Air Canada has been named one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 2016, recognizing the airline’s success in such areas as promoting women and fostering an inclusive workplace for its 28,000 employees.
The award, presented by Mediacorp Canada Inc., is based on its Canada’s Top 100 Employers project, which also included Air Canada for the third consecutive year for 2016.
“Promoting diversity and inclusion is not only the right thing to do, it is also essential for any organization that wants to attract and retain the best available talent. For an expanding global carrier such as Air Canada, it is also vital that our diverse customer base see itself reflected in our workforce and diversity also enables us to better accommodate our customers’ varied needs and expectations,” Air Canada president Calin Rovinescu.
“We are very pleased to be recognized for our efforts promoting diversity at Air Canada, where an entire department is devoted to this important company-wide initiative. Recently, its mandate was strengthened with a new Employment Equity and Diversity Action Plan to further ensure our workplace remains inclusive and welcoming so that employees can comfortably be who they are and achieve their full potential.”
In citing Air Canada, Mediacorp noted that 43% of middle managers and 32% of vice-presidents are women and that Air Canada maintains three diversity committees across Canada.
There are an estimated 60 languages spoken by Air Canada employees and 20% of employees belong to visible minorities; Air Canada employs more than 300 individuals self-identified as disabled.