Diversity, equity and inclusion must be treated as equal opportunity and business strategy rather than a political flashpoint, a panel of aftermarket leaders urged during a recent conference.
During the session “No talent left behind: Building a future-ready workforce” at AIA Canada’s National Conference, speakers warned that misunderstandings about DEI risk undermining competitiveness in the automotive aftermarket.
Shannon Miller, executive director at Accelerate Auto, said the term can evoke both optimism and unease.
“It does garner hope,” she said, noting her work to “foster, garner a more inclusive and equal opportunity within the sector.”
But in the current climate, she also sees fundamental misunderstandings of what equal opportunity initiatives actually mean.
“Sometimes the term or the acronym produces a little bit of concern,” Miller said, particularly when people do not immediately connect DEI to the idea that it represents an equal opportunity.
She pointed to growing backlash and misunderstandings that have “led to the rollback of those equal opportunity initiatives that have been a crucial part of increasing the competitiveness of our sector here in North America, but in Canada specifically.”
Making DEI real starts with everyday leadership decisions rather than reporting statistics, said Hitesh Patel, director of Canada at Transtar Industries.
“I don’t know if DEI was always weaponized, but it certainly had become more weaponized, maybe more recently, as a term,” he said, arguing that the focus should be on the human element of team dynamics.
Leaders, he said, can advance inclusion by ensuring “everyone gets an opportunity to present,” by checking their own biases and by paying attention to who gets invited to special events, who travels for key occasions and who is called on in meetings.
“At the end of the day, you want an inclusive workplace. You want the best,” Patel said.
Chris Theodoratos, director of operations at Mr. Lube + Tires, spoke about allyship and the responsibility of leaders, including white male leaders, to use their influence to support others.
He recalled asking to join a diversity committee at a former employer and being told they “don’t need a middle-aged white guy on this team.”
The experience pushed him to think about what allyship means in practice.
“When I’m in a room, I’ve got the ability to influence some decisions,” he said. Rather than speaking for people, he sees his role as making sure that they’re heard.
“As you get into a leadership position, you’ve got this amazing opportunity to be an ally for folks,” Theodoratos said.
Moderator Stephanie Cooney-Mann, general manager at UAP, said DEI should not be reduced to “reporting a stat every day” on representation, but tied back to “just getting the right fit for the role, regardless of who the person is.”
Image credit: Depositphotos.com
