SASKATOON, Sask. – Kindersley Transport says recognition for its employment equity and diversity program is a humbling experience.

The group was one of 18 recognized last Fall with an inaugural Employment Equity Achievement Award (EEAA) from the Government of Canada.

The EEAA is awarded to companies that are subject to the federal Employment Equity Act, who have implemented programs to help create more diverse workplaces.

The award came in the Outstanding Commitment category, which recognizes employers who have demonstrated outstanding commitment in implementing their employment equity plans by instituting measures to remove barriers, adopting special measures and establishing positive policies and practices to achieve tangible results.

Kindersley says it’s dedicated to diversity throughout the company, but it was its efforts in gender diversity that caught the eye of the government.

Attempting to raise the number of women drivers in its workforce, the fleet has started a program that encourages husband and wife or father and daughter driving teams.

Connie-Jo Bast, manager – human resources for Kindersley, said the program was conceived by their Employment Equity Committee, which meets regularly to review and improve programs designed to get rid of barriers for underrepresented groups.

“Embracing the spirit of the program and applying for the award seemed to make sense,” she says. “We were seeing positive results. Over and above number driven results, we knew that this award would be a special validation that we were on the right track.”

The award doesn’t mean the work is finished at Kindersley – Bast says winning it has only served to push the company to continue to improve and close the gaps of underrepresented groups in the workforce.

“We are excited to use this momentum to push us into further success.”

The EEAA received 31 submissions for 2017 that were reviewed by an interdepartmental committee lead by the federal Labour Program of Canada, evaluating them based on creativity in design and implementation, noteworthy achievements, and demonstration of leadership in the industry

Trucking HR Canada lauded the company for it’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. Kindersley was also awarded Trucking HR Canada’s Top Fleet Employer of Distinction award. The organization congratulated them for creating a workplace where employees feel respected and engaged.

“Kindersley Transport has demonstrated a strong commitment to recruiting and retaining employees from diverse labour pools and implementing best practices in human resources to create a positive workplace culture.”

Submissions will be accepted soon for the 2018 awards.