People and Culture

Actions Implemented in Year 1

 

Below is a summary of activities and initiatives undertaken in Year 1 of the university's Employment Equity Plan. The list includes activities within each of the seven priorities of the Plan. You can also view the full Employment Equity Plan Progress Report (2022-2023) [PDF].

 

Priority 1: Communication and Awareness

  • The Faculty of Computer Science created an Employment Equity Action Plan Group to oversee, track, and ensure the implementation of the Plan.
  • The Faculty of Health’s 2023 Strategic Plan calls for Embedding Equity and Inclusion in Everything We Do, and identifies Championing Health Equity as their core value and area of focus. The Faculty, in collaboration with Academic Staff Relations, provides an annual orientation to all new Faculty of Health academic search committee members, Directors and Administrative Managers on the Employment Equity Policy.
  • Financial Services managers and supervisors attended the supervisory development program which focuses on EDIA, recruitment, assessment, and selection using an EDIA lens.
  • The Faculty of Medicine developed a communication plan to enhance awareness of the Dalhousie census. It is also working with Planning and Analytics to modify the census to enhance the participation of Clinical Faculty which will allow for greater accuracy in gap analysis.

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  • The Employment Equity unit in HR presented the Plan to over 800 employees, during 32 separate presentations.
    • The Plan overview was incorporated into the Fair and Equitable Hiring module. This session was offered 5 times within 2023 and attended by approximately 85 employees.
    • An Employment Equity Plan Implementation for Managers and Supervisors workshop developed. This session has been offered once so far and attended by 18 employees, the session was wait-listed.
    • An Employment Equity Plan Rights and Responsibilities for Equity-Deserving Employees workshop was developed. This session was offered 3 times in 2023 and attended by 48 employees. Interest was high (each session was wait-listed), evaluations were also very positive.
  • The Dalhousie Art Gallery is working to make the gallery more attractive to diverse communities of artists, staff, and visitors.
  • The Environmental Health and Safety Office presented the Plan to their staff and distributed a survey to their staff to identify priorities and actions for the division to focus on.
  • The Faculty of Science established an Equity Champion Program. Members are provided education and training related to the Employment Equity Policy, Plan, and equity practices and serve as champions on search committees. The Faculty also shared information on the Federal Contractors Program with all departments, so they are aware of their obligations under the Employment Equity Act.
  • The Office of Advancement restructured its Anti-Oppression Group to lead employment equity work, helping the leadership team identify, plan, execute and evaluate all EDIA-related projects in Advancement.
  • Human Resources and Human Rights and Equity Services developed a video explaining the complaint processes related to acts of discrimination, harassment, and other Human Rights issues.

 

Priority 2: Representation

  • The Dalhousie Art Gallery implemented actions to increase diversity of representation within the gallery.
  • Dal Libraries created an Indigenous Services Librarian position to increase representation for Indigenous persons at Dal Libraries.
  • The Office of Research and Innovation created a number of positions focused on EDIA including an Indigenous Research Facilitator. The recruitment process is underway with the hiring manager and committee working to ensure they are using culturally accepted approaches that respect Indigenous knowledge, lived experiences, and transferrable skills.
  • The Faculty of Science reviewed the Federal Contractor Program data and is working to close the gaps in the instructors and professors’ streams for equity deserving groups who identify as racialized (78%, -10), and women (91%, -8). The Faculty also participated in the Inclusive Excellence Cluster hire of Black scholars. They attended the virtual career fair organized by the Canadian Black Scientists Network (CBSN) which resulted in a larger number of applicants. Some candidates were referred to other positions within Dal including Canada Research Chairs positions.
  • Facilities Management (FM) cultivated relationships with community groups serving equity-deserving candidates such as Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS) and reachAbility. FM also attended job fairs on and off campus to attract a wider range of candidates and held information sessions at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), the Apprenticeship Board, and ISANS highlighting opportunities within the unit. 

