Are you ready to expand your definitions of CPD, networking, and mentorship in your workplace?
Our Equity in Action blog series is moving on to step three from our Six Steps to Make Your Legal Workplace more Equitable – expanding your definitions of CPD, networking, and mentorship.
Traditional definitions of continuing professional development, networking, and mentorship often fail to value opportunities for employees to become more culturally competent, build a presence in diverse communities, or find mentors that are the best possible fit.
Let’s review two scenarios that you or your colleagues may find yourselves in:
Scenario 1:
Wayne has been an employee at ABC Law for six months and is struggling to find a mentor within the firm who he can relate to and is able meet his needs. Wayne identifies as Indigenous. You are Wayne’s manager, and he comes to you to express his feelings. He explains that there is no one currently employed at the firm that he can relate to as a mentor.
What would you do if you found yourself in this situation?
Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself:
- Are your employees’ needs being met through your workplace mentorship program?
- If you are unable to meet an employees’ needs within your workplace, are mentorships outside the workplace an option?
Scenario 2:
Your firm is located on the land of Africville, Nova Scotia. One day during your lunch break a colleague approaches you asking about the history of the land that the firm sits on. You realize that you do not know much about the history of Africville but you would like to learn more. You mention that you want to expand your knowledge of the history to your manager during your weekly check-in.
What would you do if you found yourself in this situation?
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Are you and your colleagues aware of the history of the land your workplace resides on?
- Does your workplace have an active presence in diverse communities in your area?
Consider the following while expanding your definitions of CPD, networking, and mentorship:
- Encourage staff to use CPD allowances to learn about the history, experiences, and perspectives of non-white communities in your area.
- Encourage staff to develop an active presence in diverse communities in your area through invitations to attend cultural events or meetings.
- Allow staff to be mentored by people outside your firm if they have needs that cannot be met by someone inside your firm – and make sure staff, not just lawyers, have opportunities for mentorship.
Our goal is that by the end of this blog series is for you, your colleagues and firm know how to approach various situations to make your legal workplace more equitable.
Questions or comments?
Contact us at [email protected] or add your comment or response to “what would you do?” in these scenarios by completing the comment box following this blog post! Please feel free to remain anonymous and note that we review all comments prior to publishing.
This Equity in Action blog post was written by Asha Pelly, NSBS Summer Law Student.