| 1. Workplace policies and procedures – To move forward on environment of cultural safety organizations: |
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1. Articulate, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a mission statement, values and corporate strategic plans that emphasize the value of cultural diversity and competence. |
| 2. Dedicate funding in the budget, including funding for human resources and expertise to plan, implement and evaluate strategies to strengthen diversity in the workplace. |
| 3. Integrate cultural competence into the organization’s Code of Conduct and enforce the code. (Codes of conduct implemented in work settings must reflect the principles of the existing Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and be consistent with provincial/territorial human rights codes.) |
| 4. Develop policies, guidelines and processes to address change and conflict. |
| 5. Implement, evaluate and adapt policies and guidelines that are respectful of cultural diversity, integrate cultural competence and eliminate discriminatory practices. |
| 6. Implement and evaluate strategies to develop leadership skills for succession planning that target under-represented populations to address the organization’s identified gaps and inequities. |
| 2. Recruitment – To recruit a diverse nursing workforce, employers and unions: |
| 1. Identify and monitor the cultural, ethnoracial, linguistic and demographic profile of the workforce in the organization and in the communities it serves on a systematic basis. |
| 2. Identify gaps by asking, “Who is not here who should be here?” (e.g. men, First Nations people, other ethnic groups) and develop a plan to address the gaps. |
| 3. Establish outreach processes in collaboration with cultural communities and other organizations to recruit a culturally diverse population for the workforce. |
| 4. Purposefully seek applications from qualified professionals of diverse cultural backgrounds to recruit to all levels of the organization, including leadership roles so that the organization is reflective of the communities served. |
| 5. Review and amend all steps in recruitment processes (e.g. wording of job advertisements, role profiles, credentials required) to assess cultural competence and remove systemic biases in the selection process. |
| 3. Retention – To retain a diverse nursing workforce, employers and unions: |
| 1. Plan employee orientation and continuing education programs, based on culturally sensitive preferred learning styles, assumptions and behaviours within culturally diverse groups. |
| 2. Develop educational strategies to address the diversity of preferred learning styles and behaviours within employee groups. |
| 3. Follow a cultural diversity model in implementing education and training for cultural competence |
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4. Provide employees with ongoing continuing education on concepts and skills related to diversity and culture including: • Communication • Cultural conflict • Competence models • Culturally-appropriate assessments |
| 5. Allocate fiscal and human resources, as part of the operating budget for educational strategies to promote cultural competence. |
| 6. Evaluate the results of cultural competence education and adapt strategies as appropriate |
| 7. Work with national and jurisdictional organizations to collectively monitor the diversity of the workforce and the extent that diverse cultural and linguistic communities, ethnoracial groups, and demographic characteristics are represented. |
| 8. Work with national and jurisdictional organizations to collectively establish mechanisms to address barriers to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups within the workforce. |
| 4. Internationally educated nurses – To better support internationally educated nurses: |
| 1. Assess the unique learning needs of internationally educated nurses and the staff who will work with them. |
| 2. Establish support and mentoring programs for internationally educated nurses and the existing members of the workforce who will work with them. |
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3. Implement and promote programs to help internationally educated nurses transition successfully into Canadian practice settings. |
| 4. Establish competency-based orientation and continuing education for internationally educated nurses, with a focus on: • Introduction to Canadian multicultural society , the health care system, and nursing as a profession in Canada • Language nuances and social norms • Psychosocial skills • Human rights • Employer and employee expectations, rights, and responsibilities • Mentoring |
Healthy Work Environment
Embracing Cultural Diversity in Health care: Developing Cultural Competence
Healthy Work Environment Recommendations