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  • The Employment Equity unit and HR staff recruitment are working with the Director of African Nova Scotian Community Engagement to develop an outreach plan to attract job seekers from the African Nova Scotian community.
  • The Employee Relations and Talent Management units in HR have a project underway to review and improve the staff exit interview process and experience. This review will focus on ensuring the questions and processes are inclusive and that results are able to be disaggregated more easily to inform feedback related to exiting equity-deserving employees.
  • The Dalhousie Art Gallery implemented actions to increase diversity of representation within the gallery including:
    • Collaboration with the Director, Indigenous Community Engagement to commission two Mi’kmaq artists to create benches for the gallery pollinator garden
    • Hiring a part-time staff for a curatorial mentee focused on African Nova Scotia/African Canadian art
    • Designating and successfully filling three staff positions from equity-deserving groups
    • Prioritizing Black, Indigenous, and racialized artists for gallery exhibition programming and for acquisition for the permanent collection. The Secret Codes: African Nova Scotian Quilts drew diverse audiences to the gallery.
  • The Faculty of Management participated in the Inclusive Excellence Cluster hire of Black scholars and started the process to hire a Black scholar in Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
  • The Faculty of Health started the recruitment process to hire the Faculty’s inaugural Associate Dean, Equity and Inclusion with anticipated appointment in early January 2024. The Faculty is also working to reduce the significant gap for racially visible persons in the Professionals category and persons with disabilities in the Administrative and Senior Clerical category. The Faculty also utilized designated hiring strategies for two Student Advisor positions to support Indigenous and African Nova Scotian students. The Faculty participated in the Inclusive Excellence Cluster hire of Black scholars and continued to use Talent Pathways to fill temporary staff positions with equity-deserving candidates.
  • Dal Libraries used Talent Pathways for filling temporary staff positions with equity-deserving candidates.
  • The Faculty of Computer Science has successfully hired five women to fill faculty positions between 2021-2023 and they currently have three open searches designated for equity-deserving candidates.
  • The Talent Pathways program was rebranded with promotional materials redesigned using Dal's new brand, plain and inclusive language. 449 equity-deserving candidates applied to the program compared to 279 in 2022 with 60% increase. The advisor attended 11 external job fairs and engagement session and 10 internal information sessions and job fairs, interviewed 152 candidates, placed 42 candidates in temporary positions, filled 47 placements (some candidates have been placed more than once), 20 placed employees have moved on to on-going roles at Dal.
  • Facilities Management is working on preparing an apprenticeship guide to help hire equity-deserving candidates who are underrepresented in trades and who have applicable skills to transfer to trades positions with FM.
  • The Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation Canada Research Chairs’ Committee continues to designate new CRC opportunities specifically to members of equity-deserving groups. Regular updates of targets and gaps are published on the Office of Research Services website as required by the CRC EDI Action Plan. The Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation also hired EDIA Advisors to support the achievement of action items in the Canada Research Chairs Institutional Equity Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan, including analysis of the recruitment and retention strategies for equity-deserving groups.
  • The Faculty of Graduate Studies is working with HR on exit interview/surveys, developing methods to use data and share feedback with its units, with the aim of improving retention rates.
  • Financial Services used Talent Pathways to fill temporary staff positions with equity deserving candidates.
  • The Office of Advancement filled their first designated position. 

 

Priority 3: Recruitment

  • The Accessible Employment unit in HR developed language to encourage candidates to seek accommodation, as required, in the recruitment and hiring processes and continued to enhance awareness among hiring committees about ways to reduce the stigma associated with self-identification for equity-deserving groups in the recruitment processes.    
  • HR staff recruitment units worked to draft guidelines for consistent consideration of lived experience/transferable skills in recruitment processes (screening of lived experience/ transferable skills).  
  • The Faculty of Medicine has readily available data for various categories of searches, highlighting existing gaps in representation. 
  • The Faculty of Graduate Studies worked with the Job Design team in Human Resources and hiring managers to redesign job postings to make them more accessible and inviting.                   

