Recruiting and Hiring

Before start the the process to hire new staff, it is a good idea to include HR staff early in the process. Your first contact to help you get started is your Human Resources Consultant (HRC). Their expertise can help you review your organizational structure and provide recommendations for achieving your preferred hiring outcomes.

We actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity, including, but not limited to,

• First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, and all other Indigenous peoples;
• members of groups that commonly experience discrimination due to race, ancestry, colour, religion and/or spiritual beliefs, or place of origin;
• persons with visible and/or invisible (physical and/or mental) disabilities;
• persons who identify as women; and
• persons of marginalized sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.

Recruitment related processes and procedures are governed by BC Human Rights legislation and by UVic equity policies. UVic’s Equity and Human Rights (EQHR) office monitors and reviews our employment systems and policies to ensure they do not pose barriers to any designated groups.

Every department has a diversity and equity plan. An important component your recruitment planning process is to connect with your AVP or another senior leader to talk about your department’s diversity and equity plan.

The 8 Steps to Preferential and Limited Hiring and the Preferential and limited hiring quick guide describes the steps involved in creating a requisition and considering applicants for a preferential or limited hiring process.

Toolkit

Get resources to integrate equity into all stages of hiring and employment. The toolkit was developed jointly with Human Resources, Vice President Academic and EQHR. Resources are for different employee groups and stages of the employment process.

• CUPE 4163
• CUPE 917/951
• PEA
• Other employees

Additional resources:

• Human Rights, Equity and Fairness
• Equity Policy for Employees at UVic
• Guidelines on Preferential or Limited Hiring
• Equity and Human Rights
• VPAC Equity and Diversity

Off-campus resources:

• Inclusion BC
• Federal Government of Canada Employer Guide – Integrating Immigrants into the Workplace
• http://www.esdc.gc.ca/en/jobs/workplace/human_rights/index.page
• http://www.hireimmigrants.ca/
• http://www.ccdi.ca/

UVic is committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion in our living, learning and work environments. In pursuit of our values, we seek members who will work respectfully and constructively with differences and across levels of power. We actively encourage applications from members of groups experiencing barriers to equity.

Read our full equity statement here: www.uvic.ca/equitystatement.

The resources found on the Hiring Manager Connect site will help hiring managers to develop, update, and review job descriptions. Click the following link to access the Hiring Manager Connect Site and scroll to the “​Job Description Development” section.”

Hiring Manager Connect Site - Resources and Tools

The Human Rights Code requires employers to accommodate the needs of individuals or groups covered by the Code. The duty to accommodate arises where a workplace rule or job requirement, which is neutral and consistently applied, has an adverse impact on a person or group covered by the Code. The duty extends to the point at which further accommodation would cause the employer “undue hardship.” Generally, this applies to applicants or employees on the basis of a disability, religious observance or family responsibilities.

• The University’s duty to accommodate extends to the requirement to provide accommodation as needed for applicants for a position.
• It may be necessary to accommodate a person with a disability during the selection process by ensuring events are scheduled in accessible locations.
• Applicants with a disability must be assessed solely in terms of the qualifications required for the job and their ability to perform the job with or without accommodation.
• The fact that a qualified person requires some form of accommodation to perform the job cannot be held against him/her in the evaluation of candidates.
• There is an Accommodation Fund which can be used to assist in providing equipment or tools if a person with a disability is hired who requires this type of accommodation.
• Other types of accommodation may relate to flexible scheduling.
• Contact the Work Life Consultant in HR or the Office of Equity and Human Rights for more information.

Accommodation

• Means any temporary or permanent measure used to remove a barrier which prevents an individual from performing or fulfilling the substantive duties of the job.
• Will be provided for the identified needs of an individual in all employment areas including recruitment and retention, training, promotion, and any other condition of employment where the need for accommodation is demonstrated.
• Is based on individual circumstances and can include, but is not limited to technical aids, job redesign, workplace modification, work scheduling, employment policy and practice modification.

Undue hardship

• Undue hardship must be decided in the circumstances of each case, but would likely include:
• When there is a risk to the safety of others or a substantial risk of personal injury to the employee requiring accommodation when financial cost is such that a program or service would cease to exist due to the financial burden of the accommodation, or other circumstances where it would be unreasonable to expect the University to bear the costs of accommodation.
• When accommodation alternatives would result in lowering standards or essential job requirements being unmet.
• When the accommodation would be unduly disruptive to a collective agreement

Additional resources:

• Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Procedures
• Human Rights Issues and Accommodation
• Work Life Consulting

Duty to Accommodate candidates are employees that the university, as one employer, has an obligation to take measures to eliminate disadvantages that result from a rule, practice or physical barrier that has or may have an adverse impact on individuals or groups protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act or identified as a designated group under the Employment Equity Act.

Recall and placement candidates are employees who have been laid off from their positions through no fault of their own. Recall is available to CUPE 917, CUPE 951 and PEA employees.

After you submit your job through UVic Careers, and it has been approved by the Budget Office, your job vacancy will be reviewed by HR and if your position is deemed a fit for a recall or duty to accommodate employee, you will be contacted by the appropriate HR contact with information on next steps.

All job postings require approval from the Budget Office. The approvals required will depend on the type of position you are posting. Please contact the Budget Office: budgdept@uvic.ca if you have any questions.

