Day One: Tuesday, June 13, 2023
10:00 EDT
15 min
Welcome and Opening Remarks from the Chair
10:15 EDT
45 min
The Changing Environment of Compensation – Where Pay Equity Fits
Jennifer Hodgins, Partner, Employment & Labour, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Entering an era emphasizing compensation openness, transparency and reporting puts a spotlight on pay equity. This session will highlight some of the trends from international jurisdictions concerning both pay equity and broader compensation disclosure.
It will include
- Employer obligations for producing and posting a pay equity plan,
- The information that must be included and the information that must be shared in the design and creation of the plan.
- What are the challenges?
- How will employers and unions negotiate in this space?
11:00 EDT
45 min
Foundations of Proactive Federal Pay Equity
This session will focus on ensuring that the basics of the federal Pay Equity Act are understood, including
- The pay equity exercise: Who and what is involved?
- Deadlines and considerations for developing a plan to meet statutory obligations
- The thorny question of determining who is an employee
- When are you part of a “group of employers”
- Establishing committees and determining who can be on a committee
- Key considerations in planning and analyzing compliance with the Pay Equity Act.
11:45 EDT
45 min
So You Want More Than One Plan? Who, Where, Why, When?
The need for Commission authorization to have more than one pay equity plan will be more challenging than you expect and you only get one chance to make your case.
- Putting your best foot forward
- Lessons learned to date from submissions
- What seems to be most persuasive?
- Find out about new, emerging and anticipated cases that are coming before the Commission
12:30 EDT
60 minBreak
13:30 EDT
60 min
Identifying Job Classes and Gender Predominance
Job classes are a critically important foundation in pay equity and job evaluation and should be considered a strategic decision as the structure of job classes will drive the size and complexity of implementation as well as potential financial outcomes.
- Choosing your method
- How big or small should your classes be?
- Job class design
- Group level – the need for agreement
- Simplifying a complex process
- Job descriptions, job titles and generic profiles
14:30 EDT
45 min
The Gender Wage Gap
While pay inequity is a persistent phenomenon, gender dynamics in the labour market are evolving and changing, albeit slowly. In addition to examining trends in the wages of female and male workers, a focus on pay equity requires identifying which jobs are predominently female and which jobs are predominently male. This session will provide information on the following aspects:
- Gender wage gap in Canada: methodologies, data sources, historical and recent trends based on Statistics Canada data
- The changing labour market from a gender perspective: key changes in the occupational profile of female and male workers
- Accessing statistical information on employment and gender from Statistics Canada.
15:15 EDT
15 minBreak
15:30 EDT
60 min
Calculating Total Compensation in Dollars per Hour for Each of the Job Classes Including Pensions, Benefits and More
Jayna Koria, Senior Principal, National Pay Equity Compliance Lead, Mercer
- What must be included?
- What can be excluded?
- Unique considerations for public and private sectors and family owned business
16:30 EDT
End of Day One
Day Two: Wednesday, June 14, 2023
10:00 EDT
15 min
Welcome and Opening Remarks from the Chair
10:15 EDT
60 min
Comparing Compensation to Determine Whether There Are Any Differences in Compensation Between Job Classes of Equal Value
The wage gap methodologies in the Act are very different than was the case under previous models or in provincial legislation. This session will focus on explaining the models, how they work and considerations for selecting a model that redresses systemic wage discrimination without unduly disrupting existing compensation models and strategies. Key areas of focus include:
- Equal average
- Wage lines
- Sum of differences
11:15 EDT
45 min
Preparing the Contents of the Pay Equity Plan; and, Posting the Draft and Final Versions
The final piece of implementation is the preparation and posting of a pay equity plan. This session will discuss the contents and the process including considerations in the scope and breadth of employee feedback and how Pay Equity Committees will deal with information provided by employees. It will touch on challenges related to whether or not a formal appeals process should be considered and how to align these processes with existing models for reclassification in both unionized and non-unionized environments.
12:00 EDT
45 minBreak
12:45 EDT
45 min
Complying With Statutory Maintenance Obligations With a Sustainable Approach to Ongoing Compensation Strategy
Depending on the size and history of an organization’s past compliance with federal pay equity under the CHRA and the existing internal processes for job evaluation and classification, the implementation of pay equity, particularly under the general rule – a single plan for the full organization – has the potential to disrupt current practices. This session will focus on considerations on how best to meet the legislative requirements and ensure that the outcomes provide for a sustainable approach to on-going compensation strategy, particularly in the context of a volatile and challenging labour market. Statutory maintenance obligations and best practices will be highlighted.
13:30 EDT
45 min
Union Expectations: How Union and Management Can Work Together Effectively
- What can you do from the outset to ensure positive working relationships
- Dealing with contentious issues
- How to prepare for best outcomes
14:15 EDT
15 minBreak
14:30 EDT
120 minWrap-Up From the Pay Equity Unit of the Canadian Human Rights Commission
The deadline for posting your final pay equity plan is approaching quickly: September 3, 2024. Join us for a two hour workshop with the Pay Equity Unit of the Canadian Human Rights Commission to learn about the key steps of creating a pay equity plan:
Step 1 – Create: The first step is to create job classes.
Step 2 – Determine: The second step is to determine which job classes are predominantly female and which ones are predominantly male.
Step 3 – Value: The third step is to value the work done in each of these job classes.
Step 4 – Calculate: The fourth step is to calculate the total compensation in dollars per hour for each of these job classes.
Step 5 – Compare: The fifth step is to compare compensation to determine if there are differences in compensation between male and female job classes of equal value.
After highlighting the key steps, members from the Unit will provide a demo of the Pay Equity Toolkit so that you start taking action to put your plan in place.
The Pay Equity Plan Toolkit includes:
Pay Equity Plan Tool
The Pay Equity Tool helps employers gather and organize the information they need to build their pay equity plan. That includes determining job classes and gender predominance and calculating compensation.
Pay Equity Plan Summary Template
This template helps employers organize the information entered in the Pay Equity Tool to meet the requirements of the Act. The template can be printed and posted.
User Guide
The user guide explains how to use the Pay Equity Tool to create your pay equity plan.
Job Evaluation Guide
This guide helps employers understand the principles of job evaluation and how to use the Pay Equity Tool to apply this method.
Hourly Calculator
An Excel tool to convert annual salary to an hourly amount.
Case Study
The case study demonstrates the steps an organization takes to create their first pay equity plan using the Pay Equity Tool as a guide.
* Please download the Toolkit before the workshop so you can follow along: https://www.payequitychrc.ca/en/pay-equity-toolkit
16:30 EDT
End of Day Two