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Hiring Policy - Administration Staff Recruitment

I.    Purpose

1.   The University is committed to seeking and attracting a high-quality and diverse workforce to support its operational and strategic goals. The University is also committed to reflecting the diversity of its student population in its workforce, and to addressing the historical under-representation of talent among Indigenous peoples, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, people with disabilities, Black and racialized peoples, women, and 2SLGBTQ+ peoples. 

2.    Employment equity is a principle at the core of the University's overall mandate as a community leader and an institution of higher learning. Employment equity involves hiring the best-qualified candidate while ensuring a fair and equitable hiring process for all persons.  In support of the University’s commitment to employment equity, this Policy:

a.    sets out the expectations for the identification, selection, evaluation and recruitment of candidates; and

b.    provides an equitable, inclusive and transparent Recruitment Process for both internal and external candidates for University positions. 

II.    Scope and Application

1.    This Policy applies to all employees of the University involved in the recruitment and selection of full-time continuing employee (FTCE) administrative staff positions and Term positions greater than six months, in the following employee groups: 

a.    Management and Confidential (MAC);

b.    Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 596 Unit 1; 

c.    Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 233; and,

d.    Senior Administration.

2.    This Policy does not apply to the recruitment and selection of FTCE staff positions and Term positions at the University in the following employee groups which are otherwise covered under other policies or collective agreements of the University: 

a.    Academic Senior Administration appointed under the AAA Policy; 

b.    Faculty, librarians and professional counselors hired under the Toronto Metropolitan Faculty Association collective agreement;

c.    Contract lecturers hired under the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3904 Units 1 and 2, and teaching and graduate assistants hired under Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3904 Unit 3 collective agreements;

d.    Employees in Residence Life and Education hired under Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 596 Unit 2;

e.    An employee hired by a faculty to support a faculty member’s scholarly research and creative activity within the University, including: MAC employee, post-doctoral fellow, or OPSEU 596 Unit 1 research assistant; 

f.   Executive roles reporting to the President of the University;

g.    Non-union casual roles working less than 24 hours per week; or,

h.    Short-term temporary roles less than 6 months in duration, with a set end date.

3.    To the extent there is a conflict between this Policy and legislation, or this Policy and a collective agreement to which the University is a signatory, the legislation or collective agreement takes precedence.   

III.    Definitions

In this Policy, the following terms have the meanings as set forth below:

“Applicant” means an individual who has submitted an employment application.

“Candidate” means an Applicant selected for the interview process.

“DSID” means diversity self-identification data that is collected by the University through the voluntary completion of the diversity self-identification survey by Applicants to staff positions.

“FTCE” means a full time continuing position of the University that is established without  a specified end date in employment and has working hours more than 24 hours a week.

“Hiring Leader” means the decision maker of a hiring process who initiates the recruitment for a Vacancy. 

“MAC” means the Management and Confidential employee group of the University.

“Procedures” means the procedures and related guidelines, tools and templates to this Policy as may be instituted by the University from time to time.

"Recruitment Process” means the process for the recruitment of Applicants for a Vacancy in accordance with the relevant collective agreements for OPSEU 596 Unit 1 and CUPE 233 vacancies, or in accordance with the Procedures for Vacancies in the MAC, and Senior Administration groups.

“Senior Administration” means the senior administration employee group of the University. 

“TACoE” means the University’s human resources Talent Acquisition Centre of Expertise team.  

“Term” means a position that is established for more than six months with working hours that are more than 24 hours a week, with a set end date.

“Vacancy” means an open FTCE or Term position at the University that is created through an employee’s departure or promotion, or the development of a new position.

“University” means Toronto Metropolitan University.

IV.    Policy

1.    Vacancy postings 

a.    To actively seek to attract and retain a diverse workforce, valuing the unique perspectives and experiences that individuals from different backgrounds bring to the University, all Vacancy postings in the Senior Administration, MAC, OPSEU 596 Unit 1 and CUPE 233 groups must, at minimum: 

i.    Have an updated job description within 5 years;

ii.    Include a salary range;

iii.    Include an equivalency of experience and education statement, where possible; 

iv.    Include an equity statement; and,

v.    Be posted internally and externally following the relevant Hiring Procedures and collective agreement provisions. Exceptions to the posting requirements will be outlined in the Hiring Procedures.

b.    The University’s human resources Talent Acquisition Centre of Expertise (TACoE) team will seek a diverse candidate pool for all Vacancies and recruit candidates with the intention of building a diverse and inclusive workforce.

c.    In situations where a Hiring Leader requires recruitment support from an external vendor to fill a difficult Vacancy, the TACoE will provide a vendor-of-record list to the Hiring Leader. All external vendors engaged must have experience with broad sourcing and outreach strategies that yield diverse candidate pools. The hiring department is responsible for costs associated with the search.

2.    Applications

a.    All Applicants must complete and submit applications and resumes through the University’s online recruitment system, except where otherwise approved by the TACoE under special circumstances (i.e. hiring events, accessibility accommodation, etc.), where the TACoE will accept the applications/resumes directly as required.

b.    The Hiring Leader will be entitled to review the applications and resumes of all Applicants who meet the minimum requirements of the Vacancy as set out in the validated job description. Using diversity self-identification data (DSID), the TACoE will work with Hiring Leaders to increase representation in talent pools. Hiring Leaders will be expected to use the aggregated data provided by the TACoE when making Candidate selections.

c.    The University must make reasonable changes, adaptations, or adjustments to the recruitment and selection process to ensure equal access to employment opportunities and to enable Applicants to compete on an equitable basis and fully participate in the Recruitment Process in accordance with the Accommodation for Employees with Disabilities Policy. This can include, but is not limited to, such things as providing extra time to a candidate in testing, allowing the use of an assistive device, or offering options for times and locations for an interview. 

d.    An Applicant is responsible for advising human resources of any accommodation requests. 

e.    All employees involved in receiving, processing, and reviewing applications are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of these packages in order to ensure the integrity and ultimate success of the Recruitment Process.

