Employment Equity in the Office of the Auditor General of Canada—Annual Report 2014–15

Employment Equity in the Office of the Auditor General of Canada—Annual Report 2014–15

Introduction

This Annual Report on Employment Equity at the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG, or the Office) outlines the state of employment equity representation for the 2014–15 fiscal year.

Employment Equity Environment

Enabling legislation

The Office of the Auditor General of Canada has a legislative basis in the Auditor General Act, the Financial Administration Act, and a number of other statutes. The Auditor General’s powers and responsibilities are set forth in legislation passed by Parliament.

Independence from government

We differ from government departments and agencies through our independence from the government of the day and our reporting relationship to Parliament. Our independence is assured by a broad legislative mandate, freedom from certain controls over our budget and human resource management, and a 10-year term for the Auditor General.

Application of the Employment Equity Act

The Office of the Auditor General of Canada is governed by the Employment Equity Act, section 4(1)(c).

Our work

The Office audits federal government operations and provides Parliament with independent information, advice, and assurance regarding the federal government’s stewardship of public funds. While the Office may comment on policy implementation in an audit, it does not comment on the merits of the policy itself.

We are in the business of legislative auditing and conduct

• performance audits of federal departments and agencies,
• annual financial audits of the government’s financial statements, and
• special examinations and annual financial audits of Crown corporations.

We also audit the governments of Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories.

Since 1995, the Office has also had a specific environment and sustainable development mandate, established through amendments to the Auditor General Act.

Our audit findings—which include good practices, areas requiring attention, and recommendations for improvement—are reported to Parliament. The Auditor General’s reports may be reviewed by parliamentary committees, which conduct hearings and make recommendations for action. Legislative assemblies provide the same oversight in the territories. The government has the opportunity to respond to the findings, and may implement recommended changes.

The OAG participates in international activities, organizations, and events that impact its legislative audit work. By collaborating with organizations and audit offices both elsewhere in Canada and across the world, the OAG strengthens its legislative audit practice and contributes to the development of auditing standards.

Our employees

The Office employs 550 people between its head office in Ottawa and four regional offices in Vancouver, Edmonton, Montréal, and Halifax.

Our audit professionals are highly qualified in their fields and bring a rich mix of academic disciplines and experience to their work. They include accountants, engineers, lawyers, management experts, information technology professionals, environmental specialists, economists, historians, and sociologists. All audit staff have a graduate degree, or a bachelor’s degree and professional designation. Many have additional credentials.

Auditors are organized into teams that are assigned to audits of specific departments, agencies, or Crown corporations, and audits of Canada’s three territories. They are supported in their work by specialists in law, professional practices, international relations, information technology, knowledge management, human resources, financial management, communications, and parliamentary liaison.

We have a specialized workforce with 80.2 percent of our employees (441 of 550) at the middle management and audit professional levels.

Our work environment

We are committed to providing a work environment in which all are treated with dignity and respect, and all are supported as they work toward their full career potential. We encourage open and honest communication to create a climate of trust and teamwork. We value each other’s talent and diversity, and support learning and quality-of-life endeavours.

Office employees are expected to demonstrate personal integrity and ethics, and to adhere to Office values, standards, and codes of conduct.

People management competencies and behaviours are evaluated during recruitment and annual performance appraisals.

Our structure

The Assistant Auditor General of Corporate Services, who is a member of the Executive Committee, serves as employment equity champion and works to raise the profile of employment equity and diversity issues in the Office.

The Office has an active Employment Equity Committee, with subcommittees that represent four designated groups, to promote awareness and understanding of employment equity and diversity issues in the workplace.

The Chair of the Employment Equity Committee reports directly to the Assistant Auditor General of Corporate Services on any employment equity issues of note. The Chair provides input on all policies and issues that may affect employment equity.

Employment Equity Implementation

Implementation of legislation

We implement the requirements of the legislation by completing a self-identification survey. We then conduct a workforce analysis to determine the degree of representation of members of designated groups in each occupational group. This analysis is conducted annually, and the results (as of 31 March 2015) are presented in this report.

Employment equity records

We have procedures in place to maintain orderly and accurate employment equity records. All new employees are asked to complete a self-identification questionnaire before their first day at the Office, and notices are sent to remind all employees of their right to self-identify at any time.

Our INTRAnet provides employees with easy access to current employment equity information.

Recruitment

Recruitment remained limited during the reporting period due to the Strategic and Operating Review.

Activities and events

The Office carried out activities throughout the year to promote a corporate environment that supports employment equity values and ideals. The following events were held in the 2014–15 fiscal year:

• OAG Cultural Festival, which celebrates Canadian Multiculturalism Day
• International Fellows Fair, in support of the International Fellows Program

In addition, the Office continued to actively support awareness and fundraising campaigns for causes that affect members of designated groups (e.g. Run for the Cure).

