New Catalyst study finds visible minorities key, but lack of critical relationships limits advancement, especially for visible minority women
“Our study confirms that corporate Canada is not maximizing the potential “brain gain” offered by skilled immigrants, most of whom are visible minorities,” says Deborah Gillis, Vice President, Canada, Catalyst. “We know that having a network, mentor and champion are critical for career advancement. Unfortunately, visible minorities, especially women, feel excluded from the kind of relationships that help individuals – and ultimately the businesses they work for – succeed.
Key findings from the study include:
- Visible minorities, especially women, feel excluded from informal networking opportunities
- A lack of multiple mentors who share gender, visible minority status and/or who are influential but demographically different, is a career advancement barrier for visible minorities
- Visible minority women and men described mentoring relationships in different terms
- As with other groups, visible minority men and women believe that having a champion is particularly important, yet visible minorities lack access to the critical relationships that are necessary to finding champions
- Self-promotion is often necessary to get a champion on one’s side, yet visible minorities, especially women, are uncomfortable with self-promotion
To improve the situation Catalyst recommends that organizations:
- Think critically about where informal networking takes place and how this may exclude certain people
- Provide formal and targeted networking opportunities for visible minorities
- Formalize mentoring programs and encourage and train strategic mentoring behaviour
- Ensure the availability of a diverse pool of mentors and encourage diversified mentoring relationships
- Base career advancement decisions on formal performance evaluations that are consistent for all employees
- Provide employees with the necessary resources to communicate their achievements and engage champions
About Catalyst
Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit corporate membership research and advisory organization working globally with businesses and the professions to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women and business. With offices in New York, San Jose, Toronto, and Zug, and the support and confidence of more than 340 leading corporations, firms, business schools, and associations, Catalyst is connected to business and its changing needs and is the premier resource for information and data about women in the workplace. In addition, Catalyst honors exemplary business initiatives that promote women’s leadership with the annual Catalyst Award.
The full report is available through Catalyst.
