Employment Systems Review - Division of Equity, People and Culture

York University is undertaking an Employment Systems Review to better understand the impact our employment policies, practices, and systems, both formal and informal, have on employment equity across the employee lifecycle. This comprehensive process examines more than the written policies and procedures; it also explores organizational culture, attitudes, and behaviours. The review aims to:

Identify strengths in current practices
Understand barriers or gaps that may affect equity-deserving groups
Develop recommendations to advance fairness, inclusion, and belonging at York

This work reflects York’s ongoing commitment to employment equity, human rights, and continuous improvement and flows from recommendations in the DEDI Strategy.

Why We’re Engaging the Community

Policies and data tell only part of the story. To fully understand how employment systems function in practice, we need to hear directly from members of the York community. The insights shared will help us:

Understand lived and professional experiences across different roles and campuses
Identify patterns, opportunities, and areas for growth
Ensure that recommendations are grounded in real experiences, not assumptions

Participation is voluntary, and feedback will be used in aggregate to inform recommendations for employment equity at York.

An inclusive workplace starts with your voice

Full-time faculty and staff invited to complete employment survey

Have your say by Nov. 5

Frequently Asked Questions

The main way for community members to participate in the Employment System Review is to complete the survey. Each person completing the survey will be asked to share their experiences and perspectives.

At the end of the survey, you can indicate interest in participating in one of two options – a facilitated focus group or a one-on-one conversation.

Here are some more details on those options:

Focus Groups

Small, facilitated conversations with other participants
Offered in person or virtually
Sessions are organized by campus and, where possible, by shared experiences or interests
Sessions take place during regular working hours
Sessions will last 1 hour each

One-on-One Conversations

Sessions will last 40 minutes
A private, individual conversation
Available virtually or in person
Useful if you prefer a more personal or flexible format

Survey participants must be full-time, permanent employees of York University.

Participants do need to identify as a member of an equity-deserving group to complete this questionnaire.

At the end of the questionnaire, people are asked whether they are interested in participating in a follow-up focus group or one-on-one conversation. It should be noted that focus groups and one-on-one conversations will be facilitated for the individuals in the following equity groups:

Women
Racialized Persons
Persons with Disability
Indigenous Peoples
2SLGBTQIA+

This is the first time York has conducted an Employment Systems Review (ESR), and this phase focuses on full-time, permanent employees to build a strong starting point. These roles are where hiring, development, and advancement processes are most clearly defined and consistently applied, with reliable data to support the review.

Starting here allows us to take a clear and meaningful look at how our systems are working, identify what’s going well, and highlight opportunities for improvement. The insights from this work will help guide future efforts to strengthen equity and inclusion across the broader York community, including other employee groups.

If you participate in a focus group:

You will receive a follow-up email confirming the date, time, location, or virtual details
The email will explain how the session will run and what to expect

Focus groups are designed to be respectful, inclusive, and structured to ensure all participants have an opportunity to contribute.

Information shared through the engagement process will:

Be summarized and analyzed alongside policy reviews and employment data
Help identify themes, strengths, and opportunities for improvement
Inform recommendations to University leadership

Individual comments will not be attributed to named individuals in reporting.

To request an accommodation, email equity@yorku.ca.

The review aligns with the Canadian Human Rights Act, our employer obligations under the Employment Equity Act and supports our commitment to decolonization, equity, diversity, and inclusion as outlined in York’s DEDI strategy, the Framework on Black Inclusion and the Indigenous Framework for York University.

Updates about the Employment Systems Review will be shared through:

This webpage
Targeted outreach to employee and equity-focused groups
Yfile communications

Questions?

If you have questions about the Employment Systems Review or the engagement process, please contact us via email.

equity@yorku.ca