Creating a model to advance equity priorities
February 02, 2024
Submitted on behalf of HR Equity Pollinators Group.
In response to the many UVic plans that have been released over the past two years, Human Resources held a collaborative session to map out a direction for advancing UVic’s commitments related to equity.
Working across plans
Last December, the Human Resources (HR) Equity Pollinator Group, the division’s equity committee, facilitated a half day working session focused on HR’s responsibilities related to the goals in various UVic plans (Indigenous Plan, Equity Action Plan and Accessibility Plan). All HR staff were invited to participate in the session put together by Kane Kilbey, Sarah Hood, Nella Larkins, Orvis Starkweather, Suzanne Helston, Troy Hasanen and Cara Jones.
The goal of the session was to:
- build trust and connections across HR units by working together on a meaningful project
- create a ‘line of sight’ to the Equity Action Plan and Indigenous Plan Xʷkʷənəŋ istəl | W̱ȻENEṈISTEL to move these plans forward by identifying systemic barriers to accessing HR services
- build empathy, awareness, commitment and confidence to make meaningful change
Out of this session HR has increased their individual and collective readiness to take action to improve accessibility and inclusion in their areas of responsibility.
A pathway for others
In addition to refining plans within HR for advancing institutional priorities and goals, the HR Pollinators Group hopes this meeting model will inspire others within the university community. They created a facilitation agenda for other equity committees and leaders to use within their own teams.