Étape 1 du processus de mise en œuvre d’un programme …labour-travail.gc.ca implementing an...

Achieving and Sustaining Employment Equity: A Five-Step Process

Step 1 Initiating the Program

and Collecting the Data

Implementing an Employment Equity Program: Step 1: Initiating the Program and Collecting the Data

September 2012 of 61

Table of Contents Introduction ________________________________________________________________________ 3

Communication, Consultation/Collaboration and Record Keeping for Step 1 ____________________ 4 Reference Documents for Step 1 ______________________________________________________ 5

Task A - Adopt an Accountability Mechanism and Appoint a Senior Officer ___________________ 6 Accountability Mechanisms ___________________________________________________________ 6 Appointment of a Senior Officer _______________________________________________________ 8 Exercise for Task A _________________________________________________________________ 9

Task B - Establish an Effective Communication Strategy _________________________________ 12 Communication Plan _______________________________________________________________ 12 Regulatory Requirement ____________________________________________________________ 14 Exercise for Task B ________________________________________________________________ 15

Task C - Consult and Collaborate with Employee Representatives and/or Bargaining Agents ___ 18 Advantages and Obligations _________________________________________________________ 18 Consultation and Collaboration Mechanisms ____________________________________________ 20 Employment Equity Committee _______________________________________________________ 21

Composition of the Committee _____________________________________________________ 21 Functions of the Committee _______________________________________________________ 23

Regulatory Requirement ____________________________________________________________ 25 Exercise for Task C ________________________________________________________________ 26

Task D - Collect Workforce Data ______________________________________________________ 31 Survey Your Workforce _____________________________________________________________ 31 Survey Preparation ________________________________________________________________ 35 Survey Administration ______________________________________________________________ 37

Distribution of the Questionnaire ___________________________________________________ 37 Follow-up to the Questionnaire _____________________________________________________ 38

Survey Follow-up__________________________________________________________________ 40 Exercise for Task D ________________________________________________________________ 41

Task E - Code Workforce Data ________________________________________________________ 43 Storing Workforce Data _____________________________________________________________ 43 Coding Workforce Data _____________________________________________________________ 44

Five Levels of Coding ____________________________________________________________ 44 Geographic Location of the Position _________________________________________________ 44 National Occupational Classification ________________________________________________ 45 North American Industry Classification System ________________________________________ 46 Employment Status ______________________________________________________________ 47 Annualization of Salaries _________________________________________________________ 47 Annualization Exercise ___________________________________________________________ 49

Import and Consolidate Data ________________________________________________________ 52 Regulatory Requirement ____________________________________________________________ 53 Exercise for Task E ________________________________________________________________ 55

Test Your Knowledge of Step 1 _______________________________________________________ 56



Introduction

The first steps are crucial for the real success of your employment equity program. From the outset, you must set the tone and determine how managers, employees and employee representatives will receive this program. It is therefore very important at this stage to demonstrate senior management's support and maintain constant communication with employees and their representatives. During Step 1 of the process for initiating an employment equity program, you establish the basic elements essential to the success of your program. These elements include:

• adopting an accountability mechanism for your program; • assigning a senior officer accountable for the program; • communicating information on employment equity to your employees; • establishing an environment that enables consultation and collaboration with

employee representatives and/or bargaining agents ; • collecting workforce data; and • coding the employment equity data.

Once the responsibility of the employment equity program has been assigned to a senior officer and the initiation of the program has been announced in the organization, the administrative structure required to implement the program must be established. This includes establishing a mechanism for consultation and collaboration with employee representatives and/or bargaining agents, as well as the appointment of an employment equity coordinator, if applicable. If you have questions regarding these tasks, send an e-mail to: [email protected] If your question relates to WEIMS, send an email to: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]





Communication, Consultation/Collaboration and Record Keeping for Step 1

Focusing on communication, consultation/collaboration and record keeping throughout the initiation of employment equity in your workplace is crucial to creating a firm foundation on which to build your employment equity program and plan. These elements enforce your organization's commitment to a fair and equitable workplace for all and provide for greater transparency and accountability.

Communication Consultation/Collaboration Record Keeping

Communicating regularly with employees, managers, employee representatives and bargaining agents fosters an environment of understanding, commitment and support that will contribute to the successful initiation of an employment equity program in your workplace. These communications should explain employment equity and describe the activities and measures your organization will undertake to implement it. During Step 1, you are required to communicate when:

1. providing introductory information about the purpose of employment equity;

2. inviting employees to participate in the formation of an employment equity committee;

3. introducing and explaining the self-identification questionnaire; and

4. providing follow-up information related to the self-identification questionnaire.

Especially during the initiation stage, it is important to ask employee representatives and bargaining agents for their opinion about how best to implement employment equity in your workplace and how to communicate with employees on matters related to employment equity.

Appropriate record keeping of the steps your organization has taken to initiate employment equity is crucial. Keeping electronic or hard-copy records of the process will allow your organization to update data retrieved through your workforce survey easily and use this data as evidence of correct procedure during a compliance audit.



Reference Documents for Step 1

The following reference documents are attached to this document: First Communication to Present Employment Equity Comm1PresentationEN.pdf

Second Communication: EE committee and Request for Volunteers Comm2AskingForVolunteersEN.pdf

Third Communication: Announcing the Questionnaire Comm3QuestionnaireEN.pdf

Fourth Communication: Questionnaire Follow-Up Comm4QuestionnaireFollowUpEN.pdf

Counting Employees CountingEmployees.pdf

Example of a Self-Identification Questionnaire QuestionnaireSelfIdentificationEN.pdf

FAQ for the Questionnaire QuestionnaireFAQEN.pdf

Checklist for Step 1 Step1ChecklistEN.pdf

Provinces and CMAs Codes CodesProvincesRMREn.pdf

Example: EmployeeTXT ExampleEmployeeTXTEn.pdf

Example: PromoTXT ExamplePromoTXTEn.pdf

Example: TermTXT ExampleTermTXTEn.pdf

National Occupational Classification Matrix NOCMatrix.pdf

Video: Update Employer’s Information UpdateEmployersInformation.swf

Video: Upload Data in WEIMS UploadData.swf

Video: Generate Forms 1 to 6 Forms.swf If you do not see the attachments in the left menu when you open the .pdf document, you can display them by following these instructions:

1. Click on “View” 2. Click on “Show/Hide” 3. Click on “Navigation panes” 4. Click on “Attachments”



Task A - Adopt an Accountability Mechanism and Appoint a Senior Officer

Accountability Mechanisms

Want to track the progress of your employment equity program to ensure that all efforts are put forth to implement your employment equity plan and reasonable progress is made? You may set up appropriate accountability mechanisms that meet your organization's specific circumstances and needs. Moreover, these mechanisms will enable you to ensure that your organization's commitment to employment equity is taken seriously. When your organization is subject to a compliance audit, it will have to demonstrate the accountability of its management team as a way to ensure that all reasonable efforts will be made when implementing your employment equity plan so that reasonable progress is made. Senior management can demonstrate that it supports employment equity through tangible actions. These include delegating appropriate authority to those responsible for developing the employment equity plan, allocating sufficient human and financial resources to ensure the effective functioning of the accountability mechanism and setting clear performance standards. You can designate one or more people to coordinate the application of the employment equity program. In large organizations, several people will be assigned to this task; in smaller organizations, this function will be assumed by the senior officer responsible for implementing the employment equity program. Here are a few suggestions of accountability measures that you can adopt:

• Establish an employment equity working group or a coordinator who will be responsible for managing the employment equity process;

• Require managers of areas with gaps in representation to report on efforts and progress made toward removing barriers and eliminating gaps; and

• Require people responsible for hiring processes to report on how they considered employment equity objectives in their decisions.

To select the appropriate accountability mechanisms, ask yourself the following questions:

• Who in my organization is in the best position to take charge of the day-to-day responsibilities involved in managing the employment equity process: a coordinator or a committee?

• Does the mechanism that I want to put in place take into account the size of my organization and the geographical distribution of the organization's employees?

• Do the managers in charge of recruiting and promoting staff have clear employment equity measures and objectives, and are they required to provide progress reports?

• What are the consequences if the assigned measures and objectives are not met?



• Is/are the mechanism(s) sufficient to ensure that the employment equity program is executed?

Note: Although outside consultants may be helpful to some employers, accountability for the program and the work completed must always reside within the organization. Reflection:

• How does your organization monitor its progress with respect to its other objectives?

• If there are accountability mechanisms that are well known by everyone and that operate effectively, can you adopt them for the employment equity program?



Appointment of a Senior Officer

Accountability for employment equity may be assigned to a senior officer within your organization. Most organizations find that investing lead responsibility in one person provides the most consistency and control. It is important to note that this measure goes beyond simply assigning accountability; your organization must ensure that the appointed person is aware that there are clear roles and responsibilities required of them. This senior officer should have the authority to make decisions on the organization's behalf, and should be known and respected in the organization. Ideally, the designated officer should report directly to the chief executive officer to demonstrate to all employees that senior management supports and is committed to employment equity. The higher the level of the designated officer, the greater the likelihood that positive changes will be made.



Exercise for Task A

Question 1: You wish to establish accountability mechanisms to ensure the success of your employment equity program. What changes do you have to make to managers' performance agreements?

a. Add hiring quotas for all managers b. Add clear employment equity objectives for all managers c. Add hiring objectives for recruiting managers only

Feedback: Including clear employment equity objectives in all managers' performance agreements is one of the accountability mechanisms that would help to ensure that all efforts are put forth to implement your employment equity plan so that reasonable progress is made. Recruiting managers can be in charge of hiring and promoting objectives to eliminate the gaps identified in their respective sectors, while managers can be responsible for certain measures of the employment equity plan, such as raising employees' awareness of employment equity and diversity in order to eliminate certain prejudices.

Question 2:

Of the following, which mechanism would best in helping managers report on their employment equity objectives?

a. Report on the progress toward achieving their employment equity objectives

b. Report on hiring/terminations of members of designated groups c. Report on the costs of hiring and retaining members of designated groups

Feedback: By requiring managers to regularly produce progress reports on their employment equity objectives, you will be able to track the progress made and, if needed, modify the objectives to ensure they are achieved. It is preferable to establish a formal tracking process, such as producing progress reports in writing, rather than simply discussing the progress made.



Question 3: Which of the following elements will NOT help you demonstrate that you have implemented an employment equity program?

a. A copy of the communication to recruiting managers outlining your recruitment objectives

b. A copy of managers' work description, revised to include employment equity responsibilities

c. The list of all employees who are members of a designated employment equity group

Feedback: There is nothing in this list indicating that you have implemented an employment equity program. However, a copy of the communication to recruiting managers specifying the recruitment objectives or a copy of managers' work description revised to include employment equity responsibilities are included in the employment equity program implementation process.

Question 4:

You initiate implementation of your employment equity program. Your situation is as follows:

• Your organization is located in a small city away from large metropolitan areas.

• All your employees work in the same establishment. • You have 150 non-unionized employees. • There is no human resources division - one employee takes care of pay and

recruitment services, assisted by the comptroller. • The workforce is not representative of the four designated groups - there are

only a few women and one visible minority employee.

Who should you appoint as the senior officer responsible for employment equity? a. The chief executive officer of the organization b. The employee responsible for pay and recruitment c. The comptroller

Feedback: The designated senior officer should report directly to the chief executive officer to demonstrate to all members of the organization that senior management supports and is committed to employment equity. In this context, the comptroller should be appointed as the designated senior officer. The chief executive officer would not have the time to carry out all the activities required to implement an employment equity program. The employee responsible for pay is not in a senior position and does not report to the chief executive officer.



Question 5: What is the most appropriate accountability mechanism?

a. Raising managers' awareness of employment equity. b. Raising all employees' awareness of employment equity. c. Increasing the accountability of the people in charge of recruitment and

promotion in terms of employment equity objectives and measures.

Feedback: In this context, there is only one person responsible for pay, assisted by the comptroller, who is responsible for recruiting and promoting employees. By making these two individuals responsible for the hiring and promotion objectives of the employment equity plan, you ensure the success of the organization's employment equity program.



Task B - Establish an Effective Communication Strategy

Communication Plan

The first communication you send to your organization's employees about your employment equity program should be personal. In this first communication, you should provide employees, bargaining agents and employee representatives with the name and contact information of the senior officer responsible for the program. With this information, you should also provide an explanation of the purpose of employment equity. You will find an example of a memorandum that your organization can use to disclose the objective of employment equity and the designation of a senior officer in the reference documents called “First Communication to present Employment Equity”.

To ensure you do not omit anything in your communications, you must write a communication strategy and a communication plan that:

• is flexible enough to address unexpected issues as they arise. • ensures communication is frequent at the beginning of the employment equity

process and it should take place at least twice a year thereafter. Your communication strategy must take into account the following points: Why communicate?

To encourage comprehension, commitment and support, which will help you successfully implement your employment equity program.

Who must communicate?

It is recommended that the first communication be issued by the chief executive officer or president in order to demonstrate his or her commitment. Afterward, the person responsible for the organization's employment equity program may issue communications.

What to communicate?

The goal of equity, the objectives of your employment equity program, the measures and activities that will be undertaken, the progress made as well as the name and contact information of the person responsible for the program.

Who to communicate to?

All employees, managers, employee representatives and bargaining agents. You may choose to communicate differently with each target audience. The EEA requires that you consult employee representatives on how they can help you communicate with employees on employment equity matters.