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  • The Employment Equity unit in HR gathered a working group and developed a Candidate Care Program to support equity-deserving job seekers as they navigate the employment process at Dalhousie; integrated the definition of African Nova Scotian and revised the questions related to gender identity and sexual orientation (through a working group of members of the Queer Faculty and Staff Caucus) in the self-identification questionnaire and census.
  • The Academic Staff Relations unit in HR developed a video presentation about the Employment Equity Policy and EDIA in recruitment, which committee members can take at their own pace.
  • The Dalhousie Art Gallery prioritizes equity-deserving groups in job postings and hiring and consults with Employment Equity unit to review job postings for appropriate language/wording. The Gallery also reviews policy documents for gender-inclusive language and using a decolonial lens.
  • The Job Design unit in HR reworked their internal website to make it more accessible and user friendly for hiring managers. The unit also collaborated with Facilities Management on employment development opportunities for internal applicants to move upward in their career.
  • All HR recruitment units regularly review and update recruitment materials, the recruitment platform (PeopleAdmin), as well as materials provided to New Employee Orientation program to ensure inclusivity and currency related to services and supports for equity-deserving groups.
  • Facilities Management adjusted their interview questions to ensure accessibility and inclusion.  
  • The Faculty of Medicine regularly reviews its promotion criteria, considering Equity Diversity Inclusion & Accessibility (EDIA) components. 
  • The Faculty of Science established rubrics for faculty hiring that will be considered more broadly for other employment categories. The Faculty also created a role for an Employment Equity Facilitator (as part of their Equity Champions group).
  • The Faculty of Health internal human resources team gives presentations on the Employment Equity Policy at the commencement of each search to staff hiring committees.
  • The Faculty of Computer Science has developed and is implementing a new onboarding program for new hires to complement their efforts of hiring members from all equity-deserving groups.
  • Dal Libraries took actions to ensure inclusivity of their hiring process including:
    • ensuring diversity on hiring committees
    • promoting the Canadian Association of Research Libraries Strategies and Practices for Hiring and Retaining Diverse Talent
    • developing EDIA scripts and templates for search committees and
    • providing training for library staff involved in the hiring

 

Priority 4: Benefits and Supports

  • The Employee Benefits unit within HR engaged external consultants to assess our benefit offerings with respect to EDIA. The unit also continually reviews the product offering and the service provided by Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) provider to assess whether they are utilizing culturally competent/sensitive methods and hiring more counselors from diverse backgrounds.
  • The HR Data Analysis and Systems Management (DASM) unit ensures correct names and pronouns are documented with accuracy in HR systems.
  • The Accessible Employment unit provides comprehensive case management for sick leave and LTD files to identify gaps in the public medical service (wait-times) and identifies barriers for intersectional identities and supports in accommodations that reflect the protection of prohibited grounds.
  • Dal Libraries started pay equity analysis and will follow up with total compensation to complete the required pay equity processes identified in DFA collective agreement.  

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  • Human Resources has begun pay equity analysis for both staff and faculty to identify and address potential pay gaps.
  • The Health and Wellness unit within HR extended the partnership with Kids & Co. network of daycares for two years. The unit also established a Menopause Support Group and a support group for employees caring for children with additional support needs. The unit also identified and implemented projects emerging from the Be Well campus well-being project including:
    • offering appropriate supports for employee roles requiring more support, including those dedicated to EDIA
    • promoting the development and renewal of campus spaces with a well-being perspective, with particular emphasis on EDIA
    • offering regular yoga classes dedicated to BIPOC faculty and staff through the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences workplace wellness grant
    • providing dedicated resources available through Employee and Family Assistance Program to support those impacted by local, national, or global disasters and conflicts
    • Your Voice workplace survey reporting includes dedicated compilations of the workplace experiences of equity-deserving group members, following the 13 workplace factors under the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace.
  • The Accessible Employment unit in HR promotes the use of the Employee and Family Assistance Program for equity-deserving employees and implements person-centred accommodations that supports the specific needs of equity-deserving employees and maintains a waiting list for family physicians.
  • The Faculty of Medicine offered opportunities for Clinical departments to utilize the Dalhousie recruitment process to provide access to pension/benefits for clinical faculty and reviewed standard options for pregnancy and parental leaves for Clinical Departments.
  • The Faculty of Health supports students, staff, and faculty who are impacted by local (fires, floods) or global (wars, natural disasters) crisis through formal or informal accommodations and/or Employee and Family Assistance Program.
  • The Faculty of Graduate Studies worked to update correct pronouns and names to mirror Dal Online and comply with the Gender Affirmation Policy and worked to promote the Workplace Wellness Strategy.

