NATIONAL CAPITAL COMMISSION 2008 Narrative Report On Employment Equity
2008 Narrative Report on Employment Equity I II III IV IV V General Overview Quantitative Information Women Aboriginal Peoples Persons with Disabilities Members of Visible Minorities Qualitative Measures and Results Communications Equity Environment o Diversity Committee o Employment Equity Action Plan o Duty to Accommodate Initiatives for Designated Groups / Employment Systems o Recruitment o Outreach Constraints Consultations with Employee Representatives Future Strategies 2
I. General Overview The National Capital Commission (NCC) is pleased to submit its annual report as required under the Employment Equity Act for the 2008 calendar year reporting on the representation of women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities. The NCC is a Crown corporation that was created by Parliament in 1959 as the steward of federal lands and buildings in the National Capital Region (NCR), with a mandate and mission to build the Capital region into a source of pride and unity for Canadians. Our business lines are organized in four sectors: (a) Animating and Promoting the Capital (b) Planning, Design and Land Use (c) Real Asset Management and (d) Corporate Services. The NCC s population is composed of approximately 500 employees whose functions span the majority of the occupational groups. We employ roughly 136 students each year, most of which are hired during the summer. With the assistance of the Diversity Committee our three-year employment equity plan is being reviewed. By 2011-2012, at the end of our current plan, the NCC will reassess its employment equity initiatives and plan strategies to increase our participation in the various groups. Some organizational changes that occurred during 2008: On January 7, 2008, Ms. Marie Lemay was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Capital Commission for a five-year term. In September 2008, the NCC s Chair, Mr. Russell Mills, and the Board of Directors announced the appointment of Ms. Laura Bruneau to the newly created Ombudsman position. II. Quantitative Information The statistical profile of the National Capital Commission in 2008 indicated a total workforce of 487 employees (as compared to 485 the previous year). The representation of permanent full-time employees as of December 31 st was 83% (411), permanent part-time employees were 22.9% (94), and of students was 7.5% (31). The workforce at its peak date of June 25, 2008 was 641 employees, which included 94 temporary employees (15.3%) and 136 students (22.1%). Given that our temporary employee population falls below the 20% threshold for reporting requirements and our students work less than 20 weeks, they are not included in the quantitative information below by employment equity group. However, it is worth noting that of the total number of temporary employees (94) in 2008, (1) was Aboriginal people, (3) were visible minorities, (73) were women, and (2) were persons with disabilities. We will comment further on the reporting requirements later on in this report. In addition, a total of 158 students were employed at the Commission in 2008. At peak period (June 25, 2008) there were 136 students in the workforce (an increase of 7.9% in the existing workforce), (5) were Aboriginal peoples, (15) were members of visible minorities, and (5) were persons with disabilities. This represents 15.8% of students hired from these designated groups. Our ability to have a representative student workforce is important given 3
that we have in place a program to bridge students into the regular workforce after they have completed their studies. Women In 2008, half (50%) of the NCC permanent workforce consisted of women (217). Women made up 50% of all senior, middle and other management positions, an increase of 3% from the previous year. As well, women represented 57% of all new permanent employees hired, while they also represented 66% of permanent employees who left the organization. Finally, women were successful candidates in 62.5% of the promotional opportunities during this period. Aboriginal peoples Aboriginal peoples made up 1.6% of the NCC permanent workforce (6), which is unchanged from the previous year. This compares favorably to the external availability rate of 1.8% for Ottawa-Gatineau 1. They were represented in four of the 14 occupational groups; two-thirds found themselves in the administrative and senior clerical personnel and clerical personnel groups. Persons with disabilities The rate of representation of persons with disabilities of the NCC permanent workforce remained relatively stable; from 4.2% in 2006 to 4.5% in 2007 and 4.2% (16) in 2008. This compares well to the national availability rate of 4.9%. Members of visible minorities In 2008, the representation of members of visible minorities also remained relatively unchanged at 3.4% (15) of the NCC permanent workforce compared to 3.4% (13) the previous year. This compares to the external availability rate of 14.2% for the Ottawa- Gatineau area. Two-thirds of these employees were found in the professional occupational group. Women Aboriginal peoples Persons with disabilities Visible minorities Canada availability 47.9% 3.1% 4.9% 15.3 % Ottawa-Gatineau availability 2 49 % 1.8% n/a 14.2% NCC (permanent workforce) 2008 50% 1.6% 4.2% 3.9% NCC (permanent workforce) 2007 49.8 % 1.57% 4.46% 3.41% Overall Representation The Commission's representative workforce was found in all the occupational groups with the exception of one (Skilled Craft and Trade workers), which we have only a total of two (2) employees. The highest percentages were found in the areas of professionals, administrative Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), 2006 Employment Equity Data Report, Persons with Disabilities (Employment equity Defined) figures include those aged 15 to 64 who worked anytime between 2001-2006. 2 NCC compares itself to the workforce availability in Ottawa-Gatineau, as the majority of our workforce is drawn from this Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). 4
