VANSDA powerpoint on Employment Equity

1. “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
― James Baldwin
TRANSITION
TO
EMPLOYMENT
EQUITY

2. COPYRIGHT © 2020
BY ROBERT FFRENCH
&
VALLEY AFRICAN NOVA SCOTIAN
DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION
(VANSDA)
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS WORK OR ANY
PORTION THEREOF MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED
OR USED IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER
WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED WRITTEN
PERMISSION OF THE RIGHTS HOLDERS EXCEPT
FOR THE USE OF BRIEF QUOTATIONS UTILIZED
IN SUBJECT MATTER REVIEW.

4. INTRODUCTION
 Through those efforts, however one simple truth continues to be seen, the lack
of diversity within those very businesses
 What IS THE DISCONNECT IN the false narrative that just because you say
something does not make it a reality
 While our efforts will be focused upon Employment Equity the REAL conversation
is SOCIAL EQUITY
 Our goal today is to take a closer look at the WHY and start towards CHANGE
In todays business world companies make efforts to advertise their COMMITTMENT
to equity in their hiring policy

5. 10 Companies Around the World That Are
Embracing Equity in a BIG Way
 Most studies surrounding equity and diversity in the workplace have found that
for every 1% increase in gender diversity, company revenue increases by 3%.
 Higher levels of ethnic diversity increase revenue by a whopping 15%.
 According to Glassdoor, 67% of active and passive job seekers say that when
evaluating companies and job offers, it is important to them that the company
has a diverse workforce.

6. Refers to a concept
of dividing people
into populations or
groups on the basis
of various sets of
physical
characteristics and
supported by legal
systems of
inequality.
Shared identity
which arises among
those of a common
nationality or are
from a common
culture.
Learned dynamic
behaviour. The
values, traditions,
symbols, beliefs and
practices which are
created and shared
by a common group
of people by such
common factors as,
history, location or
social class.
AWARENESS COMPETENCIES - BASIC DEFINITIONS
RACE ETHNICITY CULTURE

7. EXERCISE 1
15

8. SECTION 1
DIFFERENCES
MEANING
Equality is the effect of treating each as
without difference; each individual is
considered without the counting of their
measurable attributes; treated as the
same of those with differing attributes
Equity refers to fairness and equality in
outcomes, not just in supports and
opportunity
EXAMPLE
Government subsidies on gasoline or
food. The subsidy is available to all
people, rich and poor alike.
Policies directed for certain marginalized
sections of society; i.e. Decisions by an
organizations to consciously look for a
female director for their board that is
composed of all men.
WHAT
IS IT ?
END MEANS
1

9. OVERVIEW
UNDERSTANDING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF EMPLOYMENT EQUITY (EE)
THE SCOPE AND APPLICABILITY OF EE IN CANADA
The roots of Employment Equity are in the 1984 Abella Commission. A US term, "affirmative action“
was considered, but decided not to be used because of the emotions and ill will surrounding
affirmative action. In its place the term "employment equity" for the Canadian context was instituted.
The report created became the foundation of the Employment Equity Act of 1986, later amended as
the Employment Equity Act of 1995.
THE CURRENT VIEW OF EE IN CANADA AND PROVINCIALLY
Employment Equity is often surrounded with controversy, as has occurred with similar programs in
the US and other countries. Opponents of employment equity argue that it violates common-sense
notions of fairness and equality. While advocates maintain that employment equity is necessary to
amend historic wrongs and to balance the economic differences among groups, a particular point of
contention has been the category visible minorities, which lumps together numerous ethnic groups,
some of which are affluent and some of which are severely disadvantaged. Thus providing no equity.

10. OVERVIEW
UNDERSTANDING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE EMPLOYMENT EQUITY ACT- con’t
EMPLOYMENT EQUITY, as defined in federal Canadian law by the EMPLOYMENT EQUITY ACT, requires
federal jurisdiction employers to engage in proactive employment practices to increase the
representation of four designated groups: women, people with disabilities, Aboriginal peoples,
and visible minorities.
 The act states that “employment equity” means more than treating persons the same way but also
requires special measures and the accommodation of differences".
 The act requires that employers remove barriers to employment that disadvantage members of the
four designated groups. The term reasonable accommodation is often used for the removal of such
barriers to employment.
 Employers are also required to institute positive policies for the hiring, training, retention, and
promotion of members of the designated groups
APPLYING THE EMPLOYMENT EQUITY PROCESS
The private business community is increasingly adopting federal guidelines out of need and their
intended continued growth.