When to communicate?

You must communicate with employees at each step of implementing your employment equity program. Your communication strategy must therefore include a plan for each of these communications, as well as the relevant methods and messages.



How to communicate?

By using the communication methods suited to your organization, its situation and each target audience.

Personal communication Non-personal communication

Should be used each time the communication has to be bilateral. For example, during your first communication with employees in order to ensure that they understand the reasons for employment equity, their roles and responsibilities, and the level of commitment of senior management to the program.

May be appropriate when employee feedback is not required. For example, to provide progress reports on program implementation.

Ex.: In-person meetings, information sessions, etc.

Ex.: Memos, e-mail, newsletters, electronic bulletins, etc.

If applicable, your communications must be available in alternative formats.



Regulatory Requirement

Regulatory Requirement on Communication Regarding Employment Equity The regulatory requirement on communications regarding employment equity is based on Section 14 of the EEA. Pursuant to section 14 every employer shall: "…[provide] information to its employees explaining the purpose of employment equity and shall keep its employees informed about measures the employer has undertaken or is planning to undertake to implement employment equity and the progress the employer has made in implementing employment equity." The following criteria are used to evaluate this requirement: The organization provides information on employment equity to all employees

that explain the purpose of employment equity. The organization keeps employees informed about the measures: it is planning to

undertake; it has undertaken; and progress made to implement employment equity.

Reflection: Do you meet these criteria? If you do, you may now proceed to Task C of this step: Consult and Collaborate with Employee Representatives and/or Bargaining Agents.



Exercise for Task B

This exercise is comprised of four questions relating to Task B – Establish an Effective Communication Strategy. Question 1: Which elements should be included in your first communication to employees? The communication should be: Issued by the chief executive officer Issued every two years

Issued by the human resources director Issued using suitable methods to reach all employees

Addressed only to permanent and temporary employees

Addressed to all employees

Issued by bargaining agents Addressed only to recruiting managers The communication should include: The name and contact information of the senior officer responsible for implementing the employment equity program

Clear and up-to-date information

The names and contact information of designated group employees

The objective of employment equity

The measures taken and those that will be taken in implementing your employment equity program

The name of the officer who will conduct the organization's compliance audit

The definition of the four designated groups

Management's commitment toward employment equity

The activities and measures that will be adopted for the purposes of implementing the employment equity program

The chief executive officer's name and contact information



Question 2: What is the best way to deliver your first communication? a. Gather all employees in one room. b. Send out a memorandum. c. Put the information on the intranet. Feedback: The first communication is very important. It is preferable that this communication be personal, i.e., that senior management's commitment, the purpose of employment equity, and upcoming activities are expressed verbally. Consequently, employees will clearly understand the rationale for the program, and that they will have the opportunity to discuss the program and have their concerns heard.

Question 3: Who should issue this first communication?

a. The chief executive officer of the organization. b. The senior officer responsible for the employment equity program, in cooperation

with the employee representative. c. The chief executive officer of the organization, in cooperation with the

senior officer responsible for the employment equity program, employee representatives and/or bargaining agents.

Feedback: The first communication is very important. It should be issued by the chief executive officer of the organization, in cooperation with employee representatives and/or bargaining agents, if possible, to verbally express their commitment. The chief executive officer should also introduce the senior officer responsible for the program, as well as provide the senior officer's contact information. The senior officer will therefore obtain better cooperation from employees to undertake the activities involved in implementing the employment equity program. Moreover, as the person responsible for the employment equity program, the senior officer can respond directly to employees' questions during this meeting, and employees will know to whom they should address further questions or concerns. From the time the program is implemented, employee representatives and/or bargaining agents will be able, if needed, to dispel any myths or false ideas surrounding employment equity that have circulated among employees.



Question 4: Why do employee representatives and/or bargaining agents need to be involved in communications?

a. Because they are part of the organization's workforce. b. Because it is sometimes the most effective way to inform employees and

obtain their participation. c. Because it is a requirement with regard to employment equity in the collective

agreements. Feedback: Employee representatives and bargaining agents can play an active role in communications. For example, they can take part in presentations made to their own members, express the union's support of the employment equity program, and encourage employees to participate in the workforce survey.



Task C - Consult and Collaborate with Employee Representatives and/or Bargaining Agents

Advantages and Obligations

Consultation and collaboration ensures that all workplace partners play an active role in employment equity implementation. The co-operation and support of employee representatives and/or bargaining agents is essential to creating a favourable environment for the designated groups, especially when asking employees to self-identify as designated group members. For consultation and collaboration to be effective, all parties concerned must take part voluntarily. They must truly be driven by a willingness to work together and be prepared to collaborate. The EEA specifies that employers must consult with employee representatives and/or bargaining agents in the development, implementation and revision of the employment equity plan. During the implementation step, it is especially important to ask employee representatives and bargaining agents for their views on the best way to implement an employment equity program in the workplace and to send communications to employees concerning employment equity issues. If collaboration with employee representatives and bargaining agents is not possible, the employer has to act alone. Points to Remember in the Consultation Process

Confidentiality Participation of Employee Representatives and /or

Bargaining Agents Decision-Making Power

Consultation and collaboration activities require an open dialogue and sharing of information between the employer, employee representatives and bargaining agents. Therefore, it is recommended that employers provide employee representatives and bargaining agents with the information that is necessary to allow them to participate meaningfully and effectively in the consultation and collaboration processes. At

According to the EEA, you are required to consult employee representatives and/or bargaining agents on the two types of assistance they can provide to you: • Communicating with

employees • Implementing

employment equity. In return, when unionized employees are represented by a bargaining agent, the agent is obligated to participate in these consultations or to

The EEA clarifies that consultation and collaboration are not forms of co-management. This means that decision-making power and full responsibility for fulfilling the legislative requirements ultimately rest with the employer. If collaboration with employee representatives and bargaining agents is not possible, the employer has to act alone.



the same time, confidentiality requirements must be respected.

designate someone to participate on their behalf. If the bargaining agent refuses to participate, you must keep a record proving that all reasonable efforts to consult were made.



Consultation and Collaboration Mechanisms

The legislation does not specify what type of process must be established for consultation and collaboration. Employers are, however, encouraged to build on successful labour-management structures that already exist or to introduce a new structure that will allow them to meet their responsibilities under the Act. Options include:

• a joint labour-management committee or working group; • a number of joint labour-management sub-committees; • task forces devoted to exploring specific aspects of employment equity; • regional employment equity committees; • focus groups; or • a combination of these structures, depending on your organization's size,

geographical distribution, number of bargaining units and employee representatives.

An employment equity committee is a very useful mechanism for consulting and collaborating with employee representatives and bargaining agents. It establishes a forum for sharing information and developing other mechanisms to ensure that all employees are aware of the objectives of employment equity. Regardless of your choice, your organization must determine as quickly as possible the most efficient structure for your workplace.



Employment Equity Committee

Composition of the Committee If you set up an employment equity committee, it should:

• consist of at least four members without becoming too large or hard to manage; • be co-chaired by a manager, an employee and/or an employee representative to

increase collaboration and to promote a sense of inclusion; • include the senior officer responsible for employment equity; • have representative(s) from all designated groups; and • be adequately representative of the unionized and non-unionized portions of the

workforce, all designated groups, occupational groups within the workplace and various geographic locations and sectors.

Organizations might also invite individuals from outside the workplace to sit on the committee for reasons of inclusiveness or expertise. Such a measure might be particularly useful in seeking a representative from a designated group that is significantly under-represented in the workplace.

Unionized Workplaces Non-Unionized Workplaces

In workplaces where all or part of the workforce is unionized, each union, through its bargaining agents, should be invited to participate as a full member in the employment equity committee. In such cases, a coordinating committee consisting of representatives from each of the sub-committees could also be established to oversee the process and provide a forum for sharing information.

In smaller workplaces with multiple bargaining agents, it may not be necessary to have a coordinating committee as long as each of the bargaining agents can be represented on the employment equity committee.

Where committee seats are assigned to non-unionized employees, some options include: • Selection by unit: Assigning a seat to

a unit or a branch in the case of small workplaces; for larger organizations, a regional or provincial seat can be established.

• Nomination: Inviting employees to nominate possible representatives.

• Invitation for volunteers: Seeking expression of interest in volunteering from employees.



The document "Second Communication: EE Committee and Request for Volunteers is an example of a memorandum inviting employees to participate in the employment equity committee and it is available in the reference documents. In this example, it was also asked if there were people interested in taking part in an employment equity committee on a voluntary basis.



Functions of the Committee

Your organization's employment equity committee is encouraged to participate extensively throughout the process by:

• helping to establish, communicate, promote and implement employment equity in your workplace;

• assisting in the development of the self-identification questionnaire and promotion of the workforce survey;

• identifying specific needs of designated groups within your organization; • reviewing all employment policies and practices, written and unwritten, to

ensure they do not present employment barriers for designated group members;

• consolidating all of your organization's employment equity activities and goals; • assisting in the development, implementation and review of the employment

equity plan; and • preparing and/or organizing presentations and/or training sessions on

employment equity for managers and staff in your organization.

How the committee operates will depend a great deal on the size of your organization and its culture. Your organization can maximize the committee's effectiveness by:

• providing training to the members of the committee on employment equity and on interest-based, non-adversarial collaboration;

• developing a clear mandate for the committee, which define its primary purposes and lay out how the committee will function;

• developing a general action plan for the committee; • providing opportunities for committee members to identify and understand the

issues, review and consider proposals before the committee, and formulate an informed response to proposals before the committee;

• presenting alternative or additional proposals to the committee for consideration; • giving serious consideration to all proposals, advice, suggestions and other

comments provided by employee representatives during the consultation and collaboration process; and

• making the committee process a part of committee members' work-related duties. This means:

o committee meetings should take place during working hours; o employee representatives should receive their normal pay for time spent at

committee meetings; and o employee representatives should be compensated at regular overtime

rates, if meetings exceed normal working hours.

After the committee is created, you may wish to appoint an employment equity coordinator and allow the committee members to be involved in the selection of the person. You may want to select someone who is knowledgeable of organizational policies and procedures and that is aware of the concerns of designated group members



working in your organization. This person should also be competent in the area of negotiation.




Regulatory Requirement on Consultation with Employee Representatives and Bargaining Agents and Collaboration with Them

Pursuant to section 15 of the EEA, every employer shall: "… [consult] with its employees' representatives by inviting the representatives to provide their views concerning:

• the assistance that the representatives could provide to the employer to facilitate the implementation of employment equity in its workplace and the communication to its employees of matters relating to employment equity; and

• the preparation, implementation and revision of the employer's employment equity plan."

The Act further states that: "Every employer and its employees' representatives shall collaborate in the preparation, implementation and revision of the employer's employment equity plan." Do you meet the following evaluation criteria? The employer invites all employee representatives and bargaining agents, where

applicable, to provide their views on the assistance they could provide to facilitate the implementation of employment equity in the workplace and in communicating to employees about employment equity, while keeping in mind the views of the designated group members.

The employer consults and collaborates with employee representatives and/or with bargaining agents in the preparation, implementation and revision of its employment equity plan.

Reflection: Do you meet these criteria? If you do, you may now proceed to Task D of this step: Collect Workforce Data.



Exercise for Task C

You have just read the section on consulting and collaborating with employee representatives and bargaining agents. The scenarios that follow will help you practise setting up an employment equity committee. You can choose the scenario that best suits your situation or do all three exercises to learn more. Scenario #1 - Large organization that has facilities in multiple provinces and has non-unionized employees You initiate implementation of your employment equity program. Your situation is as follows:

• Your workforce is composed of 2,800 non-unionized employees. • In addition to your headquarters, you have branches in several provinces. • Some employees do not have access to a computer: they work in the laboratory

or on the road, and some employees are visually impaired. • You designated the human resources director as the senior officer responsible for

implementing your employment equity program. To comply with the requirement of accountability mechanisms, you are unsure of what the structure of your employment equity committee should be. Question 1:

In this context, what type of structure should you adopt for your employment equity committee? a. A local committee in each of the branches composed of:

• The branch manager • Employee representatives • Designated group employees

b. A central committee at headquarters, chaired by the human resources

director, plus a central subcommittee reporting to the main committee, composed of: • The recruiting manager from each branch • Employee representatives • Designated group employees

c. A central committee at your headquarters composed of:

• The human resources director • Designated group employees



Feedback: In this situation, setting up a central committee in addition to a central subcommittee comprised of representatives of all the branches will ensure the successful implementation of the employment equity program in all of the organization's offices. This committee structure will ensure that at least one committee member is present in each branch to underscore the organization's commitment to implementing an employment equity program. This person will be able to answer any questions or concerns employees have about implementing such a program.

Question 2:

Why is it important to involve employee representatives and/or bargaining agents? a. To ensure the support of all employees in implementing the program b. To enable the organization to follow up on employment equity objectives and

ensure they are achieved c. To identify the obstacles present in hiring and/or promotion d. To demonstrate to all members of the organization that senior management

supports and is committed to employment equity Feedback It is important for employee representatives and/or bargaining agents to be involved in the committee since they ensure the support of all employees during the implementation of the employment equity program. An employment equity committee is a very useful mechanism for consulting with employee representatives and/or bargaining agents and collaborating with them. This type of committee constitutes a forum for communicating information and elaborating other mechanisms to guarantee that employees are aware of employment equity-related objectives.

