CAN/ASC-1.1:2024 – Employment
12. Recruitment, hiring, and onboarding
Information
Table of contents
12.1 Overview
This clause focuses on the first phase of the employment life cycle. It emphasizes the recruitment, hiring, and onboarding of workers, or prospective workers, with disabilities. When the recruitment process is fully accessible, it enables organizations to diversify the workplace, reach qualified applicants, and reduce the likelihood of discrimination. The principle of non-discrimination is to be respected throughout the recruitment and hiring process, to ensure maximal benefit to the organization and equitable opportunities for workers with and without disabilities.
12.2 Recruitment
12.2.1 Commitment statement
The organization shall:
- develop a statement of commitment to accessibility, equity, and inclusion in recruitment procedures and job advertisements;
- post its statement of commitment publicly and make it accessible to all applicants;
- invite applications from underrepresented groups, including persons with disabilities; and
- provide accommodations at no cost to applicants throughout every stage of the process (including recruitment, selection, and assessment, where applicable) to ensure full and equal participation.
12.2.2 Candidate recruitment process
The organization shall:
- develop recruitment processes and advertising practices to attract applications from as many qualified people as possible;
- publicize job vacancies in formats accessible to persons with disabilities, and consult with employment services for disabled persons or other relevant agencies to obtain feedback on an as-needed basis;
- encourage candidates to identify any accommodations required throughout the recruitment process;
- provide or arrange for suitable accommodation considering the candidate’s accessibility needs;
- maintain privacy with respect to disclosure and the reason for it when a candidate self-identifies;
- inform workers and the public of the accommodations available to candidates in its recruitment processes; and
- provide all recruitment materials in an accessible format.
Note: As technology is updated periodically, accessibility present in earlier versions may be lost in later versions. Materials would need to be regularly reviewed and updated as technology advances.
12.2.3 Applicant Tracking Systems and Artificial Intelligence
Organizations shall implement the following Applicant Tracking System and Artificial Intelligence requirements in conjunction with Clause 12 of this Standard.
Note: Where the organization uses an Applicant Tracking System or other Artificial Intelligence for job candidate recruitment, screening, and hiring, compliance with anti-discrimination legislation is required under the Canadian Human Rights Act. This demonstrates that the selection criteria of any hiring assessment tools are job-related, consistent with business necessity, and do not systemically disadvantage members of employment equity groups.
Where the organization uses an Applicant Tracking System or other Artificial Intelligence for job candidate recruitment, screening and hiring, the organization shall:
ensure that Applicant Tracking Systems and Artificial Intelligence screen applicants for bona fide occupational requirements as defined in Clause 8 of this Standard;
Note: This requirement enables employers to test a worker's relevant skills or abilities, rather than appraising a person's potentially impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills.
- take reasonable steps to demonstrate the Artificial Intelligence or the Applicant Tracking System is not discriminatory, by:
- producing and making public evidence that they have required suppliers to demonstrate they have taken reasonable steps to make sure their products are not discriminatory to candidates with disabilities;
- routinely and regularly utilizing the following indicators of acceptable practice for Applicant Tracking Systems and Artificial Intelligence systems to remove bias in the hiring process, by:
- explaining to candidates if Artificial Intelligence is being used as part of the process, how they will be evaluated, and what protections are in place to ensure the use of the Artificial Intelligence is unbiased;
- telling candidates whether supplemental assessment tools as part of the Artificial Intelligence screening are accessible to persons with disabilities;
- providing clear guidelines on how to request accommodation; and
- ensuring every candidate is treated equitably when requesting accommodation, without prejudice, reprisal, or discrimination, and ensuring accommodations are delivered in a non-stigmatizing manner;
- take steps to prioritize the mitigation of Artificial Intelligence bias, even when utilizing third-party tools, and
- ensure that there are mechanisms for ongoing analysis of the Artificial Intelligence data and algorithms shared for fairness.
Note: Companies and organizations can increase transparency on how their Artificial Intelligence systems work and arrive at decisions while also participating in revisions by allowing code audits.
The organization shall ensure that external Artificial Intelligence hiring tools used to conduct screening and evaluation have been programmed and implemented with a data set that includes not only persons with disabilities but diversity within disabilities.
12.2.4 Job postings
The organization shall develop job postings that:
- ensure inclusivity and do not exclude persons with disabilities;
- list the job requirements for the position that have been reviewed and confirmed to be accurate by human resources and the hiring manager;
- encourage candidates with different abilities, relevant alternative expertise or experience who can perform the essential and critical job functions, with or without support(s);
- indicate the option, where appropriate, to provide a portfolio or work samples as an alternative to written descriptions of skills and experiences;
- identify only bona fide occupational requirements that form part of the selection criteria, where such bona fide occupational requirements exist for the position;
- make the organization's accommodation policies available to applicants;
- identify a contact person who is aware of the organization’s commitment statement and who will answer questions about the essential job requirements;
- frame requirements to highlight desired skills or outcomes rather than specific, potentially exclusionary, capabilities;
- provide the contact details of the organization's representative managing the job posting;
- describe the work environment, where relevant, in relation to accessibility considerations, including but not limited to office layout, scent policies, noise level, lighting, and workstation setup, to help applicants visualize the workspace; and
- outline the subsequent stages of the recruitment process.
