Now that you’ve decided on an equity framework and set equity goals around hiring, retention and advancement, you’ll want to develop your roadmap for implementing new equitable HR structures, policies, and practices.
Fundamentals of equitable HR policies
Compensation
Living and thriving wages
In the nonprofit sector, women make up 77% of workers, while immigrants account for 47% of workers. Nonprofits who commit to being a Living Wage Employer contribute to more equitable outcomes for these groups. A living wage is what a person needs to earn to cover their basic expenses and participate in their community. This varies depending on location.
Pay equity
Gender and race pay gaps persist in Canada today. Women earn 84 cents on the dollar compared to men, and the pay gap widens when comparing racialized women to men of any race. Commit to promoting pay equity by conducting regular pay equity audits.
Group health benefits
Choose a benefits provider that includes mental health services like counselling. Additionally, consider adding on coverage that supports 2SLGBTQIA+ employees, which can include gender-affirming care, and coverage for family-building like fertility and adoption fees.
Additional mental health support
Many workplaces offer Employee Assistance Programs, which connect employees to short-term counselling options. You might consider a provider like Homewood Health, which also offers access to Indigenous elders and knowledge keepers for culturally appropriate support.
Personal spending accounts
If you offer employees a personal spending account for health and wellness, take a broad view of what may be considered wellness, including culturally appropriate forms of wellness.
Flexibility
Absenteeism
Don’t require employees to get a doctor’s note when they’re taking a sick day. Instead, see sick days as a part of their total compensation package, and include mental health as a valid reason for taking a sick day.
Flexible working arrangements
Allowing people to work from more than one location can acknowledge that people may have family in many communities. Allowing Indigenous people to return to their home communities for ceremonies and gatherings.
Statutory holidays
Not everyone commemorates the same occasions. Allow employees the flexibility to observe an alternative holiday that is meaningful to them, taking the day off in lieu of a statutory holiday.
Definition of family
Many cultures, including Indigenous cultures, have a much broader definition of family than Canadian culture. People may have a chosen family in lieu of a biological family, which is common in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Expanding ideas around who is considered family allows employees greater flexibility when it comes to taking things like family caregiving leave or bereavement leave.
Anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policy
Everyone has the right to a workplace that’s free from discrimination and harassment. Your organization’s policy should clearly prohibit discrimination and harassment, as well as retaliation, based on protected characteristics as defined in Canada and your province’s human rights code, and include the steps for how someone can file a complaint, what to expect from an investigation, and the consequences for such behaviour.
Consider addressing the following topics in your policy as well:
Microaggressions
Microaggressions are subtle or indirect actions or words that convey bias or discrimination against a marginalized group. Microaggressions can go unnoticed by those who aren’t on the receiving end, as they often seem harmless or unintentional, and sometimes even sound like compliments (such as “You speak English so well”). But these comments can have a lasting effect on people’s sense of belonging and psychological safety.
According to Canadian law, microaggressions can sometimes be considered a form of harassment, especially if intentional or it happens repeatedly. Pair this policy with learning or training on avoiding and addressing microaggressions in the workplace.
Weight and body size as a protected characteristic
Despite experiencing social stigma and disadvantages similar to other protected characteristics, discriminating against a person due to their weight or body size is currently not outlawed under any human rights code in Canada.
Prohibiting discrimination due to weight and body size contributes to a greater inclusion and sense of safety. Weight and body size bias have a complex relationship with demographic markers like race, class, and gender. For instance, women are penalized more frequently and more severely than men for being overweight.
Acceptable but unpleasant workplace interactions
Not every unpleasant or uncomfortable situation at work is considered discrimination and harassment. Helping employees understand the difference can save you time and resources. Expressing different opinions, directly addressing a grievance, or offering feedback on work behaviour and performance are examples of workplace conduct that may feel uncomfortable in the moment, but are acceptable when done respectfully and professionally.
