The Many Faces of Diversity in Military Employment
Start Date
Wednesday November 4, 2020End Date
Thursday November 5, 2020Time
9:00 am - 3:00 pmLocation
Synopsis
An enduring question for armed forces is how to recruit, develop, support, and retain the best people, people who are smart, skilled, physically fit and willing to lay down their lives if necessary. This workshop focussed on the ability of the armed forces to meet its person-power requirements based on the establishment of an organizational culture of inclusiveness and cohesion.
We achieved this by showcasing research and practice which examines the recruitment, employment, and retention of under-represented groups as outlined in the Employment Equity Act, particularly women, visible minorities, and Indigenous peoples. The workshop also addressed other forms of diversity and identity within the defence organizations, such as the generational and LGBTQ2S+ perspectives. In line with the broadly adopted diversity lens, we will also examine diversity from a Whole Force perspective, including institutional distinctions related to regular and reserve force personnel, military members and defence civilians, as well as cultural differences among the military services.
Retention of trained and experienced personnel is particularly important in the armed forces because militaries must select, train, and promote from within, yet retention is getting harder in today’s competitive job market. The Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff and others have argued that the military needs more flexible personnel policies to attract and keep talent, especially for specialized skills for emerging challenges. Is this something that other armed forces have done successfully?
Understanding the concerns of specific groups is important to tackle integration challenges as the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence strive to become more diverse and incorporate cultural change at the institutional level. This workshop brought together subject matter experts across the Canadian defence and security community, including university scholars, researchers and practitioners in the CAF/DND, as well as international experts to exchange information and co-develop knowledge in the military personnel domain.
Deliverables
- The Many Faces of Diversity in Military Employment, Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health - Vol. 8, No. s1, April 2022 (PDF 3.51mb)
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Panel 1 |
Diversity and the Culture of the Armed Forces: Part 1
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Panel 2 |
Prospective Recruits and Service Members: Ethnicity and Race Perspectives
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Panel 3 |
LGBTQ2S+: History and Practice in the Canadian Armed Forces
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Panel 4 |
Gender Inclusive Employment in the Military
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Panel 5 |
Post-Millennials and Generational Employment Considerations
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Panel 6 |
Total Defence Workforce Personnel Integration and Collaboration
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Panel 7 |
Diversity and the Culture of the Armed Forces: Part ll
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