UVic Careers

Step 6 of the Create a requisition for a job posting quick guide. has instructions on selecting an approval chain in our online job managing system.

The Requisition approvals quick guide describes key steps in approving a requisition. It also describes how to edit rejected requisitions and re-submit them for approval.

UVic Careers is the online job management system for all staff job postings in the following employee groups: CUPE 917, CUPE 951, Exempt Support Staff, PEA and Management Excluded.

The UVic Careers-system resources for hiring managers page has guides to help you navigate the process

Records concerning hiring or hiring recommendations are maintained according to established protocol. Review the protocols regularly for updates: http://www.uvic.ca/recordsmanagement/index.php

Competition records, including interview notes may be subject to FOI access requests. Notes from this competition should be retained for at least 1 year from the date of completion of the search.

HR resources

• Access, Records Management and Privacy Guidelines for Search Committees

Campus resources

• Records Management Program
• Recruitment records checklist
• UVic Directory of Records

Generally, when applicants are relatively equal, choose the applicant who best meets the identified skills criteria. Hiring decisions must be consistent with the relevant collective agreement, terms and conditions of employment or handbook and include obligations with respect to seniority, work performance and qualifications.

Make the offer

Before you extend an offer of employment we strongly recommend that you review the Salary Administration guidelines. These guidelines are regularly reviewed and updated by HR to ensure relevant collective agreement and/or legislated employment standards are met.

Employment offer templates are available through in UVic Careers. The Extending offers of employment quick guide describes key system steps in extending an offer to a prospective employee.

If you have a unique hiring situation and cannot locate an offer letter template that reflects your needs, please contact an HR Advisor for help.

Relocation grant policy

Employees hired into full-time, ongoing positions under the PEA Collective Agreement and under the Management Excluded Terms and Conditions of Employment are not eligible for a relocation grant. Review the Relocation Grant Policy carefully to consider if an exception to eligibility should be considered. Before you make any verbal or written commitments, contact HR to review eligibility.

Once the applicant has accepted your offer finalize the hire and initiate onboarding in UVic Careers. When you hire your applicant the rest of the applicant pool will be dispositioned from the competition and the status of the competition will be filled in the job management system.

The hire and onboarding process in UVic Careers is a mandatory step and the responsibility of the hiring manager. Through this process your new employee will receive mandatory training, an employee number, NetLink ID, benefit and payroll forms. The Hiring and onboarding quick guide describes the key steps in hiring and onboarding a new employee.

Participation in the University’s group benefit plans is a condition of employment for many employee groups. A delay in enrolment will result in financial hardship for the employee (benefit premiums are payable from the date of eligibility) and prevents the employee from accessing the benefits to which they are entitled. Initiating the onboarding process and ensuring the completion of enrolment forms with the required privacy training is mandatory and the responsibility of the hiring manager.

• CUPE 917 competitions: Article 16
• CUPE 951 competitions: Article 16.05
• PEA competitions: Article 5.06

The Communicating with applicants quick guide describes the process for considering and notifying internal applicants in UVic Careers.

A fair and equitable process that includes posting, up-to-date job description, consistent assessment process and well written offer letter each set the stage for successful on-boarding and orientation. Additional information and resources to welcome your new employee to your department are available through the university’s Employee Resources and Human Resources websites. The onboarding section of the UVic HR website provides links to several important resources, including an Onboarding Checklist, Employee Handbook, information on the Manager’s Role in onboarding and the Performance Development Process.

This section of the website also includes other information useful when welcoming a new employee, such as Bus Passes and Parking, links to Employee Groups, and Campus links of interest.

New Employee Welcome is hosted by Human Resources each year. This informative workshop introduces new employees to various UVic executive, outlines the components of the UVic Edge, and provides opportunities to engage in conversations and activities that highlight university culture, values, and community, all while networking with new people from across campus. If you would like additional information please click here.

Disability and Accessibility Resources are also offered on campus. This material should be incorporated into your onboarding.

• Employee Handbook
• Indigenous Employee Guide
• Onboarding resources

UVic Staffing Solutions (USS) is our in-house temp agency, providing casual support to UVic departments.

Through our service, you will have access to a pool including broad and diverse experience and skill sets. Each casual has been interviewed, screened and reference checked to ensure we deliver your required qualifications.

How our services work

You submit a casual staff request form clearly detailing your needs. We select and assign the right casual from our pool to meet your needs and we take care of the administrative details.

Please email completed request form to staffing@uvic.ca. Additional information is available here.

If you are hiring casual staff, you may use UVic Careers for your job posting. Please contact an HR Coordinator for more information.

Employment Equity Toolkit

Get resources to integrate equity into all stages of hiring and employment. The toolkit was developed jointly with Human Resources, Vice President Academic and EQHR. Resources are for different employee groups and stages of the employment process.

Orientation and onboarding

Additional information and resources to welcome your new employee to your department. The onboarding section of the UVic HR website provides links to several important resources, including an Onboarding Checklist, Employee Handbook, information on the Manager’s Role in onboarding and the Performance Development Process.

This section of the website also includes other information useful when welcoming a new employee, such as links to Employee Groups and Campus links of interest.

Disability and Accessibility Resources are also offered on campus. This material should be incorporated into your onboarding.

• Onboarding Checklist
• Onboarding resources