Question 3:

Why is it important to involve the Human Resources Director? a. To ensure the support of all employees in implementing the program b. To enable the organization to follow up on employment equity objectives and

ensure they are achieved c. To identify the obstacles present in hiring and/or promotion d. To demonstrate to all members of the organization that senior

management supports and is committed to employment equity Feedback The Human Resources Director must be involved because this person reports directly to the chief executive officer; demonstrate to all members of the organization that senior management supports and is committed to employment equity; is well known by employees; and knows the organization’s employment systems and there application very well.



Question 4: Why is it important to involve recruiting managers?

a. To ensure the support of all employees in implementing the program b. To enable the organization to follow up on employment equity objectives

and ensure they are achieved c. To identify the obstacles present in hiring and/or promotion d. To demonstrate to all members of the organization that senior management

supports and is committed to employment equity Feedback Recruiting managers must be involved to enable the organization to follow up on employment equity objectives and ensure they are achieved.

Question 5:

Why is it important to involve designated group employees? a. To ensure the support of all employees in implementing the program. b. To enable the organization to follow up on employment equity objectives and

ensure they are achieved. c. To identify the obstacles present in hiring and/or promotion that they

may have faced and to find out whether changes are needed to make the work environment inclusive.

d. Because this person reports directly to the chief executive officer; demonstrates to all members of the organization that senior management supports and is committed to employment equity; is well known by employees; and knows the organization's employment systems and their application very well

Feedback Designated group employees must be involved to identify the barriers present in hiring and/or promotion that they may have faced and to find out whether changes are needed to make the work environment inclusive.

Scenario #2 - Small organization in a remote region, with non-unionized employees You initiate implementation of your employment equity program. Your situation is as follows:

• Your organization is located in a small city located away from large metropolitan areas.

• All your employees work in the same establishment. • You have 150 non-unionized employees. • There is no human resources division - one employee is in charge of pay and

recruitment services, and is assisted by the comptroller. • The workforce does not include representation of the four designated groups -

there are only a few women and one member of the visible minority group.



Question 1: You decide to set up a committee, even though you are not required to do so. Who should be part of your committee? a. The employee in charge of pay, an employee representative, and a designated

group employee. b. The comptroller, an employee representative, and the employee in charge of pay. c. The comptroller, an employee representative, and a designated group

employee. Feedback: In this situation, setting up a committee comprised of the comptroller, an employee representative, and a designated group employee will ensure that a basic committee structure is in place to help implement the employment equity program.

Scenario #3 - Medium-sized organization with facilities in two provinces and both unionized and non-unionized employees You initiate implementation of your employment equity program. Your situation is as follows:

• Your organization has locations in two provinces. • Your headquarters is located in a metropolitan area and you have two

plants/factories located in remote areas. • Your workforce comprises 700 employees, 500 of whom are unionized. • Recruitment is carried out by the heads of each plant and approved by your

human resources manager at headquarters. This manager is also the senior officer responsible for implementing your employment equity program and is responsible for recruiting non-unionized employees at headquarters.

Question 1:

In this situation, which committee structure should you put in place? a. A central committee at your headquarters composed of:

• Employee representatives • Employee members of designated groups

b. A committee at your headquarters composed of:

• The human resources manager • Employee representatives • Designated group employees

Plus a subcommittee in each plant composed of:

• The plant manager • Bargaining agents • Designated group employees

c. A committee at your headquarters composed of designated group employees,

plus a subcommittee composed of bargaining agents.



Feedback: In this situation, it is preferable to have a committee at headquarters and a subcommittee in each of the plants. This structure will make it possible to keep plant managers accountable with regard to hiring and promotion objectives and will facilitate communication and implementation of the employment equity program.



Task D - Collect Workforce Data

Survey Your Workforce

Collecting information on the internal representation of designated group members in your workforce is a key component for many other tasks that you are required to undertake in the employment equity process. You must collect and record the following workforce information for all employees:

• internal representation data (stock data) taken from the self-identification questionnaire (note that a high response rate is required as a foundation for further analysis);

• hire, promotion and termination data (flow data) that will allow you to track the progress of employment equity over time; and

• salary data, including top and bottom salary quarters. The purpose of this task is to determine whether each one of your employees belongs to one or more of the groups designated by the EEA: Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, visible minorities and women. To obtain data on the first three designated groups, you must conduct a survey of your workforce using a voluntary self-identification questionnaire. It is important to obtain a good return and response rate (at least 80% or more) for the questionnaire, in order to identify gaps and set up a suitable employment equity plan. To identify women, you may, for example, obtain the information from payroll/personnel files, or include a box to check on gender in the questionnaire. This may be a good strategy to increase the overall response rate since all employees will have at least one thing to fill out and will therefore be more likely to return the questionnaire. The following diagram shows the steps that should be followed to conduct an effective workforce survey. To obtain more information on each step, run your mouse over each box or consult each tab.



Processus d’enquête sur l’effectif

Workforce Survey ProcessSu

rvey

Follo

w-u

pSu

rvey

A

dmin

istr

atio

nSu

rvey

Prep

arat

ion

Provide information to employees

Follow-up on non-returned

questionnaires

Assist employees in completing the questionnaire

Collect questionnaires

Keep survey results up to date

Prepare a survey action plan

Communicate results of survey and

provide feedback

Ensure self-identification

questionnaire meets the Employment

Equity Act requirements

Determine employees to be

surveyed

Distribute questionnaire

Consult with employee

representatives, including bargaining

agents



Box Contextual Help

Prepare a survey action plan

Indicate in your action plan: who will be responsible for each of the steps in the survey process, the means that will be used for carrying out the survey as well as for storing and maintaining records.

Consult with employee representatives, including bargaining agents

Consult with employee representatives and bargaining agents at each step of the workforce survey.

Provide information to employees

Clearly communicate senior management's commitment, and ensure that the rationale for the survey and the purposes for which its results will be used are well understood by employees, employee representatives and bargaining agents. You will thus obtain a better response rate and accurate self-identification information.

Determine employees to be surveyed

Everyone employed for a period totalling 12 weeks or more during a calendar year (except for students and individuals working on contract) must be given a self-identification questionnaire once they have been hired. This includes full-time, part-time and temporary employees, and employees on any form of long-term leave, including long-term disability leave.

Ensure self-identification questionnaire meets the Employment Equity Act requirements

In the questionnaire, include definitions that correspond to those in the EEA, as well as information on confidentiality and the voluntary aspect of self-identification.

Distribute questionnaire

Distribute the questionnaire to all employees, including those who are on leave of absence and include a toolkit containing additional information.

Assist employees in completing the questionnaire

Appoint advisers to help employees and use creative ways to communicate.

Collect questionnaires

Keep the completed questionnaires for two years following the employee's termination date.



Box Contextual Help

Follow-up on non-returned questionnaires

If you have not achieved a minimum 80% return and response rate, send a communication to remind employees of the importance of the survey and that it is mandatory to return the survey questionnaire. Follow up with non-respondents or employees whose responses were illegible or incomplete.

Communicate results of survey and provide feedback

Send a communication informing employees of the results of the survey.

Keep survey results up to date

Provide a self-identification questionnaire to all new employees hired after the date of the last full workplace survey and to those who indicate that they wish to change any information previously submitted on a questionnaire. Make any necessary adjustments to the workforce survey results to take into account any responses as a result of the above and changes in employment status (promotions, salaries and employees who were terminated).



Survey Preparation

Action Plan One of the key factors of a successful and effective workforce survey is senior management's commitment to it. An effective workforce survey must have the following traits:

• employees, employee representatives and bargaining agents understand the rationale for the survey and the purposes for which its results will be used;

• all employees, or at least a very strong majority (80% or more), complete and return the self-identification questionnaire; and

• the respondents give accurate self-identification information.

To obtain such results, the organization must lay the foundation of the workforce survey long before the questionnaire is distributed. Write an action plan that includes:

• who will be responsible for coordinating the survey process;

• who will distribute the questionnaires;

• who will answer questions; • who will collect and view the

returned questionnaires; • who will ensure the necessary

follow-up; • how will the collected data be

recorded; • which file management system will

be used for record-keeping, maintaining and storage;

• who will enter the data; • who will track and compile the

results; and • who will be in charge of data

Preparing the Questionnaire The information and instructions included with the questionnaire itself can have a significant impact on response rates and accuracy. At the time of the survey:

• attach a cover letter that reiterates the fundamental purposes of employment equity;

• explain the role of the self-identification questionnaire; and

• emphasize the importance of accurate responses for effective planning and implementation of employment equity.

Your questionnaire should include:

• a question on gender, if unable to obtain accurate data on women from payroll or personnel records;

• definitions of Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and visible minorities that are consistent with those outlined under the Employment Equity Act; and

• an employee identifier. The questionnaire should also clearly indicate that:

• identification in more than one designated group is possible;

• completion is voluntary; • information will be kept confidential; • employees can change information

at any time; • it can be provided to employees

upon request; and • it is available in alternate formats

upon request. An example of a questionnaire which



retention.

includes all the required information elements is available in the reference document “Example of a Questionnaire”

IMPORTANT! • Confidentiality: Information collected by an employer is confidential and can be

used only for the purpose of implementing the employer's obligations under the Act. [Act, subsection 9(3)]

• Self-identification: Employee self-identification is voluntary. Only employees who identify themselves as a member of a designated group, or agree to be identified, are to be counted. [Act, subsection 9(2)]



Survey Administration

Distribution of the Questionnaire

Here are some suggestions for distributing the self-identification questionnaire: • ensure that all employees receive a self-identification questionnaire; • set aside a specific time to distribute the self-identification questionnaire; • pick a time when most employees are available (i.e., avoid holidays or peak

business periods); • set a deadline for the return of the questionnaire; • distribute the questionnaire in electronic and/or paper format; • mail a survey package in a self-addressed envelope to employees who are not

centrally located or who are on extended leave; • include additional informational material; • include the name and telephone number of the employment equity contact, the

employment equity coordinator and the senior officer, to respond to employee questions; and

• develop a distribution control sheet to track when each employee receives and returns the questionnaire.

and some suggestions for distribution methods: • distribute the questionnaire during regular staff meetings, training sessions or

special employment equity information sessions; • create a Census Day or Census Week to distribute the questionnaire; • use internal mail; or • use the pay distribution system.

To see an example of a memorandum informing employees of the upcoming workforce survey consult the document “Third Communication: Announcing the Questionnaire” in the reference documents. Employees often have questions or concerns about this type of survey. To see an example of Frequently Asked Questions, consult the document "FAQ for the Questionnaire” in the reference documents. If you do not obtain a response and return rate of at least 80% in the survey process, you must send out a reminder to employees. You can use the example of a memorandum reminding employees of the importance of filling out the self-identification questionnaire in the document “Fourth Communication: Questionnaire Follow-Up” in the reference documents.



Follow-up to the Questionnaire Assistance for Employees in Completing the Questionnaire

To help employees understand and complete the questionnaire, you may consider: • appointing advisers to help employees; • conducting information meetings in consultation with employee representatives

and bargaining agents; • establishing a hotline to answer questions; • consulting with employees regarding the accommodation they need to complete

the questionnaire; and • using creative ways to communicate, such as posters and videos.

Follow-up to the Questionnaire It is important for your organization to aim for a 100% return and response rate to identify where gaps exist and develop an appropriate employment equity plan. If you have not achieved a minimum 80% return and response rate, then you need to:

• send a communication to remind employees of the importance of the survey; • remind employees that it is mandatory to return the survey questionnaire even if

they did not fill it out; • confirm that all employees (e.g. absent, on leave, working in remote areas) did in

fact receive a questionnaire; and • follow up with non-respondents or employees whose responses were illegible or

incomplete. Return rate and response rate

Return rate Response rate

Calculate the number of returned questionnaires, completed or not. Only the questionnaires that contain at least an employee's identification can be counted here. The formula for calculating the return rate is as follows:

Calculate the number of employees who responded to the questionnaire. The formula for calculating the response rate is as follows:



Return Rate

Number of returned questionnaires, whether empty, completed or

partially completed

Number of questionnaires

distributed

=

Response rate


completed


distributed

=



Survey Follow-up

Communication of Results and Feedback Send a communication informing employees of the results of the survey. If a large number of questionnaires are not returned on time, if they are returned with one or more questions unanswered, or if there is reason to believe that a large number of employees may have answered the questions inappropriately, there may be a larger communication problem. You can attempt to improve the self-identification process by holding information sessions or providing information through newsletters or e-mail, to explain the purpose and principles of employment equity; explaining the purpose of the workforce survey and the importance of filling in the questionnaire; and emphasizing the protection of confidentiality. Keeping Survey Results Up To Date Your organization is responsible for keeping the survey results up to date by providing a self-identification questionnaire to:

• all new employees hired after the date of the last full workplace survey; • all employees who indicate that they wish to change any information previously

submitted on a questionnaire; or • any employee who requests a questionnaire.

Your organization must also make any necessary adjustments to the workforce survey results to take into account:

• any responses as a result of the above; • changes in employment status, promotions and salaries; and • any employees who were terminated.

Your organization must retain a sample copy of the self-identification questionnaire that was provided to employees for two years after the period covered by the employment equity plan to which the questionnaire relates. It is not necessary to re-survey part of or your entire workforce if results have been kept up to date and if your initial survey respects the questionnaire's development criteria.

