Individual Connectivity

In This Section

Guide to Sustaining Organizational Change

Section 2.3: Tracking and Measuring Progress

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Talent Processes

Section 5.1: Succession Planning

 

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Guide to Sustaining Organizational Change

2.3 Tracking and Measuring Progress

To know whether and how we are achieving the goals of the 50 – 30 Challenge and building belonging in our organizations, we need to measure and track our progress. Without that understanding, there is no clear way of knowing how we are working towards our vision and strategy.

1. Use data to assess gaps and report on a regular basis (at least on a semi-annual basis)

  • Identify data that you need to gather (e.g. organizational level, retention, engagement, turnover, self-identification, etc.)
  • Gather data required to conduct gap analysis
  • Analyze representation at the leadership and board levels – it is important for employees to feel seen and represented in their leadership (both in values and in intersectional identities)
  • Go to Section 2.3a in this tool, the Guide to Sustaining Organizational Change, to learn more about collection and management of self-identification data

2. Build ownership and assign accountability

  • Who (or which team) is the owner of different initiatives? What activities are being done to work towards that long-term goal?
  • How is performance tied to equity and inclusion?
  • Build ownership for leaders and board members to move this strategy and vision forward by tying leader and board roles and responsibilities to specific parts of this strategy and tracking progress in moving these goals forward through their performance evaluations

3.  Tie the data you are collecting to strategic initiatives to track progress

Considerations for Intermediate / Advanced Organizations
Considerations for Intermediate / Advanced Organizations
Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) is the analytical process by which a policy, program, initiative or service can be examined for its impacts on various groups of women and men. GBA+ aligns with the principles outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Human Rights Act. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the full implementation of GBA+ across federal departments and agencies.

2.3.a: Guidance on Self-Identification Data

As part of measuring and tracking progress, organizations can collect self-identification data. It is important to make it clear to people why you are collecting this data and how it will be used.

Reasons why self-identification data should be collected and how it will be used:

  • Help organizations have conversations about EDI-related goals and creating a welcoming environment for everyone
  • Understand success of EDI efforts and success in creating a space where everyone feels welcome
  • Analyze gaps to understand what programs need to be created and which resources to provide
  • Evaluate equity of policies and processes
  • Measure employee engagement
  • Measure success of EDI initiatives
  • Maintain compliance with regulation to report on representation of the four designated employment groups in the Employment Equity Act
Case Study
This is an example of a self-identification survey from the Canadian Human Rights Commission which provides guidance on how to collect self-identification data.

2.3.b: Data Management Lifecycle

1.  Creation and Collection

  • Identify the purpose, objective and intended uses of the information
  • Select the appropriate data elements to be collected so that it is fit for purpose
  • Notify individuals about the collection, the purpose/objective and intended uses of that data
  • Include language at the point of collection to indicate that providing self-identifying data is voluntary, and providing it serves as consent for its use for the specified purposes
  • There should never be repercussions or retaliation for an individual deciding not to provide self-identifying data
  • Limit data collection to scope and scale of disclosed purposes and uses
  • Use multiple choice response format. Include options ‘prefer not to answer’ and ‘I don’t know’ and allow for checking off multiple boxes. Do not use “free text” response format.
  • Ensure that self-identifying information is anonymous

2.  Storage

  • Ensure the self-identifying information is protected by the appropriate physical, organizational, and technological controls corresponding to its level of sensitivity
  • Clarify roles and responsibilities to ensure who does what, when, and how in the event the self-identifying information is subject to a security breach
  • Ensure that you abide by the rules relating to that client and data as it relates to transferring it across borders

3. Usage

  • Ensure the self-identifying information is used only for disclosed purposes and uses
  • When aggregating / grouping data for analysis, consider a minimum sample size to maintain confidentiality and anonymity, otherwise there is a risk that a specific respondent could be identified / linked back to their responses

4. Archival

  • Ensure the self-identifying information is protected by the appropriate physical, organizational, and technological controls corresponding to its level of sensitivity
  • Clarify roles and responsibilities to ensure who does what, when, and how in the event the self-identifying information is subject to a security breach

5. Destruction

  • Ensure the information is properly disposed once retention period has expired
  • A person should always have a convenient way to ask for their information to be deleted

Talent Processes: Succession Planning

5.1 Succession Planning: Program Development

Developing a robust succession planning process and program ensures that employees can visualize their journey to becoming a leader, and current leaders see growth in their roles.

