Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in the Workplace
ESS fully acknowledges our staff is our most important asset, and everybody matters. We are committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. Our workplace diversity is about respecting and valuing the differing skills and experiences we all bring to the workplace, as well as being aware of the additional challenges faced by some groups. The diversity of our workforce is based on embracing gender balance, age, culture, religion, language, and/or personal circumstances. We are committed to building on the richness diversity brings to our company, and we do this through ever-evolving action plans.
We've built an award-winning culture
We proactively create an inclusive environment that embraces individual and cultural differences and provides an opportunity for all staff to achieve their full potential. We actively recruit individuals from diverse backgrounds, and develop and implement a friendly and supportive work environment. We encourage a healthy balance of work and personal responsibilities – the personal welfare of our staff is of paramount importance to us.
ESS is fully committed to gender equality and making a difference. Our intent is to collaborate with our clients to provide opportunities to attract women into our operations and create development opportunities and talent pipelines. We are delivering a highly successful entry-level program of women, assisting them in their return to the workforce after a substantial break in employment.
- Women in Culinary Program
This initiative is aimed at preparing women jobseekers who are currently unemployed and wanting to get back into the workforce. Local candidates who have been selected to participate in this program undertake both accredited and nonaccredited training, mentoring, and work experience.
Through our partnership with Camosun College Culinary Arts & the Industry Training Authority, we are able to offer qualifying ESS associates the opportunity to earn their Red Seal Certificate for Culinary. The Red Seal Chef Certification is an interprovincial program, university-recognized and highly prestigious certification of apprenticeship.
The Accelerated Manager Program (AMP) provides associates with a working knowledge of the disciplines required to be a successful leader in ESS camp accommodation and culinary operations. Building on our past successes, the program is a 12-month commitment that offers a foundation of knowledge and confidence to prepare candidates for their own career development and future leadership roles.
85% of ESS operations fall within Indigenous nations, with over 3,000 jobs created and $31,000,000 given toward the upliftment of these communities. We will continue to leverage our ongoing micromarket labor strategy to facilitate recruiting and hiring within our targeted micromarkets focused on Indigenous communities and our extensive joint-venture community network.
We will introduce a program to increase awareness of ESS staff to local culture, traditions, and current land claim agreements through our soon-to-be-launched, manager-focused Aboriginal awareness program. This important role will facilitate community interaction and help support recruiting efforts and drive retention at the site level. This program will be expanded to incorporate local Indigenous awareness training protocols for all ESS orientation packages.
