Employment Systems Review

On May 9, 2019, university President, Dr. Steven Murphy, signed the Dimensions Charter. Ontario Tech proudly joined other universities across Canada on advancing institutional equity, diversity and inclusion. The Dimensions Charter is a pilot initiative that is supported by the three federal research granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

The Charter is foundational to the Dimensions pilot program to foster increased research excellence, innovation and creativity within the post-secondary sector across all disciplines, through greater equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

The Charter covers many principles, however, most relatable to the ESR are:

• To advance institutional equity, diversity and inclusion, specific, measurable and sustainable actions are needed to counter systemic barriers, explicit and unconscious biases and inequities. This includes addressing obstacles faced by, but not limited to, women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities or racialized groups and members of LGBTQ2S+ communities.
• Institutions require qualitative and quantitative data to measure, monitor, understand and publicly report on challenges and progress made. The analysis of the data should inform a comprehensive, in-depth, intersectional understanding of the contexts, manifestations and experiences that result from inequities, underrepresented and exclusion among all post-secondary community members.

In addition to the Dimensions Charter, the ESR strongly aligns with the EDI work and commitment being conducted through the CRC Program at Ontario Tech. The university is committed to raising awareness about the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion within not only our Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program, but also within the research enterprise as a whole.

More information on the equity, diversity and inclusion practices of the CRC Program is available on the CRC website including the 2019 Addendum to the 2006 Canadian Human Rights Settlement Agreement, Program statistics and the Program’s Requirements for Recruiting and Nominating Canada Research Chairs.

August to October 2021 - Stakeholder and process owner interviews

November to December 2021 - Confidential online survey deployed directly by CCDI to all Ontario Tech employees.

March 2022 - Virtual focus groups conducted by CCDI

Spring 2022 - CCDI to provide final report to Ontario Tech

*Subject to change.

What is an ESR?

An ESR, or Employment Systems Review, is an in-depth assessment of all employment systems, policies and practices, both written and unwritten and how these are implemented. There are four main components of the ESR and various ways for the Ontario Tech Community (Faculty Members, Academic and Non-Academic Employees) to get involved.

What are the four main components of the ESR?

The four main components of the ESR are as follows:

• Stakeholder and Process Owner Interviews: Any individual on campus identified as a stakeholder or process owner, in relation to Ontario Tech employment systems, engages in a 60-minute confidential interview to discuss their experience, identify gaps and brainstorm solutions.
• ESR Online Survey/ Stakeholder Voluntary Survey: All employees at Ontario Tech, who fall within the scope of the ESR, are invited to participate in a short confidential and voluntary survey regarding key areas of employment systems at Ontario Tech. Survey responses will provide additional insight on perceptions, access to information and barriers and will inform recommendations in the final ESR report.
• Focus Groups: All employees at Ontario Tech, who fall within the scope of the ESR, are invited to participate in confidential and voluntary focus groups based on employee categories and personal identities. The focus groups create a space for all employees to engage in a deeper conversation about their experience navigating employment systems at Ontario Tech, identify any barriers and discuss solutions for improved support.
• Documentation Review: CCDI engages in a thorough review of all Ontario Tech documents outlining polices, procedures and processes that govern Ontario Tech employment systems.

What are some of the ways the Ontario Tech Community can get involved?

The data collected from the ESR will inform the work of the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Ontario Tech University. It is critical that we engage with a wide range of employees throughout the different components of the ESR.

The focus groups and the ESR Online Survey are two key components that create opportunities for the most employee engagement. All employees received a link from CCDI on November 16, 2021 to participate in the voluntary and confidential ESR Online Survey. Although the ESR Online Survey only takes roughly 10-15 minutes to complete, the information gathered will directly inform recommendations presented to Ontario Tech in the ESR final reports. Therefore, the more employee participation, the wider range of experiences we are able to utilize to inform our practices moving forward.

More information on how employees can engage in the Focus Groups is available in the below section. Employees are welcomed and encouraged to participate in both components of the ESR.

Who is CCDI and what is their role in the ESR?

CCDI, or the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion has been engaged by Ontario Tech University to conduct the Employment Systems Review (ESR). CCDI works to develop solutions designed to help employers, diversity and inclusion/human rights/equity practitioners, and human resources practitioners effectively address the full picture of diversity, equity and inclusion within the workplace.

Within the parameters of the ESR, CCDI is a neutral third-party engaged to manage the four key components of the ESR, protect the confidentiality of all ESR participants and develop final reports and recommendations to inform the continued EDI work at Ontario Tech.

What is the timeline for the ESR?

All four components of the ESR are set to be completed for March 2022 with the final reports and recommendations set to be provided by the end of spring 2022.

What components of the ESR have already been completed?

As of November 2021, the stakeholder and process owner interviews have been completed. The stakeholder interviews saw a 94% participation rate and the process owner interviews saw a 100% participation rate from key process owners across the university. The documentation review has also been completed as of August 2021.

