PREPARED BY: Human Resources
DATE: February 6, 2025
SUBJECT: Staff Census
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) prioritized the creation of an internal committee that would focus on ensuring employees had a safe and inclusive workplace experience. The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee was created and had its first meeting on February 27, 2024. Key Initiatives the committee identified during its first year included understanding the demographic make-up of WECHU employees.
The WECHU has an intentional focus on health equity and reducing health inequalities through public health action. As part of this commitment to health equity, the WECHU should demonstrate diversity and inclusion within its own workforce. The first step needed to achieve this is to understand the demographic makeup of WECHU employees. With the aim of obtaining the highest participation rate, WECHU contracted an external consultant to conduct the census in order to reduce privacy and confidentiality concerns that may have been perceived if WECHU had been collecting the data internally.
DISCUSSION
- Employees can participate in taking the census during the week of February 3rd to the 7th, 2025
- All employees, including part time, contract and temporary staff, and members of the Board of Health are encouraged to participate although participation is voluntary
- Demographic information to be collected includes disability, Indigenous identity, racial identity, gender identity and sexual orientation
- WECHU’s demographic make-up will also be compared to Windsor-Essex’s demographic make-up to determine if the workforce is representative of and reflects the community
- A report will be provided to the health unit outlining the results of the census as well as recommendations for areas of focus to strengthen inclusion within the WECHU
- Recommendations will be reviewed by the Leadership Team and EDI Committee to ensure appropriate resourcing and prioritization of the implementation of approved recommendations