Shared Services Canada

Goal setting

Question 1

Has your organization set goals (for fiscal year 2023-2024 or future fiscal years) for recruiting and promoting Indigenous peoples and Black and other racialized people?

• My organization has set recruitment goals for:
  • Indigenous peoples
  • Black people
  • Racialized people

Please provide details and/or examples, including what your organization is using to set its goals (e.g., operational priorities, labour market availability [LMA], population data, workforce availability [WFA]), and how these goals are communicated to employees, if applicable. What has been the most helpful in advancing towards the goals you have set? What challenges, if any, have you encountered?

For the fiscal year 2023-2024, Shared Services Canada (SSC) has continued to set recruitment targets to address identified gaps in employment equity groups, including Indigenous peoples, Black people, and other racialized employees, as part of our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion. This dedicated approach has been in place over the past four years and forms part of initiatives included in SSC’s Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI) Plan.

SSC aimed for a 5% net increase for these specific groups (Indigenous peoples, Black people, and racialized employees). These targets were established based on a stable population factoring in attrition and estimated departures calculated from the trends of the last two years. SSC met its department level targets, achieving significant increases in representation:

Results are shared to our employees on a quarterly basis to ensure visibility on areas of focus throughout the fiscal year. Our Human Resources and Workplace (HRW) team analyzes those results to provide ongoing support, including identifying options and strategies to achieve the annual targets.

To communicate these goals effectively, we presented to various governance committees, engaged with the union, used our internal SSC newsletter, shared through our networks, conducted branch presentations, and provided updates at the Diversity Council.

The most helpful aspect in advancing towards the set goals has been the clear communication of targets and the ongoing monitoring of progress. By regularly sharing results to governance and providing support, SSC ensures that employees are engaged and aware of the organization's efforts to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce.

While SSC has not set promotional goals, discussions are underway to determine how they can be implemented and what impacts may arise.

Question 2

Has your organization set goals to foster greater inclusion (for fiscal year 2023-2024 or future fiscal years)?

• My organization has set goals to foster greater inclusion.
• Work is underway to set goals.

Please provide details and/or examples, including which metrics or data your organization is using, if applicable (e.g., your Public Service Employee Survey results, pulse surveys, exit interviews, human resources administrative data).

The Department has set S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals towards inclusion that are written and published in our triennial Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI) Action Plan. This plan and its goals are arranged into four pillars (Training and Awareness, Staffing, Talent Management, and Accountability) and will enable SSC to foster a culture of innovation, ensuring a thriving, diverse, and talented workforce.

1. Training and Awareness: This pillar is enabled by the role of our diversity networks. Our inclusive networks welcome members and allies into their work. They explore intersectional event topics (like microaggressions) and themes during commemorative dates that impact equity groups and allies. They also collaborate with each other to raise their respective profiles and bring awareness to unique and shared barriers. We measure inclusion by reviewing the attendance of such events and meetings, the growth of network membership, the engagement from our communication products, and the completion rate of diversity and inclusion training courses; and qualitatively through Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) results.
2. Staffing: This pillar incorporates inclusion by implementing the amendments to the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) and providing guidance and tools for staffing. This pillar also considers the effectiveness of the targeted staffing programs and recruitment targets. After this first year of implementation, inclusion will be measured by monitoring drop-off rates to identify disproportions or disparities in the recruitment process for different groups including variances in various results (recruitment targets, PSES, etc.), analyzing exit survey results, and promotional and departure rates among equity groups. In the future, inclusion will be further measured by analyzing feedback from diverse candidates who participate in SSC assessments.
3. Talent Management: This pillar will enable our department to promote opportunities and support for equity group members in pursuing learning and development opportunities that will advance their career goals and to identify gaps in the retention and promotion of equity group members. Inclusion is measured by analyzing data from exit interviews, attrition rates, the annual number of harassment complaints, PSES survey results, number of program participants to leadership development programs and metrics regarding official languages training and testing for equity groups. Qualitatively, inclusion is measured by feedback from our orientation and onboarding programs, and positive feedback from our leadership development programs.
4. Accountability: This last pillar is focused specifically on consequential accountability and the continuous intake, analysis, and reporting of data to measure diversity and inclusion. This includes the development of tracking and reporting systems that can be shared with employees, reviewing programs with a Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) lens and leveraging tools to enable the full implementation of GBA Plus in all aspects of work, analyzing results from departmental action plans or scorecards to then collaborate on initiatives, sharing reports that touch on equity, diversity and inclusion with employees (including the multiculturalism report, Many Voices One Mind, etc.), and measuring performance against specific commitments to diversity, inclusion and accessibility in performance management agreements and leadership pledges.