 

Priority 5: Development and Advancement

  • The Employment Equity unit in HR pulled together the Aspiring Leaders working group to enhance content in current leadership development offerings and ensure they are inclusive of diverse perspectives, definitions, and methods of leadership. The unit is also working on strategies to ensure offerings are promoted to equity-deserving employees and support is provided for employees to enroll and attend.
  • The Executive Recruitment unit in HR developed a transparent and equitable process for appointing acting leaders at the senior level, which is currently being piloted. The unit also pulled equity data on acting appointments at the senior administrative level for the past 10 years.   
  • The Faculty of Computer Science developed and launched a new faculty mentorship program. The program aims to enhance the professional well-being of faculty members, especially new faculty members and those from equity-deserving groups.
  • The Faculty of Medicine developed a mentorship program and is reviewing existing promotion criteria for clinical faculty to ensure it is equitable and inclusive.

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  • The Academic Staff Relations unit in HR provided higher-level training related to the Boyer Model as part of the tenure and promotion process and is developing workshops for individual faculties. The Boyer Model is now being used in the calculation of Y-values[1].
  • The Dalhousie Art Gallery promotes upcoming and existing programming to equity deserving staff, community organizations and educational groups.
  • The Career Development consultant in HR is currently working to launch the staff mentorship program, which will prioritize employees from equity-deserving groups. The consultant is also reviewing the Achieve Program with an inclusive and equitable lens and will be working to revitalize the university’s staff performance review tools.
  • The Faculty of Science established a tenure promotion taskforce for equity-deserving faculty to incorporate equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles into the T&P process.
  • Facilities Management gave training for staff in computer applications such as Chrome River as needed and that helped boost employees’ comfort level with technology and support career development.
  • The Faculty of Health has a Professional Development fund for staff in the DPMG and NSGEU employment groups, the funding may be (and is) used to support various forms of development and is not restricted to a person’s current scope of responsibility. The Faculty also identifies mentors to support equity deserving faculty and staff.
  • Financial Services encouraged staff to attend the supervisory development program.
  • Dal Libraries encouraged and supported equity deserving staff members to take on interim/acting opportunities.

[1] For Members of the teaching and research staff, Y represents the number of years of creditable service (s) in the rank of Lecturer or its equivalent or above in universities or equivalent institutions; plus, other relevant experience including periods of paid employment and years of traditional ways of knowing and/or non-traditional scholarship; plus 3 added to Y for possessing the Ph.D. degree or its equivalent.

 

Priority 6: Education

  • The Faculty of Science developed an Equity Champion program to train, support, and coordinate faculty members and staff hiring managers who will facilitate the advancement of Faculty/Departmental inclusive excellence priorities and goals, including the development and implementation of employment equity plans as outlined in Dalhousie’s Employment Equity Plan.
  • The Office of Research and Innovation provided managers with OCAPTM training (First Nations principles of ownership, control, access, and possession of data).
  • The Faculty of Graduate Studies staff attended workshops on identifying bias in processes and policy as well as the 4 Seasons of Reconciliation course and the Rethinking Gender course.
  • Financial Services encourages all managers to attend EDIA training through the Faculty of Open Learning so that they can get their Equity Diversity and Inclusion certificate. The unit also includes aspects of EDIA in weekly communication emails along with training opportunities. The office is also making active efforts to identify and address educational gaps and come up with ideas for how the office can be more inclusive.

