8.6  Positive Policies and Practices

Requirement

The employment equity plan must specify short-term positive policies and practices aimed at providing opportunity to members of under represented designated groups.

Act

10(1)(a)

Requires employers to prepare an employment equity plan that: (a)  specifies the positive policies and practices that are to be instituted in the short term for the hiring, training, promotion and retention of members of under represented designated groups.

Assessment Factors

6.1

Does the plan include, in relation to under represented designated groups, positive policies & practices related to: hiring; training; promotion; and retention? Do the policies and practices cover matters such as: accessibility; harassment; and support for designated group employees' integration into the workplace?

---

Requirement

Positive policies and practices should also include special measures specifically targeted at members of designated groups who are significantly under represented.

Act

5(b)

Every employer shall implement employment equity by: (b)  instituting such positive policies and practices as will ensure that persons in designated groups will achieve a degree of representation that reflects their representation in each occupational group in the employer's workforce that reflects their representation in (i)  the Canadian workforce, or (ii)  those segments of the Canadian workforce that are identifiable by qualification, eligibility or geography and from which the employer may reasonably be expected to draw employees.

Assessment Factors

6.2

Do the positive policies and practices include special measures aimed at hiring, training, promoting and retaining members from substantially under represented designated groups which appropriately target: certain occupational groups; or the organization as a whole? Do these measures ensure the organization promotes the creation of a "critical mass" of designated group members in areas where they have traditionally been significantly under represented? Are these measures: i)  carefully tailored to a situation of demonstrated and significant disadvantage? ii)  explicitly temporary in nature? (i.e. the impact of each measure is reviewed regularly and the measure is in place only as long as the situation persists) and iii)  designed to prevent undue exclusionary effects on non-designated group members?

Requirement

The plan must include a timetable for implementation of positive policies and practices within the short term.

Act

10(1)(c)	The employment equity plan must establish a timetable for the implementation of these policies and practices.
10(3)	"Short term" means a period of not less than one year and not more than three years.

Assessment Factors

6.3	Does the plan include a timetable for the implementation of each of the policies and practices within a period of one to three years, and take into account: i)  the significance of the measures? ii)  internal and external resources and constraints? iii)  the complexity and costs of implementation?

Requirement

The positive policies and practices and special measures must be sufficient to ensure that short term and representation goals are achieved.

Act

11	Every employer shall ensure that its employment equity plan would, if implemented, constitute reasonable progress toward implementing employment equity as required by this Act.

Assessment Factors

6.4	Do the positive policies and practices and special measures provide a reasonable basis to believe that short term and representation goals can be achieved?