Measuring progress

Question 3

Has your organization developed an approach for measuring progress towards your established goals? 

How is the approach being implemented within your organization (e.g., how is it communicated to employees? What are the roles of executive team members including the Chief Data Officer and Head of Audit and Evaluation and regional management if applicable? How are you reporting on results and outcomes both internally and externally?)?

To measure our progress, SSC created its federally mandated Triennial Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (2022-2025). This plan outlines specific initiatives that cross various disciplines and serves to unite efforts in accessibility, GBA Plus, equity, diversity and inclusion and human-centered design. It has been published on the SSC intranet in accessible formats and consultations recently occurred with stakeholders to report on progress. Progress reports are a standing agenda item at various committees and have been shared recently at the Diversity Council (most recently on March 6, 2024, of which a majority of senior leadership are members), the People and Workplace Board (a Director General level committee) and at a forthcoming executive governance board meeting. A written progress report of the year two of the Action Plan will also be published to our intranet in Summer 2024.

The SSC Ombuds also released a report that focussed on the lived experiences of equity-identifying employees. The qualitative data resulting from their surveys and discussion groups is used in conjunction with quantitative data to report on cultural changes at SSC.

Diversity and inclusion data and results (including representation, mandatory inclusion training, recruitment targets, etc.) are also shared internally at the executive oversight board with senior management each quarter and with all employees via an intranet dashboard prepared by the Human Resources Analysis and Reporting team. Senior management then shares the data and results with their branch teams in order to address gaps (representational or otherwise), raise awareness and push for change and accountability throughout the organization.

Externally, SSC only shares information as it pertains to mandatory reports such as the Many Voices One Mind Annual report, the Multiculturalism Report, the Management Accountability Framework Report.

Consequential accountability

Question 4

How is your organization using performance management and/or talent management processes to establish accountability for results?

• Qualitative objectives are in performance management agreements.
• Progress towards representation and inclusion goals is part of the criteria for being considered for talent management.

Please provide details about how performance management and/or talent management processes are being used to establish accountability for results.

Performance management and talent management processes play a crucial role in establishing accountability for results. Our performance measures are aligned with the current priorities and objectives of the Government of Canada and SSC, as outlined in various plans and strategies.

For example, SSC establishes common commitments to manage the workforce effectively and achieve ongoing program objectives and priorities. Specifically, we have commitments for corporate management and workplace commitments, which include:

• Supporting Government of Canada diversity and inclusion by delivering on SSC recruitment targets.
• Providing continual leadership to ensure equity and inclusion at SSC; and
• Committing to ongoing engagement focused on diversity and inclusion.

We also integrate government-wide corporate priorities into our performance management processes for all executives, including advancing anti-racism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. We will continue to discuss setting quantitative performance objectives to complement our current commitments. This will enable better measurement of our progress towards consequential accountability.

Additionally, SSC implemented the Inclusion Steward initiative. This approach consists of designating an inclusion spokesperson within the performance and talent review committees to enable bias-free evaluations. This year the “inclusion steward” role has been implemented into the level three of the year-end performance and talent management review panels, to further support a barrier-free performance management process.

We share tools and resources with executives (EXs) and employees, to help them recognize and reduce bias in their work. This is helpful to ensure everyone is evaluated fairly and equitably.

Furthermore, our Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI) plan takes a holistic approach to increase diversity and inclusion to make sure our leaders are accountable for creating a diverse, inclusive and accessible workplace.

Specific, tangible actions outlined in the forward direction of the Call to Action

Question 5

Have you, as head of your organization, and/or your executive teams sponsored at least two Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees to prepare them for leadership roles?

• Neither I nor my executive team have sponsored at least two Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees to prepare them for leadership roles.

Please provide details about the nature of sponsorship that you and/or your executive team have provided, along with other programs, such as mentorship or leadership development, if applicable.  

