Disability Equality Index from the American Association of
People with Disabilities, the Inclusive Workplace Index developed
by the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council
(which considers inclusion of skilled newcomers) and the
Canadian National Standard for Psychological Health and
Safety.
For organizations interested in measuring their own inclusivity,
the process for participating is quite simple. The first step is
a self-assessment of the organization. A representative from the
organization completes an online questionnaire indicating the
type of initiatives undertaken by the organization to promote
inclusivity. For some of the questions, the organization is asked
to provide evidence by uploading supporting documentation.
The second level of assessment involves third-party subject
matter experts who review the supporting documentation
against indices and rubrics that have been developed based on
the Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks.
The third level of assessment consists of a survey that is
sent to a random sampling of employees in the organization
to validate the employer’s responses and gauge the employees’
perceptions of inclusivity. Why is this step necessary? Why do
we need to validate employers’ responses? Simply put, strategies
and initiatives that look great on paper might not be as
easily and effectively implemented. For example, if an employer
says they have a diversity strategy, and only 10 per cent of
feature
employees know about it, that’s an indication that there’s room
for improvement in the employers’ communications and strategy
execution. If an employer publicly declares themselves a
champion of diversity, yet employees in the organization do not
believe it is an inclusive employer, that helps to determine areas
for improvement.
The final deliverable from the Index is a detailed report to the
organization outlining the organization’s score, comprehensively
explaining it and providing detailed explicit steps and actions
that can be taken to improve the inclusivity of the organization.
The scores provided back to the organization are not meant
to be viewed as a final grade or exam mark. Every score above
zero is a win for diversity and inclusion, indicating that the company
has taken some action and is interested in moving their
own diversity journey forward. The additional commentary is
to provide direction based on the relative stage at which the
organization is currently operating. Each organization is on a
unique diversity journey with individual goals and strategies.
There is no “one size fits all solution” for diversity and inclusion;
the suggested actions from the Index are tailored to the
specific performance and issues identified for each individual
organization.
Pilot participants in Alberta have had great feedback on the
process. Many have expressed appreciation because the act of
Rob Wilson /Shutterstock.com
Continued on page 27
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 ❚ 25