Work. Made Better. Series
By Alan Kearns, Founder, CareerJoy
When organizations face layoffs, they’re not just managing a spreadsheet — they’re managing reputations, emotions, and lives. In a country as geographically and culturally diverse as Canada, where people in Whitehorse, Winnipeg, and Windsor all have different lived realities, your choice of outplacement provider matters. A lot.
Too often, Canadian employers default to a local or regional provider without considering the full scope of their needs, including bilingual service, Indigenous awareness, rural access, hybrid delivery, and post-landing support.
Regional firms may be well-known in their area, but when transitions touch multiple provinces — or demand continuity in coaching, data protection, or scale — national partners deliver the difference.
Let’s acknowledge what regional providers like Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette (KBRS) in Atlantic Canada or PFM Executive Search in British Columbia offer:
But these strengths often come with gaps:
For example, while KBRS is highly respected in Nova Scotia, it may lack structured delivery in Quebec or the Prairies. Similarly, while Vancouver-based firms like LoganHR or Optimum Talent (Gallagher) are known in B.C., many lack comprehensive delivery in Atlantic Canada or Northern communities. In Alberta and Saskatchewan, regional players like H+K or local HR consultants offer point solutions but lack bilingual depth, mental health integration, or First 90 Days coaching — critical components for lasting outcomes.
In Western Canada, outplacement is often fragmented. Firms like Optimum Talent and LoganHR have traditionally led in Vancouver and Calgary. However, both have recruitment-heavy models that sometimes blend placement and coaching in ways that raise ethical questions. Other regional firms such as Toombs Inc. or select boutique consultancies may have strong local roots but limited ability to handle restructurings beyond a single metro area.. Firms like Optimum Talent and LoganHR have traditionally led in Vancouver and Calgary. However, both have recruitment-heavy models that sometimes blend placement and coaching in ways that raise ethical questions.
Meanwhile, many regional players lack robust French-language support, post-landing integration, or experience with Indigenous clients — all growing priorities in the West.
CareerJoy brings a coast-to-coast model that adapts to regional realities:
Whether it’s supporting a mining operation in Fort McMurray or a public health agency in Vancouver, CareerJoy delivers the same care and quality.
When a publicly traded tech company headquartered in Calgary needed to reduce its headcount by 700 employees across four provinces, it required a partner with more than just a local presence.
They chose CareerJoy for our ability to:
“CareerJoy helped us protect our employer brand while doing right by our people. We weren’t just offboarding — we were investing in long-term trust.”
— S.M. VP People & Culture, Calgary
CareerJoy is Canada’s national people & culture firm — not a recruiter, not a software platform. Our focus is clear: support people and organizations through change with insight, empathy, and rigour.
What we offer that regional firms often can’t:
And unlike U.S. tech firms or recruitment-first models, our approach is uniquely Canadian: local, ethical, and human-first.
According to HRPA’s 2024 Workplace Transition Report:
Gallup Canada research found:
For employers across Canada, your outplacement decision is more than a contract — it’s a commitment to how you treat people.
Choose a regional firm when:
Choose a national partner like CareerJoy when:
If your outplacement partner isn’t delivering national consistency, post-landing support, or AI-informed insight, it’s time to reconsider the model.
CareerJoy is Canada’s national people & culture firm — trusted by the Government of Canada, Shopify, World Vision, BMW, YMCA, BGC Canada, and more. As an APEX partner with a 4.7 Google rating, we support career transitions, leadership development, and hybrid coaching across all sectors.
Human-first. AI-smart. 100% Canadian. Global reach. Proven results.
matt.goff@careerjoy.com | 1-877-256-2569
Happy Friday,
“Every time I make a career move, I feel my choices take people by surprise,” said Clare Waight Keller, the British designer who broke barriers as the first female artistic director at Givenchy.
Her words reflect a profound reality—what it means to forge paths in spaces never intended for you.
It’s not only the roles women step into that surprise people—it’s the way they lead, persist, and adapt. Often, they achieve all this while navigating scrutiny, bias, and the unspoken expectation to be both outstanding and universally “likeable.”
This isn’t about how women can improve as leaders. It’s about how they already excel—often outside the lines, beyond the playbook, and in defiance of outdated rules.