leading practices:
  • Provide candidates from priority groups with the opportunity to participate in informational interviews so they are able to prepare for the promotion process and receive feedback
  • Integrate equity, diversity and inclusion into leadership competencies and link back to performance evaluation
Considerations for Intermediate / Advanced Organizations
Specific actions to follow:
  1. Develop a formal succession planning program so candidates are aware of opportunities to grow within the organization, if resources are available
  2. Create a structure where employees are able to self-nominate for promotions and / or participation within a succession planning program
  3. Ensure an established structure and criteria are in place to assess candidates objectively and mitigate various biases
Priority Group
This publication from the Government of Canada provides guidance on how your organization can provide labour market opportunities for people with disabilities.
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Considerations for Intermediate / Advanced Organizations

4.  Use an Impact Measurement Framework to measure progress against goals and the overall organizational strategy

  • This framework allows your organization to track progress in a data-driven way towards the overall strategy
  • It helps your organization understand what types of data you need to track progress, by breaking down different steps and strategic initiatives required to achieve the overall strategy
  • This framework allows different owners and teams to understand how much progress they are making towards the overall goal and if any changes need to be made (e.g. collect different pieces of data)

Considerations for Intermediate / Advanced Organizations

5.  Incorporate an Inclusive Lens throughout the Data Management Cycle

  • Ensure different stakeholder perspectives and voices are incorporated in the design, collection, and reporting of data
  • Incorporate diverse perspectives in all aspects of the data management lifecycle to improve decision-making and ensure it is inclusive
  • Embed an inclusive lens into the design and testing of products and services to assess for the potential of bias

Large Organization:

Ontario Power Generation

In 2021, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) launched an expanded employment equity workforce demographic census that included new educational and data collection functions and categories. This expanded collection of data will allow the energy company to improve upon their analysis and reporting, identify robust insights into their workforce, and improve upon their EDI approaches to programming, recruitment, and advancement. In the first six months, the census exceeded the number of responses received in the 10 years prior, signaling employees’ increased willingness to self-identify.

Considerations for Intermediate / Advanced Organizations

  • Consider augmenting the succession planning process by leveraging talent assessment tools that can provide data and link promotion decisions to evidence-based metrics
  • These metrics would take into account overall organizational succession planning to move beyond static platforms such as Excel, as well as individual leader performance

There are often challenges in retaining women and/non-binary talent and extending this specific pipeline to leadership positions.

  • When developing the succession planning program, include talent discussions for direct efforts to increase gender equality
  • Ensure that programs consider and accommodate for unique contexts, such as planning for time off required for maternity leave

Definition

Microaggression

Microaggression is defined as: “A comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group” – Source: Merriam Webster

Definition

Unlearning

Unlearning is defined as: “To make an effort to forget your usual way of doing something so that you can learn a new and sometimes better way” – Source: Cambridge Dictionary

Definition

Intersectionality

Intersectionality is defined as: A framework for understanding how different aspects of a person’s social and political identities (e.g., gender, race, class, sexuality, ability, physical appearance, etc.) combine to create unique modes of discrimination and privilege. Intersectionality identifies advantages and disadvantages that are felt by people due to this combination of factors – Source: Kimberlé Crenshaw, TIME

Definition

Privilege

Privilege is defined as: “The unfair and unearned advantages individuals are granted for having, or being perceived to have, social identities that align with those deemed to be superior according to societal rules and norms. It is often experienced as an absence of barriers related to a particular social identity (e.g., White privilege, straight privilege)” – Source: Egale

Definition

Safe Space

Safe Space is defined as: “A place intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations” – Source: Merriam-Webster

Safe spaces allow individuals to feel comfortable having brave and honest conversations.

Definition

Emotional Tax

Emotional Tax is defined as: “The combination of feeling different from peers at work because of gender, race, and/or ethnicity, being on guard against experiences of bias, and experiencing the associated effects on health, well-being, and ability to thrive at work” – Source: Catalyst

Definition

Tokenism

Tokenism is defined as: “Performative policies that ostensibly promote diversity or equality (placing women or diverse groups in leadership positions), but do not truly have a positive impact on the workplace. Tokenism isn’t progressive, and it especially causes harm to tokenized individuals, causing extra pressure to succeed due to being perceived as representative of a group and often leaving them in an alienating work environment” – Source: Catalyst

Definition

Psychological Safety

Psychological Safety is defined as: “An environment that encourages, recognizes and rewards individuals for their contributions and ideas by making individuals feel safe when taking interpersonal risks. A lack of psychological safety at work can inhibit team learning and lead to in-groups, groupthink and blind spots” – Source: Gartner