At SSC, we prioritize the professional development of our employees and are actively involved in identifying and supporting talent from diverse backgrounds. We have implemented various programs, such as the Mentorship Plus Program, the Aspiring Leader Program, the Character Based Leadership Program and the department participates in the Mosaic Leadership Program to ensure we are preparing our employees for leadership roles.

Mentorship Plus Program

We have implemented the Mentorship Plus program for employees who self-identify as members of equity groups. This includes a formal mentoring program with specific eligibility criteria and timelines, providing mentees with guidance and support their career and development needs. The sponsorship component is also implemented in our department. The objective of sponsorship is to ensure that underrepresented employees gain equitable access to career opportunities and benefit from a more diverse and inclusive workplace. Sponsors play an important role in this program, spending time with protégés to understand their career goals and advocating for their advancement.

Sponsorship

SSC is in its third cohort of the Sponsorship Program. We currently have ten (10) ongoing sponsorship relationships, representing various equity groups, including black employees (1), persons with disabilities (1), racialized employees (5) and women (8).

While we have made efforts to sponsor at least two Indigenous and, or Black employees for leadership roles the anonymized process is rigorous and involves multiple steps. Although we have not yet reached our target, we remain committed to supporting the career and growth of these employees.

Mentorship

Our Mentorship Program, conducted annually, offers employees the opportunity to engage in mentorship relationships to support them in their professional growth and development. We concluded a successful wave of the program in 2023, with plans to launch the next wave in the fall of 2024.

Aspiring Leader Program

Launched in 2021, the Aspiring Leader Program (ALP) prepares employees at levels EX minus 1 and EX minus 2 for executive roles within the department. Our current cohort, initiated in January 2024, includes 30 participants, with 50% belonging to equity groups.

Mosaic Development Program

We proudly have a participant enrolled in the Mosaic Development Program to support this employee’s career progression. Upon completion of the program, SSC will identify a suitable EX-01 position against which the individual will be assessed based on merit criteria. This is the second year that the department has participated in the program.

Character Based Leadership Program

Character Based Leadership (CBL) emphasizes the importance of character traits that make a good leader, rather than just focusing on knowledge and skills. When focusing on dimensions such as collaboration, humility, humanity, integrity, temperance, justice and accountability, CBL aims to create an environment that promotes equity, diversity and inclusion.

Question 6

Have you, as head of your organization, personally endorsed at least one recruitment campaign for Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees?

• I have personally endorsed at least one recruitment campaign for:
  • Indigenous employees
  • Black employees
  • Racialized employees

Please provide details.

All selection processes promote organizational needs for employment equity. As President, I also chair the Executive Oversight Board (EOB), which reviews and approves departmental recruitment plans and strategies. SSC consistently analyzes employment equity gaps, monitors progress against targets, and evaluates outcomes to develop multi-pronged strategies aimed at achieving our goals and closing our gaps. SSC has also launched and supported recruitment initiatives from other federal departments aimed at addressing employment equity groups such as Indigenous, Black, and other racialized employees.

For Indigenous peoples, SSC has endorsed recruitment programs such as:

• The Indigenous Career Pathways facilitated by the Public Service Commission. This initiative serves as a tool for matching indigenous job seekers with hiring managers to facilitate their integration into the workforce.
• The IT apprenticeship program for Indigenous peoples led by Employment Social Development Canada (ESDC). This initiative offers a learning opportunity within the government to indigenous candidates passionate about IT.

Black and racialized employees, SSC endorses programs like:

• The Federal Internship for Newcomers Program (FIN): Hire eligible, skilled, and experienced newcomers on casual contracts (AS, CR, IT, PG, EC and PM).
• Black Executives Network future black leaders e-binder: Inventory of professional profiles of Black federal public servants ready for career advancement.

Targeted recruitment initiatives:

• IT-01 for IT Technician positions. This process 22-GSS-ON-EA-CorpServices-339289 was led by SSC and was restricted to employment equity applicants (per current legal definitions). The pool was established in 2023 and is used by hiring managers to staff positions.
• IT-01/02, FI-01/02 and IS-02. This process: 2021-CSD-EA-NHQ-0169049 was led by ESDC and restricted to racialized employees.
• SSC participates in career fairs throughout the year, including events focused on recruiting Indigenous, Black or racialized candidates. These career fairs help to connect with diverse talent pools and to promote employment opportunities within SSC.

