Spotlight on diverse assessment boards

The federal public service continues to advance a culture that promotes diversity and inclusion. All levels of management must lead by example in building a workforce representative of all Canadians.

One way to do this is by having diverse assessment boards for assessing candidates in hiring processes.

What is a diverse assessment board

The concept of a diverse assessment board is not defined in the Public Service Employment Act or other policy instruments. However, it is commonly understood as a board made up of individuals from different backgrounds, including equity-seeking groups.

Benefits of a diverse and inclusive assessment board

• Diversity and inclusion: Allows candidates to be assessed by people with various backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, which can help minimize biases and barriers
• Commitment: Demonstrates the department or agency’s diversity and inclusion commitments to employees and prospective candidates
• Candidate experience: Candidates may feel more at ease during the assessment

Key considerations

• Diversity at any stage: People usually associate a diverse assessment board with the interview stage, but it can be used at any stage of the appointment process, including for screening, correcting exams and reference checks, as well as in developing these assessment tools
• Diverse assessment boards may also be used for non-advertised processes
• Diversity is not always visible: An assessment board can be diverse without being visible
• For example, individuals with similar traits can have different backgrounds
• They could have different disabilities, ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientations or intersecting identity factors
• Diversity is not about matching: While it isn’t always possible to have assessment board members that fully represent the diversity of all candidates, it can be beneficial to have board members who are representative of the candidates we are trying to attract
• For instance, if a process is intended to increase women’s representation in a scientific field, the assessment board may include one or more women with the required expertise
• Competencies: As indicated in the Public Service Commission of Canada’s Appointment Policy, assessment board members must have the necessary competencies, including official language(s), to assess the qualifications

How to ensure a diverse assessment board

• Invite potential board members with appropriate knowledge and technical expertise, and who will add diversity to the composition of the board
• Potential board members may wish to disclose their personal information (such as their belonging to an equity-seeking group) on a voluntary basis when signaling their interest to participate in a diverse assessment board
• Consult selection board inventories to identify potential diverse board members
• If there aren’t any lists, you can send an invitation to all individuals or select groups within your department or agency, or other organizations to identify potential board members
• Networks of employees or managers can also be an excellent place to find board members with various backgrounds
• Create an environment that values various opinions, where listening and debating are done respectfully
• Remember: it’s not enough to have a diverse board; each board member must have a voice and feel safe to share their opinions throughout the process

Keep in mind

• Consent: When seeking out people interested in participating as assessment board members to increase board diversity, make sure that proper consent is obtained, at their discretion, to disclose their belonging to an equity-seeking group
  • Self-declaration or self-identification information is collected for specific purposes, and cannot be used for a diverse assessment board; consult self-declaration information for more details
• Communication: When seeking interest from potential board members, be sure to communicate why you are looking for a diverse assessment board
• A diverse assessment board will:
• minimize risks of biases in assessing candidates
• show the organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion
• make candidates feel more at ease during the assessment
• Specialized positions and small organizations: There may be a limited number of potential board members with the knowledge and competencies to assess candidates for the position
• Consider external consultants or sharing resources with other departments
• High solicitation: Some people could be asked to sit on several assessment boards, which could become a burden for them

Best practices

• Develop and maintain inventories of people who are interested in being board members and who have agreed to disclose that they belong to an employment equity or equity-seeking group
  • The inventory should be managed effectively to prevent the same people from always being solicited to sit as board members
  • The information collected may be subject to the Privacy Act, and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat policies for the management of Protected B information may apply to your inventory
• Before the assessment begins, raise your board members’ awareness of biases and challenges when assessing candidates, and how to mitigate them
• Leverage training, workshops and tools on how to recognize biases and barriers (see additional resources)
• Ensure board members are comfortable with the assessment tools
• Plan a meeting to align their expectations and identify potential biases and barriers before using the tool
• Maintain ongoing relationships with employees and managers networks to develop and sustain interest in participating as assessment board members
• Allow candidates to provide feedback about their perception of inclusive hiring practices, particularly for processes intended to increase representation of designated groups; this information could be used to improve future processes
• On the poster or before the interviews, inform candidates that the board members will be composed of people with diverse backgrounds

Additional resources

Training

The Canada School of Public Service offers a range of courses to support your learning on inclusive hiring and unconscious bias. You can explore the School’s extensive catalogue of courses, events, programs and other learning tools. Their website provides detailed information on their products and services.

Training available through departments, agencies, and human resources specialists can also be a valuable resource to support your learning.

Tools

Biases and barriers

• Guide to Mitigating Biases and Barriers in Assessment (link available only on Government of Canada network)
• Tool for Mitigating Biases and Barriers in Assessment (link available only on Government of Canada network)

Indigenous Peoples

• Indigenous recruitment toolbox (link available only on Government of Canada network)
• Indigenous recruitment – Information for hiring managers

Persons with disabilities

• Hiring persons with disabilities: Managers Toolkit (link available only on Government of Canada network)
• Resources for hiring persons with disabilities (link available only on Government of Canada network)

Inclusive recruitment

• Federal Public Service Inclusive Appointment Lens

Accommodation

• Assessment Accommodation

Interview

• Structured Interviewing

The Public Service Commission of Canada’s Personnel Psychology Centre offers professional services for:

• consultation and assessment services for recruitment and selection
• advice and guidance on bias mitigation and evaluation of assessment tools