Staff recommendations
“When released, the Anti-Black Racism Campus Climate Review Report made clear the work the university needed to undertake to seriously and impactfully confront anti-Black racism on our campus and in our workspaces. Since its release, significant work has been done to address inequities, build trust between the university and our Black staff, and create a strong foundation for the work to come. While we are pleased with the progress made so far, we know it is only the start; this is an ongoing commitment and journey to creating spaces where Black staff can thrive.”
- Saeed Zolfaghari, Vice-President, Administration and Operations; executive chair, Staff Working Group
Audrey Thompson in conversation at the Medical School Fireside Chat (2023).
The Climate Review highlighted how participating Black staff at TMU have experienced anti-Black racism in the workplace. These ranged from expressions of feeling that Black staff were being overlooked for promotions to having their qualifications treated unequally to disproportionately lacking the community or familial connections and mentors that could lead to more professional opportunities.
Since its publication, the PICCABR has been working across teams to identify disparities, build networks, respond to the recommendations and introduce interventions to enable Black staff at TMU to thrive in and beyond their work.
A comprehensive review of Black staff compensation, grade, rank and the ways in which Black staff files are handled.
What has changed?
Measuring compensation, grade, rank and treatment of Black staff offers critical insight to support the university in identifying disparities and addressing systemic anti-Black racism in staff experiences. The implementation of this staff recommendation has been led by Human Resources in collaboration with OVPECI and guided by two mutually reinforcing goals:
- Complete a review of compensation data, policies and practices to identify barriers that impact the compensation of Black staff at TMU.
- Create and implement a comprehensive compensation framework, including guiding principles and related policies and practices, to address barriers to fair and equitable compensation for Black staff at the university.
Phase I of the review has been completed and findings and recommendations were presented. Recommendations included:
- Creating compensation policies and standardized practices to hold leaders accountable and removing discretionary practices that can lead to bias.
- Updating talent processes to better reflect the current workforce and labour market context such as job evaluation, inclusive hiring practices, equitable promotion processes, etc.
- Implementing a governance structure to conduct annual reviews and set a salary administration policy. This should include an accountability framework.
- Developing inclusive mindsets and behaviours for leadership teams and management roles and focusing on building equitable support systems for employees who identify as Black.
Immediately after Phase I was completed, Human Resources took actions to implement the recommendations, focusing on two aspects:
- A more in-depth pay gap analysis, conducted by an external compensation consultant to identify systemic barriers that may impact the pay of Black staff and identify pay gaps at the individual level, as well as recommend remediation measures to close the gap.
- A Total Compensation Transformation driven by Total Compensation in Human Resources with a focus on compensation policy review, streamlining compensation administration process and procedures to ensure EDI is embedded and accountability is built into the process.
Completing the Anti-Black Racism Pay Gap Analysis required deep technical skills in statistical analysis. Therefore, an external consultant was engaged to conduct the analysis.
- Consultant selection: A detailed request for proposals outlining TMU’s request was issued to three qualified consultants in October 2022. After a rigorous selection process, the finalist was selected in February 2023.
- Data collection: The project kicked off in early March 2023. The teams spent time collecting and understanding the data and aligning analysis methodology and approaches.
Michelle Forde at the Alan Shepard Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Awards (Alyssa K. Faoro, 2024).
What is next?
Once the in-depth data analysis is complete, it is expected to lead to Phase II steps, including:
- Determine if there is any pay gap between Black and non-racialized staff; if so, a remediation method would be recommended.
- Present analysis results to the executive co-chairs and obtain final approval.
- Upon approval, the pay adjustment for the final cases will be implemented.
Upon completion of Phase II activities, the team will begin a third phase of activities by engaging external consultants, focusing on developing the technical aspects of the compensation framework, which includes:
- updating a job evaluation plan that continues to be federally and provincially compliant with pay equity
- conducting market competitive study
- developing salary ranges
- conducting pay equity analysis
In addition to these steps, Total Compensation in Human Resources will continue to review and revise existing procedures, as well as create new ones, to address how anti-Black racism is present in compensation practices. The goal is to enhance transparency, fairness and equity in the university's job evaluation and compensation practices through:
Job evaluation
- Re-evaluating jobs using the new job evaluation plan to ensure consistent job levelling.
- Reviewing, developing and implementing a comprehensive salary administration policy to clarify off-cycle adjustment criteria, guidelines and governance.