As we collect and analyze data from these initiatives, we aim to report in subsequent years the impact to SSC and the employee experience.

Question 7

Has your organization prioritized official language training for Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees who are ready for advancement?

• My organization has not prioritized official language training for Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees who are ready for advancement.

How is your organization prioritizing official language training?

SSC prioritizes official language training for all employees, including Indigenous, Black and racialized employees. The department has dedicated substantial budgets for language training over the past several years. Our language training program ensures equitable access to language training for both term and indeterminate employees ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to enhance their language skills.

SSC’s language training team manages the centralized budget for the language training. This centralized approach allows us to streamline administration and ensure consistency in access to training, as well as maintain quality of training across the department.

The language training team engages in targeted promotion efforts to reach employees who are part of equity groups through networks (e.g., publications in Teams groups and presentations offered to diversity networks members). This is to ensure that individuals in equity groups are aware of training opportunities that apply to them and initiate dialogue with their management.

In addition, SSC has implemented a Leadership Pledge on Official Languages. This pledge highlights our commitment to proactively promote and support second language learning and maintenance for the career advancement of employees, as well as to increase bilingual capacity within the organization. We encourage unilingual employees to embark on language learning journeys from the beginning of their career in the federal public service to facilitate their career advancement and succession planning.

Does your organization offer access to Indigenous language training or have plans to offer access? Please provide details. 

SSC recognizes the importance of Indigenous language training and its significance in supporting Indigenous Peoples to reconnect with their culture. However, we currently do not offer access to Indigenous language training.

Although Indigenous language training is not currently offered, the department is exploring ways to collaborate with the Indigenous Languages Commissioner’s Office to support language learning to our employees.

Question 8

Has your organization provided support and/or invested resources for organizational employee networks and communities?

• Engagement with employees and employee networks in my organization’s decision-making is meaningful and regular.
• Governance structures are in place to support employee networks and communities (e.g., champions, champions/chairs participate at management tables).
• Material supports are provided for employee networks and communities (e.g., dedicated funding, FTE support, allowing time to engage in activities).
• Work is underway for my organization to further engage with or to provide support for and/or invest resources in departmental employee networks and communities.

Please provide additional detail about how your organization engages with and supports employee networks and communities.

SSC has six networks that were created to support our diverse employees. Our networks include: the Indigenous Circle, the Black employees Network, the Women’s Network, the Persons with Disabilities Network, the Visible Minorities Network, and the Pride Network for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

Each network is represented by one or two champions at the executive level and has a steering committee in place that is responsible for implementing activities and initiatives for the members of their respective networks/communities. Each champion is chosen based on being a representative or a strong ally of a diverse community. Champions serve as strong advocates for their community, establish connections and create positive changes at the departmental level through funding to promote their mandate. They ensure that network members have a safe space to gather, discuss common issues, exchange information, and express their concerns.

The networks also have a dedicated human resources and communications support team. These corporate groups can provide administrative assistance (translation and interpretation costs, approval processes) and strategic advice to networks to ensure that community activities and corporate initiatives are aligned towards desirable systemic change within the department.

As of 2023, the department has provided increased funding to its diversity networks ($15,000 per diversity network) and clarified the roles and responsibilities of its champions, steering committees, human resources and communications support. Funding for networks is primarily to advance substantive parts of their annual plans; past examples include for member professional development (e.g.: how to further one’s career, how to network, etc.) and to raise awareness (e.g.: entry fees for Pride events, events to introduce/reconnect to Indigenous culture, discussions on perimenopause and menopause, etc.).

The Diversity Council

The Diversity Council at SSC was created in 2020 and has a mandate to act as a singular consultative body to ensure an Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI) lens is applied to new and ongoing initiatives in the department and to discuss short and long-term strategies to create a barrier-free workplace and institute department-wide inclusive and cultural changes. Its membership includes the President, Executive Vice President, senior management, champions and chairs of diversity networks, and regional and branch leaders. Since its inception, it has held three meetings per year.

Previous meetings include learning sessions as well as opportunities to engage in consultations. Previous topics covered GBA Plus, safe spaces, Public Service Employment Act Amendments, updates on the Accessibility Plan, diversity and inclusion data and the Diversity Network Support Charter which aims to enhance network initiatives and alignment of activities.

