The Evolution of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Sonepar

CEW-29-Sonepar-EvolutionInclusion-400.jpg

April 27, 2022

As Sonepar continues to make Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives a priority within the organization, last year Sonepar Canada President Francois Anquetil, and VP of Human Resources, Reina Ohol, conducted focus groups aimed at learning from the experiences of our associates.

“It’s difficult for anyone to try and navigate how best to address DE&I in the workplace,” Reina said. “We wanted to create initiatives and action plans that would be meaningful to our associates and not be based solely on metrics. Therefore, we took an “inclusive approach,” to DE&I. We listened to what our associates had to say and got ideas directly from them to help create a positive impact.”

Associates were invited to participated in focus groups which took place over a course of three different sessions and concentrated on gender diversity, visible minorities, and multigenerational diversity and inclusion.

“Overall, the sessions exceeded my expectations,” she said. “You have to be courageous to persevere through a confronting and uncomfortable situation, especially within the workplace. In addition, we were asking our participants to relive and share their personal experiences not only with us but also with their peers.”

“Our associates trusted us enough to be vulnerable and I really commend their level of bravery, along with our ability as a collective to make the sessions a positive and safe space. I felt honoured to sit amongst these individuals and have the privilege to listen to what they had to say.”

“Moving forward, we are concentrating on education and training. Whether it’s regarding bringing awareness and understanding to different ethnicities, genders, or generations, we want to ensure we are creating a culture that is highly aware of microaggressions, biases and prejudices within the workplace.

“We also want to make learning opportunities more readily available, especially for the younger generations,” said Reina. “By doing so, we can eliminate the impression that career development is only obtainable to those who have a certain level of seniority with the company.”

“Ultimately, we want to ensure all associates feel they have access to career opportunities regardless of their ethnicity, gender, or age and that Sonepar becomes the depiction of inclusivity in the workplace.”

Source

Related Articles


Changing Scene

  • EHRC Bursaries for Women Entering the Electricity Industry

    EHRC Bursaries for Women Entering the Electricity Industry

    Year after year, the data consistently shows that men outnumber women in technology, engineering, and trades jobs in Canada’s electricity industry. As the industry evolves to meet climate change goals and ensure a clean, resilient energy future, there is a real opportunity – and need – to include more women in the sector. In 2023, and in honour of International Women’s Day, EHRC’s board of directors and staff announced the creation of two new $2,000 bursaries for women entering or currently enrolled in a trades or STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program. Read More…

  • ECAO Launching New Website for Buying/Selling Excess Inventory

    ECAO Launching New Website for Buying/Selling Excess Inventory

    ECAO has announced they will be unveiling ECAO Marketplace, a new website to be introduced at their AGM on June 2nd that will facilitate buying and selling of excess inventory. Read More…


Peers & Profiles

  • Schneider Electric, a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, is Canada’s top international corporate citizen in 2022. This designation was awarded to Schneider Electric by Corporate Knights, a media and research company committed to advancing a sustainable economy. Read More…

  • The Sonepar Ontario Region is proud to announce the relocation of their SESCO Central Distribution Centre (CDC) to its new location in Brampton, ON. This move has facilitated an amalgamation between Texcan’s large Brampton branch and SESCO’s CDC, as both businesses work together within one facility for the first time. Read More…