Policy and Research Coordinator,
Steven Isidori
Email: sisidori@mbot.com
Phone: 905-273-6151 ext. 38
Address: Mississauga Board of Trade
701-77 City Centre Drive,
Mississauga, Ontario
L5B 1M5 Canada

 

Business without Borders, Diversity Knocks - October 25, 2010
Paul Beamish hired Gigi Wong because of her answer to a simple question: how would she react if a Chinese businessman belched after his meal? It was a difference in cultural etiquette he'd observed hosting Asian clients and wanted to know how a prospective employee would handle the situation. A Canadian-born job candidate said she'd politely tell the person to stop, but Wong had the correct response. "I would ignore it," she said. "It's a sign they are enjoying themselves."
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SHERATON HOTELS & RESORTS

Leah Jack
Human Resources and Accounting Coordinator, Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre

The Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre has hired five ACCES candidates recently. According to Human Resources and Accounting Coordinator Leah Jack, “We’re committed to having a culturally diverse workforce that is representative of our community and guests, and ACCES enables us to achieve that.”

The connection with ACCES was easily forged. “It all began at a conference that was hosted by the Hospitality Human Resources Professionals Association at the Sheraton Centre Toronto,” recalls Leah, where there was a representative from ACCES who was a guest speaker. Shortly thereafter, Sheraton began providing ACCES candidates with comprehensive tours of the hotel and its facilities.

In addition to hosting these activities, Leah has participated in ACCES advisory committees. The Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre is located just minutes from the Pearson International Airport and consists of 249 guest rooms, plus 26,000 square feet of modern meeting space.

“Working here is so much more than just a job, it’s a lifestyle,” Leah says of Sheraton. “Every day is a new experience, with new challenges, and exciting opportunities to grow and reach your potential.” She adds that associates enjoy one of the most competitive pay and benefits programs in the industry, along with a range of rewards and a recognition program to acknowledge achievements. “Our hotel is serious about the success of its associates, offering training, and development programs to ensure that their skills stay fresh and that they have the tools, knowledge, and information they need to be their best and achieve their goals,” she says.

There’s a high level of commitment to ACCES and its candidates. “Each position that comes available at the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre is first posted internally, but when the right candidate cannot be found from within our current associate group, the first place we look for new talent is from ACCES,” says Leah.
 

 

 

RBC ROYAL BANK

Susan Hawkins
Manager Recruitment, Greater Toronto Region, RBC

 

For the past four years, RBC has utilized ACCES’ recruitment services and reached the amazing milestone of recruiting more than 100 candidates. RBC’s manager of recruitment for the Greater Toronto Area, Susan Hawkins, focuses on growing the bank’s workforce to reflect the different backgrounds of customers and that is why partnering with ACCES makes good business sense.

 Susan worked with ACCES to design a highly interactive and informative recruitment event for new Canadians looking for careers within the banking industry. The result was an RBC information event that creates an opportunity for candidates to hear first hand from RBC employees in various roles about “a day in their life,” their experiences, and then meet with members of the recruitment team to further explore their interests. Currently, RBC hosts three recruitment events per year, and each event has about 30 ACCES candidates in attendance.

 The RBC and ACCES partnership is a best practice that is often promoted by RBC to encourage other business leaders to hire internationally trained professionals. RBC is a strong supporter of helping new Canadians succeed and they have demonstrated their commitment by making a financial contribution to ACCES so that ACCES can offer new and innovative services that will benefit its clients. One of the talented newcomers that RBC recently hired from ACCES is Latoya Flemming, who is now training to work as a senior account manager with the bank. After working in financial services in the Caribbean and the United States, Latoya Flemming entered the ACCES Financial Services Connections™ program in April 2010. Loytoya enthusiastically completed the program, attended an RBC recruitment event, and was hired on August 9th.

 Today, Latoya is enjoying her new role at RBC, learning policies and procedures, and studying the various investment products. She expects training to wrap up by December. “I had a fantastic experience with ACCES and now I’m enjoying a great job at RBC,” says Latoya. RBC provides personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate, investment banking, and transaction processing services on a global basis. The bank employs approximately 78,000 employees who serve more than 18 million clients through offices in Canada, the U.S., and 51 other countries. Susan sees this partnership as a win-win relationship. “ACCES has taken the time to understand our needs and they’re very astute at identifying candidates that will be successful at RBC. They have introduced us to some really talented people. It’s an amazing partnership,” states Susan.