3.    Interviewing

a.    Hiring Leaders shall aim to select three, but no less than two, Candidates for a Vacancy.

b.    An interview panel for a Vacancy shall consist of a minimum of three members, including the Hiring Leader. Hiring Leaders must strive for diverse representation among interview panel members to provide different perspectives and help minimize bias in the process. 

c.    The interview panel must undertake the Candidate selection process with fairness and transparency as outlined in the Hiring Procedures.

d.    Candidates who are foreign nationals, must provide an immigration status document (e.g. work permit, study permit, social insurance number) to confirm authorization to work in Canada to the University before participating in an interview.

4.    Offers 

a.    The TACoE will conduct reference checks of a selected Candidate before a final offer of employment is made to a Candidate to verify and validate information provided by the Candidate during the Recruitment Process.

b.    The TACoE will negotiate the starting salary with the selected Candidate after consultation with the Hiring Leader. Job offers must follow the University-approved salary ranges for each employee group as set out in the job description, and be in accordance with any relevant collective agreement.

c.    The TACoE will provide all offer contracts of employment to the successful Candidate.  Candidates hired into a Vacancy for a unionized position will receive offers in accordance with relevant collective agreements. 

d.    As set out in the Execution of Contracts Policy, the signing authority for offers of employment is the Hiring Leader. 

e.    Offers for Candidates hired into a Vacancy for a FTCE MAC position must serve a six-month probationary period at the commencement of employment as a condition of their employment with the University. Notwithstanding the foregoing, existing University employees who transfer or are promoted into a Vacancy for a FTCE MAC position and who have already successfully passed a probation period are not required to undertake an additional probationary period. 

f.    All offers of employment by the University must be conditional upon the Candidate providing to the University evidence of the completed credentials as outlined in the employment letter.

5.    Rehiring former employees

a.    Former employees of the University are not guaranteed re-employment with the University; they must meet the minimum qualifications of the Vacancy for which they apply and complete all stages of the hiring process. 

b.    Individuals who received from the University a notice of termination or a severance payment at the time of departure, may be considered for re-employment by the University after the period equivalent to notice and/or severance has passed. If this criterion is not met, an applicant who wishes to be rehired must first reimburse the University an amount equal to the remaining notice or severance period. 

6.    Hiring relatives

A Hiring Leader is not permitted to hire an individual whose relative is currently employed within a unit or department, when the hire will result in or has the potential to result in a conflict of interest/influence.

7.    Guaranteed return to home

a.    Where a MAC or OPSEU 596 Unit 1 FTCE employee has been selected to fill a Term position Vacancy, the FTCE employee will maintain their FTCE career status with the University and will normally be guaranteed a return to their home position at the conclusion of the Term appointment, provided their home position still exists. 

b.    Appointments will ideally be at least 1 year in duration, however shorter assignments can be agreed to between the Hiring Leader and the releasing leader of the departing employee. 

c.    Such a guarantee will not apply in the case of a renewal or extension of the employee's Term appointment. 

d.    While departmental operating requirements may be considered in granting / denying such a guarantee, requests should not be unreasonably denied, and Hiring Leaders are encouraged to be flexible where possible.

V.    Roles and Responsibilities

TACoE (Human Resources) :

a.    Provide oversight over the Recruitment Process including development of procedures and guides. 

b.    Advise and support Hiring Leaders on the Recruitment Process including developing a diverse Applicant pool, and an equitable Applicant evaluation process.  

c.    Ensure values of equity, diversity and inclusion are embedded into the hiring process.  

d.    Advise Hiring Leaders in circumstances where equity, diversity, and inclusion values may be an issue in terms of the Applicant pool, the interview panel, or other aspects of the Recruitment Process.

Hiring Leaders:

e.    Follow the Recruitment Process provided by the TACoE.  Inform the TACoE of any challenges related to embedding equity, diversity and inclusion into the Recruitment Process.

f.    Work with the TACoE and apply a fair, transparent and consistent recruitment and selection process as outlined in the Hiring Procedures.

g.    Review the Hiring Policy and Procedures, understand their role in inclusive hiring and apply the principles during screening, interviewing and selection stages.

h.    Communicate with the TACoE should they feel that they may be in an actual or potential conflict of interest, prior to the interviews taking place. All employees are subject to the University’s Conflict of Interest Policy. This requires disclosure of any personal, financial, business or relationship interests which could be in conflict with hiring for the role.

i.    Maintain confidentiality of all aspects of the Recruitment Process including access and use of the DSID data.

Participants in the hiring process (interview panel members, additional managers and/or administrators connected to a Vacancy):

j.    Review the Hiring Policy and Procedures, understand their role in inclusive hiring and apply the principles in their duties supporting the Recruitment Process.

k.    Conduct themselves in accordance with the spirit of this Policy. 

l.    Maintain confidentiality of all aspects of the Recruitment Process.

Chief Human Resources Officer (Human Resources):

m.    Responds to complaints related to the Recruitment Process.  

n.    Responds to issues related to non-compliance with this Policy.