McMaster University Conducts Employment Equity Census to Enhance Understanding of Workforce Composition
“Inclusive excellence to me means being better… It means having more people that have different voices, experiences and opinions that allows us to make informed decisions to improve what we do.”
That is what McMaster’s recently updated Employment Equity Census aims to capture.
Open to all employees of the university, the Employment Equity Census is an important tool that helps the university better understand its workforce composition.
It measures progress and informs continuous efforts towards inclusive excellence at McMaster.
“The data from the census is essential in ensuring we are working toward and reaching our goal of inclusive excellence,” says Wanda McKenna, Associate Vice-President and CHRO. “This is all part of McMaster’s efforts to increase representation, remove biases and inequities within our systems, and build a sense of community and belonging on campus.”
The census was first launched in 2016. Following extensive consultation with community partners, it was recently updated to include additional questions. All employees, including those who already filled out the previous census, are invited to participate in the new census by Fall 2024.
Also, as part of an initiative to support the launch of the new census, employees at McMaster are sharing their perspective and experiences on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the workplace, in a new nine-part video series.
The series explores topics such as navigating personal identity, representation in the workplace, and future aspirations of McMaster’s journey towards inclusive excellence. View the introduction video below.
McMaster has several initiatives aimed at supporting employment equity to date, including training and workshop opportunities to advance inclusive excellence, and equitable hiring practices and policies.
There are 347 Employment Equity Facilitators embedded in faculties and departments across the university, trained to support and facilitate the advancement of equity priorities and goals.
All faculty and staff (including interim and student employees) are encouraged to complete the updated census by Fall 2024, by logging into Mosaic and visiting Employee Self-Service.