Update on employment equity census

McMaster is getting closer to better understanding the diversity of its workforce with the participation of approximately half of University employees in the employment equity census.

This is a step in the right direction but there is much more work to be done to reach the University’s goal of at least 80 per cent participation. The voluntary, six-question census, launched January 27, asked participants to “self-identify” as members of designated groups, and efforts are continuing to encourage staff and faculty who have not yet done so to complete the census.

Outreach has included poster and digital campaigns, a census ambassador program and presentations at departmental and other meetings.

McMaster’s Forward with Integrity: The Next Phase identifies the collection of diversity-related data as an important activity that will promote and support equitable hiring and recruitment processes that reflect the diversity of our broader community.

Having this new information on our workforce will allow McMaster to identify any barriers in employment practices for members of designated groups and develop measures to eliminate these barriers. Reaching at least 80 per cent participation will help ensure that the University has reliable information to begin this work.

An Employment Equity Working Committee has recently been created and will soon start to review the aggregate census data and, in consultation with a variety of campus stakeholders, help develop employment equity goals.

Along with Human Resources, the committee will participate in the review of employment policies and programs, promotion and other programs, reviewing research into best practices (including recommendations from the 2014 report of PACBIC’s Employment Equity Working Group), developing an employment equity framework and promoting awareness and understanding of that framework.

Results from the census information collected to date will be available later this summer. Staff and faculty who have yet to participate are asked to complete the census to ensure a more accurate reflection of our workforce diversity. New McMaster employees will be asked to complete the census as part of their onboarding procedure.