Grievance procedures
Grievances can come up more frequently as you become a more equitable and inclusive workplace. Change inevitably produces some friction, and employees may speak up more often as they feel safer to do so. Ensuring your grievance procedures will continue to support equitable outcomes can lead to strengthened cohesion and relationships.
Typical grievance procedures for resolving conflict tend to focus on assigning fault and punishment, and share many similarities with the Canadian legal system. As a result, your typical grievance procedure often destroys trust between people and takes away the possibility of accountability and repairing relationships.
Redesigning grievance procedures to create more equitable outcomes is a fairly new idea in the workplace. Many are turning to community-based approaches for addressing harm and violence like restorative justice and transformative justice. Both models require that the process of addressing harm does not inflict more violence, and focuses on:
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Healing — focusing first on the needs of victims and survivors above all else
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Accountability – supporting those who harmed to apologize, begin to address the harm done and change their behaviours moving forward
- Repair — where possible, and if desired, to support repair of the relationship and the ability of all parties to work together constructively
Pair your grievance procedures with resources on skills like active listening, offering sincere apologies, and clear criteria for when a grievance needs to be escalated.
Writing equitable HR policies
How employee policies are communicated matters almost as much as the content of the policy.
| Equitable policies sound… | Don’t write this | Write this instead |
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Autonomy-oriented
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“Employees may not work from home more than two days a week. You must seek prior approval from your manager to work from home.” | “We ask that all employees come into the office Tuesdays and Wednesdays to encourage collaboration and camaraderie. You may choose to work from home any two of the other three days.” |
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Specific Keeping a policy vague might feel like being flexible, but unwritten rules can feel confusing to people from different cultures. |
“We have no dress code – just dress appropriately for your day.” |
“We have a flexible dress code, with most people choosing to wear smart casual or business casual. We encourage you to adapt this dress code with the equivalent cultural or religious attire.”
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Approachable Fear-based or overly negative language can make people feel anxious. Focus on the positives to foster trust and a sense of safety. |
“Absences due to illness require a doctor’s note. Failure to provide proper documentation will result in the absence being classified as unauthorized and subject to disciplinary action.” |
“Take a sick day when you feel unwell, or you need to care for a loved one who is unwell. We consider physical, mental and emotional health as valid reasons for using sick days. You do not need permission to use a sick day, nor do you need to explain why, but do let your manager know right away.”
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Success is a collective effort
Equity is about creating material improvements to people’s lives. So while the HR team is responsible for leading change, you’ll want to seek out feedback and support from your colleagues across the organization, especially those from marginalized backgrounds.
At minimum, you’ll want to set up an anonymous feedback and suggestions box that’s open year-round using a free survey or form tool like Typeform. Many organizations will also set up structures like equity councils and employee resource groups to support policy development and implementation.
Equity council
Made up of employees who help an organization stay accountable to their equity goals. While equity councils have their own strategy and work plans, they can often act as a focus group, offer feedback and consultation on initiatives, and support you with internal communications and change management by acting as information conduits into their respective teams.
Employee resource groups (ERGs)
Semi-structured networks of employees who seek support and safety with others from a shared community or viewpoint. Sometimes called affinity groups, ERGs create cohesion and a sense of belonging, and can be the epicentre of change. While you can coordinate the creation of ERGs to address a specific issue, do ensure that ERGs generally have the freedom to decide how they spend their time.
Further resources
Every organization’s HR policies will ultimately be unique to them, but you don’t have to start from scratch.
RadHR’s policy library offers sample policies from real organizations rooted in anti-oppression
The Management Centre has resources on revising procedures around hiring, management, and performance for equity-oriented organizations
Early Magazine is a digital magazine published by inclusive HR agency Bright + Early
Inclusion on Purpose is a book by diversity and leadership journalist Ruchika Tulshyan on organizational behaviours that drive inclusion
Micropedia, a wikipedia of microaggressions is a guide to understanding what a microaggression is and why