Low representation of Black Canadians in Middle and Senior level positions

What is the cause of the low representation of Black Canadians in middle and senior-level positions?

Is the “lack of representation” a problem that is a microcosm of the issue of racism confronting black Canadians?

These are questions that Black Canadians in the workplace ponder and seek to figure out way out. The problem has been discussed, written about and researched. We talk about it all the time in social gatherings but don’t have answers to why. Of course, systemic racism is at the core of this. A lot of Africans immigrating to Canada are highly qualified in their professions and aspire to reach the top. The experience, however, is that getting senior-level position jobs is very tough. Instead, they remain stuck at a low level or less favourable positions that do not reflect their experience and qualifications.
The situation applies also to Black Canadians even those born here in Canada. Overall, Black Canadians continue to face serious disadvantages. They are less likely to have access to gratifying jobs in strategic management positions.

To help tackle the issue of racism in general within the Federal institutions and programs, the Federal Government set up a Secretariat to root out racism. The secretariat is part of a $45-million federal anti-racism effort, which also includes funding for programs run by community groups. There is universal recognition that systemic racism continues to affect most visible minorities in career growth.

On the lack of black Canadian representation in senior-level positions, the problem may not be addressed by programs like this. Although policies are developed to tackle racism in the workplace, the “passing over” of black people for promotion is more difficult to address. In the private sector, especially, there are no universal guidelines (if any exists) to tackle this. Businesses just handle their own different ways. And when you add different workplace cultures in the mix, it may not be apparent how this is been perpetuated in the workplace. Only black professionals understand clearly the dynamics of this problem and can conclude that it’s very prevalent in the private sector.

Former Independent MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes knows this and made efforts to create awareness. According to her, qualified Black Canadians are being passed over for promotions to senior positions in the federal government due to systemic racial barriers.

Celina Ceasar-Chavannes

Recommendations for Interactive Media Professionals

Does the interactive media industry, like other areas of the economy, also face the same persistent issues of the lack of black people representation in senior-level positions? I don’t think there is much difference in experience based on industry or profession.  Any solution will be applicable to Interactive media and all other industries.

What is the way forward for black professionals to achieve aspirations of senior-level or management positions in the interactive media industry?

A review of "The E-Myth Revisited" – Why most Small businesses don't work what to do about it

Introduction

Michael E. Gerber, the author, is Co-Founder of Michael E. Gerber Companies – a group of enterprises dedicated to creating start-ups and entrepreneurs in all industries. In this book, he explores and provides insight into why nearly 80% of small businesses in the United States fail within 5 years. This is an astonishing statistic.

In his view, most small businesses make the fatal assumption that if you understand the technical work of a business, you understand a business that does that technical work. I paused briefly and thought about what this means. Although as you read the book, you grasp and understand the critical meaning of this statement. In its simplest interpretation, a lot of business owners believe that because they know the technical work of the business, they are qualified to run the business.

For instance, a highly qualified and experienced graphic designer working in a company for 15 years decides to quit and start his own graphic design business. Undoubtedly, he will deliver high-quality work to clients on time and as required. He knows all the nuts and bolts of delivering great work and even receives high praise from his clients. What he and a lot of start-ups may lack is the entrepreneurial vision, imagination, and personality to run the business. He gets so engrossed in completing X numbers of design work per month but cannot envision the future for his business.  He's constantly running the business in the present and can't anticipate changes and understand how to take advantage of opportunities in the future horizon.

Key to Success

For the business to be successful, the owner must find balance in three different personalities:
- The Technician, getting things done the right way.
- The Manager, planning and ensuring order.
- The Entrepreneur, the visionary seeking future opportunities.

The book continues by highlighting the success of the turn-key business format used by franchises like McDonald, FEDEX, etc. Businesses like these are built NOT on what the business sells, but HOW they sell it. Ray Kroc, who transformed the McDonald franchise was a consummate entrepreneur. He didn't focus just on how many burgers can be sold but developed a process for selling the hamburgers in thousands of other outlets. His entrepreneurial vision guided him throughout.

In conclusion, businessperson can't just be an expert or technician working to simply produce more goods. Instead, you must also make the business work for you by having a vision with strategies and plans to meet future challenges.


The author - Michael E. Gerber

The book makes a couple of observations and points that are very true and applicable to businesses. A new business starts with a zeal to get things done and grow very quickly.