12.2.5 Job application process
The organization shall provide accessible job application processes by:
- requiring the use of plain language for questions and to identify job requirements;
- accepting candidate’s materials in alternate formats;
- clearly identifying mandatory response fields and those that are optional;
- identifying fields for which candidates can provide additional related information;
- scheduling communication with candidates in advance to provide more time to process and respond to pre-screening questions;
- informing candidates if they will be tested to demonstrate their ability to perform actual or simulated tasks and providing a description of the test format in advance, along with a notice that accommodations are available upon request;
- focusing pre-employment tests and selection criteria on the specific skills, knowledge, and abilities that are essential to the position so that they do not inadvertently exclude persons with disabilities;
- removing consideration of length of time to complete education from evaluation criteria in assessing an application;
- assessing the candidate’s ability to do the job based on the required soft skills and attitude and not exclusively the outcome of a competence test;
- permitting alternatives to references, if used during the assessment process; and
- identifying how an interested person can request support in completing the application at any time in the process.
12.3 Interviews and assessment process
The organization shall enable candidates to participate and perform in interviews and assessment processes on an equitable and inclusive basis by:
- providing interviewers and assessors with disability awareness coaching and training, inclusive of how to relate appropriately with persons with disabilities in a disability-confident manner;
- providing information on getting to the interview location, including but not limited to accessible parking options, accessible transit options and building accessibility features;
- providing information about relevant policies and protocols, including but not limited to chemical sensitivity policies and guide dog and service dog policies;
- inviting the candidate to specify, in advance, any accessibility considerations for the location of the interview;
- where virtual interviews are deemed appropriate, providing instructions regarding the preferred platform, means of access and usage, and any accessibility-related considerations;
- providing candidates with an accessible format text copy of any oral interview instructions and questions;
- providing an estimate of interview duration and expected end time to assist with facilitating transportation arrangements; and
- encouraging candidates to self-identify any assistance or supports needed during the interview/selection process without asking about the exact nature of their disability, for example, by permitting a sign language interpreter, an advocate, or a support person to be present at an interview.
12.3.1 Interview panels
The organization shall remove barriers by:
- establishing an interview panel of members with required training in diversity, equity, and inclusion, including at least one from the requesting team familiar with the role to be filled; and
- providing interview panel members with guidance on making the interview and selection process accessible for all applicants.
12.3.2 Interview questions
The organization shall remove barriers by:
- developing an interview scoring grid that reflects the job criteria and skills being assessed in an equitable, objective, and methodical process;
- scoring the responses consistently across all candidates in a way that mitigates the effect of biases;
- focusing the development of the interview questions on determining how a candidate will:
- apply their skills to perform job tasks and core competencies; and
- apply their ability to perform specific job functions;
- asking only questions that do not require a candidate to disclose a disability directly or indirectly, or discuss the use of assistive aids (guide dogs/service dogs/persons/equipment) or technologies, unless the question is related to fulfilling a bona fide occupational requirement;
- assessing interpersonal skills as related to job requirements or the functions of the role and to promote an inclusive culture; and
- preventing disqualification of candidates because they are unable to perform non-essential job functions.
Note: non-essential job functions are tasks or duties that are not bona fide occupational requirements. These tasks/duties can often be reassigned or removed without significantly affecting the job's core responsibilities or the overall business operation.
12.4 Hiring
The organization shall:
- notify the successful applicant of its current policies for accommodating workers when making offers of employment;
- notify the successful applicant that tailored accommodations for their specific disability-related needs are available; and
- ensure that the successful applicant receives pay equity (equal pay of equal value) commensurate with the job roles and responsibilities and is paid no less than minimum wage.
12.5 Onboarding
For each new worker, the organization shall:
- provide an orientation that includes an introduction to the organization, familiarization with the work environment and job duties, and addresses specific individual accessibility requirements;
- provide policies related to accommodations;
- identify a support person, mentor, service provider, or “go-to” person who will assist in the onboarding process;
- confirm that evaluation of the worker during the probationary period begins once accommodations have been provided;
- communicate information essential to the job and workplace (including but not limited to job instructions, work manuals, information on staff rules, grievance procedures, and health and safety procedures) in accessible format(s);
- confirm that the format(s) identified in e) meets the needs of the worker(s) (refer to Clause 10.6);
- consult with the worker to understand their needs and whether additional accommodations are necessary before implementing any change(s);
- provide the worker with the time and tools necessary to formulate their individualized accommodation request(s); and
- provide a process for the worker to communicate to the employer the accommodations needed.
12.6 Ongoing employment support
The organization shall:
- provide all workers with training on disability awareness, equity, and inclusion;
- provide follow-up services to promptly identify and resolve problems for the benefit of the organization and the new worker;
- review and update accommodations if required following completion of orientation and onboarding; and
- in cases where an accommodation cannot be provided directly by the employer and necessitates engaging a service provider, consult with the individual to consider their preferences in the selection of the service provider.