Last May ITS Global launched our BIPOC Talent division. This service offering aligned with our business, but it also showed our support of social […]
justice issues, anti-Black racism.

After the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, my partner and I felt, as a Black-owned recruitment firm, ITS Global needed to live on of values of making a difference and helping to lead the change that was being demanded. Focusing on hiring Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) in professional roles was a natural evolution.

I’ve been in this industry for more than 25 years. Trust me when I say, I’ve seen highly accomplished candidates overlooked simply because of the colour of their skin. Our goal is to increase our BIPOC talent placement (entry-level to management to executive positions) by at least 20% every year.

In the past, I’ve talked about diversity in the workplace – that it makes ethical and business sense – but openly promoting social justice can be a bit intimidating. It works for us because promoting and supporting BIPOC (with an emphasis on Black) hiring and economic growth aligns with who we are.

By looking at ITS Global’s workforce, you can see that we’re committed to true diversity. More than 75% of our employees are BIPOC, who speak 14 different languages. We also have strong female leadership (our COO Cindy Emmanuel-McLean). Leading by example has always been a priority for us.

Too much has happened since March 2020 for companies and employees to ignore social justice issues. On top of the Black Lives Matter movement, there’s the global climate crisis, challenges of Canadian Indigenous people, and the impact of COVID-19 on marginalized communities.

For companies that want to raise awareness and advocacy on social issues, I recommend creating a strategy that’s related to their products and services. This way the strategy grows organically and is more authentic.

Since our next generation of employees is craving social change, companies need to think proactively about implementing a social justice strategy sooner than later. According to the 2021 Deloitte Global Millennial and Gen Z survey, 3 in 5 respondents believe that positive change will need to be driven by the attitudes and actions of those in power, such as business and government leaders.

To me, social justice simply means having a fair and equitable society which in turn is reflected in the workplace. That means, we all need to do our part to make this a reality.