A Message from CEO Jayne Mallin on #IWD2024

Today we celebrate women everywhere on International Women’s Day. This year’s theme is #InspireInclusion.

As I look around at our team, I am proud of the organization we are building. Gender equality in the workplace is taken seriously at Legal Aid Saskatchewan. We have a representative number of women at every level of leadership and within our professional pool of lawyers. Our incredible admin team, the team that is the foundation of our work, is a majority of women. Let’s take a minute to celebrate this.

As I reflect on IWD2024’s theme, I ask myself, “How can we do better? What does it mean to #InspireInclusion? What are we doing to further that objective?” Inspiring inclusion does not just mean ensuring that we have an equal number of women in the organization. It is also critical to ensure that women are provided with opportunities through mentorship, training and development to allow themselves mobility within the organization toward any position they aspire.

To inspire inclusion, we need a solid diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) plan. Our People & Culture team is working on this and have recently hired a People & Culture Specialist with DEI qualifications who is going to set us up for success. This will ensure women of any ethnicity, race, ability, gender identity and sexual orientation are included and inspired to apply for any position they might be interested in and will see themselves reflected in leadership at all levels.

Today is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on what we are doing individually, at the local area office, and organizationally to inspire inclusion. I think about the women in my personal life who show up to work as racially diverse young women with the challenges they face, those who show up going through a journey of transitioning, and the LGBTQ2S+ community and the struggles they face. I want to see a better place on a personal level as well as a professional level.  

I encourage all of you to think about how you are showing up to make sure that all women can fully participate in the workplace, professionally and socially, and what we might do to ensure an even more diverse, equitable and inclusive workspace.

Sincerely,
Jayne