On November 16, 2021, all employees who fall within the scope of the ESR received their personal link to participate in the ESR Online Survey.

Please contact inclusive@ontariotechu.ca with any further questions. 

What is the purpose of the ESR Focus Groups?

CCDI will conduct 90-minute Focus Group sessions to gather a deeper understanding on issues faced by employees and identify potential solutions to the challenges expressed. Findings from these Focus Groups will inform Ontario Tech on the experiences of our employees and will serve to help the continued development of inclusive workplace practices and policies that aim to create a safe, accepting and inclusive work environment. Focus Groups will be conducted with each of the following 8 employee groups:

• Mixed faculty/researcher group (all ranks & identities including post-docs & sessionals)
• Mixed staff group (including student employees, all ranks & identities, unionized and non-unionized)
• Women faculty & researchers (inclusive of Indigenous, racialized minorities, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+)
• Women staff (inclusive of Indigenous, racialized minorities, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+)
• Indigenous faculty & staff (inclusive of women, LGBTQ2S+, persons with disabilities)
• Racialized faculty & staff (inclusive of women, LGBTQ2S+, persons with disabilities)
• Racialized faculty & staff (inclusive of women, LGBTQ2S+, persons with disabilities)
• LGBTQ2S+ faculty and staff (inclusive of Indigenous, racialized minorities, persons with disabilities, women)
• Persons with Disabilities faculty & staff (inclusive of racialized minorities, women, Indigenous, LGBTQ2S+)

CCDI’s unique and innovative Focus Group methodology yields both quantitative and qualitative data from each Focus Group that helps to capture the experience of the different identity groups in the workforce.

How long is each Focus Group?

Each Focus Group is 90 minutes in length. Although participants are encouraged to stay for the full Focus Group, participants can leave at any time during the session.

How does my participation remain anonymous, private and confidential?

Participants will not be identified during the Focus Group sessions. A CCDI Consulting Inc. facilitator will ask questions related to inclusion in the workplace and participants will have the opportunity to provide feedback by typing their experiences and feedback in a comment/chat box. The CCDI facilitator will be the only person during the session to view the participant’s feedback. Participants will not be able to view written feedback provided by other participants in the comment/chat box. The CCDI facilitator will be monitoring and discussing the feedback but at no time will disclose any personally identifying information, including names, or details of experiences that may disclose a participant’s identity.

The Focus Groups will be conducted via an online meeting platform to allow participants confidentiality in their responses. The software is available for the most common and reliable hardware computers and allows employees to participate in chats and respond to polls anonymously. Only the facilitator will be able to read those answers. All participants will have their microphone and video camera off and only provide feedback through the comment/chat box and polls.

When analyzing the data and providing recommendation to Ontario Tech, CCDI will take the following steps to protect the confidentiality of Focus Group participants:

• CCDI Consulting Inc. will not provide names of employees who volunteered or participated in the Focus Groups to Ontario Tech.
• CCDI Consulting Inc. will not attribute a comment to a specific person.
• No one within Ontario Tech will have access to the individual responses and feedback received.
• CCDI Consulting Inc. will maintain the records and feedback, and all individual responses will be compiled into summary of findings.

Will other participants be able to identify me in the Focus Groups?

No, participants will be able to participate in the Focus Group anonymously from one another. The Focus Groups will be conducted via an online meeting platform to allow participants confidentiality in their responses. The software is available for the most common and reliable hardware computers and allows employees to participate in chats and respond to polls anonymously. Only the facilitator will be able to read those answers. All participants will have their microphone and video camera off and only provide feedback through the comment/chat box and polls to protect individual anonymity.

Can I participate in more than 1 Focus Group?

Yes, participants with intersecting identities are encouraged to participate in as many Focus Groups as they identify with.

When are the Focus Groups taking place?

Focus groups will be taking place from March 21, 2022 to April 1, 2022.

Mixed faculty/researcher group (all ranks & identities including post-docs & sessionals) - March 22 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Mixed staff group (including student employees, all ranks & identities, unionized and non-unionized) - March 23 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Womxn faculty & researchers - March 24 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Womxn staff - March 25 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Indigenous faculty & staff - March 28 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Specific racialized faculty & staff - March 29 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

LGBTQ2S+ faculty and staff - March 30 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Persons with disabilities faculty & staff - March 31 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

How can I register for a Focus Group?

Check your email. CCDI will be emailing a registration link to all Ontario Tech employees who fall within the scope of the ESR. The email will come from activity@ccdiconsulting.ca.

To participate in the ESR Focus Groups simply click on the applicable URL link within the email and complete the registration instructions. Once you have registered you will receive a calendar invite from activity@ccdiconsulting.ca with instructions on how to sign-in and participate on the day of the Focus Group session.

What information is required during the registration process?

To register for an ESR Focus Group, you are required to provide your first and last names and email address. Please note, you may choose to use your initials or pseudo names when registering but an active email address is required.

