I wanted to join the group both to give back to my community and also to surround myself with business people, professionals, community entrepreneurs to create wealth within black communities.
I was able to participate in intimate or private meetings with inspiring leaders like Condoleezza Rice, people I would not otherwise have been able to access. I come to seek the network, the knowledge, I learn a lot by osmosis. I dream of having a conversation with Oprah Winfrey.
The club is a support network. We open doors, we share information, relationships, and we learn. Access to the business community is really a challenge for everyone, but it is even more so when you are a woman who is part of a minority. I was born in Montreal and grew up in the business world.
In business like anything in life, it’s not what you do, but who you know and the information you have that matters.
It depends on the companies. Yes, there are really some who stand out positively, who make a real effort, they are consistent in their actions, it’s part of their DNA and it’s not an initiative for a month.
But there are some who do less well and are riding the trend. They’ll put initiatives in place, create a committee, or even create a position to say “we hired someone to do this,” but it’s not just one person’s job, and the initiative doesn’t. is not consistent. You can feel it for miles.
The behaviors and composition of board members and senior management are signals that show that we are on the right track, because they set an example.
It is obvious that there is a gain in terms of motivation, productivity and performance, because I put in place tools to reduce the mental load of employees. You improve their experience. They have recognition.
As an organization, there is also positioning as an employer in terms of outreach, standing out in a competitive market, having an advantage in recruiting and mobilizing resources.
I created Workind with total compensation in mind, because I wanted all employees to have access to it. I’ve come to realize that employers also want to recognize employees, and not just by giving them a gift card, but by having an impact on the overall well-being of employees. Organizations ask themselves: what more can we do, because what we are doing is not enough.
We are biased, because we are a solution designed for employers who are benevolent. It is those who take care of their employees, who offer good salaries, group insurance and who want to stand out by going the extra mile, who are leaders in terms of employee experience.
When I do prospecting, I meet employers who say to me, “It’s really interesting, but I have other challenges, bigger problems to solve, recruitment issues, related to compensation or the reputation. They have foundation work to do first.
