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Frequently Asked Questions
Employee FAQ |
Managers FAQ
Employees who aren't familiar with employment equity
will have a lot of questions. The following are some of the most common:
1. What is employment equity?
Employment equity means a representative workforce, fair pay practices,
and the development of programs to support employment equity goals. It
also means fairness in hiring, promotion, training, and retention for
all employees. All members of the workforce have the right to enjoy fair
treatment and employment opportunities at work.
2. Why are we implementing an Employment Equity Program (EEP)?
The need to comply with Employment Equity legislation is often the first
step towards embracing diversity. Once the compliance process is initiated,
the mechanisms put into place invariably extend far beyond the employment
equity act to benefit the entire workforce with correspondingly greater
benefits to the organization. For example, the bias free selection is
a fundamental change that benefits all. The typical employment equity
policy covers religious and cultural issues not confined to just designated
groups' members. In fact culture was mentioned neither in the Canadian
Human Rights Act nor the Employment Equity Act as a accommodation requirement.
Flexible hours and telework apply to men as well as women. Anti-harassment
measures also cover all employees without any distinction whatsoever.
3. What groups does employment equity address?
All employees can participate and benefit; however, employment equity
focuses on four groups: women, aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities,
and members of visible minorities.
4. Why is employment equity important?
Census and other data indicate that member of these four designated groups
often experience significant discrimination in employment. For example,
they experience higher unemployment, concentration in low status and low
paying jobs, and limited opportunities for career advancement. On the
other hand, members of these groups constitute an even greater proportion
of the labour force. It's important that the barriers inhibiting their
full participation be removed, so that the organization and society as
a whole can benefit.
5. If the demographics are changing, shouldn't we just let market
forces correct the past imbalances?
It's true that there are more members of designated groups in the workforce
than ever before, but systemic barriers still exist. Census data and other
labour force studies show that the pace of change is so slow that it would
be 80-100 years or more before some groups achieved equity. We can't afford
to waste the skill and abilities of whole groups of people, while the
market fixes itself.
6. Does employment equity mean a quota system?
No. A quota system would require that a fixed number of people be placed
in certain jobs, regardless of their skills and qualifications. Instead,
the University of Lethbridge sets realistic goals and timetables to meet
requirements, based on such factors as staff turnover, workforce growth
rate, employee availability, and meeting the goals outlined in the strategic
plan.
7. Isn't employment equity just reverse discrimination?
Employment equity ensures that the skills of all employees are fully utilized.
It broadens the pool of available candidates for new positions and promotion,
and provides opportunities for everyone. It lets everyone compete fairly
based on his or her skills and qualifications.
Current employment policies and practices will be examined thoroughly
and where any real or potential discrimination exists, the affected policies
and/or practices will be altered or eliminated to remove any employment
barriers, ensuring that all candidates will have an equal opportunity
in their career progression.
8. All organizations want to hire the best candidates for the
job. How does employment equity affect this?
Employment equity most definitely advocates that only qualified people
be hired and promoted. However, in the past, job requirements may have
been vague or so rigidly defined that valuable and qualified talent was
either inadvertently not recognized or screened out. Under employment
equity, job requirements are examined to ensure they're realistic and
job-related, so that all candidates can be fairly assessed.
9. Why is this organization asking for my designated group status
on the employment equity survey?
As part of our compliance with the Federal Contractors program, the University
of Lethbridge is required to ask all its employees to voluntarily indicate
if they are a member of one or more of the designed groups in order to
get an accurate snapshot of the workforce. The data collected can then
be used to analyze where we are in relation to the availability of qualified
designated group members in the hiring regions and can help us to identify
and remove any barriers that may exist in employment processes.
10. Why is my name or employee number shown on the survey?
Employment equity surveys are confidential, but not anonymous. It is mandatory
for the University of Lethbridge to maintain a complete and accurate database
as set out in the Employment Equity Regulations; this includes an employee
identifier. Employees may choose not to
answer the questions, but they must still submit the form. In order to
conduct appropriate analysis and planning a survey participation rate
of more than 80% is required so the organization must be able to follow
up on missing returns.
11. How will confidentiality be assured?
Access to these data will be kept under strict confidence and restricted
to the acting Employment Equity Coordinator. It will NOT be stored in
your personnel file nor shared with other HR personnel. Only aggregate
or summary data will be reported. Individual results, including names
will not be released.
12. How will the goals and timetables be developed? Will I be
able to participate in the process?
The employment equity plan is developed in consultation with management,
employee groups and the employment equity committee. If you have any ideas
on ways to eliminate barriers or to create a supportive environment, please
contact the Employment Equity Coordinator, a member of the employment
equity committee, or volunteer to serve on the committee yourself. Your
participation is always welcome.