Most leadership models were shaped in a time when leaders were presumed male, full-time, and supported by invisible domestic labour. In 2025, women constitute over 47% of Canada’s workforce, yet hold less than a third of board and C-suite positions. For Black, Indigenous, and racialized women, the gap is even greater.
The challenge isn’t just the pipeline—it’s also how leadership is perceived. Women are frequently advised to be more assertive, visible, and strategic. Yet, when they display these traits, they’re often labeled as aggressive, attention-seeking, or overly ambitious.
This is the double bind of modern leadership: the pressure to lead confidently, but not too confidently. The expectation to advocate, but not to unsettle. The drive to advance, without sacrificing authenticity.
Most women leaders carry an invisible backpack—heavy with extra expectations, emotional labour, and constant second-guessing. From being asked to take meeting notes to softening their language in emails, many women continually adapt to be taken seriously while remaining relatable.
This reality is rarely named, but often felt:
As one woman leader recently shared in a coaching session: “I’m not just leading the team — I’m constantly leading how others see me leading the team.”
In many workplaces, women learn to compartmentalize—splitting themselves into different versions: one for the boardroom, one for the team, another for home. This fragmentation is more than exhausting; it gradually erodes self-trust.
When leadership becomes performative, it loses its impact. But when women lead from a grounded sense of self—bringing their whole selves, values, and voices—they transcend management. They become catalysts for cultural change.
The truth is, many women aren’t looking for tips on “executive presence” — they’re looking for spaces where they don’t have to pretend.
Imposter syndrome—the internal sense of self-doubt that can shadow success—has been widely discussed. But what if the real impostor isn’t in the mirror, but in the system itself?
When organizations fail to reflect the diversity of their talent, when feedback is filtered through bias, and when outdated models define success, women begin to internalize what is, in fact, a cultural shortfall.
As researcher Ruchika Tulshyan writes, “The answer to overcoming imposter syndrome is not to fix individuals. It’s to create an environment that fosters a sense of belonging for all.”
Belonging isn’t about lowering the bar. It’s about widening the frame.
The landscape for women in leadership is more complex than ever. Economic pressures, organizational change, remote work dynamics, and digital transformation have all shifted what leadership looks like — and what it demands.
Many women lead in high-stakes environments with little margin for error, whether in public sector teams balancing political expectations, nonprofits facing funding cuts, or tech firms navigating innovation and burnout.
In these spaces, what women need isn’t more resilience — it’s more recognition of the systems they’re navigating, and real support to lead well within them.
One of the most consistent themes we hear from women leaders — across industries, levels, and geographies — is the value of connection. Not just networking, but a real connection:
This kind of connection builds confidence, not because women are unsure, but because the journey becomes more navigable when it’s shared.
As leadership coach and author Herminia Ibarra notes, “We learn who we are by working through our decisions with others.” For women, this is especially true, in part because so few have had the privilege of leadership models that mirror their own experience.
Many of the most impactful women leaders didn’t arrive by climbing a straight ladder. They zigzagged. They took risks. They surprised others — and sometimes themselves. They led from the edge of their comfort zone.
This kind of leadership doesn’t always follow the rules, but it forges new ones.
And as Waight Keller’s quote reminds us, leadership isn’t about fitting expectations — it’s about reshaping them.
That requires courage, clarity, and a sense of community.
If you’re a woman leader looking for a space to grow — not just upward, but inward — EmpowerHER maybe for you.
EmpowerHER is a six-part leadership development program designed for women navigating complexity. From mid-level contributers to tech directors, nonprofit managers to senior executives, it’s built for those ready to lead more authentically and powerfully — on their own terms.
Through interactive workshops, optional one-on-one coaching, and a trusted peer cohort, EmpowerHER equips women with the tools, confidence, and clarity they need to lead in ways that feel real — and get results.
Because the future of leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all.
It bears a striking resemblance to the women already leading, characterized by presence, intelligence, and the quiet power to inspire and surprise.
Along the road with you,
Alan
P.S. Leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all. EmpowerHER creates space for women to lead with authenticity and power. Connect with Matt Goff, VP Partner Solutions, at 1-877-256-2569 or matt.goff@careerjoy.com to learn more.
P.P.S. Ready to grow your leadership bench in the public service? The Aspiring Leaders & Directors programs equip your team to step up with confidence. Reach out to Matt Goff, VP Partner Solutions, at 1-877-256-2569 or matt.goff@careerjoy.com to explore your options.