Note: As employment equity has gained recognition among employees as an appropriate and productive approach to human resource management, return and response rates have improved substantially. Conducting a new, well-planned workforce survey frequently results in more accurate identification of designated group members.



Exercise for Task D

Question 1: What is the best way to conduct the survey to obtain a good response rate (80% or more)?

a. Send a memorandum to all employees asking them to complete the questionnaire, and include the "frequently asked questions" document to help them understand this activity.

b. Hold meetings in each of the branches to explain the purpose of the survey, have the questionnaire completed by all employees, and find out whether any employees require accommodations to complete the questionnaire.

c. Ask employees to access the intranet where they will find an electronic version of the questionnaire, as well as information on the reason for the survey.

Feedback: It is always preferable to meet with all employees in person to ensure that they clearly understand the reason for the survey and agree to complete and return the questionnaire. In-person meetings also make it possible to offer adaptation measures to employees who have a disability.

Question 2: You have conducted your workforce survey. You received a response rate of 45% and a return rate of 52%. In your opinion, what should your next step be?

a. Communicate with the employees who did not respond to the questionnaire to explain to them the purpose and importance of the survey and the need to obtain good response and return rates.

b. Ask the employee representative to communicate with all employees to explain the reason for the survey.

c. Continue with the other steps of the process for implementing employment equity, despite the low rates, and add an objective to this effect to the employment equity plan.

Feedback: If you obtain low response and return rates, you must follow up with the employees who did not respond to or return the questionnaire. You can then continue the process, if you can demonstrate that you made all reasonable efforts to conduct your survey appropriately. You will, however, have to examine the reasons for the low rates in order to take action to rectify the situation.



Question 3: You are presently negotiating the collective agreement with your plants' unions, and the relationship is very strained, to the point that a strike may start at any time. Despite this situation, you conducted your survey, and only non-unionized employees responded to and returned the questionnaire. What should you do in this situation?

a. Involve bargaining agents to explain the purpose of the survey and send a reminder to unionized employees to complete and return the questionnaire.

b. Wait for the collective agreement negotiations to conclude before sending a survey reminder to unionized employees.

c. Continue with the other steps of implementation and return to the survey later. Feedback: In this situation, it is best to wait for the negotiation to conclude in order to obtain the support of unionized employees and bargaining agents. As long as the relationship with the unions is strained, it will be nearly impossible for you to obtain good response and return rates.



Task E - Code Workforce Data

Storing Workforce Data

In order to conduct analyses of the workforce data collected from the self-identification questionnaire, you must organize it and keep it up-to-date. To do this, the data may be coded and uploaded to the Labour Program's Workplace Equity Information Management System (WEIMS). Using WEIMS is beneficial because the system will save you time in conducting your workforce analysis. If you don't use WEIMS, analyzing workforce data manually may take up to several days, depending on your organization's complexity. To create a user account in WEIMS, contact the WEIMS administrator at the following address: [email protected]. You can enter your individual employee data directly in WEIMS. However, if your organization has many employees, it will be easier to import your data from Microsoft Excel tables or extract them from your human resource database. The WEIMS enables you to import data only from a text file using separate tabs (.txt). You can import employee data in text format from your human resources system. The data must be saved as a .txt file and formatted in a specific order. If needed, you can export all your data to Excel tables because they can be easily converted to .txt format. Consult the reference documents for an example of the three Excel tables you must create.




Coding Workforce Data

Five Levels of Coding Once you have created the Excel files, you must code your data. The purpose of coding your workforce data in this way is to facilitate the comparison by occupation and Employment Equity Occupational Group (EEOG) of designated group member representation in your workforce to availability in the Canadian workforce, as part of a workforce analysis in Step 2.

Each employee in your workforce must be classified according to: • Geographic location of the position; • National Occupational Classification (NOC); • Employment Equity Occupational Group (EEOG); • North American Industry Classification System (NAICS); and • Employment status.

You must also annualize salaries, if needed. Geographic Location of the Position It is important to assign a Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) code and a province code to each position. These codes will be used in Step 2: Workforce Analysis, to determine the availability of the designated groups among the population of workers, based on the geographic location of positions. 1. Consult the document “Provinces and CMAs Codes to view the province and CMA

codes used in WEIMS 2. Determine the CMA code that you should use based on the city where each position

is located. If needed, consult the following geographic maps to determine whether a city is part of a CMA or not: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/labour/equality/employment_equity/tools/eedr/2006/data_reports/page26.shtml

3. Assign a province code to each of the positions by using the province code in the Microsoft Excel table.

Note: Employees who are not located in one of the CMAs should be coded in "Province less CMA."

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/labour/equality/employment_equity/tools/eedr/2006/data_reports/page26.shtml

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/labour/equality/employment_equity/tools/eedr/2006/data_reports/page26.shtml



National Occupational Classification The National Occupational Classification (NOC) is a tool used to classify occupations according to their skill type and skill level. A four-digit code, called the NOC code, identifies the occupation. Each digit of this code reflects an important trait of the occupation it represents and provides a standardized language for describing the work: Digit One Skill Type Based on the type of work

performed, but it also reflects the field of training or experience that is normally required for entry into the occupation. This includes the educational area of study required, as well as the industry of employment in cases where experience within an internal job ladder is required for entry.

The first two digits are grouped into 26 major groups.

Digit Two Skill Level Based on the nature of education and training required to work in an occupation. This criterion also reflects the experience required for entry and the complexity of the responsibilities involved in the work, compared with other occupations.

Digit Three Minor Groups Pinpoints the domain in which an occupation is carried out.

Each of the 26 major groups is divided into 140 minor groups.

Fourth Digit

Unit Groups Unit groups represent further specificity within an occupational domain.

The system is expanded into 520 occupational groups identified as unit groups.

To code each of your positions, it is recommended that you use the national occupational classification matrix, available in the reference documents

1. Determine the skill level. 2. Determine the sector. The combination of skill level and sector will give you a

major group.



3. Select the minor group appropriate to the occupation within the major group. 4. On the NOC website:

http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2011/Welcome.aspx, enter the first three digits of the code that you obtained by using the matrix. From the list the site gives you, select the occupation that suits the one you wish to code.

In WEIMS, once you have coded your workforce data by the NOC and imported the data, your workforce will automatically be rolled up into the 14 EEOGs. Important note! Since the NOC coding structure is skill-based, it is recommended that when you conduct a NOC code search on the website to use a key word related to the functions of the position instead of using a job title. You may be tempted to search the NOC website by using the title of the position in question. This method is not recommended because you will obtain search results that are not related to the position for which you are seeking a code. North American Industry Classification System In addition to NOC codes, you have to assign a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code to each of the positions in your workforce. NAICS codes are available on the following site: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/subjects-sujets/standard-norme/naics-scian/2002/naics-scian02l-eng.htm. Note: The NAICS code is composed of six digits. However, you only have to use the first four digits to import your data into WEIMS.

http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2011/Welcome.aspx

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/subjects-sujets/standard-norme/naics-scian/2002/naics-scian02l-eng.htm

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/subjects-sujets/standard-norme/naics-scian/2002/naics-scian02l-eng.htm



Employment Status Each employee must be assigned an employment status. The following are the five employment status classifications:

01 Permanent full-time

A person who is employed by an organization for an indeterminate period of time, to work the standard number of hours on a regular basis, as determined by the organization.

02 Permanent part-time

A person who is employed by an organization for an indeterminate period of time, to work fewer than the standard number of hours on a regular basis, as determined by the organization.

03 Temporary A person who is employed on a temporary basis by an organization for any number of hours within a fixed period or periods totalling 12 weeks or more during a calendar year.

04 Other A person who is on unpaid leave, but who otherwise fulfils the definition of permanent full-time, permanent part-time or temporary employee and maintains the right to return to work.

05 Casual A person who is employed less than 12 weeks during a calendar year and whose contracts have designated start and end dates.

Annualization of Salaries Salary annualization is the process whereby employees' salaries are calculated to reflect the employees' annual earnings when they only worked part of the year.

WHY AND WHEN TO ANNUALIZE?

Annualization is necessary when use of the actual salary falsely represents occupational earnings and alters the employer's pay scales. In general, an employee's salary should be annualized when the employee did not work for the entire year or was hired or promoted during the calendar year.

WHICH SALARIES SHOULD BE ANNUALIZED?

You must annualize the salaries of: • people who were recruited or promoted during the calendar

year; • seasonal employees who worked for part of the season or for

the full season. For example, if an employee worked only four months of a six-month season, the salary must be calculated based on a six-month season;

• employees who were on unpaid leave granted at their request, including parental leave, personal leave or study leave;

• people recruited who received a salary that included commission (add salary and commission, then annualize the total);



• people recruited who had a fixed base salary and received commission (annualize only the base salary, then add the commission); or

• employees who were transferred into the organization as a result of a corporate transaction (considered "recruited" employees).

WHICH SALARIES SHOULD NOT BE ANNUALIZED?

You do not have to annualize the salaries of: • temporary employees; • seasonal employees who worked a full season; • employees who were temporarily laid off; • employees who went on strike during the year; • employees who were recalled in accordance with a collective

agreement part way through the year; • employees who had an acting appointment during the year; • employees who received only commission-based salary; • people recruited who received a variable base salary and

commission; • part-time employees who worked full-time for part of the year; • employees who permanently changed employment status

during the year (for example, from part-time to full-time, temporary to part-time or full-time to part-time); or

• employees on leave who received a salary or income replacement from their employer.

HOW TO ANNUALIZE?

Number of pay periods during

a year X

The salary given in a pay period

= The annualized salary



Annualization Exercise The following exercise will help you solidify your understanding of salary annualization. For each of the five situations, you must first decide whether you have to annualize the salary. If you determine that you have to annualize the salary, you will then have to do the relevant calculation. To calculate the annual salary, enter in the boxes the number of pay periods and the salary to be used. After entering your numbers, click on "Check my answer." You will have three tries to get the correct answer. Situation #1 A truck driver was off for three months (12 weeks) without pay due to personal reasons. His pay was $1,592 every two weeks. Q1. Does his salary have to be annualized?

Correct answer: Yes Feedback: The salary of an employee who is on leave without pay granted on request, including parental leave, personal leave or study leave, must be annualized in order to reflect the actual annual salary.

Q2. How will the salary be recorded for the year?

Pay periods to be counted Amount to be counted Annualized salary

X =

Correct answer: 26 X $1,592 = $41,392 Feedback: The number of pay periods to use in the calculation is 26, because he is paid every two weeks during the year. The amount to be used is what he received every two weeks, which is $1,592.

Situation #2: A ticket seller was hired on June 1 (week 23) of the year in question and earned $463 per week. The organization pays its employees each week. Q1. Should the ticket seller's pay be annualized?

Correct answer: Yes Feedback: The salary of an individual who was hired or promoted during the year must be annualized in order to reflect the actual yearly salary.





X = Correct answer: 52 X $463 = $24,076 Feedback: The employee is paid every week. Therefore, the pay must be multiplied by 52 weeks to obtain the actual yearly salary.

Situation #3: A part-time employee became full-time on September 1 (week 40). The employee's new salary is $550 per week; the part-time salary was $340. Q1. Should the employee's annual salary be annualized?

Correct answer: No Feedback: The salary of an employee who permanently changed employment status during the year should not be annualized (for example, from part-time to full-time or vice versa) because the actual salary that was paid to the employee during the year must be recorded.

Q2. How will the salary be recorded for the year covered by the report?


X = Correct answer: (40 X $340) + (12 X $550) = $20,200 Feedback: The employee worked all year; therefore, the actual salary can be used. To obtain this amount, add the part-time salary received to the full-time salary received: 40 weeks X $340 + 12 weeks X $550.



Situation #4: A seasonal employee worked four months (16 weeks) of a six-month season (26 weeks). The employee's salary was $1,000 for two weeks. Q1. Should the salary be annualized?

Correct answer: Yes Feedback: You must annualize the salaries of seasonal employees who worked during part of the season.



X = Correct answer: 13 X 1,000 = $13,000 Feedback: The employee's salary must be multiplied by 13 because the employee was paid every two weeks for a six-month season (26 weeks).

Situation #5: A temporary employee was laid off on June 30. The employee was paid $1,250 a week. Q1. Should the salary be annualized?

Correct answer: No Feedback: This employee's salary should not be annualized because the employee was employed temporarily and laid off.

Q2. How will the employee's salary be recorded for the year?


X = Correct answer: 26 X $1,250 = $32,500 Feedback: The $1,250 salary amount must be multiplied by 26 because the employee was paid every week for a six-month period.



Import and Consolidate Data

In this step, you are ready to import and consolidate your workforce data into WEIMS to generate forms 1 to 3. You can then check that there were no errors in importing your data before proceeding with Step 2 of implementing your employment equity program, the workforce analysis and employment systems review. To import your data:

• All the files to be imported must be named according to WEIMS specifications (employee.txt, term.txt and promo.txt).

• All the columns must be present and in the order described in WEIMS specifications.

• Some columns may be empty, but they must be present. • The column headers (titles) are optional. • Remove all row labels. • All rows must contain data.

Watch the video to find out how to:

1. Check your organization's general information (legal name and common name, address and contacts), and update it if needed.

