June 2020. The death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement shook the world. The aftermath of this was felt across the globe, including right here in Canada. Shocked by the events, we too shared the now widely recognized black square on Instagram, an attempt to express our solidarity with the movement.
And that’s when we understood that having good intentions isn’t enough. Our intentions were good, but our actions were misplaced. At the time, we didn’t understand that using #BlackLivesMatter would drown out crucial information around the movement and harm rather than help the cause. We didn’t take the time to think about how we could do more, to contribute to the movement, before making a show of support.
It’s no secret that our industry is driven by innovation and that it moves quickly. But the best ideas are rarely the ones we come up with the fastest. They’re the ones that confront us, the ones that rise from the intersection of different viewpoints. In trying to keep up with the pace, we missed the mark and realized it was a little too late.
We know that as an employer, we can offer a voice and the opportunity to be heard by diversifying our teams. In addition to that, we realize that with our creative products and services, we reach millions of people. Most importantly, we have concluded that we have the responsibility to broaden our horizons and shift the conversation by making our hiring process as inclusive as possible. In essence, we wanted to change, our staff wanted to change, but we didn’t know where to start.
That’s why we decided to work with Uena agency. We didn’t want to check off boxes and make superficial changes without carrying out the deep reflection that was needed. For 8 months now, this social impact agency has been accompanying us to help translate the values of our company into concrete, inclusive actions. In all areas of our company – human resources, recruitment, organizational culture, governance, internal and external communications and even in our product and creative process – we must think outside the box to better reflect diversity while taking into account the uniqueness of each person.
At lg2, we’re starting our work from the ground up. Not because the pressure is high (and rightly so), but because we know that this is the only way to build a more committed company, one that is more invested in the well-being of its employees and one that is more responsible and sustainable. We don’t want a cosmetic solution.
We looked at ourselves in the mirror! We created a safe space for exchange and dialogue with our management team. We asked those hard questions. We gave ourselves the right to be vulnerable, to make mistakes. We created a climate of respect in which we could say things that were not always easy to admit and in which we could let matters that were sometimes difficult to hear resonate. We analyzed our practices, mobilized our leadership and are starting to work on our impact.
Through this work, several concrete actions have already been taken: we have reviewed our hiring forms, added new people to our human resources team and rebuilt the department. We have set priorities. Most importantly, we are revisiting our organizational structure so that inclusion is at the heart of our governance and day-to-day decision-making. To ensure that we eradicate our unconscious biases and fight against all forms of discrimination, we needed to take the time to go through this reflection. This is what we did with the help of the Uena agency.
Today, we can say in all humility that we have a long way to go, but we know where to start and will give ourselves the time and the means to get there. This is a long-term process, and we are doing it because we believe in it and because it fits with our values.
We still have a lot of habits to undo and things to change. We must continue to question our own instincts, to challenge ourselves and to learn. Because we think that the most empowering change is one that begins from the inside out.
Claude Auchu
Partner, CEO & Chairman
lg2
