HR and Employment Equity

As an HR Professional, providing equal opportunities is not only ethical, it is the law. However, providing equal opportunities does not mean not hiring the most qualified candidate, even if that candidate is not within one of the designated groups (ie female, disabled, Aboriginals, visible minority).

Key points to remember:

• compliance with Employment Equity is not quota based
• ensure the recruiting process is targeting designated groups
• provide targeted internal candidates with additional development opportunities so that they are more likely to be successful the next time a suitable advancement becomes available

Key Terms
This week’s HR terminology includes:

Employment Equity Plan: outlines the policies and practices that an employer proposes to use in order to hire, train, promote and retain members of the designated groups

Employment Systems Review (ESR): examines the impact of an employer's human resource policies and practices on designated groups and includes an analysis of all reasonable steps taken to accommodate the special needs of these group membersRepresentation

Representation: refers to the percentage of all employees in a particular occupation, salary range, industrial sector, etc. who are members of a particular designated group