With my experience, I believe that success is not achieved by the goods you sell, or service provided only. How you sell it and manage every facet of the business from suppliers, employees to order fulfillment is very important. This seems obvious, but amazingly a lot of businesses are still in "the technician" mindset highlighted by the author.

Lessons for Interactive media Professionals

For people in the interactive media industry such as UX designers, Content strategists, etc., the book has some valuable lessons. Although the book talks only about small businesses and start-ups, embracing the entrepreneurial mindset can help with career growth.  In what way? These are my takes:
1.  The role of a UX designer or Content Strategist must not be limited to digital or interactive media practices alone. You need a strong knowledge of the industry/vertical you work in, the customer behaviour, competitors, market changes and emerging trends in technology and environment. These may seem a lot to know but may impact the work you do. For example, when proposing changes to your company's website, having this type of knowledge can help you build a stronger case and gain buy-in from stakeholders. You need to constantly think like an entrepreneur, not just someone tasked with developing content plans.

2. Given the lack of a deep understanding of the role of interactive media compared to Finance, Marketing or HR, educating people may help with career growth. You may do monthly "lunch and learn" to share information with colleagues on how interactive media works. For example, you can show how your work ties in with AODA regulations/compliance and its impact on the business. You may even gain the attention of people in the legal department. You've shown to team members that your work impacts all areas of the organization.

3. For those working on the agency side, having an entrepreneurial mindset can help build stronger relationships with customers/clients. You want to demonstrate to clients that you have both the know-how and process to complete projects. In addition, having intricate knowledge of that clients' industry – including market, customers, government legislation, etc. can differentiate your agency. In this respect, it makes sense to focus on specific industry Travel, restaurant, Financial, etc. Be a specialist and not a generalist.

Content from The book: The E-Myth Revisited – Why most small businesses don't work and what to do about it

Right Career move with RE/MAX

About Re/Max Canada

For over 20 years RE/MAX has been the number one real estate organization in Canada and continually has the number one market share in virtually every region. (1)
Re/Max’s offices in all provinces of Canada, provide training, administrative and marketing support to independent brokers and business owners. The headquarter and corporate office is in Ontario at 7101 Syntex Drive Mississauga, ON.

RE/MAX strongly believes in being active and contributing to the communities in which they work and live. RE/MAX broker-owners and agents are encouraged to donate both time and money to charities and good causes.

According to The Chief Executive Officer of RE/MAX, Adam Contos “The RE/MAX Miracle Home program is an exclusive program that allows RE/MAX agents to generously donate their income from each home sale”.

Work Culture and Management
Its work culture can be considered flexible with an entrepreneurial/self-employment approach instead of a corporate setting. Most employees are sales agents that work for independent brokerages. The brokerages independently manage their own marketing with brand guidelines and support from the corporate office.

The key management people that are responsible for digital product development and marketing are:
- Nick Bailey, Chief Customer Officer
- Abby Lee - Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications
- Jerry Modes, Senior Vice President, Information Technology

Compensation and benefits
Agents working for RE/MAX are independent salespeople that are paid only commission on property sold or leased. There is no benefits package as you are treated like a self-employed individual. Support services such as digital marketing or UX are generally outsourced to third party vendors for execution.

Growth opportunities for UX/Digital Careers
The current trend in property search indicates more usage of digital media. 95 percent of those looking for homes for rental or purchase use the internet to research properties. House hunters are now including property-related hashtags and social media feeds. (2)

As well, there is increasing use of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) applications in real estate. The VR and AR market in real estate is expected to reach $80 billion by 2025. (3)
A visual narrative with AR is effective for telling a story about how the buyer could create a new life in the new home or community.

To stay ahead of the curve, RE/MAX is continuously seeking new products/services to augment their current digital process for lead capturing, engaging clients and managing deals. For UX/Digital professionals, there is an opportunity to offer expertise to independent brokers looking to generate more business from digital space. In particular, the following expertise is of significant relevance to RE/MAX:
- Creating targeted digital content consistent with User experience design principles.
- Developing Realtor locator tools to generate new listings. 
- Providing digital marketing expertise in SEO, analytics, digital advertising and social media.

- Developing digital platforms to capture prospects looking to buy or lease homes.  