11. EQUALITY = SAMENESS EQUITY = FAIRNESS LIBERATION= NO BARRIERS

12. BLACK POPULATION
OTHER VISIBLE MINORITY
NOT A VISIBLE MINORITY
PROPORTION OF POPULATION WITH LOW-INCOME STATUS
Black Canadians are nearly twice as likely as non-racialized Canadians to be considered low-income.
12.2%
20%
23.7%

13. AVERAGE TOTAL INCOME
BLACK POPULATION
NOT A VISIBLE MINORITY
Black Canadians make less annual income than non-racialized Canadians, both for new immigrants and
third generations Canadians.
$5,000
$15,000
$25,000
$35,000
$45,000
$55,000
1st Gen 2nd Gen 3rd Gen 1st Gen 2nd Gen 3rd Gen

14. BLACK POPULATION
OTHER VISIBLE MINORITY
NOT A VISIBLE MINORITY
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
Black Canadians are far more likely than non-racialized Canadians and other
visible minorities to be unemployed.
5.7%
7.3%
12.5%

15. BLACK POPULATION
REST OF THE POPULATION
EXPECTATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
Although 94% of Black youth aged 15 to 25 said that they would like to get a bachelor’s degree or higher, only 60% thought
they could, according to data from 2016.
78.8%
59.9%
THINK THEY WILL OBTAIN A UNIVERSITY DEGREE
82.4%
93.3%
WOULD LIKE TO OBTAIN A UNIVERSITY DEGREE

16. DEFINING THE FUNDAMENTAL TERMINOLOGY
UNFAIR DISCRIMINATION
The Canadian Human Rights Act continues to be in force alongside the Employment Equity Act. The key
distinction between the two laws is that the Canadian Human Rights Act merely prohibits discrimination,
whereas the Employment Equity Act requires employers to engage in proactive measures to improve
the employment opportunities of the four specific groups listed above.
IS EMPLOYMENT EQUITY - AFFIRMATIVE ACTION?
The Canadian Human Rights Act protects a wider range of minorities (such as sexual minorities and
religious minorities), while the Employment Equity Act limits its coverage to the aforementioned four
protected groups. In Canada, employment equity is a specific legal concept and should not be used as a
synonym for non-discrimination or workplace diversity.
UNFAIR DISCRIMINATION/ BIAS
 Employers must remove unfair bias from all their policies and practices.
• How do we recognize it?
 When is discrimination not Unfair?
• A question you must be able to answer with conviction.
 Disputes.
• How will you settle issues that may arise?

17. What are the
differential
consequences of my
decision for various
groups?
Who stands to lose the
most if my decision is
a poor one?
Have I fully taken into
account the risk to
people or groups not
represented at this
table?
What worldview am I
privileging as I
consider what actions
to take?
What other viewpoints
do I need to learn and
consider before acting?
How are my actions
colluding with my
privilege in this
particular instance?
What could I do in this
situation that would be
useful and effective and
not collude with
systemic consequences
of privilege?

18. EXERCISE 2
15

20. SECTION 2
THE STARTING POINT
REQUIREMENTS OF EMPLOYMENT EQUITY PLANNING
 How do I fit into the plan?
 Are there objectives for each phase of the plan?
 The duration of the plan (not shorter than a year or longer than 5 years)
 Include action measures that will be implemented
 Have numerical goals and strategies for achieving equitable representation
 Have a timetable for each phase (i.e. training)
 Have internal monitoring and evaluation procedures, including internal dispute
resolution mechanisms
 Identify persons, including senior managers, to monitor and implement the plan
Tips to recruit, hire and retain a diverse workplace or environment
2

21. ORGANIZATION CONSIDERATIONS
 SCOPE
 What opportunities does your market afford?
 IMPACT OF EMPLOYMENT EQUITY
 Will Employment Equity aid in your organization growth?
 POLICY AND PRACTICE
 Are any policies in place and how are they implemented?
 ADVERTISING POSITIONS
 Are employment opportunities universally attainable (how & where)?
 JOB APPLICATION FORMS
 How have they been designed and by whom?
 SHORT-LISTING OF JOB APPLICANTS
 How is this process enacted?
 REFERENCE CHECKING OF JOB APPLICANTS
 What are the standards used?
 MAKING THE JOB OFFER
 Is the hire a real hire?