and senior clerical personnel, followed by middle managers and other administrators. The comparison of current representation in the NCC with 2008 Ottawa-Gatineau workforce availability information indicates that a representation gap exists for members of visible minorities, while women, persons with disabilities and Aboriginal peoples are represented. III. Qualitative Measures and Results The National Capital Commission positions itself as a values-driven employer of choice. Embedded in its Integrated Management Framework of our human resources are a series of guiding principles which support its vision and its values, including that of providing a diversified, open, innovative, safe and harassment-free workplace. Its employees value and respect the diversity of the workforce by embracing tolerance and acceptance, and by promoting and recognizing individual and group achievement, expertise and contributions. We have already identified a need to review our Employment Equity Plan. In order to assess the overall understanding and employment equity plan, our Diversity committee is intricately involved in the reviewing of the action plan and will make recommendations as necessary. In September 2008, the NCC reviewed the resourcing process, aimed at ensuring fairness, transparency and consistency in the resourcing process throughout the NCC. The resourcing process contains the following provisions related to Employment Equity: If necessary, special measures may be used to assist the NCC in attaining its employment equity targets in accordance with the Employment Equity Plan pursuant to the Employment Equity Act, by hiring qualified candidates on the basis of Employment Equity considerations. Staff actively participated in the development of the Code of Values and Ethics for employees and conducted awareness sessions in the summer of 2008. Internal Communications: In October 2008, the Code of Values and Ethics was distributed to all NCC employees and posted on the NCC intranet site. In November 2008, a message was posted on the NCC intranet site inviting new members to join the Diversity Committee. External Communications: The NCC continues its commitment towards ethno cultural diversity through its flagship events, such as Canada Day and Winterlude. Artists, experts and performers from different ethno cultural groups are engaged to showcase their heritage, traditions and contemporary expressions, providing the public with the opportunity to experience, learn and develop a deeper appreciation for Canada s diverse cultural spectrum. The Sound and Light Show, presented nightly on Parliament Hill during the summer season, is a 30-minute medley of lights and giant projected images from across the country that depicts Canada as a nation of communicators and honours the diversity of Canadians, including Aboriginal peoples, early Europeans and recent immigrants. 5
The following are several noteworthy initiatives which occurred during 2008: Equity Environment Diversity Committee Our Diversity Champion, named in July 2006 and a member of Executive Management Committee (EMC), continues to be a key driver of this initiative. The Diversity Committee chaired by the Champion has been in existence for over five years and meets regularly in an effort to assist the NCC in being more diversified, more inclusive and reflective of the Canadian population it serves. Its membership includes representatives of the four employment equity designated groups coming from various branches as well as a union representative. Its guiding principles are: Efforts will focus on sensitizing our workforce so that there is a thorough understanding internally of the value of diversity, and a sense of participation and fairness for all. The fair representation of the four designated groups at the NCC will be achieved through our corporate human resources policies and practices. In addition, various awareness initiatives took place in 2008 in the context of special days which focused on the employment equity designated groups and diversity events, for example: mini information stations were located on all NCC floors and external offices for the National day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, and a message was posted in the Intranet for Black History Month. Employment Equity Action Plan The NCC Employment Equity Action Plan (2006-2009) was approved by the Executive Management Committee (EMC) in 2005, and was developed with the support of the Diversity Committee. It was built around five strategic objectives: Accountability Awareness Recruitment Retention Career advancement The tenets of the Plan are that external staffing will be aimed at according preference to visible minority members that qualify in a competitive process, that the concept of merit is adjusted towards the concept of a 'pool of qualified candidates' (high level determined by the manager) from which the organization can select the successful candidate in accordance with organizational criteria and that with HR assistance, branches are requested to target positions that enhance our ability to meet our employment equity objectives. 6
