Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Strategy for the BC Public Service

Mandate

Ensure the BC Public Service is reflective of our province and inclusive of Indigenous peoples, minority communities, immigrants, persons with disabilities and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Vision

The BC Public Service is an inclusive organization where all employees are supported to reach their full potential.

Values

The BC Public Service has one overarching corporate value — Integrity — and 6 core corporate values:

• Curiosity
• Service
• Passion
• Teamwork
• Accountability
• Courage

Diversity & Inclusion goals

1. Support an increasingly diverse workforce
2. Enhance inclusion in the workplace
3. Build a strong foundation for lasting and meaningful reconciliation
4. Remove barriers to accessibility in the workplace

Areas of focus

Leadership and education

• Develop learning curriculum and learning pathways to improve intercultural fluency and mitigate unconscious bias
• Provide Corporate Executive and Senior Leadership with training and coaching in diversity and inclusion
• Review and revise corporate learning programs (such as Respectful Workplace, Coaching and Conflict Supports, Diversity and Inclusion) for unconscious bias and incorporation of antiracism/anti-hate commitments
• Implement diversity and inclusion training, including unconscious bias training, across the BC Public Service
• Ensure managers and supervisors are trained in inclusive hiring practices
• Increase senior leader participation in diversity and inclusion related activities and resource groups
• Incorporate diversity and inclusion learning in annual performance and career planning conversations and documentation

Structure and alignment

• Incorporate diversity and inclusion goals and deliverables into overall workforce planning efforts
• Establish oversight mechanisms, tools and supports to enable success
• Build a change and communication strategy in support of organizational and individual culture shift
• Develop a diversity and inclusion resource and reference toolkit for ministries, divisions, branches, teams and employee resource groups
• Initiate a Lean project with central BC Public Service Agency policy leads to improve and streamline policies, processes and supports
• Create and implement an evaluation framework to measure and report on outcomes and progress against deliverables

Recruitment and retention

• Provide the knowledge, tools and resources necessary to support hiring decisions that are equitable, transparent, merit-based and mitigate the impacts of unconscious bias
• Conduct a review of mid-level to senior-level positions and make recommendations to address under-representation of specified equity groups
• Continue to reduce regional restrictions on job postings
• Increase IBPOC (Indigenous, Black and People of Colour) representation within and across government
• Conduct a plain language review of job postings

Flexibility

• Identify positions which can be adapted to individual circumstances (such as part-time, job share, flexible work arrangements)
• Assess the viability of benefit plan enhancements to support an increasingly diverse workforce

Desired outcomes

• Diversity and inclusion competence is increased in the BC Public Service
• Related HR policies and legislation are clearly understood and complied with
• Individuals are treated equitably and ethically with dignity and respect
• Organizational performance is improved
• Better policy and service delivery outcomes