'There is better recognition across the industries that culture needs to improve — and not just for women'
In her long career as a professional engineer, primarily in the energy sector in Alberta, Carol Moen had plenty of experience working in a predominantly male industry.
“While I was a very successful leader in my professional life, I was also an extremely successful mom and so that’s the one thing that I always talk to companies about… if you can support the success of a woman, not only in her professional workplace but also in her personal success, that’s pretty remarkable,” says Moen, who today is president and CEO of Women Building Futures (WBF), a non-profit organization in Edmonton that provides women with support and training to begin great careers.
On that note, the federal government recently provided funding to enable more women to enter a career field that is also predominantly male: trucking.
The new money, $46.3 million, was provided to Trucking HR Canada for the hiring of 1,400 new truck drivers and 1,200 workers in related occupations, and is part of the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program (SWSP).
Training and onboarding
Trucking HR Canada has been given until March 31, 2024 to implement the program — so far, 500 employers are in the program.
“The majority of the work right now is focused on getting drivers in, getting them trained, because we’re covering the cost of driver training up to $10,000. So we need to get those people in quickly because we have to factor in the length of time of that training, and then getting them onboard with employers,” says Angela Splinter, CEO of Trucking HR Canada in Ottawa.
“We’re very pleased to see the government making this investment, obviously.”
The program offers employers a wage incentive to support the onboarding of a driver, she says, and includes wage incentives to non-drivers as well.
“We just encourage employers to reach out to us for the Career ExpressWay Program in particular.”
However, some employers are leery, says Splinter.
“They think, ‘Government funding, what’s the catch?’ There is no catch, so help us help you.”
As the industry with the second highest rate of labour shortage — second only to food and accommodations — this money could help encourage more diverse representation in the trucking sector, says Splinter.
“Our industry isn’t always top of mind for people thinking of careers,” she says, but there are the perks of good salaries and working in a pandemic-proof industry.
Fixing the culture
To become more welcoming to women, some major changes have to be done immediately in the trucking industry and others like it, says Moen.
And the biggest barrier? Culture.
“The culture of that industry does not promote a parity of esteem across the driving industry compared to other careers,” she says. “Women — and possibly even other diverse individuals and maybe even youth at this point as well — just aren’t willing to take that risk and, as such, aren’t necessarily willing to enter the industry.”
According to research by Trucking HR Canada, providing future opportunities for women to move up in their careers is important, says Splinter.
“We hear a lot about the work-life balance and inclusive workplaces but I found it interesting that what we’re hearing from women is [they want] those opportunities for advancement. That’s where employers can focus their efforts to make sure they have those opportunities, and that they are promoting them and using them in their recruitment and retention initiatives.”
Many male-dominated industries feature the most toxic behaviour toward women, says an organizational behaviour expert.
Moen likened it to the safety culture debate in years past.
“Thirty years ago, there was a lot of eye-rolling about the concept of taking extra time in order to work safe and over that period of time really, the expectation of working safe, and overall safety has simply just become part of the actual culture,” she says.
“The very first thing they had to do for that to happen was to actually acknowledge that they had a problem — it was no longer acceptable for people who were getting hurt at work, and I think we’re at that point where there is better recognition across the industries that we interface with that culture needs to improve — and not just for women.”
Men aren’t always the best workplace allies, according to two experts, but it often comes down to a lack of awareness.
Barrier to entry
Educating new employees has been one of the biggest challenges for trucking fleets over the years, says Splinter.
“We also know that the cost of training has been an identified barrier to entry to our sector. There are some provincial programs that do cover the cost of training but they have some other requirements, whether they have to be somebody who is currently on unemployment insurance or whatnot, there’s just different requirements.”
The federal money can also be deployed to upskill current employees, says Splinter.
“If they have someone working as a dock worker or other occupations, they can earn more money in truck driving so this is a great way for them to invest in their current employees that are interested in taking on driving work.”
But money won’t solve everything, says Moen, and it’s up to male leaders to step up and show they are willing to provide support.
“Male leadership in companies at all levels need to become allies of diverse people and underrepresented people in the workplace. They need to, as leaders, want those people there, support those people being there, and ultimately make sure that others in the organization are becoming allies as well.”