To watch demonstration video, open the attach document “UpdateEmployersInformation”

2. Import the three .txt files into WEIMS and consolidate the data

To watch demonstration video, open the attach document “UploadData”

3. Generate forms 1 to 3. To watch demonstration video, open the attach document “Forms”




Regulatory Requirement on the Collection of Workforce Information Pursuant to paragraph 9(1)(a) of the EEA, every employer shall:

"…collect information and conduct an analysis of the employer's workforce, in accordance with the regulations, in order to determine the degree of the underrepresentation of persons in designated groups in each occupational group in that workforce." Other applicable sections of the legislation with regards to the workforce survey are sections 3, 17 and subsections 9(2) and 9(3) of the Act as well as sections 3, 4, 5 and Schedule IV of the Regulations.

Do you meet the following evaluation criteria? � If the organization uses the Labour Program's self-identification questionnaire, then

this evaluation criterion has been met. � The organization uses a self-identification questionnaire that meets the requirements

of the EEA and its Regulations. The self-identification questionnaire includes definitions for Aboriginal

peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities which are consistent with section 3 of the Act.

The self-identification questionnaire or accompanying documentation clearly indicates that employees may self-identify as being a member of more than one designated group.

The self-identification questionnaire clearly indicates that answering the self-identification questions is voluntary (although the employer can make the returning of the questionnaire mandatory).

The self-identification questionnaire clearly indicates that the information collected in the questionnaire is confidential and will only be used by or disclosed to other persons within the organization in order to carry out employment equity obligations.

The self-identification questionnaire has an employee identifier. The self-identification questionnaire clearly indicates that submitted

information may be changed at any time. Additional questions on the questionnaire are related to employment equity,

separate from the self-identification questions and optional to answer. Where such information could not be obtained from payroll or personnel

records, the self-identification questionnaire includes a question on gender. The self-identification questionnaire is available in alternate formats upon

request. The organization makes all reasonable efforts to achieve and maintain, at minimum, an 80% return and response rate.



If a new workforce survey was undertaken, the organization demonstrates that an adequate lead-up strategy was implemented and, where the return and response rates were too low, the organization implemented an adequate follow-up strategy. If a new survey was not undertaken, the organization demonstrates that there is a process by which it keeps the workforce data up to date. More specifically, this is done by/if: � providing a questionnaire to employees who requests it, employees who wish to

change information previously submitted and to new employees. � updating the database to reflect new data stemming from the above and from

employee hires, promotions and terminations. � The organization determines its internal representation correctly by coding its

workforce using the appropriate National Occupational Classification (NOC) and Employment Equity Occupational Group (EEOG) coding.

� The organization determines its internal representation correctly by only counting those employees who are employed for a period of 12 weeks or over within a calendar year.

� The organization determines its internal representation correctly by counting only those employees who agreed to self-identify as Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities.* *Data for women may be taken from personnel records.

Reflection: Do you meet these criteria? If you do, you may now proceed to Step 2-1 of Implementing an Employment Equity Program: Conducting a Workforce Analysis.



Exercise for Task E

NOTE: This exercise can only be done online. Coding workforce data is one of the cornerstones of your employment equity program. From the coded data, you will be able to see your organization's representation statistics, as well as determine the short- and long-term objectives of your plan. To practise coding data, complete the following three exercises: Case Study #1 This case study will help you code the data for five (5) permanent full-time employees, each one occupying a different position. The NAICS for this organization is: 5179.

1. Print the following three documents: • Job Descriptions • Salary List • Self-Identification Questionnaires

2. Open the following link and enter the data. Case Study #1

Case Study #2 This case study will help you code the data for six (6) permanent full-time and part-time employees, two of whom occupy the same position. The NAICS for this organization is: 5179.



Case Study #3 This case study will help you code the data for six (6) permanent and temporary employees occupying a total of three different positions. The NAICS for this organization is: 5179.





Test Your Knowledge of Step 1

Are you and your organization ready to go on to Step 2-1 of implementing an employment equity program? Answer the following questions to find out. Task A - Adopt an accountability mechanism and appoint a senior officer Question #1: Why is it important to adopt one or more accountability mechanisms?

a. To ensure that managers, bargaining agents, employee representatives and employees are informed of the implementation of the employment equity program.

b. To develop reports on employees' satisfaction with the employment equity program that was implemented.

c. To be able to track the progress of your employment equity program in order to ensure that all efforts are put forth and reasonable progress will be made.

Feedback Accountability mechanisms must be adopted to ensure that managers and recruiters are accountable for achieving the objectives of the employment equity plan and that they report on the progress made. These mechanisms make it possible to track the progress of your employment equity program in order to ensure that efforts are put forth to implement your plan and to ensure that reasonable progress will be made.

Question #2: Why is it necessary for the senior officer in your organization who is responsible for the employment equity program to report directly to the chief executive officer?

a. Because the senior officer has the authority to make decisions on behalf of the organization and is known and respected within the organization.

b. To demonstrate to members of the organization that senior management supports and is committed to employment equity.

c. Because the senior officer has credibility, among both the organization's employees and other senior management officers.

Feedback The designated officer must report directly to the chief executive officer to demonstrate to members of the organization that senior management supports and is committed to employment equity. The higher the level of the designated officer, the greater the likelihood that positive changes will be made. This senior officer must have the authority to make decisions on behalf of the organization and must be known and respected within the organization.



Question #3: You have a large organization and you want to designate someone to coordinate the application of the employment equity program. How should you proceed?

a. Have the senior officer responsible for implementing the employment equity program assume responsibility for applying the program.

b. Designate one person per sector to coordinate the application of the employment equity program.

c. Ask employee representatives to coordinate the application of the employment equity program.

Feedback In a large organization, it is preferable to designate several people to coordinate the application of the employment equity program so that the program is applied in all sectors of the organization.

Task B - Establish an effective communication strategy Question #1: What is the senior officer responsible for the employment equity program required to communicate to employees?

a. His or her name and contact information. b. Information on the activities that will be undertaken and on results. c. The organization's human resources policies and practices.

Feedback The chief executive officer is responsible for communicating the name and contact information of the senior officer responsible for the employment equity program when communicating senior management's commitment to implementing the employment equity program. The senior officer responsible for the employment equity program must keep employees informed of the activities undertaken to implement the program and their results.

Question #2: When is it preferable to use non-personal communication?

a. In an initial communication, when the chief executive officer wants to communicate senior management's commitment to implementing the employment equity program.

b. In progress reports on implementation of the employment equity program. c. When important information needs to be communicated and feedback from

employees is required. Feedback Non-personal communication is a one-way form of communication because it is not delivered in person. It is appropriate when no feedback is required from employees. It is not appropriate in cases where the communicator must know whether the message was clearly understood. For example, it is appropriate to communicate to employees the progress made toward implementing the employment equity program.



Question #3: Of the communications listed below for Step 1, which is not mandatory?

a. Inviting interested people to participate in setting up an employment equity committee or similar structure in your workplace.

b. Presenting the self-identification questionnaire and provide the contact information of the person to whom questions or comments can be addressed.

c. Communicating the employment equity plan that the organization established during the implementation process of its employment equity program.

Feedback The employment equity plan will be drafted in Step 3 of the employment equity program implementation process. It is during this step that the plan must be communicated. All other communications listed above must be delivered in Step 1.

Task C - Consult and collaborate with bargaining agents and/or employee representatives Question #1: Why is it necessary to consult bargaining agents and/or employee representatives?

a. To obtain their point of view on unionized employees' salaries. b. To obtain their point of view on the assistance they can provide in

implementing employment equity and in communicating with employees. c. To ensure they are responsible for final decisions concerning employment equity

policies and practices.

Feedback: You must consult bargaining agents and/or employee representatives to obtain their point of view on the assistance they can provide in implementing employment equity and in communicating with employees in order to ensure the successful implementation of your employment equity program.

Question #2: What is required for effective consultation and collaboration?

a. All parties concerned take part voluntarily. b. All parties concerned are obligated to take part. c. All bargaining agents concerned take part.

Feedback: For consultation and collaboration to be effective, all parties must take part voluntarily. Real and voluntary commitment is key to having the program implemented properly and be taken seriously by employees, and to ensuring reasonable progress. However, bargaining agents of unionized employees are obligated to participate in consultation mechanisms.



Question 3: What can the union do when it believes that the employer is not complying with the requirements of the Employment Equity Act?

a. The union can contact the Canadian Human Rights Commission to file an official complaint about the situation.

b. The union cannot intervene because it would constitute a form of co-management.

c. The union can complain to HRSDC's Labour Program so that a compliance audit of this employer is launched to confirm the employer's level of compliance.

Feedback: The employer is responsible for implementing and maintaining its employment equity program, and it has final decision-making authority with regard to its program. The EEA stipulates that consultation and collaboration activities do not constitute co-management of the organization's employment equity program.

Task D - Collect workforce data Question #1: What criteria must a returned self-identification questionnaire meet in order to be counted in the response rate calculation?

a. All survey questions must be answered. b. At least one survey question must be answered. c. There are no criteria because the process is voluntary.

Feedback: Although the process is voluntary, a returned questionnaire can be counted in the response rate calculation only if the employee answered at least one question.

Question #2: Why must contract workers and students hired during their school breaks be excluded from the self-identification survey?

a. Because they are hired on a temporary basis only. b. Because they are not included in the definition of an employee for

employment equity purposes. c. Because they are not part of the organization for a full year.

Feedback: These individuals are not considered employees within the meaning of the EEA. Full-time secondary or postsecondary school students who are employed during their breaks, including those who are hired for less than four months as part of a cooperative education program (a "work period"), are not considered employees. Furthermore, contract workers are not considered employees because of the lack of a work relationship within the meaning of the EEA (i.e.: self-employed entrepreneurs).



Question #3: Why do the response and return rates of the self-identification survey have to be at least 80%?

a. To ensure that all employees are aware. b. To obtain an accurate portrait of the workforce. c. To comply with the requirement in this respect.

Feedback: High response and return rates are important because the objective of the self-identification survey is to obtain an accurate portrait of the workforce. Sound knowledge of the representation of designated groups in the workforce is key to identifying gaps and creating a suitable employment equity plan. If you do not obtain high return and response rates, you could establish an employment equity plan that includes hiring goals for designated groups that are already present in the workforce, but that simply did not answer the questionnaire. It is therefore important to have a good communication strategy so that employees agree to self-identify.

Task E - Code workforce data Question #1: What is the purpose of coding workforce data?

a. To be able to identify designated groups in the labour market. b. To compare the level of representation of designated groups with their

labour market availability. c. To be able to separate employees who are members of designated groups from

those who are not.

Feedback: Employee data must be coded to compare based on the occupation or employment equity occupational group (EEOG), the level of representation of designated groups in your workforce with the availability of these groups in the Canadian labour market. You will make these comparisons by analyzing the workforce in Step 2 of the employment equity program implementation process.

Question #2: Arrange the steps in the correct order to determine the four-digit National Occupational Classification (NOC) code of an occupation.

1 - Skill Level, 2 - Skill Type, 3 - Minor Group, 4 - Unit Group 1 - Skill Type, 2 - Unit Group, 3 - Minor Group, 4 - Skill Level 1 - Skill Type, 2 - Skill Level, 3 - Minor Group, 4 - Unit Group



Feedback: A NOC code is comprised of four digits that classifies the occupation. Each digit reflects important information about the occupation it represents and constitutes a work description standard. It is therefore important to follow the steps below:

• 1- Determine the skill type; • 2- Determine the skill level; • 3- Determine the minor group; and • 4- Determine the unit group that represents the occupation.

Question #3: In addition to the NOC code, what other codes must you assign to the data gathered?

a. Codes for employment status, employment equity occupational group (EEOG), and gender.

b. Codes for employment equity occupational group (EEOG), each of the designated groups, and gender.

c. Employment status, province/territory, Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, each of the designated groups, and gender.

Feedback: You must assign employment status, province/territory, CMA, NAICS, each of the designated groups, and gender codes When the data are coded according to the NOC, they will be automatically assigned to the employment equity occupational groups.

