Promising practices for working in a pay equity committee – Collaboration

Publication Type
Guidance
Subject Matter
Pay Equity Committee
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Introduction

This document offers promising practices on how to work in a pay equity committee for the successful implementation of the Pay Equity Act.

The role of pay equity committee members is to work collaboratively and through consensus to develop a pay equity plan for the workplace.

Promising practices for working collaboratively

Collaboration is defined as “the action of working with someone to produce or create something.”i

Pay equity committee members will have to work as a team to develop a pay equity plan for their workplace. Working collaboratively is essential to the success of the pay equity exercise.

Working collaboratively saves time and avoids disputes.

You may use the promising practices for working collaboratively checklistii:

  1. Create a healthy work environment
    • Communicate that senior management supports the pay equity committee
    • Celebrate and draw on the strengths and expertise of each member
    • Build trust amongst pay equity committee members
    • Find common ground
  2. Put in place rules and procedures for working together
    • Schedule meetings during regular work hours
    • Start and end meetings on time
    • Keep meetings focused on tasks
    • Ensure everyone comes prepared
    • Commit to not checking or using cell phones
    • Respect different opinions and perspectives
    • Strive for consensus
  3. Create Terms of Reference for the Pay Equity Committee
    • Define the purpose, objectives and functions of the Committee
    • Decide on a structure
    • Decide on the frequency of the meetings
    • Assign tasks and roles to members
    • Establish quorum – the minimum number of pay equity committee members that there must be at a meeting
    • Outline voting procedures
    • Put in place confidentiality of information measures

Here are some examples of practical tools that can help promote collaboration amongst pay equity committee members:

  • Virtual meetings;
  • Email;
  • Instant messaging;
  • Screen sharing;
  • Voice, video, web conferencing;
  • Concept mapping (i.e. tools that organize and structure ideas);
  • Real-time collaborative editing;
  • Webinars; and,
  • Discussion boards (i.e. online discussion site where members can hold conversations in the form of posted messages).iii

The benefits of using tools that support collaboration include:

  • Facilitating real-time text, voice, and video communication;
  • Assisting in basic project management activities;
  • Supporting co-creation by enabling groups to modify documents or come to decisions in real time;
  • Facilitating consensus building through group discussion and polling;
  • Simplifying and streamline tasks related to the management of a team; and,
  • Enabling the presentation and archiving of completed projects.iv

Resources

For more information on the Pay Equity Act, visit the Canadian Human Rights Commission’s website at: https://www.payequitychrc.ca/en

For more in-depth information on promising practices for working in a joint pay equity committee, please explore the following resources.