The Office promotes respect in the workplace through new employee on-boarding as well as ongoing in-house training programs. The following courses are offered to all managers and staff:

• Working in a Diverse Workforce
• Creating a Respectful Environment
• Understanding Differences
• Elements of Supervision
• Teamwork
• Culture and Its Effect on Communication
• Cultures and Communication
• Communicating Across Cultures
• Improving Communication in Cross-Cultural Relationships
• Communicating with a Cross-Cultural Audience

New auditors working in the North receive Cultural Awareness Training so they can better understand the community in which they work.

Succession planning

The number of forecasted retirements is monitored annually to ensure that members of designated groups are considered in succession planning.

Over time, these sustained efforts have resulted in opportunities for higher numbers of designated group members to be promoted. This is most evident for women and persons in a visible minority group, who were well represented in various promotional opportunities in the 2014–15 fiscal year. (Table 9)

Employment Equity Plan

The Office’s employment equity plan includes activities and initiatives intended to increase awareness of equity and diversity issues and to improve opportunities in the workplace for all employees.

When the Office became subject to the Employment Equity Act, the Employment Equity Committee was formed. The Committee’s objective is to promote the Office’s employment equity activities while increasing awareness of equity and diversity issues, and enhancing employment and promotion opportunities for all groups.

In response to specific requirements in section 10 of the Employment Equity Act, the Office has always maintained an employment equity plan. The plan covers a three-year period and includes specific goals for improved representation. The Triennial Employment Equity Plan 2013–16 reports activities carried out to comply with the legislation, presents our strategy for enhancing and maintaining representation across occupational groups and levels, and highlights efforts to sustain an inclusive and respectful workplace.

Communication and consultation

Ongoing communication is a critical factor in the success of our employment equity program. The Office undertakes a number of communication activities to support equity and diversity programs. The Office

• offers a range of equity- and diversity-related courses to employees annually;
• posts equity- and diversity-related communication materials in areas within the Office where employees gather;
• makes information on the Employment Equity Act and related organizational plans and policies available on its INTRAnet site;
• keeps employees informed of the Office’s progress on achieving representation objectives;
• keeps employees, management, and employee representative groups engaged in meaningful dialogue to help overcome outstanding recruitment and retention challenges;
• reaches out to and partners with educational institutions and professional associations to assist the Office in achieving its goals; and
• consults with union–management committees before finalizing policies and plans, such as the Triennial Employment Equity Plan.

Numerical goals

Employment equity is an important underlying value of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada. We are committed to ensuring equal opportunity in our workplace for all employees.

The Office strives for 100 percent representation of workforce availability for each of the designated groups. The success of our efforts is monitored by the employment equity champion and is reported annually in the departmental performance report.

Employment Equity Numbers

Our employment equity numbers are prepared according to the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system, which was developed by Employment and Social Development Canada (Exhibit 1). This system comprises 14 employment equity occupational groups (EEOGs)—as defined in Schedule II of the Employment Equity Regulations—and 520 NOC unit groups.

Exhibit 1—Classification of Office employees under the National Occupational Classification

Classifying our employees under this system shows that we have a very specialized workforce:

• The 550 employees in our Office fall into 7 of the 14 EEOGs.
• Most of our employees (80.2 percent) are concentrated in 2 NOC unit groups—auditors (professionals) and middle managers (Exhibit 2).

Exhibit 2—Distribution of employees by major occupational groups

[Exhibit 2—text version]

Representation in designated groups—highlights

We compared our representation in each designated group with the most recent workforce availability figures^{Footnote 1}, provided by Employment and Social Development Canada in the Employment Equity Data Report. We used national figures for this comparison in most areas, with the exception of the administrative and senior clerical personnel category and the clerical personnel category, for which we used data from the National Capital Region.

Women

As of 31 March 2015, women represented 62.0 percent of the Office’s workforce, which is above the workforce availability of 51.1 percent. (Table 4)

Aboriginal peoples

The Office’s representation of Aboriginal employees during the reporting period was 2.5 percent, which meets the workforce availability of 2.5 percent. (Table 5)

Persons with disabilities

The Office’s overall representation of persons with disabilities during the reporting period was 4.2 percent, which is above the workforce availability of 4.1 percent. (Table 6)

Persons in a visible minority group

The Office’s overall representation of persons in a visible minority group is 12.2 percent, which is below the workforce availability of 17.2 percent. (Table 7)

Representation in hirings, promotions, and separations

This annual report includes an analysis of the number of employees from each designated group who were hired, promoted, or left the Office.

