Table Of ContentFINDING AND KEEPING
ABORIGINAL EMPLOYEES
A Handbook for Small and Medium-sized Businesses
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Contents
1. Why this handbook? 3
2. Aboriginal people are not hired in representative numbers 4
(a) What stands between jobs and Aboriginal workers? 4
(b) Barriers and challenges 4
(i) Lack of work experience 4
(ii) Lack of education, training, or life skills 5
(Hi) Cultural stereotyping or racism 5
3. Why hire an Aboriginal employee? 5
4. Finding Aboriginal workers 6
(a) Aboriginal employment services 6
(b) The Employer Connections Team 6
(c) Band and Metis Settlement offices 6
(d) Post-secondary institutions 6
(e) Word of mouth 6
5. Interviews 7
6. Tips for retaining Aboriginal employees 8
(a) Explain your business 8
(b) Clearly outline expectations and rewards 8
(c) Be consistent 8
(d) Match new employees with a co-worker 8
(e) Hold regular "informal" meetings with the employee 8
7. Why Aboriginal people have trouble in the workplace 9
(a) Situational circumstances 9
(b) Lack of preparation for the transition 9
(c) Lack of time with family 10
(d) Higher cost of living 10
(e) General culture shock 10
(f) Isolation on the job 10
(g) Corporate culture, racism, and discrimination 10
Finding and Keeping Aboriginal Employees
8. What employers and employees need - and why n
(a) Attitude and understanding n
(i) Treat people with respect. n
(ii) Know the difference between the person and the task. u
(Hi) Make sure that everyone understands the full picture. u
(b) Treating people fairly and equally 12
9. Understanding one another: The Culture Question 12
10. What place does culture have in the workplace? 13
11. What differences should we pay attention to? 14
(a) The impact of the extended family 14
(b) Reluctance to intervene 14
(c) Avoidance of confrontation 14
(d) Being less demonstrative 14
(e) Sense of humour 14
12. The 'Third Culture' 15
13. The Aboriginal lexicon 16
14. Resources and Further Information 16
Links Related to Aboriginal Employment and Training 16
Map of First Nations in Alberta 18
Map of Metis Settlements and Regional Zones in Alberta 20
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and without warranty of any kind. The Business Link, its employees, its directors and members, its agents or contractors will not be
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© 2009 The Business Link
i. Why this handbook?
This handbook was developed to help small and medium-sized businesses that are experiencing difficulty
finding and retaining Aboriginal employees.
As long as Alberta's economy remains primarily resource based, the provincial economy will be subject to
external cyclical forces, with changes coming upon us without much advance warning. The most recent boom
produced strain on the supply of labour; necessitated recruitment of foreign workers; and raised questions
regarding the level of Aboriginal participation in the workforce.
Canada's Aboriginal population is growing at a faster rate than any other segment of society and this will have
an increasing impact upon the economy as a whole. The challenge is compounded by growing numbers of
baby boomers reaching retirement age over a short span of years and shrinking the labour pool at an
unprecedented rate.
All businesses have need for stable, dependable workers. Most are experiencing difficulty recruiting and
retaining workers and could benefit from tapping into the large available pool of trained, competent Aboriginal
workers. Employing Aboriginal people in greater numbers will directly benefit:
• the Aboriginal community;
• retailers and other businesses - by increasing the purchasing power of a larger consumer base
and expanding the supply of workers; and
• Canadian taxpayers in general.
So, why do so many employers find it d ifficult to recruit and keep Aboriginal workers?
Finding and Keeping Aboriginal Employees
2. Aboriginal people are not hired in representative numbers
Excellent resources are available on recruitment and retention, but few apply specifically to recruiting and hiring
Aboriginal employees. This handbook discusses some of the constraints and provides suggestions that do not
require complex strategies or separate human resource plans.
(a) What stands between jobs and Aboriginal workers?
It i s mostly a matter of not knowing.
• Employers generally do not know Aboriginal people and Aboriginal people often do not know how to
approach employers, nor what is really expected of them on the job.
• Lack of familiarity on both sides leads to stereotyping, based on erroneous, preconceived notions of
what members of the 'other' group are like.
• Again, based on inadequate or faulty information, an employer may harbour genuine concern about
how an Aboriginal worker would fit into their existing organization.
(b) Barriers and challenges
It i s true that there are a number of barriers or obstacles Aboriginal people face in finding, getting, and
keeping jobs. As always, there are exceptions and not all Aboriginal people find themselves stopped or
slowed down by the barriers. However, it i s safe to say that in general terms these obstacles are faced by
the majority of Aboriginal people who are seeking jobs or who are trying to keep the jobs they have.
These barriers exist for a variety of complicated reasons and this handbook does not claim to provide
a cure. We are simply recognizing the fact that barriers do exist and, where possible, we offer some
suggestions on how to cope with them.
Among the barriers most often talked about when it c omes to getting a job are:
(i) Lack of work experience
For most employers, this presents an obstacle - not only in respect to people seeking their first job,
but because any previous working experience may have been on a Reserve or Metis Settlement
under conditions an employer might find difficult to relate to.
The work performed on Reserves and Metis Settlements can, by and large, be compared to jobs
elsewhere and employers are advised to contact any previous employers to enquire about the nature
of an applicant's experience and the quality of work performed.
Keep in mind the common adage that attitude is more important than experience - unless the work
applied for is specialized and therefore requires specific, verifiable qualifications. Check references
with this in mind.
7/
00 Z.oc/f of e ducation, training, or life skills
Where specific knowledge is not critical, it m ight be to the advantage of an employer to engage an
Aboriginal employee subject to the availability of government subsidized training.