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  • The Indigenization, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (IDEIA) Education Collective was formed. The collective is comprised of individuals leading EDIA related education across the university. The group is working on an analysis of offerings (which can be accessed online) as well as a gap analysis to support development of further resources. The Collective is also working to finalize the Inclusive Language Guide.
  • Employment Equity unit provided skill and professional development opportunities for Employment Equity Implementation Leads and opportunities for sharing learnings, strategies, and best practices to utilize an EDIA lens in all business functions. 5 educational presentations given, attended by 28 Employment Equity leads.
  • Human Resources organized educational sessions about Indigenous culture and people with the aim to build HR’s capacity to better understand, engage with, and support Indigenous applicants, candidates, and employees. 28 staff from Human Resources attended the Blanket Exercise and the whole HR team will participate in an Indigenous Cultural training session.
  • The HR EDIA committee completed several initiatives in 2022-2023. The committee collected and distributed information about several events, holidays, including the African Heritage month, National Indigenous Peoples Day, Emancipation Day, Autism Awareness, International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, International Women’s Day, National day for Truth and Reconciliation, and Accessibility week. The committee maintains an EDIA library where they added eight books covering different EDIA topics. The committee held a multicultural day potluck.
  • Human Resources added modules on inclusive workplaces, accessible employment and menopause in the workplace to the Supervisory Development Program.
  • The Job Design unit in HR made adjustments to discussions regarding job evaluation sessions for NSGEU and DPMG staff and managers to increase awareness of EDIA considerations during job design and recruitment.
  • The Accessible Employment unit in HR continued to be an active member in the HR-EDIA committee providing and getting education as needed and is integrated into a national network that encompasses accessibility-focused initiatives, particularly those focused on persons with disabilities.
  • The Health & Wellness unit in HR features an EDIA Resource Spotlight in monthly Wellness Champion emails, linking to helpful resources on a wide variety of topics and actively promoted the Rethinking Gender online course.
  • The Faculty of Management created an EDIAD resource site for Management faculty and staff, with 83 items contributed and 124 site visits in the last 90 days. The Faculty: 
    • created an EDIAD leadership position: Foundation Director (Inclusion)
    • held a 2-day workshop on Implementing Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Universal Design for Learning in Your Teaching for faculty, which 29 faculty members attended
    • formed an Inclusion Committee, where members have a chance to gain experience in EDIAD-related work. Members come from equity-deserving groups.
    • held Indigenous Cultural Training Sessions at the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre for faculty and staff, 30 people attended the first session and 11 people registered for the second session
    • created a standing item at Faculty Council to report on Inclusion in Action, which increases awareness of how to apply EDIAD principles in our work and who to collaborate with
  • Facilities Management recognizes existing challenges related to EDIA and they are working with an EDIA consultant to develop and deliver EDIA education sessions specifically for FM.
  • The Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation supported many opportunities for EDIA related training and education. The Office:
    • provided managers with OCAPTM training (First Nations principles of ownership, control, access, and possession of data) 31 Vice-President, Research and Innovation (VPRI) staff, including managers completed the training 19 more enrolled in the Fundamentals of OCAPTM online course
    • established a VPRI EDIA committee whose work includes providing lunch and learn sessions on EDIA issues as well as promotion of existing EDIA education and training resources via a bimonthly newsletter
    • all Ocean Frontier Institute staff, including managers, have completed the on-line training program The Path: Your Journey Through Indigenous Canada
  • The Faculty of Science partnered with Open Learning and Career Development to offer a customized Faculty of Science EDIA certificate. Four micro-credential courses were offered to 30 participants (max enrolment achieved) across faculty, staff and students. The Faculty is also incorporating the Diversity, Equity Assessment Planning tool (DEAP) tool for academic, non-academic and governance units, customized for Dalhousie.
  • The Faculty of Computer Science Culture of Respect in Computer Science Committee planned two training sessions on Cultural Competency and 2SLGBTQIA+ education.
  • The Faculty of Health has supported many opportunities for EDIA related education and training. The Faculty: 
    • encouraged employees to participate in the Foundations of DEI in the Workplace through the Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development
    • organized a survey to measure EDIA PD participation since Sept 2021 to present and identify what areas/topics would be of most interest to faculty and staff
    • uses the bi-weekly Dal Health Spotlight to share upcoming EDIA PD opportunities open to staff and faculty
    • all Deans Office staff have been offered the opportunity to participate in the Foundations of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace
    • EDIA PD progress is reflected in faculty annual reports
  • Dal Libraries offers EDIA programming in Ko’jua Okuom the new community room and participates in the Dal Reads program with an EIDA focus. The Libraries EDIA Committee also identifies, shares and organizes training opportunities for staff.                                                                                 

 

Priority 7: Recognition

  • The Faculty of Management provides overload payment to their Inclusion Committee chair to compensate for work that is usually unpaid.
  • The Faculty of Computer Science is investigating providing stipends to the Culture of Respect in Computer Science Committee.
  • The Faculty of Health provides overload pay for those equity deserving faculty who have a heavy administrative load due to committee work associated with EI initiatives.
  • Dal Libraries following up on feedback about structural racism and workload, including participation on equity related staff and faculty caucuses.

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  • The new NSGEU Local 77 ratified agreement, Article 31.05, which will provide additional compensation to work done on committees by employees.