Giatec Scientific Inc.
Diverse Talent Driving Disruptive Innovation.
Pouria Ghods and Natalia Yukhnevich, Giatec Scientific Inc.
Giatec Scientific Inc. is an Ottawa-based company focused on bringing smart concrete testing technologies and real-time data collection to the forefront of every construction jobsite. A key ingredient to the organization’s success has been the ability to attract and retain diverse, talented and passionate employees.
Hiring immigrants has helped Giatec to diversify its perspectives and bring great ideas and solutions onboard to advance the organization’s success. More than 60% of leadership positions at Giatec are held by immigrants. Giatec has implemented several strategies for attracting immigrants and eliminating barriers in its recruitment and retention practices.
To diversify the pool of candidates, Giatec networks with different agencies working with immigrants in Ottawa to share employment opportunities and showcase their company. Giatec participates in coaching and mentoring sessions with immigrants and has enhanced their company website to both highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion and to showcase their staff, including immigrants. This initiative helps Giatec demonstrate commitment to diverse talent and creates a welcoming image of the organization.
When screening candidates Giatec focuses on the specific knowledge, skills and abilities required for the job. Applications are screened manually to ensure that those without the same knowledge of key words and terminology are not inadvertently excluded. Giatec does not require Canadian experience – but instead values the experience, education and skills a candidate has, regardless of where they were acquired. International education is accepted and where necessary, new employees are supported to acquire credential evaluations or certifications required for the position.
Interview processes have been structured to minimize bias and remain consistent, focusing on the job description and the knowledge and skills required for the position. Giatec conducts panel interviews and uses scales and ratings which allow the assessment of candidates based on their answers and therefore helps to eliminate personal bias. Hiring managers across the organization receive training on hiring, including ways to reduce and eliminate bias from the hiring process.
Giatec has an ongoing onboarding process aimed to gradually integrate new employees to the company. For new hires, as a way to build an employee community and support inclusion, Giatec developed Welcome Questions that new employees answer when they start with the company. Answers to these fun questions (e.g., What’s one thing on your bucket list? If you could host a talk show, who would be your first guest?) are shared with all employees in an effort to support building relationships and inclusion.
“Giatec is honored to win the Hire Immigrants Ottawa 2021 Employer Excellence Award. It reflects our mission to attract and retain talented and passionate employees,” said Pouria Ghods, CEO & co-founder. “We believe that employees with diverse backgrounds and experiences strengthen our workplace culture, boost our creativity, and help us to revolutionize the concrete industry.”
Giatec strives to increase awareness regarding the positive impact of immigration in the organization and stives to foster an inclusive workplace where all employees feel they belong. Recently, they offered an in-house workshop on fostering a workplace culture of belonging and another session on “exploring difference”. These sessions have been successful and well-received by staff. Giatec is planning additional and ongoing trainings and webinars to promote diversity, inclusion and belonging. They currently promote and encourage employees to attend HIO’s free Cross-Cultural Competency training sessions and provide a minimum of $500 training budget per employee to support specific professional and personal development opportunities (including diversity and inclusion).
As Giatec scales up, hiring immigrants will remain paramount to the company’s success and ability to reach and disrupt the construction sector. Diversity and inclusion practices helps Giatec establish a peaceful and productive environment where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity and where innovation and creativity can drive business success and growth.
