28 August 2024 In Case studies By URelles

Case study: Pomerleau

Pomerleau

Pomerleau is a leader in Canada’s construction industry. From its beginnings in Beauce, Pomerleau today employs up to 4,000 people and has eight offices from coast to coast. These professionals enable us to manage more than 200 construction sites simultaneously, while maintaining a solid reputation.

The challenge

Prior to contacting us, Pomerleau had deployed an extensive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiative, consisting of an employee survey, on-the-job training and management training. The company was then ready to set up a DEI advisory committee, and was looking for consultants to support them in this process.

Proposed solution

URelles provided support for the creation of the committee in three stages:

Determine the committee’s foundations and parameters
Develop a recruitment process for committee members
Train members in DEI basics

The first step was to organize a working session with stakeholders to establish the committee’s parameters and question its operationalization. Through this session, we started with a short introductory training on DEI, then facilitated discussion by bringing in best practices in DEI committee management, as well as recommendations from case studies and research. This 3-hour work session was followed by the creation of a document summarizing the DEI committee’s final parameters.

Once the basics had been established, we moved on to the composition of the committee members, defining recruitment criteria as well as members’ duties, tasks and responsibilities. To maximize applications, we organized two lectures on individual empowerment and taking action as a vehicle for change (given by Bibigi Haile), followed directly by an application form for interested candidates. A total of 31 applications were received!

Finally, following the recruitment of members using the criteria defined upstream, we organized a training session on the basics of DEI, enabling all members to be at the same level of knowledge and increasing the chances that future decisions will be taken as objectively and efficiently as possible.

DEI Impact

Our support in setting up the DEI Advisory Committee at Pomerleau has had a significant long-term impact on a number of levels.

A solid foundation

By setting up a dedicated DEI advisory committee with the help of an external firm, Pomerleau sent a clear message to its employees, demonstrating its serious commitment to the subject. By laying the groundwork for the DEI committee in the first stage, Pomerleau is ensuring that it lays a solid foundation for its future DEI governance and initiatives. The company is creating a robust framework tailored to its specific needs, a methodical approach that ensures the committee is well positioned for long-term success.

“Right now, we’re in the organization and planning phase. We’ve had several Committee meetings to get to know each other, structure ourselves and start thinking about our roadmap for the next two years. We’ve targeted a few initiatives we’ll be working on, and we’re identifying key departments and partners who can support us in bringing them to fruition.”

– Geneviève Roy, VP Environment and Sustainable Development at Pomerleau

Motivated employees

By taking the time to establish clear recruitment criteria and organizing conferences to arouse the interest of candidates, Pomerleau ensures the selection of committed and motivated DEI committee members. This rigorous recruitment process contributes to building a diverse team that is representative of the Pomerleau community, reinforcing the committee’s legitimacy and effectiveness over the long term.

“The conference offered to all employees highlighted the exclusion mechanisms we naturally put in place, and how to be aware of and address them. It awakened the sense of commitment of many employees and helped launch the recruitment process for Committee members.”

– Geneviève Roy

Ongoing professional development

Finally, by providing DEI basics training in the final stage, Pomerleau invests in the ongoing development of committee members. This training enables the team to strengthen their DEI knowledge and skills, making them better equipped to respond to evolving challenges and opportunities in the future. This investment in the professional development of committee members ensures that Pomerleau’s DEI initiative remains relevant and effective in the long term.

“The training helped raise awareness of DEI basics as well as unconscious bias and its mitigation strategies. Although Committee members are already very open and sensitive to these notions, it generated enriching discussions that enabled us to learn more about each other and clarify certain myths and beliefs.”

– Geneviève Roy

What Pomerleau thought of our collaboration

What have you learned as an organization from this experience?

“That there is a strong desire on the part of our employees to evolve within a diverse and inclusive company. That everyone’s personal journey can contribute to making Pomerleau a company where you feel welcome and at ease, and where you can evolve while respecting your respective particularities. I hope that the efforts made upstream to clearly define the role, objectives and composition of the Committee will help it to function more effectively and to better represent our employees and their expectations and needs. – Geneviève Roy, VP Environment and Sustainable Development

If you had to choose three words to describe your collaboration with URelles, what would they be?

Credible
Authentic
Structured

“URelles enabled us to structure our EDI Advisory Committee in an authentic and unifying way.”

About
Latest Posts

URelles

Auteur de l'article.