Human resources - uni - chapter 3

Employment equity

is the treatment of individuals’ employment in a fair and nonbiased manner

Bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ)

A justifiable reason for discrimination based on business reasons of safety or effectiveness

Pay equity means equal pay for work of equal value. It is based on two principles:

1. Equal pay for equal work – pay equality. Male and female workers must be paid the same wage rate for doing identical work.

2. Equal pay for work of comparable worth, or equal pay for work of comparable value. Male and female workers must be paid the same wage rate for jobs of a similar nature that may have different titles.

Labour force statistics:

Changing patterns of immigration, rising labour force participation rates for women, and an aging population with a proportionally higher incidence of disabilities

Equity means fairness and impartiality:

Establish policies and practices designed to ensure equitable representation in the workforce

Designated groups

Women, visible minorities, Indigenous Peoples, and people with disabilities who have been disadvantaged in employment

The process generally involves six main steps:

1. Senior management commitment

2. Data collection and analysis

3. Employment systems review

4. Establishment of a workplan

5. Implementation

6. Evaluation, monitoring, and revision

Data collection and analysis

An internal workforce profile is an important tool, and it helps determine where the company stands relative to the internal and external workforces

Stock data

Status of designated groups in occupational categories and compensation levels

Flow data

Provide a profile of the employment decisions affecting designated groups

Underutilization

term applied to designated groups that are not utilized or represented in the employer’s workforce proportional to their numbers in the labour market

Concentration

term applied to designated groups whose numbers in a particular occupation or level are high relative to their numbers in the labour market

Profiles must be based on two types of data

Stock data and Flow data

Employment systems review

Means by which employers carry out personnel activities such as recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, job classification, discipline, and termination

Systemic discrimination

the exclusion of members of certain groups through the application of employment policies or practices based on criteria that are not job related

Establishment of a workplan

A narrative statement or summary of the conclusions drawn from the examination of the workforce analysis forms part of the employment equity workplan.

Implementation

Each strategy should be designed to meet the needs of the particular organization.

Sexual harassment

Unwelcome advances, requests for sexual favours, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature in the working environment

The employer’s duty to prevent harassment in the workplace stems from two sources:

1. Human rights legislation prohibiting harassment only on the basis of the designated grounds in the legislation such as sex, race, or religion

2. Common law obligation to treat workers with decency and respect

Diversity management

The optimization of an organization’s multicultural workforce to reach business objectives

model of diversity management strategy

valuing diversity in the workplace = culture, opportunity, and leadership

the primary business reasons for diversity management include

• better utilization of talent

• increasing marketplace understanding

• enhanced creativity

• increasing quality of team problem solving

• breadth of understanding in leadership positions