The ABCs of diversity in the workplace

Federal report details progress towards inclusiveness

Overall, employers are improving diversity efforts, but there are still major disparities across four designated minority groups, according to the 2001 Employment Equity Act annual report.

Almost 400 federal and federally regulated organizations under the act, primarily those in the banking, communications and transportation industries, submit a yearly rating of their performance in such areas as representation, hiring, salary gaps, promotions and terminations for aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, visible minorities and women. The information is collected and assessed by Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) and ratings are based on an alphabetical mark (A, B, C, D and Z), an “A” being the highest rating an organization can get and “Z” the lowest.

“The purpose of the act is to remove barriers for these groups. There are no quotas, no lowering standards, (the grading) is just an examination of the workforce...to be aware of the barriers,” said Neil Gavigan, director of labour standards and workplace equity at HRDC. “It’s about fairness for these groups, but also helping them make the contribution they would like to make.”

While a large number of employers received top marks, many also received very low ones. Persons with disability got the lowest ratings with only 21 employers achieving the coveted “A” status. The majority (about 88 per cent) found themselves in a “C” or lower rating. More than half of the employers also scored “C” or lower for women and members of visible minorities. Organizations got the best marks for employing aboriginal peoples, with 56 per cent of employers scoring “As” and “Bs.”

“There has been measurable progress for aboriginal peoples, and while the numbers have gotten better, their rate of improvement has been very low,” Gavigan said.

None of the employers received a straight “A” report card, though 22 organizations across all the industries received three “As.” Corporations that accomplished this included: the Bank of Nova Scotia, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Aeroguard Inc. and Aeroguard Company Ltd., American Airlines, Halifax Employers Association Inc., Canada Post and The Canada Council.

On the flip side, there were organizations that had three “Zs” on their scorecards — a “Z” signifies no presence of a designated group in the employer’s workforce. These failing marks were primarily in the transportation area. However, this sector did fairly well in terms of representation of aboriginal peoples with about 83 out of 228 employers scoring high marks.

Most of the banks attained top marks, with a few exceptions. Similar to previous years, results for persons with disabilities were poor in this sector. Communications and other sectors received unsatisfactory marks for this group as well.

These grades may offer a clear picture of the progress being made in the workforce, but they don’t tell the whole story. The report makes it clear that the data doesn’t “reflect the degree of difficulty encountered by employers in achieving equity for the designated groups.”

It is the responsibility of the Canadian Human Rights Commission to verify whether employers have met their obligations as stipulated in the Employment Equity Act, the report stated.

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