You will also be asked non-mandatory verification questions relating to your identity and other demographic questions. This information will be used to gauge the demographic profile of participants. Any identifying information collected during this process will remain confidential and will not be shared with Ontario Tech University.

If you have any questions about these Focus Groups, including the handling of your personal information, please feel free to contact the CCDI Consulting Inc. team at activity@ccdiconsulting.ca.

How can I request an accessibility accommodation to participate in the Focus Group?

If you wish to participate in an ESR Focus Group and require accommodations, please send an email to activity@ccdiconsulting.ca and include what accommodation(s) you require. CCDI seeks to ensure that all Focus Groups are as accessible as possible for participants. Please ensure to communicate your access needs in a timely manner so preparations can be made.

What are examples of accommodations CCDI is able to provide during the focus groups?

Slides will be presented with colour contrast in mind and captioning will be enabled within Zoom. Please email activity@ccdiconsulting.ca for additional accommodations.

Why are Focus Groups being conducted based on different diverse demographic identity dimensions?

CCDI Consulting Inc. is conducting Focus Groups with employees of different demographic identities to develop a deeper understanding of how inclusion may be experienced differently by diverse group of employees at Ontario Tech.

CCDI Consulting Inc.’s research in conjunction with Canadian employment research and statistics clearly shows that different demographic identity groups experience their workplace differently. For example, we know that employees who identify as women, Indigenous, racialized minorities, persons with disabilities and/or LGBTQ2S+ tend to report lower experiences of inclusion that relate to hiring, promotions, discrimination, pay equity and workplace safety.

What is the purpose of the ESR Online Survey?

The purpose of the ESR Online Survey is to collect direct feedback from Ontario Tech employees who fall within the scope of the ESR. The survey is one of four key components of the ESR and allows CCDI to gather information on demographic representation, feelings of inclusion, perceptions of Ontario Tech employment systems and additional comments. This confidential data works to inform final recommendations presented in the final ESR reports.

Am I required to complete the ESR Online Survey?

No, you are not required to complete the ESR Online Survey. Participation is completely voluntary; however, we strongly encourage your participation as your employee experience will work to inform the final report and assist in identifying barriers within Ontario Tech employment systems.  

Why is my participation important?

Your voluntary participation is important due to a range of factors. Firstly, the higher the participation rate, the wider range of employee experiences and perceptions we will be able to pull from to inform the final recommendations and our EDI strategy moving forward. Secondly, your experience as an employee at Ontario Tech is unique to you and could help us identify key areas for improvement. Lastly, although the survey is confidential, through the data collected we will be able to identify trends in employee needs and prioritize supporting and addressing those needs.

How long will it take to complete the ESR Online Survey?

The ESR Online Survey should take about 10-15 minutes to complete.

Why did I receive a save-the-date email from CCDI?

On November 9, 2021 all employees who fall within the scope of the ESR received a save the date email from CCDI (census@ccdi.ca). This email was sent to inform you of the upcoming ESR Online Survey, scheduled to begin on November 16, 2021.

Is it safe to open future emails from CCDI?

Yes, all emails from CCDI (census@ccdi.ca) are safe to open and the survey links included are secure. However, if you would like more support confirming the security of an email from CCDI before interacting with it, feel free to reach out to the IT Service Desk for further assistance.  

When is the deadline to complete the ESR Online Survey?

All employees who fall within the scope of the ESR will have until December 10, 2021 to voluntarily complete the Survey. The Survey takes roughly 10-15 minutes to complete and the survey window is 3.5 weeks in length, from November 16 to December 10.

Will my responses to this Survey be confidential?

Yes, your responses to this Survey are completely confidential. CCDI does not report or record any identifiable data.

How is my privacy protected?

The information you provide in this Survey will be kept strictly private and confidential. Ontario Tech University will never have access to personally identifying information (e.g. name, email address, etc.) that will link your responses to you. Your responses are encrypted, stored outside of Ontario Tech and handled in accordance with privacy legislation. The Survey is run by a third party/external organization - The Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI).

I’ve already participated in an EDI training; do I still need to participate in the ESR Online Survey?

Participation in the ESR Online Survey is completely voluntary. Previous EDI training and workshops differ significantly from the current ESR process. The ESR focuses specifically on employment systems at Ontario Tech, the ESR Online Survey is a tool of data collection that will allow CCDI to develop community-informed recommendations. Although participation is voluntary, it is highly encouraged.

Is this ESR Online Survey a reflection of my performance as an employee of Ontario Tech?

No, the ESR Online Survey is being distributed to all Ontario Tech employees who fall within the scope of the ESR. The ESR Online Survey is not a reflection of the performance of any individual employee, but instead an opportunity for employees to confidentially inform the further development of Ontario Tech employment systems. As the Survey is confidential, all feedback is anonymous and final recommendations provided by CCDI will be void of any identifying factors.

Please contact inclusive@ontariotechu.ca with any further questions.