immigration

www.conferenceboard.ca

TORONTO, Nov. 30, 2012 /CNW/ - A recent Conference Board of Canada report found that properly integrating new immigrants boosts innovation and Canada's global competitiveness. Canada is attracting skilled talent, most of whom are immigrants. How does it manage its growth while remaining inclusive and receptive to a diverse workforce?

At the Workplace Diversity and Inclusiveness Forum, hosted by The Conference Board of Canada, attendees will learn how to recruit, engage and develop a diverse workforce effectively and efficiently.

When:		Monday, December 3^rd and Tuesday, December 4^th, 2012.
Who:		From Tradition to Innovation with Diversity and Inclusion
		Rebekah J. Steele, Diversity Innovator at The Conference Board Inc., (New York), will present an approach to leveraging inclusion for innovation by engaging a broad mix of people with diverse perspectives and ways of working.
		Monday, 8:45 a.m.
		The Role of Straight Allies in Creating LGBT-Friendly Workplaces
		Brent Chamberlain, Executive Director at Pride at Work Canada, will discuss how organization are creating more open and inclusive workplaces for LGBT employees by engaging straight colleagues to help educate managers and promote inclusion.
		Monday, 3:15 p.m.
		Optimizing an Aboriginal Workforce
		Alison Howard, Principal Research Associate in the Organizational Effectiveness and Learning research group at The Conference Board of Canada, will discuss the conclusions from the recently published Conference Board of Canada report, "Understanding the Value, Challenges and Opportunities of Engaging Métis, Inuit, and First Nations Workers". Crystal Taylor, Senior Advisory in Employment Strategies at Public Works and Government Services Canada, will present a practical example of Aboriginal engagement in action.
		Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.
		Spirituality, Faith, and Diversity in the Workplace—Is Accommodation Really Enough?
		Nouman Ashraf, Research Fellow at the Rotman School of Management, will argue that current religious accommodations programs must be revisited, re-evaluated and reframed by considering spiritual identity not only as a legitimate form of identity, comparable to race, class, gender, sexual orientation, level of ability, and culture, but one that we ignore at our peril as organizational leaders.
		Tuesday, 10:45 a.m.
Where:		Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, Toronto, Ontario.

For more information, visit: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/conf/12-0033/default.aspx

This event is sponsored in part by Scotiabank, Ernst & Young LLP, BullFrog Power, Rotman School of Management and the Initiative for Women in Business.

SOURCE: Conference Board of Canada

For further information:

Media are asked to register in advance, as space is limited.
For more information or media accreditation, contact:
Françoise Makanda, Media Relations Coordinator,
Tel.: [phone], ext. 389. E-mail: [email protected].