011 Administrative Services Managers012 Managers in Financial and Business

Services013 Managers in Communication

(Except Broadcasting)

021 Managers in Engineering,Architecture,Science and Information Systems

031 Managers in Health, Education, Social and Community Services041 Managers in Public Administration

051 Managers in Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport

061 Sales, Marketing and AdvertisingManagers

062 Managers in Retail Trade063 Managers in Food Service and

Accommodation064 Managers in Protective Service065 Managers in Other Services

071 Managers in Construction and Transportation072 Facility Operation and Maintenance Managers

081 Managers in Primary Production (Except Agriculture)

091 Managers in Manufacturing and Utilities

Major Group 11PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONS IN BUSINESS AND FINANCE

111 Auditors, Accountants and Investment Professionals

112 Human Resources and Business ServiceProfessionals

Major Group 21PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONS IN NATURAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES

211 Physical Science Professionals212 Life Science Professionals213 Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical

Engineers214 Other Engineers215 Architects, Urban Planners and Land

Surveyors216 Mathematicians, Statisticians and Actuaries217 Computer and Information Systems

Professionals

Major Group 31PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONS IN HEALTH

311 Physicians, Dentists and Veterinarians312 Optometrists, Chiropractors and Other

Health Diagnosing and TreatingProfessionals

313 Pharmacists, Dietitians and Nutritionists314 Therapy and Assessment Professionals315 Nurse Supervisors and Registered Nurses

Major Group 41PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONS IN SOCIAL SCIENCE, EDUCATION, GOVERNMENT SERVICES AND RELIGION

411 Judges, Lawyers and Quebec Notaries412 University Professors and Assistants413 College and Other Vocational Instructors414 Secondary and Elementary School

Teachers and Educational Counsellors415 Psychologists, Social Workers,

Counsellors, Clergy and Probation Officers416 Policy and Program Officers, Researchers

and Consultants

Major Group 51PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONS IN ART AND CULTURE

511 Librarians, Archivists, Conservators and Curators

512 Writing, Translating and Public RelationsProfessionals

513 Creative and Performing Artists

Major Group 12SKILLED ADMINISTRATIVE AND BUSINESS OCCUPATIONS

121 Clerical Supervisors122 Administrative and Regulatory Occupations123 Finance and Insurance Administrative

Occupations124 Secretaries, Recorders and

Transcriptionists

Major Group 22TECHNICAL OCCUPATIONS RELATEDTO NATURAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES

221 Technical Occupations in PhysicalSciences

222 Technical Occupations in Life Sciences223 Technical Occupations in Civil, Mechanical

and Industrial Engineering224 Technical Occupations in Electronics and

Electrical Engineering225 Technical Occupations in Architecture,

Drafting, Surveying and Mapping226 Other Technical Inspectors and Regulatory

Officers227 Transportation Officers and Controllers228 Technical Occupations in Computer and

Information Systems

Major Group 32TECHNICAL AND SKILLED OCCUPATIONS IN HEALTH

321 Medical Technologists and Technicians(Except Dental Health)

322 Technical Occupations in Dental HealthCare

323 Other Technical Occupations in HealthCare (Except Dental)

Major Group 42PARAPROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONS INLAW, SOCIAL SERVICES, EDUCATIONAND RELIGION

421 Paralegals, Social Services Workers andOccupations in Education and Religion,n.e.c.

Major Group 52TECHNICAL AND SKILLED OCCUPATIONS IN ART, CULTURE, RECREATION AND SPORT

521 Technical Occupations in Libraries, Archives,Museums and Art Galleries

522 Photographers, Graphic Arts Technicians andTechnical and Co-ordinating Occupations inMotion Pictures, Broadcasting and thePerforming Arts

523 Announcers and Other Performers524 Creative Designers and Craftpersons525 Athletes, Coaches, Referees and Related

Occupations

Major Group 62SKILLED SALES AND SERVICE OCCUPATIONS

621 Sales and Service Supervisors622 Technical Sales Specialists,

Wholesale Trade623 Insurance and Real Estate Sales Occupations

and Buyers624 Chefs and Cooks625 Butchers and Bakers626 Police Officers and Firefighters627 Technical Occupations in Personal Service

Major Group 72/73TRADES AND SKILLED TRANSPORT AND EQUIPMENT OPERATORS

721 Contractors and Supervisors, Trades and Related Workers722 Supervisors, Railway and Motor Transportation Occupations723 Machinists and Related Occupations724 Electrical Trades and Telecommunication Occupations 725 Plumbers, Pipefitters and Gas Fitters726 Metal Forming, Shaping and Erecting Trades727 Carpenters and Cabinetmakers728 Masonry and Plastering Trades729 Other Construction Trades731 Machinery and Transportation Equipment Mechanics

(Except Motor Vehicle)732 Automotive Service Technicians733 Other Mechanics734 Upholsterers, Tailors, Shoe Repairers, Jewellers

and Related Occupations735 Stationary Engineers and Power Station and

System Operators736 Train Crew Operating Occupations737 Crane Operators, Drillers and Blasters738 Printing Press Operators, Commercial Divers and

Other Trades and Related Occupations, n.e.c.

Major Group 82SKILLED OCCUPATIONS IN PRIMARY INDUSTRY

821 Supervisors, Logging and Forestry822 Supervisors, Mining, Oil and Gas823 Underground Miners, Oil and Gas Drillers

and Related Workers824 Logging Machinery Operators825 Contractors, Operators and Supervisors in

Agriculture, Horticulture and Aquaculture826 Fishing Vessel Masters and Skippers and

Fishermen/women

Major Group 92PROCESSING, MANUFACTURING AND UTILITIES SUPERVISORS AND SKILLED OPERATORS

921 Supervisors, Processing Occupations922 Supervisors, Assembly and Fabrication923 Central Control and Process Operators

in Manufacturing and Processing

Major Group 14CLERICAL OCCUPATIONS

141 Clerical Occupations, General Office Skills142 Office Equipment Operators143 Finance and Insurance Clerks144 Administrative Support Clerks145 Library, Correspondence and Related

Information Clerks146 Mail and Message Distribution Occupations147 Recording, Scheduling and Distributing

Occupations

Major Group 34ASSISTING OCCUPATIONS IN SUPPORT OF HEALTH SERVICES

341 Assisting Occupations in Support of HealthServices

Major Group 64INTERMEDIATE SALES AND SERVICE OCCUPATIONS

641 Sales Representatives, Wholesale Trade642 Retail Salespersons and Sales Clerks643 Occupations in Travel and Accommodation644 Tour and Recreational Guides and Casino

Occupations645 Occupations in Food and Beverage Service646 Other Occupations in Protective Service 647 Childcare and Home Support Workers648 Other Occupations in Personal Service

Major Group 74INTERMEDIATE OCCUPATIONS IN TRANSPORT, EQUIPMENT OPERATION, INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE

741 Motor Vehicle and Transit Drivers742 Heavy Equipment Operators 743 Other Transport Equipment Operators and Related Workers744 Other Installers, Repairers and Servicers745 Longshore Workers and Material Handlers

Major Group 84INTERMEDIATE OCCUPATIONS IN PRIMARY INDUSTRY

841 Mine Service Workers and Operators in Oil and Gas Drilling

842 Logging and Forestry Workers843 Agriculture and Horticulture Workers844 Other Fishing and Trapping Occupations

Major Group 94/95PROCESSING AND MANUFACTURINGMACHINE OPERATORS AND ASSEMBLERS

941 Machine Operators and Related Workers in Metal and Mineral ProductsProcessing

942 Machine Operators and Related Workers in Chemical, Plastic and Rubber Processing

943 Machine Operators and Related Workers in Pulp and Paper Production and Wood Processing

944 Machine Operators and Related Workers in Textile Processing

945 Machine Operators and Related Workers in Fabric, Fur and Leather Products Manufacturing

946 Machine Operators and Related Workers in Food, Beverage and Tobacco Processing

947 Printing Machine Operators and Related Occupations

948 Mechanical, Electrical and ElectronicsAssemblers

949 Other Assembly and Related Occupations

951 Machining, Metalworking, Woodworking and Related MachineOperators

Major Group 66ELEMENTAL SALES AND SERVICE OCCUPATIONS

661 Cashiers662 Other Sales and Related Occupations664 Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers

and Related Occupations665 Security Guards and Related Occupations666 Cleaners667 Other Occupations in Travel, Accommodation,

Amusement and Recreation668 Other Elemental Service Occupations

Major Group 76TRADES HELPERS, CONSTRUCTION LABOURERS AND RELATED OCCUPATIONS

761 Trades Helpers and Labourers762 Public Works and Other Labourers, n.e.c.

Major Group 86LABOURERS IN PRIMARY INDUSTRY

861 Primary Production Labourers

Major Group 96LABOURERS IN PROCESSING, MANUFACTURING AND UTILITIES

961 Labourers in Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities

N A T I O N A L O C C U P A T I O N A L C L A S S I F I C A T I O N M A T R I X 2006 The National Occupational Classification (NOC) matrix provides an overview of the classification at the minor group level. It also illustrates how the NOC is accessible on the basis of skilllevel, skill type, or on a combination of these two criteria. The four skill level categories are listed on the left side of the matrix, while nine skill type categories are listed across the top. Thetenth skill type category (0 Management Occupations) is organized across the top of the matrix. In most cases, each matrix cell consists of a major group.

0MANAGEMENTOCCUPATIONS

SKILL LEVEL

B

Occupations usually require college education or

apprenticeship training.

SKILL LEVEL

A

Occupations usually requireuniversity education.

SKILL LEVEL

C

Occupations usually require secondary school and/or

occupation-specific training.

SKILL LEVEL

D

On-the-job training is usually provided for occupations.

MP53-25/3-2006LM-279-03-06

1BUSINESS, FINANCE

AND ADMINISTRATION OCCUPATIONS

2NATURAL AND APPLIEDSCIENCES AND RELATED

OCCUPATIONS

3HEALTH OCCUPATIONS

4OCCUPATIONS IN SOCIAL

SCIENCE, EDUCATION,GOVERNMENT SERVICE

AND RELIGION

5OCCUPATIONS IN ART,

CULTURE, RECREATIONAND SPORT

6SALES AND SERVICE

OCCUPATIONS

7TRADES, TRANSPORT AND

EQUIPMENT OPERATORS ANDRELATED OCCUPATIONS

8OCCUPATIONS UNIQUE TO PRIMARY INDUSTRY

9OCCUPATIONS UNIQUE TO

PROCESSING, MANUFACTURINGAND UTILITIES

Major Group 00SENIOR MANAGEMENT OCCUPATIONS

001 Legislators and Senior Management

Counting Employees

May 2012 Page 1 of 6

Legislated Employment Equity Program

Organizations under the Legislated Employment Equity Program employ 100 or more employees. To determine the number of employees in your workforce for the purposes of employment equity, you must first ascertain if there is an employment relationship. Second, you establish if the employee is a permanent full-time, permanent part-time or a temporary employee as described in the Employment Equity Act and the Regulations. Finally, you count the number of employees who meet the definitions. The following direction and guidance is provided to help you navigate the process of counting the number of employees in your workforce for the purposes of the Legislated Employment Equity Program and employment equity.

The Employment Relationship

In most cases, it is simple for an organization to determine if an employment relationship (also known as employer/employee relationship) exists, based on the organization’s payroll. However, in some cases, contracts can create an employer/employee relationship. In order to determine if an employer/employee relationship exists, you must review how the typical daily work arrangement is carried out. How the parties choose to label the relationship carries little significance. Factors to consider in determining if an employer/employee relationship exists are:

1) Control and supervision – An independent contractor (i.e., a person who is not an employee of your organization; a person with whom your organization does not have an employment relationship) exercises autonomous control over the method and techniques required to accomplish the task.

2) Ownership of tools – An independent contractor provides, at his or her own expense, the tools of the trade required to perform the work.

3) Chance of profit – An independent contractor has the opportunity to make profit.

4) Risk of loss – An independent contractor assumes the risk of financial loss.

5) Role – Work performed by an independent contractor is not integral to the business but rather an accessory to it (see also the Employee section).

Remember that no one factor is determinative. If you still question whether an employer/employee relationship exists, you may also review the factors that differentiate an employer and an employee.

Counting Employees


The Employer Where there are many related organizations, divisions or subsidiaries, it may be difficult to determine the identity of the employer when determining whether that particular employer employs 100 or more employees. The following questions will often determine whether an organization has the capacity to qualify as an employer:

• Is it a separate legal entity or a separate person? • Does it have a sufficiently separate or distinct management structure? • Is it operated as a separate undertaking? For example, are employees

intermingled and transferred without formalities or do employees resign to be hired by the related division or organization? Are there separate human resource practices and payrolls?

• Does it hold the necessary authorization, licence or permit to operate in that field?

An employer may also be defined using the following criteria: • The party directing and exercising control over the worker performing the work –

since corporations act through agents, it may be necessary to determine the identity of the employer of the person who supervises the worker in terms of how and when the work is performed and defines the worker’s duties.

• The party bearing the burden of remuneration – it is important to determine who is actually paying the worker. Just handing over the remuneration is not sufficient. In the absence of other factors, being a conduit or intermediary for compensation is not sufficient to establish the existence of an employment relationship.

• The party imposing discipline and evaluating performance. • The party hiring the worker – the party responsible for selecting, testing and

training workers and bearing the related costs. • The party with the authority to dismiss the worker. • The party who the worker perceives to be the employer – it should be noted that

it is not uncommon for an employee to misidentify his or her own employer. • The existence of an intention to create the relationship of employer and

employee.

As before, no one factor is conclusive or determinative.

Counting Employees


The Employee The factors taken into consideration to determine if a person is an employee are considered collectively and include the following questions:

1) Is the position permanent?

2) Does the individual participate in benefits? Does the employee remit employment insurance (E.I.) contributions through the employer?

3) Does the employer submit annual T4 slips for the individual? Is insurance paid by the employer for the individual?

4) Is the individual required to have insurance? Is coverage for the individual’s employment insurance or worker’s compensation provided by the employer?

5) Is there a written agreement of employment? Does the individual wear the employer’s uniform? Does the individual use the employer’s vehicle? Are tools, order forms, business cards and/or equipment provided by the employer? Can products be purchased from organizations other than the employer?

6) Can the individual solicit customers? Can the individual carry competitive lines? Are fees set by the employer? Must the individual remit fees each day to the employer?

7) What is the extent of the employer’s coordination/supervision of the individual? Can the individual select the method of performing his or her job functions? Does the employer have disciplinary powers? Who arranges for a substitute if the individual is unable to perform the work?

8) Can the individual hire employees? Does the employer control the firing of the individual’s employees? Can work be freely subcontracted?

