When designing a diversity program and policy, answer the following questions to assess your current practices and areas for improvement.
- Does my organization have a diversity policy?
- Does my organization have a policy on harassment and discrimination?
- Does my organization provide diversity/sensitivity training to employees and management?
- Many off-the-shelf training videos are available and do not take more than one hour to view.
- Are my organization’s facilities easily accessible for disabled employees or visitors?
- Does my organization take into account the needs of members of employment equity groups when designing communication material (i.e., large fonts, difficulty of language used, for those with English/French as a second language)?
- Does my organization have a mentoring, coaching or “buddy system” for members of various employment equity groups?
- Is my organization willing to accommodate special needs for religious or cultural reasons?
- Do my organization’s human resources policies recognize same sex-relationships in the following instances:
- Employee health insurance plans?
- Parenting, family, careers and bereavement leave entitlements?
- Policies or arrangements for holidays?
- Transfer and relocation policies and allowances?
- Does my organization celebrate festivals or other events of other cultures?
- Does my organization have a clear, fair and well-communicated discrimination reporting mechanism?
- Does my organization actively seek feedback on improvements to be made by members of the different employment equity groups present in my organization?