- Providing robust training and establishing structured processes and procedures to ensure future job evaluations are conducted consistently and fairly.
Pay equity
- Establishing methodology, tools and processes for regular internal pay equity review and audit.
- Identifying gaps, their root cause and recommending remediation.
- Developing targets that promote equitable pay practices and regularly tracking the progress towards and maintenance of these targets.
Exception management
- Establishing a process where exceptions to talent policies and practices must be reviewed for sign-off.
- For roles that have frequent exceptions, job descriptions must go through review and re-evaluation to address gaps and prevent future exceptions.
Communication and education
- Ongoing training and communication of the new job evaluation plan, salary administration policy, guidelines and process to managers and employees.
Staff recommendation #2
A process of building trust among Black staff that involves both unions and senior management at the university.
What has changed?
In response to concerns raised by Black staff, such as experiences of unequal treatment and reduced opportunity for promotion, the Staff Working Group introduced two initiatives to build trust among Black staff: the creation of a Talent Acquisition Centre of Expertise (TACoE) and the development of the TMU EDI Knowledge and Action Framework.
The Talent Acquisition Centre of Expertise (TACoE)
The Climate Review identified that Black employees did not trust the university’s recruitment processes and did not feel there was fairness in who receives interviews. As part of addressing this, TACoE was created within Human Resources. The centre is supported by a Director of Talent Acquisition, a new role filled in 2021. The team also includes Talent Acquisition Specialists who are highly skilled and trained to proactively guide and lead hiring leaders in the end-to-end recruitment process. Together, the team developed a Talent Acquisition Strategy to support transforming recruitment processes and policies from a traditional staffing approach into a model focused on acquiring and retaining exemplary and diverse talent. Strategic goals to realize the vision to create a more inclusive process and promote Black flourishing include:
- establishing credibility
- prioritizing accountability
- building trust
Debbie Thompson at the Black Excellence Mixer (2024).
Aneka Olbino and Bianca Marryshow at the Black Excellence Mixer (2023).
EDI in the recruitment life cycle
To support the goal of building trust among Black staff as recommended by the Climate Review, a full audit of recruitment practices and procedures was conducted. As a result, the TACoE established a standardized and transparent recruitment process for all centrally supported vacancy hiring, with principles of EDI embedded in key areas of the recruitment life cycle. Some examples include:
- In the job posting: Equivalency language on job postings has been developed to recognize experience equivalent to formal education for recruitment activities. This supports the EDI objective as it considers the valuable life experiences of candidates and helps reduce bias, discretion and systemic barriers for Black candidates and candidates from other equity-deserving groups.
- At the sourcing and outreach stage: Broader outreach to equity-deserving communities and networks, including the Black Faculty and Staff Community Network, to target and attract diverse candidates to open vacancies. Implementing the Diversity Self-ID at job applications provides analytics on talent pools and increases awareness of where barriers exist in the recruitment process. This includes diversity data sharing when planning a recruitment strategy with hiring leaders, training and support for more inclusive hiring procedures and prioritization in sourcing and screening diverse candidates to create robust pipelines of talent.
- When screening candidates: When shortlisting candidates for interviews, Talent Acquisition Specialists prescreen and showcase qualified candidates who identify as Black and/or with another equity-deserving group to hiring leaders.
- During the interview stage: Enhancements to the interview process include flexible interview logistics, coaching hiring panels on inclusive hiring best practices, and sharing interview questions with candidates in advance. These activities offer a more inclusive approach and a focused and intentional experience for all participants. The interview panel selection process includes members with lived experience and diverse representation. Interview questions about EDI/anti-Black racism are also included to showcase lived experience as an asset and to help promote and emphasize TMU’s values and intent to have a diverse workforce.
These changes have allowed TMU to provide a more fair and transparent recruitment and hiring process and hold leaders accountable to inclusive best practices and guidelines. In doing so, the university moves closer to its goal of building trust and credibility with Black candidates and staff in the recruitment process.
"Since the report's release, I have seen more Black staff present at tables where we were traditionally non-existent. I am very excited about the partnership and progress behind the TMU EDI Knowledge and Action Framework as it will be the foundation for policies and processes, guiding our behaviours as we continue to address anti-Black racism to create an inclusive and diverse campus where our Black faculty, staff and students can flourish.”
