Our Commitment to Employment Equity
We recognize the value of attracting, recruiting and retaining exemplary staff members. We are committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive, caring and safe work environment through recruitment and promotion practices that are equitable, transparent, accessible and support the Board’s mission, vision and values.
What is Employment Equity?
Employment equity means fair, bias-free hiring practices that lead to fair representation of underrepresented groups. Employment equity policies and procedures at the Board seek to achieve equality and fairness in its workplaces so that people who belong to historically disadvantaged groups are not denied employment opportunities or benefits due to systemic barriers. Employment equity is more than just treating everyone in the same way. Instead, it entails special measures and the accommodation of differences. These measures include:
- identifying and eliminating barriers in the Board’s employment policies and procedures;
- establishing positive policies and procedures to ensure the effects of systemic barriers are eliminated; and,
- ensuring appropriate representation of "designated group" members throughout the Board’s workforce.
How is the Board going about this?
As part of the 2017 Minister's Directions to the YRDSB, the HRCO was directed to "take the lead in developing and implementing the Board's employment equity strategies." The HRCO worked in partnership with Human Resources Services and other relevant Board units to launch the Employment Equity Audit during second term of the 2017-2018 school year.
Employment Equity Audit
The Employment Equity Audit was intended to help drive the Board's improvement of its human resources practices to create more diverse, equitable, and inclusive working environments for all employees.
View the Employment Systems Review
Turner Consulting Group was contracted in December 2017 to conduct the Employment Systems Review (ESR) for YRDSB. The purpose of the ESR was to provide the Board with information on what is working well and what requires improvement based on a comprehensive review of employment policies, procedures and practices. Based on its findings, the ESR included a total of 68 recommendations for the removal of attitudinal, cultural and systemic barriers to employment equity.
View the Workforce Census
The Employment Equity Audit also consisted of a Workforce Census based a systemwide survey conducted on February 2, 2018. The survey was developed and managed by the external consultants. YRDSB staff had no access to completed surveys or the Workforce Census database. The goal of the Workforce census was to determine the demographic makeup of YRDSB staff and whether equity-seeking groups experience barriers in hiring or advancement within the organization.
View the Employment Equity Plan
These Employment Systems Review and Workforce Census reports were the basis of the Board’s Employment Equity Plan. The Employment Equity Plan was developed to guide our commitment to providing safe, equitable, and inclusive environments for all students and employees. A general overview of the Employment Equity Plan can be found on the Equity and Inclusive Education webpage.
Myths and Misconceptions about Employment Equity
Reality: Employment Equity means treating everyone with fairness, taking into account people’s differences. This might include accommodation of employee religious observances and/or outfitting the workplace with technical equipment to assist people with physical disabilities.
Reality: Employment Equity means everyone has equal employment opportunities, not just a select group. It is about eliminating barriers faced by certain groups in society. Employment Equity does not mean people will lose their jobs because employers have made or will make room for designated group members.
Reality: Quotas are explicitly prohibited under Canada’s Employment Equity Act. Employment Equity is about settings rational and flexible targets to achieve fairness in Employment for designated groups. Employment Equity allows employers allows employers to set their own goals and realistic timetables for achieving the goals of employment equity.
Reality: Employment Equity means providing all qualified and quantifiable individuals with equal employment opportunities and not just individuals from a select group. Both Canadian and Quebec legislation provide that employers are not obligated to hire or promote unqualified individuals.
Reality: Employment Equity examines job standards to ensure that job criteria are realistic and job related. For example, does an applicant really need a high school diploma or university degree to do the job? Does the job require “Canadian experience”? Is it necessary to have a driver’s license?
Reality: It generally costs less than $500 to adapt a workstation to accommodate a person with a disability.
Reality: Employment Equity is required to compliment market forces. Studies indicate that certain people are denied access to jobs, promotions or training by policies and practices in the workplace. Such exclusion may not be intentional, but the negative impact is still the same.