Hirings

In the past year, 30 people joined the Office, and of these new hires, 24 (80.0 percent) were from a designated group. More specifically,

• 15 of the new hires were women (50.0 percent),
• 8 were persons in a visible minority group (26.7 percent), and
• 1 person was in the Aboriginal peoples’ group (3.3 percent). (Table 8)

Promotions

In the past year, 44 employees were promoted. Of these promotions, 39 (88.6 percent) were from a designated group. More specifically,

• 27 (61.4 percent) promotions were women,
• 11 (25.0 percent) were persons in a visible minority group, and
• 1 person (2.3 percent) was in the Aboriginal peoples’ group. (Table 9)

Separations

During the reporting period, 60 employees left the Office. Of those who left, 47 employees were from a designated group. More specifically,

• 33 were women (an attrition rate of 9.2 percent),
• 3 were Aboriginal persons (an attrition rate of 20.0 percent),
• 3 were persons with disabilities (an attrition rate of 13.6 percent), and
• 8 were persons in a visible minority group (an attrition rate of 11.1 percent). (Table 10)

Conclusion

By the end of the reporting period, the Office will have fully moved past the Strategic and Operating Review period. Although we are pleased with our representation in three of the four designated groups, we will continue to work toward a fully representative workforce through future hiring activities.

Appendix—Statistics

Report coverage

This report contains information, as of 31 March 2015, on our indeterminate employees and determinate employees with terms of six months or more. Employees who were on secondment to other organizations are also included in our numbers.

Employees who were on leave without pay from our Office as of 31 March 2015 are not included in the population. Because of the rapid turnover of students and casual employees, no information is reported on them.

Data on people in the designated groups

All data, other than that for women, was obtained through self-identification, the process by which people identify themselves as being from one of the other three designated groups. The data on women was obtained from other human resource information.

The completeness and accuracy of employment equity data depend on employees being willing to self-identify and being given the opportunity to do so.

Our self-identification process began in April 1997. All new employees are asked to complete a questionnaire before their first day at the Office. In addition, at any time during the year, any employee may complete or revise a self-identification questionnaire, which is available from our Human Resources Group.

Tables 4 to 7 show our representation as a percentage of workforce availability, with comparative figures for the prior year. We believe this is the best measure of how well we are progressing toward our goal of achieving a representative workforce.

We provide information by Employment Equity Occupational Group (EEOG). Tables 4 to 7 include information for the two National Occupational Classification (NOC) unit groups that account for the majority of our employees—middle managers (NOC Unit 0414), which is part of EEOG 2 (middle and other managers); and auditors (NOC Unit 1111), included in EEOG 3 (professionals).

Workforce availability

Workforce availability is the distribution of people in the designated groups as a percentage of the total Canadian workforce. For federal public service purposes, workforce availability is based on Canadian citizens in those occupations in the Canadian workforce corresponding to the occupations in the public service and is derived from 2011 Census data.

List of Tables

Table 1—Representation of designated groups in the Office of the Auditor General of Canada

Table 2—Distribution of employees by designated group and region of work

Table 3—Representation of designated groups by Employment Equity Occupational Group

Table 4—Representation of women by Employment Equity Occupational Group and the two largest National Occupational Classification unit groups

Table 5—Representation of Aboriginal peoples by Employment Equity Occupational Group and the two largest National Occupational Classification unit groups

Table 6—Representation of persons with disabilities by Employment Equity Occupational Group and the two largest National Occupational Classification unit groups

Table 7—Representation of persons in a visible minority by Employment Equity Occupational Group and the two largest National Occupational Classification unit groups

Table 8—Hiring by designated group and Employment Equity Occupational Group

Table 9—Promotions by designated group and Employment Equity Occupational Group

Table 10—Separations by designated group and Employment Equity Occupational Group

Table 11—Distribution of employees by designated group and salary band

Table 1—Representation of designated groups in the Office of the Auditor General of Canada

As at 31 March 2015

Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding and suppression.

Table 2—Distribution of employees by designated group and region of work

As at 31 March 2015

Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding and suppression.

Table 3—Representation of designated groups by Employment Equity Occupational Group

As at 31 March 2015

Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding and suppression.

Table 4—Representation of women by Employment Equity Occupational Group and the two largest National Occupational Classification unit groups

As at 31 March 2015

Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding and suppression.

Table 5—Representation of Aboriginal peoples by Employment Equity Occupational Group and the two largest National Occupational Classification unit groups

As at 31 March 2015

Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding and suppression.

Table 6—Representation of persons with disabilities by Employment Equity Occupational Group and the two largest National Occupational Classification unit groups

As at 31 March 2015

Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding and suppression.

Table 7—Representation of persons in a visible minority by Employment Equity Occupational Group and the two largest National Occupational Classification unit groups

As at 31 March 2015

Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding and suppression.

Table 8—Hiring by designated group and Employment Equity Occupational Group

As at 31 March 2015

Data includes employees hired into term positions (six months or more) and indeterminate positions. Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding and suppression.

Table 9—Promotions by designated group and Employment Equity Occupational Group

As at 31 March 2015

Data includes promotions and reclassifications. Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding and suppression.

Table 10—Separations by designated group and Employment Equity Occupational Group

As at 31 March 2015

Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding and suppression.

Table 11—Distribution of employees by designated group and salary band

As at 31 March 2015

Totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding and suppression.