Inclusive Climate Survey

The core question for measuring an inclusive climate revolves around the employee experience. Succinctly put, it is:
“Do all groups of employees feel as though they belong and their contributions are valued?”

The Inclusive Climate survey measures:

• Inclusion – an assessment of employees’ experience of the workplace climate.
• Inclusion within Diversity – Differences in experience across diverse groups.

The survey questions will help us explore four markers of an inclusive workplace climate and culture:

1. Feeling valued for contributions;
2. Sense of belonging
3. Treated with respect
4. Able to bring ‘whole self’ to work

This inclusive climate survey is not:

• An employment equity program
• Tied to hiring goals or targets
• An equity census to measure the full demographic composition of the College’s workforce

This survey’s goal of collecting formation on the varied experiences of our employees is one of many efforts to build an inclusive College. We recognize there are many groups that have historically been discriminated against in society in ways that limit their full and active participation in the workforce. Barriers continue for Indigenous peoples, racialized minorities, newcomers to Canada, people with disabilities, and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Additionally, our gender, age, educational background, and caregiving responsibilities impact our workplace experiences.

When we understand how our identities shape our workplace experience,
the College can focus its actions to remove workplace barriers, foster an inclusive environment,
and become more accountable for making progress.

This is outlined in our People Plan, where the College committed to working to build a learning workplace that is respectful, diverse, inclusive and healthy. It also forms a cornerstone of the 2022-2025 Algonquin College Strategic Plan which articulates the goal of ‘creating an equitable, diverse, and inclusive work environment. By achieving these goals we will support our learner success, and ensure the College provides a workplace where everyone can thrive.  

The snapshot taken today will serve as the foundation to allow Algonquin College to understand what we need to do to improve on the journey towards inclusion. By gaining an informed understanding of the experiences of all of our employees, we will be able to build a data-informed Inclusion & Diversity Strategy, develop programs to address barriers, and strengthen the inclusiveness and diversity of our workplaces.

All Algonquin College employees, including full-time, part-time, administrative, support and academic members are being asked to complete the survey. Only with a strong response rate will we be able to build the most appropriate programs and adaptations to create a more inclusive community and measure our progress over time.

We are asking you to answer completely and honestly, which is why we have made this survey anonymous. All of us have specific identity characteristics that shape our lived experiences, and this survey will help the College in ensuring that barriers are removed for everyone through thoughtful, data-informed programming. We need your voice added to the mix!

Inclusion means intentionally creating a sense of belonging where all employees are recognized and valued for their uniqueness. It also includes collectively promoting a working environment where individuals can be their authentic selves. This is distinctly different from Equity, which means treating individuals and groups fairly, not necessarily equally or the same, recognizing that there are barriers to employment, participation, access and inclusion in the workplace. The principle of equity acknowledges that systemic barriers exist and action is needed to address historical imbalances. Additionally, Diversity means recognizing that we are all unique and bring with us varied experiences, perspectives and approaches to the workplace.

This survey is asking you to provide anonymous data on the identity characteristics that research has shown have a significant impact on how employees may be treated, and on how they experience the workplace.

Persons with disabilities: are persons who have a long-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning impairment and who:

• consider themselves to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that impairment, or
• believe that an employer or potential employer is likely to consider them to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that impairment, and
• includes persons whose functional limitations owing to their impairment have been accommodated in their current job or workplace.

Persons of Indigenous ancestry: Are people who self-identify as Inuit, Métis or First Nation status and non-status.

Racial Identity: Race is a social construct that is politically, historically and socially informed. We know that people of different races do not have significantly different genetics, but our race still has important consequences, including how we are treated by different individuals and institutions. Race is contextually dependent and there is no universal measure for it. The survey uses categories from Statistics Canada. The primary purpose of collecting race-based information is to identify, monitor and address any inequities that may be experienced within the College.

Non-Binary: Non-Binary refers to individuals whose gender identity or expression exists outside of the gender binary of woman or man. This includes, for example, gender-fluid, gender creative, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, and agender people.

Bisexual: People who experience emotional, romantic, or sexual feelings for people of both sexes.

Two Spirit: refers to a cultural and spiritual identity used by some Indigenous people to describe gender variance and sexuality.

Heterosexual: People who experience emotional, romantic, or sexual feelings primarily for people of the opposite sex.

Gay/Lesbian: People who experience emotional, romantic, or sexual feelings primarily for people of the same sex.

Queer: This is an umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities who are not heterosexual or are not cisgender.

Everyone in the College will be given a single link to complete the survey. It is not unique to you in any way and is not tracked electronically (which also means you need to answer all the questions at the same time or you will have to start over)We are using two third-party providers to remain at arms length from the data and ensure data integrity: Metrics at Work will host the survey; they have demonstrated their ability to manage confidential College employee data through the successful administration of the employee engagement and pulse surveys. Dr. Denise McLean will be conducting the review and analysis of the responses, and any responses from less than 10 individuals, including breakdowns upon intersectional analysis, will be suppressed. We are also not collecting data at the level of department, team or manager. Taken together, these actions will ensure that individual data cannot be uncovered.

If you have any additional questions, please contact Sarah Gauen at gauens@algonquincollege.com

The summary results of the Inclusive Climate Survey will be shared with the entire College community at an upcoming Townhall. Programming decisions to support improved inclusion will be carefully considered by the Inclusion and Diversity Circle (IDC), the HR team and the Leadership Team, with action implementation beginning in 2022.

No – Discrimination in employment is illegal. Equity means everyone has fair employment opportunities – not just a select group. Algonquin College’s Inclusion and Diversity programs aim to ensure that the College attracts, hires, retains, and grows the top talent available from the largest possible pool of qualified applicants. Sometimes this means offering programs and efforts targeted to specific groups to address different needs, knowing that people come to the workplace having faced different challenges, and seeing varied life and professional experiences as an asset. It is about eliminating barriers faced by certain groups in our society.

If you have questions about this survey, please contact Sarah Gauen, Inclusion & Diversity Specialist at gauens@algonquincollege.com

If you would like to report an incident of bullying, discrimination or harassment, please contact Labour Relations: https://www.algonquincollege.com/hr/labour-relations/