Employment Equity Workforce Survey

Frequently Asked Questions

In keeping with OCAD University’s Academic Plan 2017-2022: Transforming Student Experience, OCAD U is committed to improving the representation of equity-seeking groups in its staff complement, in all areas and at all levels of the University. To achieve this, we are continually working to identify and eliminate structural barriers in recruitment, hiring, and retention policies and practices. As a part of this process, OCAD U requires all employees to participate in the 2020 Employment Equity Workforce Survey to ensure updated data on our current staff demographics.  The results of the survey will directly inform OCAD U’s employment equity priorities and upcoming initiatives.

Below are some answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the workforce survey and OCAD U’s employment equity initiatives. If you have additional questions, or wish to provide feedback, you are welcome to contact the Office of Diversity, Equity & Sustainability Initiatives (ODESI).

How do I complete the survey?

The employment equity workforce survey is available online. 
Please contact Tej Dhanoya, Programs, Outreach & Human Rights Advisor, for alternate format requests.

What is employment equity?

Employment Equity is a program of proactive measures that organizations can take to monitor and increase the representation of equity seeking groups in their workforce and to eliminate the barriers to employment and retention for members of those groups. Employment Equity aims to achieve a workforce that is representative of its community and employment systems that support equitable access to employment and ensure that all employees have the opportunity to make the best contribution possible to the workplace.

Why is equity in employment important?

Equity in employment strives to redress the under-representation of groups who have historically been excluded from equal access to hiring, retention and advancement in the workplace. By correcting these systems, we are able to create a working and learning environment that is enriched with a multiplicity of approaches and perspectives.

Why is OCAD U conducting a survey?

The workforce survey responses will help to identify the present make-up of OCAD U’s workforce.  This information is needed to identify gaps in the representation of equity-seeking groups across the University and to design measures to improve OCAD U’s recruitment and retention processes.

What information will be collected?

All employees will be asked how they identify relative to the four designated groups under the Employment Equity Act.  These include: “women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous and racialized persons”.  The survey also includes additional questions on other axes of difference that may have an impact on people’s working lives such as creed/religion, family status, and LGB2TQ identities.

How will the survey data be used?

Survey responses will be compiled and analyzed to:

• illuminate our internal labor trends to determine how representative the university is relative to our student and broader community;
• identify and develop measures to address gaps in hiring and retention;
• provide a benchmark for subsequent audits so that we can track how we are improving over time; and
• be prepared to report to the federal government about the make-up of our work force in compliance with the Federal Contractor’s Program, if required.

Who will have access to my survey responses and how will my information be protected?

All university data is governed under the OCAD U Information & Data Classification Policy. Individual survey responses will be kept highly confidential and access will be restricted to the Office for Diversity, Equity and Sustainability Initiatives (ODESI) and designated Data Custodians in IT Services who are directly involved in providing technical support and reporting.

The survey data is fully protected. This ensures that all data remains anonymized throughout all technical and reporting processes. For reporting purposes, data will only be viewed in aggregate form and will never include individual or identifiable data. The survey data (individual responses or aggregate data) will not be accessible or visible to staff or management who use Colleague in the course of their work. If you have questions or would like to learn more about data security related to this survey, please contact IT Services. 

Do I have to participate?

All employees are required to complete the survey, but you may choose which information you wish to provide. Each question will have an option to allow you to ‘skip’ the question if you prefer not to answer a specific question. The more people who fill out the survey, the more accurate our information and the more effective our efforts to create a truly inclusive and representative community.