Duty to Accommodate As part of the requirements identified in the Employment Equity Action Plan, a Teletypewriter (TTY) system has been installed and implemented in order to respond to the needs of members of the public who are hearing impaired at various points of service. In 2008, an additional TTY line was installed in the Ombudsman s Office. This initiative demonstrated our commitment to universal accessibility and to diversity/duty to accommodate. The NCC also has in place a Universal Accessibility (UA) Committee co-championed by two members of EMC with representatives from key segments of the organization. In May 2008, a presentation was made to EMC on the Terms of Reference for Professional Consulting Services to develop a Corporate Strategy for Universal Accessibility for the NCC. The initiative was to provide a comprehensive view and analysis of the state of UA affairs at the NCC as of 2008 and wherever possible, compare NCC s UA systems, targets, achievements and resources with those of other government departments. We continue to provide accommodation to employees such as modified work to injured workers. As well, in the majority of cases, when new employees join the commission they meet with a representative from facilities management to ensure that the initial set up for a work station is in keeping with the individual needs. A total of 19 ergonomic assessments were conducted throughout the year. Work schedules are also adjusted to provide variable start times where circumstances warrant, and modified work weeks are provided whenever feasible. It is also important to note that 9.9% of employees work a compressed schedule. Ergonomic assessments of individual workspaces continue to be provided on a priority basis to employees with medical certificates and to others upon request. Employees with disabilities who require that measures be implemented and appropriate adjustments be made in order to accommodate their needs are given immediate attention. There were two situations of employees with visual impairments who were accommodated in the workplace. Communications An awareness campaign of issues regarding employment equity and diversity took place throughout the year 2008. These awareness events included: Black History Month (February) message appeared on Intranet; International Women s Day (March 8) message appeared on Intranet; National Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (March 21) message appeared on Intranet. Aboriginal Awareness Week (May 20-23) included an exhibit commemorating Aboriginal Peoples set up by members of the Diversity Committee in the display case in the lobby at 40 Elgin. In addition, several employees of the NCC participated in the official launch of Aboriginal Awareness Week on Parliament Hill which was organized by the Senate of Canada; National Aboriginal Day (June 21) and Saint-Jean Baptiste Day (June 24) messages appeared on Intranet; 7
Canadian Multiculturalism Day (June 27) an information kiosk was organized and included reading material, along with a map of the world whereby employees were invited to identify their country of origin, thus highlighting the diversity of our workforce; National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (December 6), a mini kiosk was located on every floor, along with the distribution of white ribbons and an Intranet message was posted. Initiatives for Designated Groups / Employment Systems Recruitment The NCC posts its external competitions through a variety of networks, including the federal public service recruitment site, NCC s Web site and circulates the notices to a number of outreach organizations. In an effort to further make known its commitment to the principles of employment equity and to encourage candidates from the designated groups to apply, the NCC includes a statement on all employment opportunity posters that reads as follows: The National Capital Commission is committed to building a skilled, diverse workforce reflective of Canadian society. As a result, it promotes employment equity and encourages candidates to indicate voluntarily in their application if they are a woman, an Aboriginal person, a person with a disability or a member of a visible minority group. The National Capital Commission is committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If contacted regarding this competition, please advice the departmental official of the accommodation measures which must be taken to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Hearing impaired and speech impaired persons can contact us through a TELETYPE DEVICE at (613) 239-5527. Human Resources Advisors collaborate closely with managers and provide them with support in their employment equity recruitment objectives. A tracking tool is also in effect to identify the number of employees of designated groups that apply for positions, those that are selected for testing or interviews and those that qualify. This analysis has enabled the NCC to measure efforts and results. As indicated earlier, the NCC has been successful in meeting its target for the recruitment of students from the designated groups. This is key given the ability of managers to offer a bridging appointment (conversion to temporary or permanent employment) into an entry-level position once students graduate. Outreach In November 2008, as part of the NCC s ongoing efforts to reach out to and attract qualified candidates to its workforce, the Employment Equity Coordinator e-mailed a number of organizations and associations that represent the interests of members of the designated groups, as a means of collaborating with them in order that NCC job posters reach members 8