- Shurla Charles-Forbes, Director, Talent Management Centre of Expertise
Shurla Charles-Forbes speaking at the Innovations in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion across TMU Soup and Substance (2023).
The TMU EDI Knowledge and Action Framework
To ensure that all leaders and employees possess a foundational competency and understanding of EDI and anti-Black racism, Human Resources, in collaboration with the OVPECI, OVPFA, OVPS and OVPA, developed a TMU EDI Knowledge and Action Framework.
The TMU EDI Knowledge and Action Framework was developed over two years and stemmed from discussions with the ABR Staff Working Committee, who collectively agreed that building trust required a foundational competency and knowledge level in EDI/anti-Black racism across the TMU community. While the PICCABR recognized that there are pockets of EDI expertise across the community, it is inconsistent for all employees and leaders.
To begin this work, the team focused on developing competencies about what EDI and addressing anti-Black racism means in a TMU context and to provide a foundation to support the community in increasing their knowledge, understanding and application of EDI, anti-Black racism and anti-Indigenous racism. The development of the competencies also provided a method through which to hold people accountable. The framework will also embed EDI into our policies, practices, education and behaviours as we move towards making systemic changes.
Developing this framework involved several critical steps:
- best practice research within the industry to determine if such a model exists
- external consultations
- two rounds of internal consultations
The first round of internal consultations involved 16 stakeholder groups and confirmed the need for a model, focus area, audience and delivery channel. The data was analyzed, and a second round of internal consultations was conducted, leading to the selected model. The information was further analyzed, and after several meetings with key stakeholders from the OVPECI, OVPFA, OVPS and the OVPAO, the findings were discussed and the framework was finalized.
The development of this framework was highly collaborative, led by the Director, Talent Management Centre of Expertise in Human Resources and supported by the OVPS, the OVPFA, OVPA and OVPECI.
What is next?
EDI in the recruitment life cycle
To further reduce bias and improve transparency in the hiring process, efforts to standardize the recruitment process will continue. Human Resources will continue to collaborate with OVPECI to develop training for recruiting and hiring leaders and an audit of short-term hiring processes will be conducted.
A recruitment policy that governs non-academic staff hiring at all levels has been drafted to facilitate and govern a fair, inclusive and transparent recruitment process for internal and external candidates. In addition, it will set expectations for posting, sourcing, interviewing and evaluating candidates with hiring leaders to build an equitable, diverse and high-quality workforce at the university.
Finally, efforts to enhance reporting and technology to measure and track the progress of diversity hiring are ongoing.
The TMU EDI Knowledge and Action Framework
Progress towards implementing the TMU EDI Knowledge and Action Framework will continue. This next phase will centre on developing and implementing a robust multi-year, university-wide EDI program. Activities underway include:
- Finalizing definitions that will guide the framework.
- Finalizing the EDI Knowledge and Action Framework learning strategy, which includes the learning objectives, topics (including priority topics for development), audience, channels of delivery and evaluation criteria.
- Finalizing the governance structure and terms of reference for the working groups and committees.
- Finalizing the proposed program plan in collaboration with stakeholders.
- Selecting vendors for content development and delivery.
- Procuring a learning management system to house the EDI learning modules, allowing broad access to learning across the community and supporting the completion tracking.
- Launching the EDI Knowledge and Action Framework learning program.
The EDI Knowledge and Action program plan will be implemented in phases. During the first year of program implementation, anti-Black racism will be included as one of the key focus areas.
Nikki Waheed at the Alan Shepard Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Awards (Alyssa K. Faoro, 2024).
Staff recommendation #3
The establishment of programs designed for staff advancement that specifically target Black staff.
Pamela Appelt shaking hands with Black TMU faculty and staff at the Viola Desmond Awards (2020).
What has changed?
As a foundational step before implementing a program designed for Black staff advancement, a new performance and development program for the Management and Confidential group (MAC) and senior administration was successfully launched. The program was designed to ensure all employees receive regular feedback and coaching and contribute to EDI by ensuring fair and transparent processes. It includes an EDI performance objective for all leaders to measure three core areas: hiring, building an inclusive environment and personal and team EDI development. This holds leaders accountable for creating and supporting diverse teams and inclusive environments.
