Equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging
The City of Calgary is committed to building and sustaining an inclusive work environment - one that welcomes, supports, respects and values individuals for their unique experiences, perspectives, talents and contributions.
Our definition of diversity includes anything that makes us unique, including visible characteristics such as gender expression or race as well as non-visible ones like diversity of thought and gender identity.
Inclusion is enabling these diverse forces and talent in an environment where the richness of ideas, background and perspectives are cultivated to create business value and achieve outstanding results.
The City must continually create and maintain a culture of inclusion by ensuring our policies, practices and processes are inclusive, unbiased and create fair opportunities for everyone. This is an important part of our organizational culture, strategy and business operations and it supports our commitment to make life better every day for all Calgarians.
Demonstrating our commitment
The journey to inclusion is constantly evolving. Below are some of the ways we advance the conversation and demonstrate our commitment to inclusion and belonging:
Human rights and inclusion
The principles of inclusion and human rights are discussed throughout the year, often tied to designated dates such as Holocaust Remembrance Day, Black History Month, International Day of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, International Women’s Day, Orange Shirt Day and many others. These dates are shared with employees, along with resources that may include speakers, educational resources and specific information. Diversity and Inclusion is more than just the recognition of a day; however, these allow us to encourage self-reflection and courageous conversations in a respectful way.
Reducing barriers to participation
The City practices ongoing review of policies, systems and programs to:
- Ensure fair, accessible and unbiased policies, programs and practices.
- Identify and address barriers to be able to ensure we are providing accessible and inclusive services and can proactively respond to identified challenges.
Examples of work include reviewing recruitment and selection systems, practices and processes to determine if real or perceived systemic barriers exist. The City also reviews and refreshes its programs and training using an employee belonging lens. Our Respectful Workplace, Code of Conduct and Recognition Program have benefited from these reviews in the past few years.
Partnership and programs
Principles of inclusion and belonging are very complex and there are a variety of collaborative partnerships with internal and external partners. This engagement advances our inclusion journey and helps to ensure equitable and accessible services to all Calgarians.
in the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, the Employee Belonging team has partnered with internal and community partners to develop Indigenous Awareness to all employees as the foundation for meaningful long-term relationships and ways of knowing, contributing to providing inclusive and equitable services guided by The City of Calgary's Indigenous Policy and Indigenous Policy Framework.
Measuring inclusion and belonging
The City identified a need to assess inclusion and belonging in its workforce. Measurement is both quantitative (numerical) data and qualitative (non-numerical).
The City collects and analyzes data through the Corporate Employee Survey. Data is used to inform decision making and assess the progress of Employee Belonging initiatives. The City started collecting demographic data in 2015, and introduced an Inclusion Index the following year. This index measures how groups of employees perceive their workplace differently and identifies areas requiring support and focus.
We make life better every day by continuing to learn, challenging the status quo and having meaningful conversations about inclusion and belonging. Listening and learning helps us all understand our unconscious biases and how to overcome them. If we interact in a healthy, respectful and inclusive environment that provides accessible and inclusive services we make life better every day for everyone!