23. EXERCISE 3
15

24. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION- ASPIRATIONAL ACTION- EMPLOYMENT EQUITY
Employers must make sure designated groups (Persons of African Descent, First Nations, women and people with disabilities)
have equal opportunities in the workplace.
DUTIES OF A EMPLOYER:
If the strategy is new, ensure the goals are articulated to the entire employee group.
 What are the employment equity measures that are being considered?
 Should current employees be needed in the implementation process consultation needs to occur & buy-in from those
affected or asked to assist ?
EMPLOYMENT EQUITY MEASURES
 Identification and elimination of barriers with an adverse impact on designated groups
 Review and assess the measures which promote diversity
 Identify any reasonable accommodations necessary for people from designated groups
 Retention, development and training of designated groups (including skills development)
 Implement preferential treatment and numerical goals to ensure equitable representation

25. WILLING
AND UNABLE
Willing
• Developing an
eagerness to learn
• Some things
already known
Unable
• Emerging state of
awareness but
not applying
knowledge
• Low expectations
• Lip service
WILLING
AND ABLE
Willing
• Aspiration – the
target, goal or
objective
Able
• Embedded – takes
on board
• High expectations
UNWILLING
AND UNABLE
Unwilling
• Is not prepared to
change
Unable
• Denial – ignorance
• Lack of opportunity
• Fear of acting
incorrectly
UNWILLING AND ABLE
Unwilling
• Uncertainty
• Fear
• Not prepared to take risks
Able
• Consolidating – wants to
know more about it
(already has done some
learning)
• In a position to put
knowledge into
supportive
relationships for
learning to
occur
WILLING
UNWILLING
UNABLE ABLEongoing environmental feedbackongoing environmental feedback
ongoingreflectionongoingreflection

26. SECTION 3
EMPLOYMENT EQUITY PROCESS
PHASE 1: PREPARATION
PHASE 2: IMPLEMENTATION
PHASE 3: MONITORING
3

27. EMPLOYMENT EQUITY MEASURES
 Identification and elimination of barriers with an adverse impact on designated groups
 Review and assess the measures which promote diversity
 Identify any reasonable accommodations necessary for people from designated groups
 Retention, development and training of designated groups (including skills development)
 Implement preferential treatment and numerical goals to ensure equitable representation
WHICH PHASE 1, 2 or 3 ?
1 2 3

28. PHASE 1
PREPARATION
 Assign/ assume responsibility for the plan
 Creating employee awareness
 Establishing a consultative forum (depending upon size of organization?)
 Conduct an internal audit
 Development of workforce profile
 Conduct market analysis

29. PHASE 2
IMPLEMENTATION
 Taking affirmative action measures and other proactive steps to improve the
diversity profile of the company or organization
 A timeframe with target dates must be set
 Resources must be allocated to implement the plan
 The plan must be shared with all stakeholders within in the organization

30. PHASE 3
MONITORING
 Plan monitored and evaluated along the way
 Progress reports must be created outlining advances made towards goals
 Reports should be available to all employees
 Requirements of EE Reporting – Gains made, impact on business, % of plan
achieved
 Publication of the EE Report – Internal newsletter / staff recognition

31. EXERCISE 4
15

32. SECTION 4
DECONSTRUCTING INEQUITY
SYSTEM OF INEQUITY
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE
OVERVIEW
4

33.  Research has shown employers claiming to be pro-diversity, discriminated against
resumes with racial references as frequently as employers who didn't mention
diversity at all in their job ads.
 Research has also shown that employment seekers are at an even greater risk for
discrimination when applying with a pro-diversity' employer because they have
been more transparent.
 Organizations are not necessarily all talk when they say they’re pro-diversity. The
diversity values may be there, but they are not understood by all involved in the
hiring process.
“PRO-DIVERSITY” EMPLOYERS DISCRIMINATE ALSO

34. HOW DOES THE SYSTEM OF INEQUITY FUNCTION?
 The system of inequity is embedded in history, culture and identity.
 It is driven by (or it is moved by) power and economics.
 The system has internal and external components and consequences.
 The internal components consist of bias, privilege and internalized racism.
 External components operate through institutions (rules, laws, policies, customs), structures and among groups
(interpersonal), and they inform our interpersonal, institutional and structural relationships.
 The structure is the networking of the relationships– such as education, banking, media, healthcare and faith-based
institutions. Collectively, along with bias, privilege and all of the elements of the system, they support the churning out of
inequities.
SYSTEM OF INEQUITY

36. HISTORY
IDENTITYCULTURE
POWER
AND
ECONOMICS
BIAS
PRIVILEGE
INTERNALIZED RACISM
INTERPERSONAL
INSTITUTIONAL
STRUCTURAL
EXTERNALINTERNAL

37.  The objectives of the Employment Equity Committee
 The function of the Employment Equity Committee
 Ground rules guiding the Employment Equity Committee
 The composition of the Employment Equity Committee
 Interaction between the Employment Equity Committee and other units (if any)
 Meeting procedures and administration of the Employment Equity Committee
ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND FUNCTIONS OF EMPLOYMENT EQUITY COMMITTEES
– Necessary to achieve support

39. "It's time for employers to acknowledge that bias is hardwired into the hiring
system and that prejudice is clouding the screening of qualified applicants.”
Business leaders should start by taking a closer look at their resume screening processes. Blind
recruitment is one possible solution, where information about race, age, gender, or social class are
removed from resumes before hiring managers see them. Taking this action though while possibly
innovative for your company may backfire if your company is not ready to be diversified.

