Employment equity at UVic
The Equity Action Plan now encompasses UVic’s employment equity program, which falls under the jurisdiction of BC's Office of the Human Rights Commissioner. The current program is approved from September 2022 through September 2027. It carries new strategies in recruitment and retention, a plan for greater employment equity data collection and the right to conduct limited and/or preferential hiring searches for underrepresented populations.
Best practices to support employment equity
1. Get informed
Learn more about Indigenization, anti-racism initiatives, sexualized violence prevention, gender diversity, disability and accommodation, and mental health support and fair hiring.- Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement (IACE)
- Anti-oppression education
- Sexualized violence prevention and supports
- Trans, Two-Spirit & non-binary supports
- Disability and accommodation for staff
- Disability and accommodation for faculty. Information about accommodation, sick leave, and long-term disability.
- Mental health: See what resources are available to support mental health for employees at UVic
- UVic competencies model has resources on personal development and learning on many of these topics
- Fair Hiring: See what resources UVic has to support fairness in all stages of the hiring process
2. Become a bias buster
Learn about unconscious bias, its impacts and how to overcome it. See Bias Resources.
3. Inclusive vision
Work with your team to create a shared vision of inclusion. Build an inclusive vision: Inclusive statements (PDF)
4. Integrate best practices
Draw on resources to support all stages of hiring, assessment and employment. Factor equity into every decision you make. See Hiring resourcesMake a standing item on equity, diversity and inclusion at your meetings.
- Include it: Embed EDI dialogues (PDF)
- See Performance & Development for resources on having difficult conversations and managing employees well
5. Build community
Plan an event focused on equity, diversity and inclusion. Steps for community building (PDF)
6. Become champions
Create and support an equity committee in your unit.
Embed practices of equity, diversity, accessibility, inclusion and dialogue throughout the university community so that all members feel welcomed, valued and supported to achieve their highest potential. - University of Victoria Strategic Framework, strategy 1.2
Better Data Project
Embedding employment equity is not only the right thing to do but needed to attract and retain people with the knowledge, perspectives and skills to achieve excellence. Given the importance of this work, UVic is excited to share the Better Data Project which aims to build ethical data governance practices that have consistent collection of disaggregated data to address barriers to equity across the UVic community.
The Better Data Project aims to provide the campus community with an opportunity to self-identify across a range of identities to provide UVic with an understanding of who makes up our community. Importantly, the work is guided by key equity data collection principles set forward by topic experts and guiding policy documents (e.g., the Grandmother Perspective).