A list of resources and further information is available under Item 14.
(Hi) Cultural stereotyping or racism
Like it o r not, cultural stereotyping and racism exist.
Quite often this may occur not at the management level but where workers interact directly. Equally
often, the perpetrators would be shocked to learn that they are instrumental in race-related
discrimination - putting their actions down to good natured ribbing or an Aboriginal worker's sense
of humour. We will touch on this later - sufficient for now to say that ongoing harassment cannot be
cloaked as humour.
3. W hy hire an Aboriginal employee?
The most obvious reason would be to relieve the shortage of workers, but there are other benefits to hiring
Aboriginal people:
• Talent and skills are available - an estimated 44% of the Aboriginal population were post-secondary
graduates in 2006; an estimated 14% had trade credentials; 19% had a college diploma; and 8% had a
university degree.1
• Support systems exist - linking businesses with qualified Aboriginal workers.
• Programs are available to offset training costs for Aboriginal employees. The types of training programs
will vary by region and community. To find what resources are available in your area, consult
www. hrsdc-rhdsc.gc. ca/aboriginal.2
• The fresh perspective brought by employees of a different cultural background and increased levels of
comfort for Aboriginal customers.
1 T he statistics on this page are taken from the Statistics Canada 2006 Census: Analysis series,
www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/index-eng.cfm
2 A boriginal communities and urban centres in Alberta have access to employment services, available free of charge, for Aboriginal
employees and for all employers. Services will vary in each community, but they generally provide access to job banks and data bases,
skill assessment, training, referrals, and some one-on-one employer-employee matching and training programs. Contact information for
these centres can be found in the resources section of this handbook. To find out more about job placement and training opportunities,
and to find links and contact information on the organization nearest you, consult www.hrsdc-rhdsc.gc.ca/aboriginal
Finding and Keeping Aboriginal Employees
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4. Finding Aboriginal workers
In addition to traditional ways of posting jobs (such as newspapers, posting in stores, employment agencies),
you may want to consider some additional options for finding Aboriginal workers.
(a) Aboriginal employment services
Aboriginal communities and major urban centres in Alberta have free employment services to match
businesses with Aboriginal employees. This is a valuable resource to use, as the staff know their
community members and are well-placed to find qualified prospects.
(b) The Employer Connections Team
The Employer Connections Team has been established to facilitate increased First Nation workforce
participation through linkages with employers. This is currently a two-year pilot project, but may be
continued if p roven successful.
(c) Band and Metis Settlement offices
Many Band offices and Metis Settlement administration offices will post your advertisement on their
bulletin boards in high traffic areas.
(d) Post-secondary institutions
Most colleges, technical institutes and universities provide services specifically for Aboriginal students,
including job placement and employment services. Contact these services to find out about how best to
advertise postings to students.
(e) Word of mouth
If y ou let people know that you are interested in hiring, word will spread quickly.
Aboriginal businesses and organizations are increasingly using e-mail networks to communicate
job postings and opportunities. Good employers will have a built-in referral system through the
Aboriginal community.
5. I nterviews
Many Aboriginal people are taught to be respectful of their leaders and Elders, and not to be boastful. This
combination can make it d ifficult for them to perform well in a typical interview where an authority figure is
asking a series of questions about skills and accomplishments.
Rather than expect a narrative response from Aboriginal interviewees regarding their experience and previous
accomplishments, an interviewer might successfully use a conversational approach involving prompting, non-
invasive questions to draw out the required information.
It i s critically important that the interview be used to inform the applicant as fully as possible of the goals and
operational standards of your business. Information in this regard may include, but should not be limited to:
• Vision, core values, mission statement.
• What you want your business to offer customers.
• What your business offers employees.
• Your expectations around dress, timeliness, vacation, benefits, etc.
• Your expectations around customer service.
• Benefits employees gain by meeting or exceeding expectations.
• The consequences for not meeting expectations.
To do a good job, people have to not only know what they are supposed to do, but also why their jobs exist and
why it i s important that every worker be as productive as possible.
Finding and Keeping Aboriginal Employees
Mm
6. Tips for retaining Aboriginal employees
Clarity of purpose and expectations is all-important.
(a) Explain your business
All workers, but more so Aboriginal workers, must be informed and have an understanding of how your
business works and how employees contribute to the success of the organization. They must understand
the values, goals and mission statement of the organization and how their specific jobs link with those
goals. It i s also important for maintenance of ongoing performance standards that Aboriginal employees
know how a business makes profit or loses money.
Do not assume that they know - tell them.
(b) Clearly outline expectations and rewards
Every workplace has a different set of needs and expectations. Businesses should not assume that
employees know what is expected of them, or that they will learn this through a process of observation
or osmosis. Employees need to know not only what the rules are, but also what the consequences are.
(c) Be consistent
Treating employees fairly and consistently is key to keeping morale high. It i s important to treat everyone
equally. Once you make your expectations clear, be sure to follow through on applying the rules and
rewards in the workplace without fear or favour.
(d) Match new employees with a co-worker
Matching the employee with a colleague will help them establish relationships within the workplace.
If t hey have any questions or are faced with any challenges in the workplace, they may feel more
comfortable discussing these issues with a co-worker rather than someone in authority.
(e) Hold regular "informal" meetings with the employee
Touch base at regular intervals with the employee to see how they are settling into their new role and
work environment. This will demonstrate your genuine interest in the employee's success and well-being
in the workplace. It w ill also lay the foundation for an effective two-way channel of communication
between you and the employee. This will be beneficial for both you and the employee should they have
a need to discuss any issues that may arise.
