Systemic Equity Transforming Hiring Practices in a Provincial Government Agency
Deep equity investigation into hiring practices within a 400-person unionized agency revealed systemic discrimination patterns. Remediation became a model for other government agencies.
Tribunal complaint withdrawnGrievances down 60%Zero complainant attritionMethodology adopted by peers
What they came to us with.
A provincial government agency with 400+ employees faced a growing equity crisis. Three formal discrimination complaints had been filed alleging differential treatment in promotions, and the union had fielded 15 additional informal complaints from racialized employees and women — a pattern, not a series of isolated incidents. The situation had escalated: a media inquiry was pending, a Human Rights Tribunal complaint had been filed, and union grievances were moving to arbitration. Prior internal investigations had failed to resolve concerns. The agency needed an independent investigation that could satisfy legal requirements, union protections, Tribunal scrutiny, and internal credibility — and recommend structural remediation, not just individual accountability.
How the work actually ran.
- 01
Promotion decision review
Reviewed all 47 promotion decisions over 4 years and mapped the demographic composition of candidate pools, selected, and rejected candidates.
- 02
Documentation analysis
Analyzed 200+ evaluation forms and interview notes for consistency of criteria and patterns in tone and language by demographic group.
- 03
Stakeholder interviews
Interviewed 11 managers, 6 HR staff, 3 formal complainants, and 8 additional employees sharing pattern concerns — using consistent structured protocols.
- 04
Comparative qualifications
Conducted comparative qualification analysis: tested decision rationale for cases where rejected candidates had equal or superior qualifications to selected candidates.
- 05
Policy redesign + union partnership
Identified documentation gaps, lack of structured interviews, and inadequate manager training; maintained union partnership throughout with collaborative input on systemic issues.
The systemic findings were harder to hear than individual accountability would have been, because they revealed our own role in enabling discrimination. But that systemic focus made the solution possible. We didn't just terminate someone; we built systems that actually operate fairly.
Selected. Closed.
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Tell us what you’re facing. We operate from there.
Most first conversations happen on a call within the week. We respond personally within one business day.