9) Does the individual perform the same work as employees of the employer? Does the individual spend a substantial amount of time working for the employer?

10)Does the employer provide vacation pay and overtime? Does the individual set his or her own hours? Does the individual do his or her own scheduling?

11)Who do the customers phone when they have a problem—the individual or the employer? Is the money paid by the customers directed to the individual or to the employer? Does the employer perform bookkeeping on the individual’s behalf? Is the individual paid the same amount regardless of whether the customer pays?

12)Are the individual’s expenses reimbursed? Is there a chance of profit or risk of loss for the individual?

13)Is the individual’s activity part of the employer’s business organization?

Counting Employees


Employment Status

Permanent Full-Time Employees Under the Employment Equity Act

A permanent full-time employee is a person who is employed by an employer for an indeterminate period of time to work the standard number of hours on a regular basis as determined by the employer, depending on the Employment Equity Occupational Group to which the person belongs. The standard number of hours is set by the employer, but cannot be less than the usual number of hours worked by full-time employees in the same occupational group.

Precedents already exist in the flexible application of employment status definitions to seasonal employment, as well as to the work schedules, dispatching systems and security in industries such as longshoring and trucking. In the water transport industry, permanent full-time employment status is not affected by seasonal shutdowns since many employees retain the right to return to work. In other industries/organizations, positions with routine contract renewal may be considered permanent.

Permanent Part-Time Employees Under the Employment Equity Act

A permanent part-time employee is a person who is employed by an employer for an indeterminate period of time to work fewer than the standard number of hours on a regular basis as determined by the employer, depending on the Employment Equity Occupational Group to which the person belongs.

Generally, what is standard or usual for a group of employees is considered full-time; anything less is considered part-time. For example, in a case where the standard, usual way of working for the organization is to work 11 hours per day for 3 days during the week, employees who fit this work pattern would be considered full-time, and employees who do not would be considered part-time. Similarly, in circumstances where an employee is not hired on an hourly basis but on some other basis such as workload, piece work, or mileage, it is necessary to determine whether the workload, piece work, mileage, etc., is standard or usual for all or most employees within the employer’s workforce.

Temporary Employees Under the Employment Equity Act

A temporary employee is a person who is employed on a temporary basis by an employer for any number of hours within a fixed period or periods totalling 12 weeks or more during a calendar year. This does not include a person in full-time attendance at a secondary or post-secondary education institution who is employed during a school break. Whether the hours are regular or irregular is not a factor to consider in determining temporary employment status.

Counting Employees


The total number of weeks worked by temporary employees is calculated according to the cumulative number of weeks worked, not by the cumulative number of days. For example, an employee may be called to work two days one week, three days the following week and one day per week for ten other weeks during the calendar year. This employee would be considered a temporary employee for employment equity purposes.

How are students counted under the Employment Equity Act? Students employed during a school break, even if this period exceeds 12 weeks, and who are returning to school, are not counted as employees for employment equity purposes.

Co-operative education (co-op) students working during the summer period are not considered to be on a school break since this work experience forms part of their education. Co-operative students who work more than 12 weeks during their work placements should be reported as temporary employees.

Note that students working on a part-time basis throughout the year are counted as temporary, provided they worked 12 weeks or more

The most significant distinction between temporary staff and permanent staff is job security, where permanence usually means employment for an indefinite duration. The duration of employment or the benefits received do not indicate employment status. Even if an employee is hired for a length of employment that is long term, the employee does not have permanent status if the duration of employment can be defined.

Casual or Other Employees Under the Employment Equity Act

Casual employees are employees who work less than 12 weeks during a calendar year and whose contracts have designated start and end dates. Casual employees and students working during a school break are not counted as temporary employees.

Other employees are employees who are on unpaid leave (often temporary lay-off or long-term leave), but who otherwise fulfil the definitions of permanent full-time, permanent part-time or temporary employees and maintain the right to return to work.

Special Case: Agency Personnel

Agency personnel can only be counted as employees for the purposes of employment equity if they are hired for periods exceeding 12 weeks, if they are paid by the employer, and if an employer/employee relationship exists.

Counting Employees


Special Case: Contract Workers and Associates

With respect to contract workers or associates in any industry, it is always necessary to begin by ascertaining whether an employer–employee relationship exists. An employer–employee relationship may exist with some contract workers or associates and not with others in the same organization. The existence of this relationship must be determined case by case.

For example, the term associate may mean the same as franchise (affiliated with or having a relationship by way of association), in which case the person would not be counted as an employee. If an associate is a partner or co-manager, is hired by the organization (as opposed to elected or volunteered, such as board of director members), or is compensated by your organization for work, then the person is counted as an employee.

The best way to determine if an employment relationship exists is to confer with legal counsel.

The Issue of Jurisdiction

Federal Jurisdiction Versus Provincial Jurisdiction

Employers required to comply with the Employment Equity Act include those who employed 100 or more employees “on or in connection with a federal work, undertaking or business as defined in section 2 of the Canada Labour Code” at any time during the calendar year.

The determination of employers covered by provincial or federal legislation is considered on a case-by-case basis and takes into consideration the nature of the corporate structure and the type of business conducted by the organization.

Federal Jurisdiction and the Legislated Employment Equity Program

Employers with a federally regulated workforce of 100 or more employees fall under the Legislated Employment Equity Program (LEEP) and are obligated to report annually to the Labour Program under the Act. They are also subject to compliance audits by the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Provincial Jurisdiction and the Federal Contractors Program

Organizations with a provincially regulated workforce of 100 or more employees are subject to the Federal Contractors Program under the Act, provided they have received one contract or standing offer valued at $200,000 or more to provide goods or services to the Government of Canada. These employers are subject to compliance reviews conducted by the Labour Program.

Counting Employees


Special Case: Dual Jurisdiction Under the Employment Equity Act

Certain businesses may have two or more distinct areas of activity. Part of the operation may be federal in nature, and part provincial. Where this occurs, it is necessary to determine whether the business is divisible for jurisdictional purposes, and the HRSDC – Labour Program and the employer should verify whether each portion of the workforce includes at least 100 employees.

If your workforce has 100 or more employees who fall under the LEEP, as well as 100 or more employees who fall under the Federal Contractors Program, you must either:

• fulfil the Federal Contractors Program Requirements for the provincially regulated portion of the workforce, while reporting and undergoing compliance audits for the federally regulated portion under the LEEP; or

• report the entire workforce under the LEEP, but undergo compliance audit of only the federally regulated portion. Note that if the size of the provincially regulated portion is substantial, the Labour Program reserves the right to decide whether a compliance review will be conducted on this portion of the workforce.

If your workforce has 100 or more federally regulated employees and less than 100 provincially regulated employees, you may request to report on your total workforce under the LEEP. However, only your federally regulated portion will be audited by the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Note: the decision to report the full workforce under the LEEP must be communicated to and approved by the Labour Program.

If your workforce has 100 or more provincially regulated employees and less than 100 federally regulated employees, your entire workforce is subject to the Federal Contractors Program.

Frequently Asked Questions


1. Why is this information being collected?

The information is being collected from new and current employees to obtain a picture of the composition of our workforce. The information will be useful in two ways: it will help us identify the under-representation of designated groups at all occupational levels within our workforce, and will be used for comparison purposes in order to monitor the success of our employment equity program.

2. Why should everyone complete the self-identification questionnaire?

All employees are part of the workforce; therefore, the employment equity commitment can be fully supported only when all employees count themselves in. By providing your information, you will enable us to determine how the composition of our workforce compares to the workforce in our area. Even if you are not a designated group member, you are helping the organization to be an equitable workplace for all employees.

3. Do questions on race or disability contravene human rights legislations and other laws?

No. The Canadian Human Rights Act stipulates that it is not a discriminatory practice to collect information if it is intended to be used in adopting or carrying out a special program, plan or arrangement designed to eliminate disadvantages faced by certain groups of individuals.1

4. How will the information I provide be used?

Your information will be used to create statistics about the composition of our workforce. It will allow us to assess designated group representation in different occupational groups and levels, to set goals and to monitor progress in reaching these goals. If you consent by checking the box at the end of the questionnaire, human resources may contact you regarding specific initiatives for your designated group (if you are a member of one), including support measures and accommodation needs. We may also request your participation in the Employment Equity Committee or in Advisory Committees, or seek your advice on specific employment equity issues.

1 Canadian Human Rights Act, 2008, subsection 16(3).



5. Must I respond to this questionnaire?

Your response to the self-identification questionnaire is voluntary. However, an organization can make it mandatory for you to sign and return the questionnaire to human resources even if you choose not to fill out any of the information.

6. Is it necessary for me to fill out a new questionnaire if I have completed one in the past?

Even if you have self-identified in the past, you are asked to complete the questionnaire at this time to ensure that you are counted in and counted correctly. In addition, by filling out this questionnaire, you will ensure that our information is up-to-date.

7. Will my information be kept confidential?

Yes. The information you provide is protected by the Privacy Act and will be kept confidential. Furthermore, the Employment Equity Act states that self-identification information can only be used for employment equity purposes, and your information will be kept separate from your personnel file. With your permission, your information can be used to refer you for special training or invite you to participate in selection boards or in other activities related to employment equity.

8. How can I correct, change or access information about myself?

You can correct and/or change information about yourself by completing a new questionnaire and forwarding it to your employment equity contact. You can also contact our human resources office if you want to access information related to you.

9. I have been accommodated in the workplace. Should I still identify as a person with a disability?

Yes. All persons with disabilities, including those who have been accommodated in the workplace, are asked to self-identify.

10. Can I identify in more than one group?

Yes. The Employment Equity Regulations permit employees to identify in more than one designated group. The self-identification questionnaire includes definitions to help you identify which group(s) you may belong to.



11. Can anyone else identify me? No. You are responsible for your own identification. By law, this information cannot be provided by your manager, your supervisor or your colleagues, unless you authorize them to do so

Example:Emp. # Promotion # Promotion Date36abe55 1 2011/03/1364may09 1 2011/08/0171jog12 1 2011/05/2071jog12 2 2011/10/06

Emp. # Promotion # Promotion Date

File contains one row for every promotion.If an employee was promoted twice, there should be two rows.If an employee was not promoted, do not put a row for that employee.Do not create this file if your organization awarded no promotions during the reporting period.

COLUMN A: EMPLOYEE NUMBER* Maximum 20 characters* Can be letters or numbers or a combination thereof* Employee number must exist in employee.txt file

COLUMN B: PROMOTION NUMBER* Maximum 4 digits* If an employee received 2 promotions, there must be 2 rows, etc.* Promotion numbers must be entered chronologically, one number at a time

COLUMN C: PROMOTION DATE* Must be 10 characters* Format – YYYY/MM/DD (include forward slashes)

Note on the information that each column must contain

Example:

EMP # CMA Prov NOC NAICS Status Notes Gender SalaryAboriginal

PeoplesVisible

MinoritiesPersons with Disabilities Hire Date

Termination Date Division Region

1234 02 18 0112 5179 01 M 50000 Y N N 2005/05/01 HR WEST1225 03 12 1414 5179 01 F 30000 N N N 2010/10/13 EAST EAST9100 64 10 0213 5179 02 Maternity leave F 55000 N Y Y 2003/02/25 IT CNTR9150 04 11 1225 5179 02 M 35000 N Y Y 2007/06/04 SL2 CNTR

EMP # CMA Prov NOC NAICS Status Notes Gender SalaryAboriginal

PeoplesVisible

MinoritiesPersons with Disabilities Hire Date

Termination Date Division Region

File contains one row for every employee. If your organization has 200 employees, you must have 200 rows in this file.

COLUMN A: EMPLOYEE NUMBER COLUMN I: SALARY* Maximum 20 characters * No decimals, no dollar signs, no commas* Can be letters or numbers or a combination thereof * Minimum salary is 0* Must be unique (no duplicates) * Salaries must be annualized (if necessary)

COLUMN B: CMA CODE COLUMN J: ABORIGINAL PEOPLES* Must be exactly 2 digits * Must be 1 letter* Make sure zeros are included (if applicable) * Must be Y (yes) or N (no)* Must correspond to the values in the CMA Support Table * First year employers should use N only

COLUMN C: PROVINCE CODE COLUMN K: MEMBERS OF VISIBLE MINORITIES * Must be exactly 2 digits * Must be 1 letter* CMA and Province code must correspond to one another * Must be Y (yes) or N (no)* Must correspond to the values in the Province Support Table * First year employers should use N only

COLUMN D: NOC CODE COLUMN L: PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES* Must be exactly 4 digits * Must be 1 letter* Must be a valid 4-digit NOC Code * Must be Y (yes) or N (no)* Use NOC Code Support Table * First year employers should use N only

COLUMN E: NAICS CODE COLUMN M: HIRE DATE* Must be exactly 4 digits * Must be 10 characters* Must be a valid 4-digit NAICS Code * Format – YYYY/MM/DD (include forward slashes)* See NAICS Code Support Table * Must always be blank for TEMPORARY or CASUAL employees* Note that WEIMS uses 2002 NAICS codes

COLUMN N: TERMINATION DATECOLUMN F: EMPLOYEE STATUS CODE * Must be 10 characters

* Must be exactly 2 digits * Format – YYYY/MM/DD (include forward slashes)* Must correspond to the values in the Employee Status Table * Must always be blank for TEMPORARY or CASUAL employees

COLUMN G: NOTES COLUMN O: DIVISION* Column is required, but data is optional * Optional field

* User defined codesCOLUMN H: GENDER * Maximum 4 characters

* Must be exactly 1 letter * Can be letters or numbers or a combination thereof* Must be M (male) or F (female)

COLUMN P: REGION* Optional field* User defined codes* Maximum 4 characters* Can be letters or numbers or a combination thereof


Sample Communication


Introducing the Self-Identification Questionnaire

To: All employees Date: [Date]

From: [Name and title of senior official responsible for employment equity]

Subject: Introducing the self-identification questionnaire

[Organization’s name] is subject to the Legislated Employment Equity Program and we have made a commitment to ensure that all employees are treated fairly within our organization. All federally regulated private sector employers with 100 or more employees must implement an employment equity program. This program will ensure that women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and visible minorities are equitably represented at all occupational levels within our workforce.

