RECONCILIATION: MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER - TRANSFORMING ORGANIZATION CULTURE PAGE 57
• Structural inequities such as:
Why This Is Important Article 2 of UNDRIP states that Indigenous peoples have the right to be free from any form of discrimination based on their Indigenous identities or origins (UNDRIP). This list of barriers indicates that there are several factors creating inequity and discrimination. Some are process and policy related (e.g., hiring practices), some pertain to awareness and training (human resource management) and others are value-based. In any case, this range of factors and issues points to the need to examine and address discrimination within BC Housing from different levels and sources. This includes addressing the issue that staff may not be aware that discrimination is happening.
− A limited ability for staff to move up in the company (e.g., opportunities for an administrative assistant to move to a higher-paid position are limited); discriminatory job descriptions that include a requirement to own your own car and the feeling that − Hiring practices (e.g., applicants are judged based on check boxes, staff not reflective of the people BC Housing serves, non-equitable pay maintained and entrenched practices within BC Housing 63 , low racial diversity within senior leadership, no staff that have professional experience in equity, no staff with visible disabilities); − Inability of BC Housing’s Human
Resources to deal with inequitable and discriminatory behaviour that is brought to their attention. • Cultural appropriation within BC Housing work -sanctioned events; • A colonial patriarchal culture; • The feeling that racism is swept under the rug;
• Complaints from external partners to staff regarding discrimination, inequitable practices, and bullying they experienced from other BC Housing staff; and, • Inequitable funding model (e.g., inadequate funding provided for Indigenous projects compared to non-Indigenous projects, westernized funding call and application process that does not consider an Indigenous lens). BC Housing’s corporate culture does not allow every voice to be heard (e.g., no space for pauses of thought or contemplative answers), therefore lacking respect and cultural safety. This comment is fundamental to the work that BC Housing undertakes with Indigenous organizations. Further exploration of how this occurs within the organization is important to
63 When staff move to another position, their salary is adjusted by a maximum of 10% or to the lowest amount within the pay band for their position if the 10% still falls short of the pay band. Evaluation of internal candidates combined education, experience and service history with the organization are not considered when promoting from within nor is evaluation of the value to the organization in the job duties.
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