Please note: this episode does end suddenly and unexpectedly. Due to a production error, the final three questions of this episode were unfortunately unusable.

Go behind the scenes of the research and hear from the Diversity Disconnect road team!

Links

• Learn more about the research: www.freereinassociates.ca/diversity-disconnect
• Find resources for employment success at Diversity At Work
• Learn more about Free Rein Associates
• Learn more about Life Strategies
• Learn more about the Skills for Success

With Guests

Desiree Carlson Megan te Boekhorst Madeleine Warkentin Emily White

Hosted by Mallory Tomlinson

Produced by Megan te Boekhorst

Audio Engineer: Tim McAlpine of CoWork’s Studio C

Funded by the Government of Canada

The researchers of Diversity Disconnect sit down to discuss the lessons learned, recommendations put forward, and next steps for creating inclusive, diverse communities in rural and remote regions.

Links

• Learn more about the research: www.freereinassociates.ca/diversity-disconnect
• Find resources for employment success at Diversity At Work
• Learn more about Free Rein Associates
• Learn more about Life Strategies
• Learn more about the Skills for Success

With Guests Madeleine Warkentin Emily White Cassie Taylor

Hosted by Mallory Tomlinson

Produced by Megan te Boekhorst

Audio Engineer: Tim McAlpine of CoWork’s Studio C

Funded by the Government of Canada

The bonds that tie your community together can have a major influence in your success. Knowing who your neighbours are, authentically, and what motivates them can help to strengthen those bonds. And when people, workplaces, and communities allow for that authentic connection, you are empowered to find your right fit.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why it’s important for communities to work together, especially if you live in a rural and remote region
• How understanding your motivation (and the motivation of your team and colleagues) can significantly improve your workplace
• What it means to allow for authenticity in the workplace in order to ensure strong fit

Links

• Learn more about the research: www.freereinassociates.ca/diversity-disconnect
• Find resources for employment success at Diversity At Work
• Learn more about Free Rein Associates
• Learn more about Life Strategies
• Learn more about the Skills for Success

With Guests Madeleine Warkentin Emily White Cassie Taylor Desiree Carlson

Staring: Megan te Boekhorst as Jordan Diana King as Shane Peter Bailey as George Harmony Toth as Alex

Hosted by Mallory Tomlinson

Produced by Megan te Boekhorst

Audio Engineer: Tim McAlpine of CoWork’s Studio C

Funded by the Government of Canada

Success Factors Examined:

• Community
• Motivation
• Authenticity
• Fit

For this week’s episode, the team shares the most shocking disconnect between rural employers and the people they hire. We also dive into the importance of workplace environments, the role our financial realities play in our employment success, and the unique challenges faced by rural communities specifically.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How employers can make a difference in employment success by helping to solve one problem
• What it means to have a healthy work environment
• How unique rural challenges can often be left out of the equation – and how that impacts program success

Links

• Learn more about the research: www.freereinassociates.ca/diversity-disconnect
• Find resources for employment success at Diversity At Work
• Learn more about Free Rein Associates
• Learn more about Life Strategies
• Learn more about the Skills for Success

With Guests Madeleine Warkentin Emily White Cassie Taylor Desiree Carlson

Staring: Megan te Boekhorst as Jordan Diana King as Shane Peter Bailey as George Harmony Toth as Alex

Hosted by Mallory Tomlinson

Produced by Megan te Boekhorst

Audio Engineer: Tim McAlpine of CoWork’s Studio C

Funded by the Government of Canada

Success Factors Examined:

• Transportation
• Work Environments
• Financial
• Rural Realities

Inclusive, equitable diversity in the workplace requires accepting that you’ll experience moments of discomfort. Growth and discomfort often walk hand in hand.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• About some of the challenges you need to prepare for in building an inclusive workplace
• How gaining awareness of barriers faced by marginalized groups will help you be a better manager and employer
• Why all employers need to keep a trauma-informed lens

Links

• Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy
• Learn more about the research: www.freereinassociates.ca/diversity-disconnect
• Find resources for employment success at Diversity At Work
• Learn more about Free Rein Associates
• Learn more about Life Strategies
• Learn more about the Skills for Success