As part of implementing employment equity, [Organization’s name] must conduct a survey to collect data concerning its workforce. All employees, whether or not they identify themselves as a member of a designated group, are requested to complete this self-identification questionnaire and forward it to [Name of the Employment Equity Coordinator].

Filling out the questionnaire is voluntary. However, we encourage all employees to respond to the questions. Information from the questionnaire will allow us to identify and remove any barriers that may exist in hiring, training, promoting and retaining our employees.

The responses that you provide on the self-identification questionnaire will be kept confidential and used for employment equity purposes only. We encourage you to update this information about yourself at any time by completing another questionnaire as needed. With your help, we can achieve a workforce that is representative of the Canadian population.

Thank you for your support and co-operation. If you have any questions regarding the questionnaire or any other aspect of employment equity implementation, please do not hesitate to contact [Name of employment equity contact] at [Telephone number] or by e-mail at [E-mail address].

Sincerely,

___________________________ [Name and title of senior official responsible for employment equity]

Implementing Employment Equity in your Workplace Step 1 – Initiating an Employment Equity Program

Checklist

2012-09-25, 2:46 Page 1 of 1

To finalize task A - Adopt and accountability mechanism for employment equity and assign a senior official, I:

established a mechanism to ensure accountability for the development and implementation of an employment equity program;

assigned accountability to a senior official;

announced the purpose of employment equity to all employees.

To finalize Task B - Establish an effective communication strategy, I:

developed a comprehensive communication strategy for my organization;

established appropriate support structures to ensure the effective and sustainable functioning of the communication strategy.

To finalize Task C - Consult and collaborate with bargaining agents and employee representatives, I:

established appropriate support structures to ensure the effective functioning of the communication strategy;

created an employment equity committee or similar structure for collaboration and consultation with bargaining agents and employee representatives.

To finalize Task D - Collect workforce data, I:

distributed and collected an employee self-identification questionnaire, which will provide the information required to determine the representation of designated groups in my workplace.

To finalize Task E - Code workforce data, I:

coded workforce data by employment status, National Occupational Classification, Employment Equity Occupational Group and geographic location.

annualized the salaries, as needed.

Sample of a Second communication to employees


Request for Volunteers for the Employment Equity Committee



Subject: Request for volunteers for the Employment Equity Committee

[Organization's name] is subject to the Legislated Employment Equity Program as a federally regulated employer with 100 or more employees. As an employer under this Program, we have committed to implementing an effective employment equity program.

To encourage staff and employee participation in the employment equity process, we intend to create an Employment Equity Committee. This committee, made up of individuals representing management, employees and the union, will be involved in the following activities:

• communicating and promoting the implementation of all employment equity activities to employees;

• assisting in the development of the self-identification questionnaire and the promotion of the workforce survey;

• identifying specific needs of designated groups within our organization; • assisting in the review of all employment policies and practices, written

and unwritten, to ensure that they present no employment barriers for designated group members;

• assisting in the development, implementation and review of the employment equity plan; and

• preparing and/or organizing presentations and/or training sessions for managers and staff regarding employment equity.

Employment Equity Committee meetings will take place on the premises and during work hours. If you or someone you know is interested in joining the committee, please contact:

[Contact information of the employment equity contact person]

Sincerely,

_____________________________ [Name and title of senior official responsible for employment equity]

Example:Emp. # Term # Start Date End Date

7755 1 2011/04/22 2011/11/136788 1 2011/12/01 2011/12/3139a 1 2011/01/10 2011/02/2639a 2 2011/07/15 2011/10/17

Emp. # Term # Start Date End Date

File contains one row for every temporary or casual employee's contract term.Only temporary or casual employees are included in this file.If a temporary or casual employee has two contract terms, there are two rows.Do not create this file if your organization employed no temporary or casual employees during the re

COLUMN A: EMPLOYEE NUMBER* Maximum 20 characters* Can be letters or numbers or a combination thereof* Employee number must exist in employee.txt file

COLUMN B: TERM NUMBER* Maximum 4 digits* If an employee has 2 contracts, there must be 2 rows, etc.* Term numbers must be entered chronologically

COLUMN C: START DATE* Must be 10 characters* Format – YYYY/MM/DD (include forward slashes)

COLUMN D: END DATE* Must be 10 characters* Format – YYYY/MM/DD (include forward slashes)

COLUMN E: TERMINATION DATE * Must be 10 characters* Format – YYYY/MM/DD (include forward slashes)* Only include if before END DATE


Termination Date

2011/12/07

Termination Date

porting period.

Province Province code CMA code CMA06 Toronto57 Kingston58 Ottawa-Gatineau59 Oshawa60 Peterborough61 Hamilton62 St. Catharines-Niagara63 Kitchener64 London65 Windsor66 Greater Sudbury/Grand Sudbury67 Thunderday68 Brantford69 Guelph71 Barrie93 Ontario less CMAs04 Montréal53 Saguenay54 Québec55 Sherbrooke56 Trois-Rivières58 Ottawa-Gatineau95 Québec less CMAs03 Halifax89 Nova Scotia less CMA51 Moncton52 Saint John88 New Brunswick less CMA08 Winnipeg87 Manitoba less CMA07 Vancouver72 Abbotsford73 Kelowna74 Victoria86 British Columbia less CMAs05 Regina70 Saskatoon96 Sasakatchewan less CMA01 Calgary02 Edmonton85 Alberta less CMAs50 St. John's91 Newfoundland less CMA

Prince Edward Island 16 94Yukon 20 97Northwest Territories 21 90Nunavut 22 92Outside of Canada 98 98 Outside of Canada

Ontario 10

Quebec 11

Nova Scotia 12

New Brunswick 13

Manitoba 14

British Columbia 15

Saskatchewan 17

Alberta 18

Newfoundland 19

Sample Communication


Follow-up to Self-Identification Questionnaire

To: All Employees Date: [Date]


Subject: Follow-up to self-identification survey

[Organization's name] is committed to employment equity on an ongoing basis. We want to ensure that our workplace is a fair and supportive environment for all employees, including women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities.

We would like to thank all of you who returned the survey questionnaire. If you have not returned your questionnaire, please make this a priority. Your participation is extremely valuable to us.

If you have questions or if you would like to amend your personal information collected in the questionnaire, please contact [Name of employment equity contact] at [Phone number] or by e-mail [E-mail address] at any time.

Thank you again for your support and co-operation.

Sincerely,

____________________________ [Name and title of senior official responsible for employment equity]

Self Identification Questionnaire


Instructions

[Organization’s name] believes that all employees should be treated fairly. We promote employment equity in the workplace to ensure that women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and visible minorities are fully represented at all levels of our organization. Our employment equity program ensures that our hiring and promotion practices are based on qualifications and ability.

As part of our employment equity program, we are collecting information about our workforce through this questionnaire. Identifying as a member of a designated group (women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and visible minorities) in Sections B to E will help create an accurate picture of our workforce. We assure you that our workplace is a safe environment in which to self-identify. You can ask for the accommodation you need in order to fulfil your work-related duties to the best of your ability.

Self-identification—sections B, C, D and E—and completion of sections F, G and H is voluntary. However, it is mandatory to complete Section A, sign in Section I, and return the questionnaire to human resources, even if you choose not to fill out any additional information.

The responses that you provide on this form will be retained for statistical purposes only; your confidentiality is protected. We encourage you to review, update and correct information about yourself at any time. Your information will not be used for unauthorized purposes.

This questionnaire is available in Braille, large print or audio format upon request. It is also available on our Web site at [Organization's Web site].

A. Name: __________________________________

Section/Branch: __________________________________

Position: __________________________________

Employee number: __________________________________

Employment status: Full-time employee ❒

Part-time employee ❒

Temporary employee ❒

B. Gender



Female ❒ Male ❒

After reading the descriptions in each of the next three sections, answer “Yes” if any of the following apply to you. Please note that you may self-identify in more than one group.

C. Aboriginal Peoples

According to the Employment Equity Act, an Aboriginal person is a person who is Indian, Inuit or Métis.

Are you an Aboriginal person? Yes ❒ No ❒

D. Visible Minorities

According to the Employment Equity Act, members of a visible minority are people in Canada (other than Aboriginal peoples) who are non-white in colour or non-Caucasian in race, regardless of their place of birth or citizenship.

Examples of visible minorities include, but are not limited to: • Black • Non-white Latin American (including Indigenous people from Central and South

America) • East Asian (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, Korean) • South Asian/East Indian (e.g., Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, or East Indian from

Guyana, Trinidad or East Africa) • Southeast Asian (e.g., Burmese, Cambodian, Filipino, Laotian, Thai, Vietnamese) • Non-white West Asian, North African or Arab (e.g., Iranian, Lebanese, Egyptian,

Libyan) • People of mixed origin (e.g., with one parent in one of the visible minority groups listed

above).

Are you a member of a visible minority? Yes ❒ No ❒

E. Persons with Disabilities

According to the Employment Equity Act, persons with disabilities are persons who have a long-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning impairment and who consider themselves to be at a disadvantage in employment by reason of that



impairment, or who believe that an employer or potential employer is likely to consider them to be at a disadvantage in employment because of that impairment. This includes people whose functional limitations due to their impairment have been accommodated in their current jobs or workplaces (e.g., by the use of technical aids, changes to equipment or other working arrangements).

Examples of disabilities include, but are not limited to: • Coordination or dexterity impairment

(e.g., difficulty using hands or arms, such as grasping objects or using a keyboard) • Mobility impairment

(e.g., difficulty moving from one office to another, walking long distances or using stairs)

• Blindness or visual impairment (e.g., unable to see or difficulty seeing, glaucoma; however, do not include yourself if you can see well with glasses or contact lenses)

• Speech impairment (unable to speak or difficulty speaking and being understood)

• Deafness or hearing impairment (unable to hear or difficulty hearing)

• Other disabilities (e.g., learning, developmental and other types of disabilities)

Are you a person with a disability? Yes ❒ No ❒

F. Additional Data for Accommodation Purposes

Please specify how we can accommodate you to help you participate fully in the workplace. Note that if we implement these accommodation measures, they will not have a negative impact on your hiring, training, promotion and retention in our organization. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

G. Voluntary Employee Participation

1) Please indicate below if you wish to have your employment equity self-identification information used for particular employment equity initiatives.



Yes ❒ No ❒

2) As part of our ongoing employment equity work, from time to time we ask designated group members to participate in various activities (e.g., committees, focus groups) to provide feedback on new programs. If you agree to be contacted directly by the employment equity contact or a local human resources manager for this kind of activity, please check “Yes” below.

Yes ❒ No ❒

H. Employee Comments

If you have any comments/feedback on our employment equity program, we would like to hear from you. Rest assured, all comments will be kept confidential. Please contact the employment equity contact by phone [Telephone number] or e-mail [E-mail address].

I. Employee Signature

Signature: ______________________________ Date: ____________

Thank you for your participation!

Please return this form in the envelope provided to:

[Insert organization’s address]

Sample of a First Communication to Employees


Introducing Employment Equity


From: President/CEO

Subject Announcing the purpose of employment equity and assignment of the senior official responsible for employment equity

[Organization's name] is subject to the Legislated Employment Equity Program as a federally regulated private sector employer with 100 or more employees. As an employer under the Program, we have committed to implementing an effective employment equity program.

We want to ensure that members of the four designated groups (women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and visible minorities) are appropriately represented in our workforce. Although employment equity is designed to eliminate any employment barriers that these groups may face in our organization, employment equity benefits everyone in the workplace.

By implementing employment equity, we are taking advantage of Canada’s diversity. We want to ensure that no person is denied employment opportunities for reasons unrelated to ability. It is important that all employees be equitably represented in all levels of our organization and be treated fairly in all of our selection, hiring, training and promotion practices.

We are pleased to announce that [Name of senior official] has been assigned as the senior official responsible for the employment equity program within [Organization's name]. [Name of senior official] will oversee the process of forming an Employment Equity Committee, conducting a workforce survey and analysis, examining all of our employment systems and developing an employment equity plan over the next few months. [Name of employment equity contact] has been assigned to assist the senior official responsible for employment equity in the coordination of this program.

The success of our employment equity program is linked to your support. We welcome your input and co-operation in implementing employment equity at [Organization's name].

Sample of a First Communication to Employees


If you have any questions or comments about employment equity, please do not hesitate to contact [Name of employment equity contact] at [Phone number] or by e-mail at [E-mail address].

Sincerely,

_________________________ [Name of President/CEO]