Hire Learning: Diversio helps other companies level up their employee experience

The MaRS Waterfront firm specializes in building positive office culture — which, in its own case, includes homemade cookies.

The average person spends a third of their lifetime at work, so it makes sense that they’d want that environment to be one where they feel happy and valued. But diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices are more than just feel-good gestures to give people warm fuzzies — taking action to ensure workplaces support the needs of employees across the board is good for business. Companies that prioritize these initiatives are 25 to 36 percent more likely to be more profitable than those that don’t; their employee turnover rate can also be as much as 35 percent lower than that of their DEI-eschewing peers.

Over the past couple years, there has been marked pushback against DEI efforts in corporate culture, with companies such as Molson and Ford cancelling in-house initiatives; in the United States, President Donald Trump targeted federal programs with sweeping executive orders days after taking office. Despite this unsettling trend, some major companies have reaffirmed their commitment to DEI, insisting that “an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary,” to borrow a phrase from a statement issued by multinational wholesaler Costco about its own practices. But even with the best intentions in place, success in this realm hinges on sustained engagement — with employees as well as programming.

“Companies assume culture will build itself, that it’s going to be positive and healthy, but they don’t track it. And to me, that’s a wasted investment,” says Laura McGee, founder and CEO of Diversio, which is taking the DIY out of DEI by advising businesses that want to address their unconscious biases and blind spots to improve staff satisfaction. As part of its consultation services, the Toronto-based company administers anonymous surveys to staff, gathering information about everything from employee morale to concerns about harassment. Diversio analyzes the results to develop a report about client strengths and weaknesses, and provides training for areas that need improvement — from upskilling opportunities to refreshers on inclusive practices. “After, we re-survey to see if there’s a meaningful increase in employees saying they feel included, that their opinion is valued, those sorts of things,” adds McGee.

For a relatively small organization (there are only about 40 people on staff), Diversio has made some big strides — last spring, it acquired diversity training firm CCDI Consulting. With a solid foundation of robust funding and domestic contracts to build on, the company is now looking to expand in Sweden, Denmark and other European countries where DEI reporting is now a priority. Here, McGee offers some insight on what it’s like to work at a company that makes other workplaces better.

How has the recent trend of anti-DEI rhetoric affected how Diversio does business?

At first we thought the market might die down. We were nervous, so we reached out to all of our U.S.–based clients, and we were very surprised to see that almost everybody is doubling down. So far, I think the backlash is more of a media story than a business reality. Some of our clients are reframing DEI as their “culture strategy” or “belonging strategy” — focusing more on inclusion and engagement, which is the nature of our product, anyway. We’re seeing a lot of fear among diverse employees that the playing field is no longer going to be level. So it’s more important than ever, I think, for leaders to detect bias, eliminate harassment and make sure that everybody has mentorship opportunities.

So, is Diversio focused on more than just improving workplace DEI?

It’s all about making sure employees have opportunities. For example, we might discover that women are not being mentored, which hurts their development because they don’t have insight from senior leaders, so we would recommend and help implement a mentoring program. Or if we find AI adoption is much greater among STEM-educated employees, we might roll out custom upskilling training for non-STEM or older staff. It really depends on the context, and it’s all data-driven.

What’s the work culture like at a company that prioritizes the employee experience?

Our culture is really defined by collaboration. It’s a very flat structure — people are not limited by their job titles. We give you the opportunity to really grow and develop. If we’ve got a meeting with the CEO of the British Business Bank, and you did the work, we’re going to coach you and put you in front of the CEO.

What about candidates who might not come from a tech background?

I don’t come from a tech background, I’m not an engineer — I don’t even have a business degree. I didn’t know how to code, didn’t know AI, but I’m self taught and resourceful. People who are scrappy, take initiative and are intrinsically helpful — those traits are much more important than any technical skill or degree.

Do you use the Diversio platform to gauge your own employees’ satisfaction?

Yep! Once a year, we run our survey, and I’m able to see the results just like our clients do. I get recommendations about what our employees would like to see us do better, and I get to track the progress year over year. This year, our team said they wanted more learning and development opportunities, which is every CEO’s dream. I was able to respond by rolling out hard and soft skills training.

How do you celebrate your employees?

Oh, gosh, it’s my favourite. We have a Slack channel where people will post personal and professional wins. And every month at our town hall we recognize two employees who have really outdone themselves.

Diversio operates with a hybrid structure. What’s the biggest perk for people who come into the office?

I believe aesthetic helps people feel good about going into work. Where we are at MaRS Waterfront, there’s greenery, there’s a great view, it’s spacious. I’ve gotten to know a number of the other companies — a lot of mission-aligned people. And for a while there I was baking cookies for people who came into the office. So I guess that’s kind of a perk.

What kind of cookies?

I like to go to Bulk Barn and get creative. So I made snickerdoodle snowmen around the holidays last year. I make a good oatmeal chocolate chip and a classic peanut butter. It runs the gamut.

Any additional priorities or growth opportunities?

We have a lot of support for disabilities and mental health conditions. We have unlimited PTO and mental health days off, unlimited mental health support. We [also] have a mentorship program sponsored by our venture capitalists.

How do you lead by example?

I’m a big proponent of humble leadership. Leaders don’t know the answers a lot of the time, and they don’t have ownership over ideas. Part of our inclusive training is coaching managers to create a safe space and encourage staff to come forward and be proactive. There are no dumb ideas.

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Photographs: Kelvin Li