With Guests Madeleine Warkentin Emily White Cassie Taylor Desiree Carlson

Staring: Megan te Boekhorst as Jordan Diana King as Shane Peter Bailey as George Harmony Toth as Alex

Hosted by Mallory Tomlinson Produced by Megan te Boekhorst Audio Engineer: Tim McAlpine of CoWork’s Studio C

Funded by the Government of Canada

Success Factors Examined:

• Awareness
• Respect
• Discrimination
• Bureaucracy

What does it take to find success? Whether you’re a job seeker, employee, employer, or part of a community group, it often comes down to the unique combination of skills available to meet your goals.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• About the essential skills everyone benefit from developing – including the Skills for Success
• The value collaboration brings to a community
• How interpersonal skills impact employment success

Links

• Learn more about the research: www.freereinassociates.ca/diversity-disconnect
• Find resources for employment success at Diversity At Work
• Learn more about Free Rein Associates
• Learn more about Life Strategies
• Learn more about the Skills for Success

With Guests

Madeleine Warkentin

Emily White

Cassie Taylor

Desiree Carlson

Staring:

Megan te Boekhorst as Jordan

Diana King as Shane

Peter Bailey as George

Harmony Toth as Alex

Hosted by Mallory Tomlinson

Produced by Megan te Boekhorst

Audio Engineer: Tim McAlpine of CoWork’s Studio C

Funded by the Government of Canada

Success Factors Examined:

• Communication
• Collaboration
• Interpersonal Skills

After hearing from the diverse residents of Agassiz, Hope, Princeton, Merritt, and Ashcroft, the Diversity Disconnect research team identified 20 factors that influence employment success. Whether you’re a job seeker or employee from an underrepresented group, an employer small or large, or a member of a small, rural community, it’s important to understand how these factors impact your life and the lives of those around you. Empowering yourself with this knowledge will help to improve your local economy, foster inclusive workplaces for all, and spark change for people with diverse abilities and Indigenous Peoples.

In this episode, meet the Diversity Disconnect team: Madeleine, Emily, Cassie, and Desiree. You’ll also be introduced to Jordan, Shane, George, and Alex, the four characters who represent the research participants of Diversity Disconnect.

We’ll also introduce five of the 20 factors that impact workplace success and how they impact employment and the success of rural communities.

Links

• Learn more about the research: www.freereinassociates.ca/diversity-disconnect
• Research Report to support the launch of Skills For Success: Structure, evidence, and recommendations. May 2021 SRDC
• Canada – A learning nation: A skilled, agile workforce ready to shape the future
• Find resources for employment success at Diversity At Work
• Learn more about Free Rein Associates
• Learn more about Life Strategies
• Learn more about the Skills for Success

With Guests

Madeliene Warkentin Emily White Cassie Taylor Desiree Carlson

Staring:

Megan te Boekhorst as Jordan Diana King as Shane Peter Bailey as George Harmony Toth as Alex

Hosted by Mallory Tomlinson Produced by Megan te Boekhorst Audio Engineer: Tim McAlpine of CoWork’s Studio C

Success Factors Examined:

• Opportunities
• Training/Learning
• Accessibility/Accommodation
• Flexibility
• Connections

From Free Rein Associates and Life Strategies comes the Diversity Disconnect Podcast. Tasked with exploring the helping and hindering factors in job acquisition and employment maintenance for underrepresented groups, the research team spent six months engaging with five rural B.C. communities. They sought to hear stories of employment success, challenges, and ideas for change from job seekers, employees, employers, and support workers.

This limited series explores the findings of the Diversity Disconnect research and examines the 20 factors that influence employment success. You’ll hear from the research team directly, and you’ll hear real quotes from the research participants they spoke with.

Launching January 8, 2025, you can listen to Diversity Disconnect wherever you find podcasts.

Links

• Find resources for employment success at Diversity At Work
• Learn more about the research: www.freereinassociates.ca/diversity-disconnect
• Learn more about Free Rein Associates
• Learn more about Life Strategies
• Learn more about the Skills for Success