Question 9

Has anti-racism, equity and inclusion work been embedded in your organization’s integrated business plan and/or mental health plan?

• Anti-racism, equity and inclusion work has been embedded in the organizational plan.
• Anti-racism, equity and inclusion work has been embedded in regional and/or branch plans.
• Work is underway on our integrated business plan and/or mental health plan to embed anti-racism, equity and inclusion work.

Question 10

Does your organization have a calendar to avoid holding major meetings and events during significant religious, spiritual, and cultural periods?

• My organization currently has a calendar for this purpose.
• Work is underway to develop this calendar at my organization.

If the calendar already exists, please provide additional details on how this calendar is communicated or promoted within your organization.  

SSC has acquired a multicultural calendar for a period of three years (2022-2024). It is available on the department’s intranet to consult, download (as pdf) or to import into employees’ Outlook systems. It serves as a visible reminder and a way to raise awareness about multicultural and religious events, holidays and important dates in Canada and around the world. The calendar was promoted to employees via articles and messages from senior management during important cultural months as well as high religious holidays (e.g.: Ramadan, Black History Month, Asian Heritage Month, etc.)

An alternative for future years is being explored to enable a more nimble, accessible and inclusive approach to the growing list of commemorative date, religious, spiritual and cultural periods of importance.

Messages reminding employees to consider the various backgrounds to which we all belong as it relates to the organization of meetings and events has been shared. This message also links these considerations to the need to ensure everyone can participate fully and feel included.

Additional information about your organization’s ongoing initiatives 

Question 11

What are two or three specific barriers that you have faced in advancing work on the Call to Action?

Please provide two or three examples.

1. Access to Data and Data Literacy: Access to, and therefore the ability to share timely, demographic and intersectional data is limited. This hinders stakeholders’ ability to make informed decisions for program or policy creation or improvement. This includes but is not limited to: timely data on census blocks from Statistics Canada for workforce or labour market availability (affecting representation measurement), lack of data on 2SLGBTQIA+ communities (only available via PSES surveys every other year), comparative demographic data for a variety of metrics (promotional rates, employee type representation, exit surveys, etc.), intersectional data regarding equity groups for a variety of factors (impacts and otherwise), well maintained qualitative data banks, and the often delayed self-identification modernization. Data literacy is also a skill in which many public servants, particularly those in program creation or management, are not sufficiently proficient. Systemic change can only happen when decisions are made based on a holistic analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.
2. Engagement versus Communication: Better engagement based on trust is essential to pushing initiatives and actions for cultural change forward. SSC and the broader government have very prescriptive ways to communicate with employees. In the current work climate where there is an overabundance of information, it is critical for all stakeholders to clearly and engagingly speak about what actions we are undertaking to meet the Call to Action and go beyond by changing our departmental culture towards inclusion. This demonstrates progress and continued commitment to changing harmful behaviours, modifies the perceptions of inaction, and makes visible the corrective actions available or in progress when issues are raised. It also makes evident that systemic change, which naturally takes time, is happening.
3. Mental Health: Mental health is an integral part of addressing and advancing the Call to Action and creating a culture of inclusion at SSC. While the links between equity, diversity and inclusion and mental health are clear, there has been a distinct lack of explicit direction on what is expected of mental health programs in advancing the calls to action (beyond promoting the availability of culturally appropriate services and the need to provide resources, services and supports that are tailored to specific community needs with little or no expertise or direction from where such supports exist in both official languages within or outside of the public service). Since mental health will continue to be a significant factor in addressing the call to action, clarity needs to be given to where the roles and responsibilities of the mental health program, occupational health and safety and equity, diversity and inclusion teams begin and end. Furthermore, “[w]e seem to be in a constant state of urgency and crisis. To address the mental health crisis we face, organizations must change how they work and remove barriers employees face in doing their work. While mental health initiatives are important in supporting mental health, leaders must also address risk factors that can harm people’s mental health.’’ (Office of the Ombuds Annual Report for 2022-23 "Looking Back, Looking forward" [2023]).

Question 12

Recognizing that employees often have multiple identities, what actions is your organization undertaking to support Indigenous employees and Black and other racialized employees who are also members of other communities, such as persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and religious minorities who face compounding barriers of discrimination?

