International Women’s Day #ChoosetoChallenge

International Women’s Day #ChoosetoChallenge

This International Women’s Day, let’s step back and take stock of how work from anywhere culture impacts women, today and every day.

As The Working and Learning Company, our mission is clear – to inspire people to work smarter, learn more and grow every day. The pandemic has changed the way we work and the future of work forever. The lines between work, school and home have become blurred and women are being disproportionately impacted.

On this International Women’s Day, we must consider how our women colleagues are being impacted by new economic realities and the virtual work environment. How we can create a culture in our workplace that counters the regressive effects that a pandemic can have on women’s careers?

I’m proud to sit with an executive leadership team that’s diverse and 50% represented by women – that diversity of thought, experiences and perspectives makes us stronger.

As CEO of Staples Canada, I #ChoosetoChallenge systemic gender bias and inequality in our workplace, and it starts by creating a culture where the careers of women thrive. We’re building that kind of environment by:

· Creating a flexible working environment that includes a hybrid model of working from anywhere and office when possible.

·  Fostering an environment that explores Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with associates and leaders through panel discussions, expert speakers and associate-led resource groups.

· Developing virtual and flexible training programs focused on training our talented associates and creating opportunities for career progression by updating our competency models.

· Providing our leaders with training sessions to identify support mechanisms to promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workforce.

Our leadership team at Staples Canada is committed to creating a work environment that’s supportive of the new realities that women and all of our associates are being faced with as a result of the pandemic. We can work together to create meaningful change in this new work environment and are committed to learning how we can continue to improve our workplace culture to address these challenges.

Sincerely,

David Boone

CEO, Staples Canada