of these groups. As a result, new contacts were added to its distribution list for job postings. We continue our efforts to work with our local partners; thus we have additional organizations and associations to help us attract candidates from the designated groups. The Employment Equity Coordinator took part in a job fair that was organized by the YMCA in conjunction with other outsourcing groups. IV. Constraints It is important to mention that external staffing will, when possible, concentrate its efforts by according preference to visible minority members that qualify in a competitive process. Self-identification by employment equity designated group members remains an ongoing issue. There exists an uncertainty as to whether or not designated group members selfidentify beyond the recruitment process. We have changed our process due to this uncertainty and now, upon signing the letter of offer, the new employee will be asked to return the self-identification form (completed or not). Online surveys will be conducted in June 2009 and in October 2009 to help with this ongoing issue. We continue to strive to meet our commitment for members of visible minorities at the NCC. Preliminary analysis reveals that members of visible minorities are applying for positions at the NCC, participating in the selection process up to and including the interview stage. Further analysis is required to determine which means are the most effective in attracting and encouraging members of visible minorities to apply for jobs at the NCC and to engage managers in meeting this key component of the overall employment equity objectives. V. Consultations with Employee Representatives The NCC consults with its employee representatives on matters related to employment equity by way of its Labour-Management Consultation Committee (LMCC) on a periodic basis. Consultations with employee representatives also take place in the form of the active participation of union representatives on committees and working groups, for example the Diversity Committee. VI. Future Strategies The NCC strives to continually renew its efforts in achieving reasonable progress in employment equity. Its Employment Equity Action Plan creates the foundation for future strategies: In ensuring that the NCC complies with the Employment Equity Act and aims to attract and retain a more diverse workforce; In increasing representation of designated group members, in particular members of visible minorities where gaps exist compared to labour market availability in Ottawa- Gatineau and representation in the federal Public Service in Canada s Capital Region; 9
In increasing awareness of employment equity responsibilities among managers and employees, i.e. Manager Employment Equity Handbook; In increasing awareness through external associations and participating in a variety of job fairs. Numerical Goals Overall, the planning, design and delivery of NCC programming and events takes into account the strategy of regional, cultural, and linguistic representatives, in order to ensure that the diversity of the Canadian population is properly reflected. It is the latter that gives us some concern because the manner in which we are required to report does not accurately reflect the progress made. The inability to report the actual percentages reflecting the entire employee population of the NCC results in the exclusion of nearly 20% of term and student employees. The following chart illustrates our point: Total Women Aboriginal Peoples Persons with Disabilities Visible Minorities A B C 2008 Permanent employees (Dec. 31) 2008 Permanent (Dec. 31) & temporary employees (peak) 2008 Permanent (Dec. 31), temporary employees & students (peak) 411 52.8% 1.5% 3.9% 3.6% 505 57.4% 1.9% 3.6% 3.6% 641 49.1% 3.3% 3.3% 4.7% Row A indicates the representation in accordance with existing reporting guidelines. Row B represents the permanent and temporary peak workforce. Row C represents the permanent, temporary and student peak workforce, in other words, all our employees. We continue to believe that we should be able to report the representation as noted in Row C. We base this on the fact that the NCC has a permanent requirement each year, because of its operational needs which consist of permanent employees, term employees and students. The point being that our workforce overall each year is in excess of 500 and we ensure that in the resourcing of each of these positions, regardless of status, keep the employment equity objectives that we have set for ourselves in the forefront. 10
We will continue to strive to meet our objectives for recruitment, promotion and retention of designated group members in areas where the workforce analysis indicates underrepresentation. Total Employees (excluding students) Current representations of designated group members and objectives for the NCC, which include our permanent and temporary workforce, are as follows: 2008 (Current representation) 2009-2011 Women Aboriginal Peoples Persons with Disabilities Visible Minorities 50% 1.6% 4.2% 3.9% 50% 1.6% 5.3% 9.0% Students 15.8% is the representation of students hired from these designated groups. The objectives we set out in our three-year plan were ambitious. The goals that were selected to address representation gaps of the designated groups throughout the course of employment were: selection, recruitment, retention, and career advancement. NCC will focus where possible, on enhancing our ability to increase the representation of visible minorities. These efforts will be reflected in the overall human resources management plan of the Commission. 11