Standing Up for Inclusion and Diversity
Oxford is committed to developing an inclusive and respectful culture – at our workplace and buildings we manage. And we are proud of the actions we are taking to bring this commitment to life.
Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, Canada participates in the region’s “Safe Place” Program as part of their continued commitment to inclusivity in the workplace and to demonstrate support to the LGBTQIA+ community. A Safe Place sticker is placed prominently on the front window to notify members of the LGBTQIA+ community that this business is committed to providing safety to the victim by allowing them to enter their business, provide them with shelter and by assisting the victim in contacting police to report hate-motivated crimes and incidents.
Shopping malls across the Canadian portfolio, including Upper Canada Mall (Newmarket), Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Toronto), and Kingsway Mall (Edmonton) opened universal and all-gender washrooms. The washrooms provide inclusive options for everyone, including transgender people and people of diverse gender identities and expressions.
Inclusion and Diversity Resources
OMERS is committed to supporting an inclusive and diverse workplace that recognizes and values difference, recognizing that employee diversity, the many different and unique things we individually and collectively bring to work each day, contributes to building a stronger workforce and a better company.
To create a workplace where everyone’s views and perspectives are respected, where inclusivity is part of the culture, where all voices are heard, and the unique needs of each employee matters, OMERS offers a variety of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and created the Inclusion and Diversity Council. ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups that help employees and organizations promote and cultivate a workplace that is diverse and inclusive. Typically, these groups are composed of employees with a shared purpose, interest or background on which they focus.
To date, over eight engaging Employee Resource Groups have been created, including Pride at OMERS, Women at OMERS, Visible Minority, Briefcase Parents, and others focusing on the regions in which we operate and specialized teams.
OMERS has created training, techniques and additional resources focused on unconscious bias and respect in the workplace. We have entered a stage of action where through experimentation and piloting of techniques such as blind resumes and expanding employee resource groups we are moving the needle in a more concrete way.
Green Teams on Foot
Oxford has been engaging with our customers in Boston and Cambridge since 2015. Unique to the region is one meeting, hosting customers across six buildings, representing a cross-building community approach. These meetings provide an opportunity to share best practices across the region while highlighting sustainability initiatives through a broader range of customers.
With low vacancy rates, the availability of meeting room spaces proved to be difficult to find over the last year. Green team members stepped up enthusiastically to host the meetings in their occupied spaces, rotating between buildings for meetings throughout the year.
In tour fashion prior to each meeting, green team members would walk around and hear about the outfitted space from the customer host – highlighting sustainability features such as circadian lighting, sit-stand desks, recycling programs and sustainable materials used to build out the space. Inspiration and ideas for their own spaces would surface and lead into a more engaging meeting as Oxford led the topic of the day in climate and energy, wellbeing or materials and resources.
Salon Bleu for Autism
Oxford’s shopping centres work hard to foster safe and enjoyable spaces.
In May 2019, Quartier DIX30 (in Brossard, QC), the second largest shopping centre in Canada with 9M sq.ft. of land launched Salon Bleu – a permanent cozy space for families living with autism.
In the wake of Autism Month, this initiative was designed in consultation with Autisme Montérégie to meet the needs of families and their children visiting the mall. The space invites families to use as a gathering place to engage in discussions and hold training sessions and committee meetings.
Ensuring that people with autism can fully develop in society is an important cause to Quartier DIX30. This marks one of many initiatives held by Oxford to support families living with autism, such as creating quiet, dimmed events and celebrations for Santa visits and Halloween to name a couple.
The property team held an inauguration event for the opening of Salon Bleu, attended by public officials, community groups and families.
Bikes Without Borders
During a major parking garage renovation at 1101 Bay, a multi-residential building in Toronto, Canada, the property team discovered over 30 abandoned bikes left behind by previous residents.
Instead of throwing them away, the team found Bikes Without Borders, an organization that collects bikes, refurbishes them and then donates them to refugees and families in need.
The team worked with their contractors, who graciously donated their time and truck to transport the bikes to the Central Toronto Academy, where students work to refurbish the donated bikes.
Of the 30 bikes, 10 were refurbished and the others were sent to a recycling facility to melt into metal. The funds received from the recycler were donated back to Bikes Without Borders.
A true collective effort and win-win to bring life back into these abandoned bikes and keeping them out of the landfill.
Reading on the Go
In September 2019, WaterPark Place in Toronto, Canada launched its newest customer amenity – The Short Story Dispenser.
The Short Story Dispenser prints 1, 3- or 5-minute stories on demand, at the push of a button and for free. Customers can take a story to read while having lunch in the food court or can take it with them to read on the commute home.
The Library Platform consists of thousands of titles in an ever-changing cache of short stories to read, written by authors globally. Stories are printed on eco-friendly paper (FSC and BPA free) with no ink or cartridge required. To date, over 12,000 stories have been printed for customers to enjoy.
This new customer amenity adds a digital aspect to the already thriving WaterPark Place Library.