A microsite with resources and reference materials was developed to provide sustainable support and tools for leaders and employees. Additionally, with the support of the OVPECI, nearly 50 sessions were delivered by the Talent Management Centre of Expertise to introduce participants to the new program and provide guidance on objective setting, how to prevent bias and barriers to inclusion and applying empathy through an EDI lens. Leaders are encouraged to use the 2022 update to the Diversity Self-ID data to inform their KPIs and actions in response to the EDI objective in their performance plan.
As another foundational step, university-wide leadership competencies are in development. This process has included best practice research and over 15 internal and external consultations with key stakeholders across disciplines and ranks. The team has identified themes, processes and experiential best practices that will be used to implement the leadership competencies.
What is next?
The next phase of the performance and development work will emphasize accountability, seeking opportunities to review EDI objectives with an anti-Black racism lens, holding leaders accountable to demonstrate inclusive leadership behaviours and practices and refining learning sessions. Additionally, the Leadership Competencies will launch, providing the foundation for developing a program for the advancement of Black staff.
“In Human Resources, we are working to implement systemic changes into every stage of the employee lifecycle to address the recommendations made in the Anti-Black Racism Campus Climate Review Report. For example, the implementation of the Diversity Self-ID at job application allows us to understand our talent pools to increase diversity in our hiring and address barriers in the recruitment process. Introducing a consistent EDI objective for all leaders in our performance and development program holds leaders accountable by establishing an expectation of inclusive leadership in how they recruit and the work environment they create. In the coming year, we look forward to rolling out a new knowledge and action framework that will include workshops on understanding and addressing anti-Black racism.
We know that there is much work still to be done, but we hope that by implementing systemic changes like these, we can create a culture of fairness, transparency and build trust and credibility with Black employees.”
- Jenny O'Donnell, Chief Human Resources Officer and co-chair of the Staff Working Group
Eboni Morgan, former Black Student Support Facilitator (2023).
Essential nutrients
Essential nutrients refer to supplementary initiatives that have emerged outside of the direction of the PICCABR to cultivate the conditions for Black flourishing. While there may be some overlap, these essential nutrients have been organically planted by various students, faculty and staff groups across the university.
Black staff in Athletics and Recreation on the phone (2023).
Athletics and Recreation has participated in extensive and ongoing anti-racism training. Between October 2020 and September 2022, approximately 200 full-time and part-time staff participated in over 25 hours of training on confronting anti-racism, EDI, identifying and responding to microaggressions and challenging unconscious bias. Some trainings were delivered by the OVPECI’s Education and Awareness Facilitator, Anti-Black Racism, while others were externally facilitated.
In 2021, Athletics and Recreation led an extensive and comprehensive department-wide effort to address systemic racism. The department conducted a study of several industry reports, including (PDF file) TMU’s Anti-Black Racism Campus Climate Review, Ontario University Athletics’ Anti-Racism Report (external link) and (PDF file) McMaster University’s Towards Inclusive Excellence Report (external link) . The review culminated in the identification of eight activities and areas of focus to confront anti-Black racism for the department to undertake, including forming a BIPOC Staff Advisory Group, developing a statement and resource web page, creating social justice content, strengthening policy frameworks, intentional recruitment, representative hiring, creating direct work opportunities, training of part-time staff and engaging student representatives. In addition, 17 individual action items were identified. Every staff member across the Athletics and Recreation department was assigned to one of the focus areas, ensuring collective effort and shared responsibility in cultivating systemic change.
The result of the department’s efforts to meaningfully confront anti-Black racism was wide-reaching, impactful and multi-faceted.
- The action groups tasked with strengthening recruitment and hiring created an inclusive hiring practices guide specifically for the department. This guide, which includes best practices around training for those leading hiring, recruitment, interview and evaluation processes, hiring panel composition, hiring decision making and onboarding, was reviewed in consultation with Human Resources and the OVPECI.
- The group also incorporated TMU’s Diversity Self-ID questions and questions related to workplace safety and harassment into the bi-annual department-based Staff Safety and Wellbeing Assessment. These additional questions allow a more robust intersectional lens through which the department can use the anonymous survey to better understand and support the experiences of Black students, faculty and staff and those across other equity-deserving groups. Diversity Self-ID reporting was also used to launch a regular auditing cycle of full-time and part-time staff representation and retention over time. Finally, the group developed targeted recruitment strategies to address issues of long-standing underrepresentation in industry-specific positions and promote a diverse candidate pool. For example, when recruiting for the role of athletic therapist, intentional recruitment channels were identified to help encourage a targeted and more diverse candidate pool.