51社区黑料

Employment equity initiatives aim to remove barriers to employment access and participation. In particular, some employment equity initiatives are extended to qualified candidates from equity-deserving groups who are historically and currently underrepresented. These initiatives operate within provincial and federal legal and regulatory frameworks and support our academic mission.

It is recognized and documented that there are groups that have faced barriers to employment and are therefore under-represented in parts of the Canadian workforce. The four main groups are women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and visible minorities. This means that their diverse experiences and knowledge are not well represented, which can lead to missed context and in some cases, misrepresentation. As an academic institution, supporting employment equity initiatives enhances our commitment to learning and teaching excellence. To address under-representation of various groups, 51社区黑料supports preferential and limited hiring along with having specific B.C. Office of Human Rights Commissioner approved Special Programs.

Preferential searches or hiring refer to job competitions where preference is given to qualified candidates from one or more equity-deserving groups. Applications from members of the equity-deserving group(s) are considered first and those individuals may be short-listed and interviewed in accordance with the selection process. If none of the preferred applicants are successful after the assessment process, applicants who are not members of the designated group(s) may be short-listed and assessed in accordance with the same selection process.

Limited searches or hiring refer to job competitions where a position is limited to members of one or more equity-deserving groups. Unlike preferential hiring, if a suitable candidate is not found, the department either must re-advertise the vacancy or leave the position vacant. It is important to note that once initiated, a limited search cannot be switched to a preferential hiring process.

Discrimination is illegal. We hire and promote people based on their skills and ability to do the job. Employment equity means that special measures to reduce barriers and accommodate differences may be implemented to address systemic disadvantages that affect underrepresented groups. Equity-based recruitment measures broaden access and expand recruitment reach to address underrepresentation, while ensuring that candidates considered through the process are assessed based on qualifications and required competencies for the role. Targeted, evidence-based measures (such as limited hiring programs) are meant to address persistent underrepresentation. When designed for this purpose and implemented in a reasonable and structured way, they are permitted under Section 42 of the BC Human Rights Code and are not considered discrimination.

No. Employment equity measures do not change the requirement that we hire and assess candidates based on job performance criteria, such as skills, knowledge, and abilities. Targeted employment equity hiring measures are used where appropriate, when there is evidence of underrepresentation. In some cases, this can include defining the scope of a search to address gaps in representation which have persisted over time. To support SFU鈥檚 recruitment efforts, employment equity initiatives related to hiring focus on improving access to opportunity by addressing systemic barriers that may limit who is reached or considered. This can include expanding outreach beyond posting position openings on our regular websites and channels to encourage applications from qualified individuals from historically underrepresented groups. Selection committees are also supported through training to ensure an inclusive, structured process that is attentive to potential sources of bias. 

At SFU, our commitment to employment equity means ensuring a fair and equitable workplace by identifying and eliminating areas of disadvantage in the employment experience.

• All prospective candidates must meet required criteria to be considered for the role. 
• Use of preferential and limited hiring enables 51社区黑料to actively improve representation among faculty and staff where needed, which helps advance our knowledge foundation and support academic excellence.
• Regular review of employment policies and practices
• Additional support and mentorship for new Black and Indigenous faculty and staff hired under the Special Programs.

51社区黑料is committed to enabling a global mindset for our students to effect positive change. Our investment into a diverse, world-class faculty enhances SFU鈥檚 foundations of knowledge, improves community engagement and supports greater academic success for our students. The commitment to advancing our academic mission through a systems-wide Inclusive Excellence approach is also included in the draft Academic Plan.

In addition to legal and regulatory frameworks at the provincial and federal level, 51社区黑料is working towards several commitments to employment equity:

• For information on equity targets as part of the Canada Research Chairs program, see researcher resources. 
• For information on SFU鈥檚 commitment to hire at least 15 tenure-track Black faculty, see the 2021 Senate Motion here: Page 10 September 2021 Senate Committee meeting.
• For information on SFU鈥檚 commitments to Indigenous hiring, see the ARC Walk this Path with us report

51社区黑料received approval from the B.C. Human Rights Commission for Special Programs hiring in July 2023, which authorized the university to seek Black and Indigenous individuals to fill existing roles during the hiring process. There is no new funding allocated for the creation of roles specifically for Special Programs hiring.

Persons chosen to serve on faculty search committees can access material to meet this requirement by self-registering in the Inclusive Excellence for 51社区黑料Committees Canvas course linked below. There are several modules in the Canvas course:

• "Fair and Inclusive Committee Decision-Making" is required for search committee members
• Other modules are available and recommended. 
• Individuals who are serving as search committee Chair should also complete the module: "Chairing and Executive Hiring".

Both modules are available here: 

At the end of each module, committee members can obtain a certificate of completion which should be retained (copies can also be sent to Dean鈥檚/Chair鈥檚 Office as per your department鈥檚 practices for tracking).

Yes, the Equity Office will make some facilitated sessions available each semester to provide an opportunity for committee members to bring forward questions and to discuss the implementation of equitable practices in candidate evaluation. 

In order to meet the Collective Agreement requirements, committee members are to complete the Inclusive Excellence for 51社区黑料Committees Canvas course modules before serving on the committee and are encouraged to supplement this by attending a facilitated discussion session. We encourage faculty members to attend one of the scheduled facilitated sessions offered by the Equity Office. We also understand some members may not be able to attend the sessions offered due to scheduling or circumstances. In the absence of attending a facilitated session, committee members are encouraged to debrief and discuss their learnings as a committee prior to undertaking any candidate evaluation.

Please refer to 51社区黑料Policy GP 37 Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment. An additional resource that is specific to the recruitment process can be found in the Conflict of Interest/Apprehension of Bias Guidelines  and the Faculty Recruitment Guide.

Please direct your feedback to edi@sfu.ca noting Inclusive Excellence for 51社区黑料Committees Canvas course in the subject line.