Please provide details.

• Our diversity networks collaborate inter and intra-departmentally to organize intersectional events, recognize and address the many layers of diversity and oppression that individuals may identify with or experience, and publish and amplify information on the others’ behalf. By creating brave spaces for open dialogue, our diversity networks are fostering an inclusive environment where the contributions, unique experiences and challenges of various equity groups are acknowledged and addressed with sensitivity and empathy.
• The creation and implementation of a Diversity Council, comprising representatives from all six diversity groups (Black People, Racialized People, Women, Persons with Disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities), demonstrates a holistic approach to foster diversity and inclusion. Through triannual meetings, discussions, and collaborative initiatives, the Council serves as a forum for addressing systemic barriers and consulting on their resolution, promoting awareness, and implementing policies and practices that support equity and belonging to all members of the organization.
• The creation and launch of a OneHR dashboard comprised of various HR indicators also support intersectional implementation efforts of the Accessibility Plan and Scorecard, the Official Languages Maturity Model and the Mental Health Scorecard. It also serves to share information related to diversity with all employees.
• SSC has interdisciplinary teams that support efforts to enhance programs/initiatives/legislative requirements through an intersectional lens, ensuring comprehensive and inclusive approaches. These include:
  • the Accessibility Planning and Reporting Group is dedicated to fulfilling the planning and reporting mandates of the Accessible Canada Act. This group is composed of diverse representatives from various operational and service branches and inclusion subject-matter experts.
  • The Horizontally Managing Accessibility/EEDI/GBA Plus/Human-Centered Design Group aims to strengthen horizontal collaboration across disciplines. This initiative enhances intradepartmental cooperation and integrates diverse perspectives for comprehensive approaches in accessibility, equity, diversity, inclusion.
• Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion action plan takes a holistic approach to increase diversity and move towards a culture of inclusion.
• The Duty to Accommodate Centre of Expertise was created in 2023 and provides advice to employees and managers on accommodation matters that respect the intersectional identities involved in each situation. Requests are analyzed on a case-by-case basis and address the needs of those who require advice on any type of accommodation (including disability, family situation, etc.)
• With the amendments to the Public Service Employment Act, the tools and flexibilities of non-traditional recruitment are being promoted to challenge hiring managers to recognize compounding barriers and their impacts during the recruitment process.
• Similarly, proactive training and the implementation of Inclusion Stewards at evaluation review tables help managers and executives challenge potential assumptions and applications of bias in an intersectional manner to ensure equitable assessments and promotional opportunities.

Question 13

In your first year of implementing the forward direction of the Call to Action, what impact has this work had on the culture of your organization?

Please provide the two or three most important impacts. 

1. The Ombuds office has embraced continuous learning and has used non-traditional forms of recruitment to hire a diverse complement of employees. By sharing their growth journey in these experiences, they are better able to serve their clients with empathy, understanding the nuances of how multiple identity factors can compound barriers of discrimination, and create tailored suggestions for conflict reduction and management. Implementing the forward direction has also resulted in enhanced trust and credibility in the office, increased awareness of the services to resolve interpersonal issues and increased accessibility to the office.
2. Due to the efforts of the diversity networks and the Diversity Council, the subjects of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging are regularly raised and addressed at meetings and events for all staff (team, branch and organizational levels). The links between impacts of barriers and incidents to regular work topics, such as hybrid working mandates (amongst others), while not always well understood by every employee, are becoming better known and understood by those who have a direct impact on employee well-being – managers and supervisors. Conversations of this nature did not happen as frequently before.
3. Prior to the pandemic and the Call to Action, SSC was already making strides towards an inclusive organizational culture. Since the release of the call to action, the department has reinforced our commitment and shifted our focus to more targeted initiatives, such as:
   • leveraging networks, outreach and partnerships to create diverse pipelines of talent to recruit a representative and inclusive workforce at SSC
   • annual hiring targets that increase equity populations year-over-year and are considered the floor and not the ceiling
   • leadership development programs (character-based leadership, aspiring leaders' program, mentorship, sponsorship, coaching) that support participants from equity groups and equip all potential employees with the skills and competencies necessary to become successful and inclusive leaders at SSC.