In Canada, organizations are undergoing major changes aimed at redressing the legacy of exclusion for Black, Indigenous and racialized communities, people with disabilities, women in certain industries, and LGBTQ2S+ communities. The chief ingredient in effecting these changes is people. The achievement of a representative workforce is not only a good management practice, but also a matter of safety and survival. It makes sense that organizations would be invested in reviewing their employment systems to unearth practices that may contribute to exclusion, whether it is a lack of outreach programs for recruitment or the application of selection tests that are not job-related or the subjectivity in selection choices for management positions. 

A policy and procedures review, by its very nature, is focussed on identifying gaps, rather than celebrating achievements. When policies are not comprehensive, either because they are not complete or they are inexistent, organizations cannot begin to make a strategic shift in the way they think about, and manage, IDEA.  A policy review and evaluation are therefore an assessment, as systematic and objective as possible, of the programme or policy intent. 

Our evaluation focus on people management policies that provide the framework by which employees are expected to act in the workplace. These policies are written statements and objectives. The importance of people policies lies in that they contain rules on how employees must perform their jobs and interact with each other. Policies are in place to ensure everyone is clear about institutional expectations and values and is able to put them into practice as part of the everyday experience.

Examining policies, procedures and practices through the lens of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-racism and Accessibility (IDEA) illuminates the systemic barriers which, despite the organization’s good intent, will not lead to the inclusive results expected. Endorsing an employment system review helps understand and remove policies or practices which hinder the entry, advancement and work experience of designated group members. It also enables the development of new policies, procedures and practices that can help the organization meet its strategic IDEA objectives. 

Such a review has two main objectives:

1. Incorporate IDEA principles and standards to strengthen the capacity of work teams; and, 
2. Address any existing systemic barriers and inequities that impact current employees and potential candidates. 

There are three key steps to conducting the review:

1. The first step is information gathering through written documents and, by extension, practices that are not written but represent the “way we do things around here”.
2. The second step is data analysis, which is best accomplished with a methodological grid with the right questions and consistency of approach for each written document.
3. The third step is a gap analysis flowing from step #2.