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1. https://blog.remax.ca/about-us/
2. https://www.adweek.com/digital/how-social-media-is-being-used-to-sell-real-estate/
3. https://www.queppelin.com/augmented-reality-real-estate-changing-face-industry/
4. https://www.remax.com/newsroom/press-releases/remax-launches-the-booj-platform.htm

Flight path to Career growth

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline flying to more than 210 airports on six continents. Canada’s flag carrier is one of the 20 largest airlines in the world serving more than 50 million customers each year. (1)

Air Canada has offices located in major cities of Canada – Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver. Toronto office is located at 2 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M5C 3G5

The largest employer in the Canadian airline industry with over 26,000 full-time employees. With employees from diverse backgrounds, the company has a formal diversity strategy to achieve diversity and inclusion goals.

The company’s involvement in the community is spearheaded by the “Air Canada Foundation” which focuses on the health and well-being of children. The foundation’s mission and activities include the following:

• Providing financial support for registered Canadian charities
• Donating air miles to pediatric hospitals in Canada.
• Supporting employees’ philanthropy
• Encouraging customers to donate loose change onboard flights.

Diversity and Inclusion

They have diversity-focused partnerships with several organisations including Canadian Women in Aviation, Canadian Council for Diversity and Inclusion, Centre for Administering Rehabilitation and Employment Services, Pride at Work Canada, Aboriginal Link, and more.

Overall, the company prides itself on actively supporting career growth for women, minority groups, and Indigenous people. It was recognized as one of Canada’s best diversity employers (2019). (2)


Work Culture and Management

Its work culture can be described as formal, friendly and espousing Canadian values of multiculturalism. On Fridays, employees can dress casually and play music while working. This casual dress Friday is of course very common in a lot of Canadian companies, so not really a unique culture to Air Canada. They also organize social events that are family inclusive.

Key Management People:

• Pritesh Gandhi - Senior Director, eCommerce & Digital Channel
• Gabriella Lechner, Director, Marketing and Sales Communications
• Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Senior Vice-President, People, Culture and Communications

Compensation and benefits

Air Canada was recognized as a top 100 employer for 2019. In that survey, the company was rated highly in financial compensation and benefit, training and skills development. For digital or UX careers, there is no definitive data on financial benefits nor salary that is paid to individuals in this area. However, going by the “Best Employer 2019” survey that gave them an “A” rating in Financial Benefits and Compensation, we can deduce that the company’s salary reward, generally, across all positions is fairer than it’s competitors or within the average for the industry.

The one area that the company scored less favorably was on Vacation and personal time off. New employees receive 2 weeks of paid vacation time in the first 12 months, increasing to a maximum of 5 weeks throughout the time of employment. Management employees start with 3 weeks of paid vacation, moving to a maximum of 5 weeks after a couple of years.

In terms of health plan compensation, full-time employees are entitled to dental and vision plans. Other notable benefits are Maternity top-up (mothers) up to 75% of salary for 17 weeks, extended parental leave to unpaid leave, academic scholarships of up to $2,000 per child and alternative work options.


Growth opportunities for UX/Digital Careers

In the travel industry, technology is continuously changing how customers interact with brands. People now search and make more bookings online rather than visit travel agents. Travel brands are responding to this trend by creating more websites, portals, and apps. 

While technology has democratized the act of booking vacations, it’s also created what psychologists call the paradox of choice (3).  

Over the next 10 years, travel industry experts predict that the digital travel space worldwide will expand at an annual rate of 3.8% to reach $11.4 trillion.

Air Canada on its part is developing programs to maximize its digital presence to win more customers. They are currently running digital campaigns to expand their network to international. Also, there is a drive for more personalized user experiences during the booking process. No doubt opportunities abound to be part of the digital team that can help the company grow more in the digital travel space.  

With the current trend, Air Canada may require more hiring for talents in diverse digital areas: UX designers, SEO experts, Web Analytics experts, Content Strategist.

1. https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/about.html
2. https://content.eluta.ca/top-employer-air-canada
3. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel-transport-and-logistics/our-insights/facebook-and-the-future-of-travel
4. https://www.canadastop100.com/national/
5. https://worknearyou.net/air-canada-interview-questions/
6. http://strategyonline.ca/2019/10/11/air-canada-brings-canadian-values-to-global-travellers/
7. https://www.slideshare.net/anhmai307/air-canada-digital-audit-report