Workforce Diversity and Inclusion
Workforce Diversity and Inclusion
Governance and Strategies
Toromont recognizes that diverse capabilities, experiences and perspectives enable greater organizational leadership, strength and performance and create a more stimulating and rewarding work experience. Accordingly, we embrace diversity and inclusion at all levels. Diversity includes characteristics such as gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, age, cultural background, physical and mental ability, religion and other features that make individuals unique.
Toromont acknowledges the benefits of a diverse workforce in our Code of Conduct and considers diversity and inclusion in promotions and new hires, consistent with our Employment Equity Policy and our Board and Leadership Diversity Policy. Our Board, its ESG Committee and senior management regularly review the outcomes of our diversity strategies and look for new opportunities to foster a culture of inclusion.
2020 Diversity and Inclusion Actions and Outcomes
In recruiting, marketing, communications and through internal promotions, Toromont continued to build a diverse and inclusive workforce in 2020. One of the most visible ways we show our commitment is diversity in our senior ranks. At year end, women comprised 22% of our senior management team. Persons with disabilities and visible minorities represented 11% and 5% of our senior management team, respectively. In addition, three of 11 members of our Board of Directors are women.
In 2020, Toromont received recognition in The Globe and Mail newspaper’s feature “Women Lead Here” for its efforts. We also proudly hosted International Women’s Day events to acknowledge the women on our team for their leadership. We do not hire or promote women to gain recognition; we do so because it improves our organization and is simply the right thing to do.
During 2020, many women were hired into historically male-dominated occupations including parts, account management, rental equipment sales and our workforce of mechanics. Additionally, women were promoted to serve in a variety of roles including Regional Manager, Branch Supervisor, Manager, Strategic Projects, and Product Support Manager.
Despite steady gains in recruiting women over the years, the journey is far from over. To drive real change, it is necessary to break down long-standing barriers that keep women from seeking positions in the trades that Toromont employs. By our estimates, women represent just 1% of total enrollment across the vocational institutions from which we recruit. While expanding our post-secondary educational partnerships has helped, we also recognize the value of starting earlier by promoting skilled trades in secondary schools and participating in events such as:
- Jill of all Trades for Ontario high school students
- Women in Trades Conference at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ontario
Toromont recognizes student academic achievement through THINK BIG scholarships and the Honourable Journey award open to young Québecers. We are pleased to note that a 2020 winner of the Honourable Journey award has since been hired at Toromont Cat in Québec City where she is serving as a technician apprentice.
Toromont’s Management Development Program (“MDP”) has long been an important accelerator for advancement. In 2020, five MDP positions were awarded. Two of these future leaders are women, one is a visible minority and two are bilingual. Participation in events such as the Women in Engineering industry night and a National Society for Black Engineers networking event at McMaster University served us well in meeting prospective management trainees and candidates for our mining group.
Efforts to deepen our ties with First Nations continued. Toromont participated on a committee organized by Keepers of the Circle to develop an Indigenous Women Hiring Policy and Retention Strategies for Northeastern Ontario. This engagement allowed us to improve our efforts in northern communities where we have several branches and customer assignments.
