From Pressat/ Lafarge Canada
As we proudly announced last week, we were awarded one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for the 7th consecutive year—a recognition that speaks volumes about the central role diversity plays within Lafarge Canada.
In light of International Women’s Day—a day to celebrate the achievements of women throughout history and across nations—today we celebrate our own achievements in supporting women in the workplace, and highlight the efforts and progress we’ve made to further elevate diversity, and women, across our business.
- Women Empowerment PrinciplesDavid Redfern, CEO Eastern Canada signed the United Nation’s Women Empowerment Principles (WEP), sending a strong message about the importance we place on supporting women in the workplace. “Signing the WEP is a testament to our ongoing commitment to women in Eastern Canada and materializes what we’ve always intended to do: promote gender equality within Lafarge Canada, endorse women’s career development by offering them equal opportunities, and ensure their health, safety and well-being at work,” explained David. Signing this Pledge was a big step forward and publicly reiterated our stance and commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging.
- Learning & DevelopmentAlong with this Pledge, the business has started to roll out a variety of unconscious bias training for its employees to provide awareness, promote the right behaviours and ultimately mitigate any potential gender bias, notably in the hiring and recruiting process. That said, part of why we won Canada’s Best Diversity Employers recognition once again this year is due to our commitment to having 50% of our Lafarge Leadership Development Program candidates be women. And, this year, we are partnering with external organizations such as l’Effet A to provide specific training to enhance our female colleagues’ leadership skills, career development and professional growth.
- Networking opportunities for WomenSince signing this Pledge, the Eastern Canada team has also renewed its focus on WILL, an acronym that stands for Women In Lafarge Leadership, to connect female employees, encourage their professional growth and development, providing them with a safe space to network, share and learn from each other. The WILL committee has been working actively on organizing and offering an appealing array of activities to support our female colleagues.
Similarly in Western Canada, the team has launched WOW– Women of Western Canada, to also create opportunities for women to network and stimulate discussion and discourse to maximize a culture of diversity and inclusivity. WOW provides the opportunity for Lafarge teammates to identify opportunities to improve, and brainstorm methodologies to stimulate diversity and inclusion both within Lafarge’s operations and within the industry as a whole.
- Women’s career advancementThe number of women in leadership positions has also never been higher. In Eastern Canada alone, four women are part of the Executive Committee, and in the last few months, several females have been promoted from within into management positions, further reinforcing our commitment to women’s career growth, while providing fluidity between functional and operational roles. In Western Canada, comparable stats show equal balance between both male and female leadership and decision-makers, with a deep appreciation among all employees for the value of diverse teams. The Western Canadian Executive Committee includes 40% women in senior leadership roles.
“In a sector in which women can sometimes be under represented, taking these steps is critical,” explains David Redfern, CEO, Eastern Canada. “We are making significant strides in building a more sustainable future for all. That includes building sustainable workplaces too, where gender equality, inclusion, belonging, and diversity are celebrated,” concludes David.
“I’m motivated by my colleagues and teammates,” comments Brad Kohl, CEO, Western Canada. “The results prove that equal leadership that welcomes diversity and a variety of backgrounds is the key to our success. Mentoring and motivating each other and our up-and-coming employees ensures the growth of a healthy workspace – one that we are dedicated to maintaining in all of our operations, both in the office and in the field.”
On this note, we wish all women across our business and beyond, a Happy International Women’s Day!
About Lafarge Canada
Lafarge is Canada’s largest provider of sustainable construction materials and a member of the global group, LafargeHolcim. With 6,000 employees and 350 sites across Canada, our mission is to provide construction solutions that build better cities and communities. The cities where Canadians live, work, and raise their families along with the community’s infrastructure benefit from the solutions provided by Lafarge consisting of aggregates, asphalt and paving, cement, precast concrete, ready-mix concrete and road construction.