Indigenous Identity in the Workplace

Historical and present impacts of colonialism affect many aspects of life for Indigenous Peoples in Canada including their work experiences. In the workplace, many Indigenous People feel they must either suppress their own cultural identity or reject their workplace and source of monetary livelihood (Burgess, 2016). Several factors have been found to impact Indigenous People’s belief that they need to suppress their identity in the workplace such as cultural accommodations, co-worker cultural awareness and understanding and cultural compatibility with roles and responsibilities. Research has also demonstrated that Canadian workplaces need to be better equipped and aware of Indigenous identities (Mills & Clarke, 2009), as a means of increasing Indigenous belonging, satisfaction and trust in the workplace. One example for improving employee belonging and satisfaction is to ensure contracts and work agreements include spiritual and cultural accommodations that allow for the maintenance of a strong connection to the land and the creator. This may take the form of spiritual spaces within working areas and additional time off for hunting and connecting with family. Research suggests culturally unaware coworkers may have negative impacts on workplace belonging and satisfaction and further the need for Indigenous cultural awareness training (Martin, 1997). The purpose of this talk will be to explore the current research related to Indigenous identity in the workplace, factors related to successful Indigenous work experiences and suggestions for future work that will move beyond cultural competency to address work constructs such as fairness, communication, and teamwork.