Can Your Company’s Benefits Plan Promote Diversity?
Employers both in Canada and around the world are increasingly recognizing the many benefits of workplace diversity. While federal, provincial, and private initiatives aimed at inclusivity have existed for some time, you may not even realize all of the ways in which you can increase diversity in your organization. The benefits plan you offer is one of the most powerful tools you have as a business owner for making your company more welcoming to diverse employees.
Understanding Canadian Workplace Diversity
The benefits of a diverse workforce are manyfold. Even on the simplest level, having a team consisting of people from different groups brings a variety of perspectives to your business. This not only increases your organization’s innovation and flexibility, but it opens the door for countless new opportunities.
This is not only true for small businesses. Corporations nationwide are making great strides to embrace diverse demographics in their organizations. Statistics Canada reports that the representation of women, indigenous people, workers with disabilities, and members of visible minorities in public service positions have all increased steadily since 2017, when the agency first began tracking public workforce diversity.
How Your Benefits Plan Can Support Diversity
Diversity is not just about checking boxes to show off how inclusive your company is. Promoting true diversity and inclusion takes more than assessing your hiring practices or undergoing sensitivity training.
Making your company more inclusive is about ensuring that people from different backgrounds and with different life circumstances can thrive as members of your staff. This is where your employee benefits plan has the potential to make your company truly inclusive.
Meeting Diverse Needs
While it may seem obvious, many employers fail to fully appreciate the fact that different employees have different needs.
An obvious example of this is how employees with physical disabilities often require specific types of supplemental health coverage to meet all of their needs. Less obvious but equally consequential examples may include recognizing historic vulnerabilities or unmet needs within certain communities.
Creating a customized benefits plan specifically tailored to the needs of your staff can ensure that workers from all backgrounds and life situations can feel truly supported by your organization. Working with a benefits expert allows you to identify such areas that deserve investment — and also helps you avoid spending on coverage that doesn’t serve your company’s needs.
Create the Perfect Benefits Plan with Zarmac
Zarmac Benefits has been providing benefit programs to both new and established businesses for over 20 years. We take the time to analyze what you need and customize a benefits package specifically for your business style, now and for the future.
Zarmac provides critical analysis specific to your business to deliver real choices, advise on trends, streamline renewals, and optimize your plan design. We make it easy for you and your team by supporting the management of your program. We also proactively educate and eliminate questions to ensure there are no surprises.
Ready to protect your business and your team? Find out more about the Zarmac difference!