40.  Organizations need to make goals and then continually evaluate the outcome in order to
meet those goals.
 The bottom line for business leaders who are hiring, once you receive applications, you
need to make sure they are evaluated fairly.
 Where does business go to access information or
contact qualified persons to create welcoming
workplaces?

41. EXERCISE 5
30

42. HOW TO ADDRESS DISCRIMINATORY HIRING PRACTICES:
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE ?

43. Employers vary across a wide spectrum, from finance to retail to skilled trades to
government, there are a number of similarities in what it takes to successfully
develop and implement a new inclusive talent strategy. For our conversation we will
focus on 4 effective ways to jump-start the expansion of your talent pipeline to
include diverse populations and promote an equity agenda:
1. DO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR EQUITY TARGETS? How did you determine your
goal?
In a best-case scenario, to effectively recruit and retain diverse community
members, organizations must first develop a deeper understanding of their resume
screening processes.

44. 2. IDENTIFY THE BARRIERS IN YOUR TALENT PIPELINE
In today’s competitive solutions-minded business culture, it's all too easy to
formulate an answer without first understanding the underlying problems. To build
an efficient talent pipeline, you must start by assessing what’s impeding the flow. A
great way to identify current barriers is to interview or anonymously survey current
staff.
 Ask what made it hard to get hired.
 Ask what made it hard to succeed in their jobs.
 Are they aware of advancement opportunities.
 Review the turnover and advancement information to see who and in what
roles, are staying and being promoted.
 Pinpoint when or at what stage employees are most likely to leave and what
the contributing factors were.
 Ask for anonymous suggestions which if implemented could address issues
in hiring and retention of targeted employees.

45. 3. CREATE THE BEST POSSIBLE RESULTS
Examine talent pipeline barriers of competitors to determine how those best
practice employers address this challenge. What strategic investments are they
making that build diverse talent pipelines, support employee retention and
advancement.
Best practices for hiring and retaining diverse persons often include:
i. Simplified hiring processes: eliminating unnecessary educational
requirements, multiple employment reference checks, and pre-hire
assessments can all be barriers that exclude otherwise job-ready
individuals.
ii. Similarly, long interviewing stages can make it difficult for members of
marginalized communities to stay in the process if they have obstacles such
as urgent financial needs.

46. iii. Alternative screening methods: Managers typically only spend seven
seconds reviewing a resume and may easily screen out a well-suited
person. Use of a team review process may identify transferable talents
(Allows more review time on the applicant resumes)
iv. Adopting different tools (video, online portfolio) may offer the applicant a
way to highlight qualities, talents and other skills that add to their value as
employees
v. To increase the flow of your talent pipeline, accessing the places where
targeted communities congregate can never be underestimated

47. 4. ONGOING CAREER COACHING
 Adjusting to a new workplace culture by ensuring all staff is aware of their
role coaching and mentoring new hires. Particularly on topics related to
professionalism and career advancement. Made easier if current staff are
afforded opportunities as well.
 Attracting quality talent requires investing in best practices that improve
the workplace experience of candidates, new hires, and long-term
employees spanning the talent pipeline. Improved morale and welcoming
workplace culture results across the organization.

48.  Creating an effective talent pipeline, whether targeted or not, requires
dedicated staff and resources to implement your chosen practice changes.
 Without expending organizational capital, which does not necessarily mean
cash, improvements will fall to the wayside as other daily priorities take
precedence.
 Companies that have seen the greatest success with their employment
equity, retention and diversity of talent is based upon clearly defined
hiring policies and expectations.
 Developing a talent pipeline based upon Employment Equity policy takes
time and intention in order to build your workplace talent strategy.

49. WHAT HAS YOUR ORGANIZATION DONE TO CREATE AND FOLLOW AN
EMPLOYMENT EQUITY PATH
?
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

51. Thanks for your participation
rffrench@vansda.ca
“Not everything that is faced can be
changed. But nothing can be changed until it
is faced”
– James Baldwin