Do you have a question? Contact Human Resources human.resources@uleth.ca
Managers FAQ |
Employee FAQ
In addition to the questions all employees ask,
Managers and Supervisors often have very specific concerns. The following
are some of the most common:
1. Why are we implementing Employment Equity?
The need to comply with employment Equity legislation is often the first
step towards embracing diversity. Once the compliance process is initiated,
the mechanisms put into place invariably extend far beyond the four designated
groups under the employment equity act to benefit the entire workforce
with correspondingly greater benefits to the organization. For example,
the bias free selection is a fundamental change that benefits all. The
typical employment equity policy covers religious and cultural issues
not confined to just designated group members. In fact culture was neither
mentioned n the Canadian Human Rights Act nor the Employment Equity Act
as a accommodation requirement. Flexible hours and telework apply to men
as well as women. Anti-harassment measures also cover all employees without
any distinction whatsoever.
2. What other benefits exist for our organization as a result
of implementing an employment equity program?
An employment equity program has been shown to provide organizations with
many benefits including access to wider and more diverse markets as well
as improved management-employee relations.
3. What are my obligations as a Manager in relation to employment
equity?
Under the Canadian Human Rights Act and provincial codes, the University
of Lethbridge is required to maintain a discrimination-free workplace.
As representatives of the employer, this legal requirement applies to
all Managers. As a Manager, you play an important role as a leader and
role model in the organization. You're also responsible for implementing
the organization's approved policies and procedures, including employment
equity.
4. How will the employment equity program impact my current department's
goals?
After the data collected from the employment equity surveys is analyzed,
aggregate reports will be generated. The results will be compared to Census
Canada data and subsequent numerical and quantifiable goals will be set
to address any deficiencies that may be identified in a department. These
goals will include realistic target dates and will be set according to
the needs of the University and the regional differences of the geographical
areas from which each department recruits.
5. In this unit, we all work as a team, sharing the duties equally.
How can I hire a person with a disability, if that disability would prevent
the person from doing some of the tasks?
Human rights codes require that Managers accommodate the needs of their
employees in relation to the essential duties of the job. Of course, that
means that first you have to identify those core duties. If the employee
with the disability could perform most of the job duties, and trade the
remainder with a colleague, then that could constitute a reasonable accommodation.
A technical aid (e.g. a large-screen computer, or a lifting device) could
also provide a way around the difficulty.
As a Manager, you have to be creative about questions like these. How
would you handle it if the top performer on your team were injured in
a car accident tomorrow? Wouldn't you still want to keep that person,
if at all possible, so as to be able to continue to benefit from his or
her skill and experience? Exercise the same flexibility in dealing with
a new employee.
6. What if I receive some resistance to employment equity from
my team?
Nip it in the bud by confronting resistance and unacceptable behavior
directly and quickly. Talk about employment equity in staff meetings and
communiqués to deal with any fears or myths. Give personal examples
to show the benefits. Model the behavior's you're trying to instill. Encourage
unit members to participate in corporate initiatives. Also remember that
you have support available from the Diversity Advantage team.
7. Will employment equity lower job standards?
Absolutely not. Employment equity ensures that job standards are realistic
and job related so that valuable and qualified talent is not ruled out
when a position needs to be filled. For example, does the applicant really
need a University degree to do the job or is it necessary for the employee
to be 5'10" tall?
8. If the demographics are changing, shouldn't we just let market
forces correct the past imbalances?
It's true that there are more members of designated groups in the workforce
than ever before, but systemic barriers still exist. Census data and other
labour force studies show that the pace of change is so slow that it would
be 80-100 years or more before some groups achieved equity. We can't afford
to waste the skill and abilities of whole groups of people, while the
market fixes itself.
9. How can the University of Lethbridge possibly implement employment
equity during periods of major change?
Employment equity is about much more than just external recruitment. Even
when the organization isn't expanding, there are still employment opportunities
due to normal turnover, e.g. to replace people who resign or retire,
or employees going on parental leave. You can also focus on your training,
career development, and retention systems during this period. Initiatives
to develop a supportive environment (e.g. training for all staff on employment
equity and human rights, community outreach, implementation of new or
revised human resources policies and procedures) can be undertaken at
any time in the business cycle. In fact, the University of Lethbridge
has already completed some of these initiatives: meeting with employee
group representatives, meetings with Dean's and Directors, creation of
this website, and development of a draft policy.
Do you have a question? Contact Human Resources human.resources@uleth.ca
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