CSIS DEI Strategy Summary Performance Measures Scorecard

As part of the implementation of the CSIS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy 2022 implementation, our CSIS DEI team continues to engage with internal stakeholders on Phase I of the DEI Action Plan (FY 2023–2026).

As per Objective #10: Data Transparency, progress on each commitment is tracked through a DEI scorecard that is regularly updated and shared with all CSIS employees. Likewise, a public version of this report available below. 

This progress report indicates the status of the 37 unclassified commitments listed in the action plan. The overall^{Footnote *}  status updates are as follows:

22%^{Footnote *}  are Completed

47%^{Footnote *}  are Advancing^{Footnote **}

27%^{Footnote *}  are Initiated^{Footnote ***}

13%^{Footnote *}  are Not Initiated

1. Diversity in Leadership

1. Ensure a diverse Executive (EX) cadre by creating Employment Equity goals at the leadership level with clear accountabilities^{Footnote ****}  Advancing
2. Address significant underrepresentation of visible minorities (VM), Indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities (PWD) at the EX-level and feeder occupational groups. Consider a parallel external/internal EX staffing process for the mentioned EE groups^{Footnote ****} . Initiated
3. Ensure diverse intersectionalities are taken into account in EX-Resourcing Approach. Advancing
4. Dedicate a space for racialized employees at Senior Management tables. Initiated

2. Candidate Selection Interviews 

1. Ensure reliability and transparency of all human resources (HR) assessment tools^{Footnote ****} . Advancing
2. Reduce individual subjectivity and improve interviewing skills through standardized training for all interviewers. Advancing
3. Implement diverse interview panels for EX processes for the purpose of inclusivity and to identify biases. Advancing
4. Formalize instructions for an introductory script that has a proactive DEI approach. Not Initiated
5. Clarify criteria for screening candidates at pre-screen stage^{Footnote ****} . Not Initiated
6. Develop an interview protocol sheet that explains to candidates what is expected. Advancing

3. Values, Image and Communications - Internal and Public Accountability of DEI Goals

1. Publish the DEI Strategy on the Canada.ca CSIS website. Completed
2. Commit to public goals and indicators annually. Advancing
3. Solicit employees’ feedback annually to measure progress. Advancing
4. Communicate internally and externally the emphasis CSIS places on DEI in its workforce as a value-added endeavor, and not only as an obligation. Initiated
5. Evaluate progress quarterly against the strategy to ensure the desired impact. The process must be transparent and employees kept informed. Completed

4. Right Fit Exercise and Perception of Bias in Staffing

1. Make the Right Fit component of the staffing process more transparent to all candidates prior to and following a staffing process, and make sure they are in line with the evaluation criteria.^{Footnote ****}  Advancing
2. Incorporate discrimination and/or bias as an explicit ground for appealing staffing decisions in HR policy and ensure an independent and objective appeals mechanism to assess complaints of this nature.^{Footnote ****}  Advancing

5. Operations – Impacts of DEI in Operations

1. Enhance relationships through community engagement to ensure authentic relationships, and by informing diverse communities about the organization’s role and learning from those communities. Advancing

6. Diversity in Strategic Planning 

1. Include accountability in managers’ performance evaluations for achieving DEI results, including enhanced focus on representation of qualified candidates in hiring and promotion, DEI learning and day-to-day experiences such as employee engagement, equity, and psychological safety outcomes.^{Footnote ****}  Not Initiated

7. DEI Training 

1. Require all new hires to complete unconscious bias training within their first two months on the job, creating an understanding that inclusion is fundamental at CSIS. Completed
2. Establish a mandatory developmental program and learning path for all employees to build and deepen their inclusiveness skills such as conflict resolution, problem-solving, active listening, and empathy. Advancing
3. Reinstate the CSIS annual Diversity Conference as part of ongoing awareness and development. Not Initiated
4. Include a standardized DEI objective in the performance evaluations of all employees. Initiated
5. Continue and improve training on cultural competency including but not limited to consideration of invisible and visible disabilities and improve accessibility, gender neutral language, understanding of what microaggressions are and how to combat them, how to have difficult conversations around racism, and focus on implicit bias and means to mitigate it. Advancing
6. Integrate a DEI learning objective in the learning plans of all employees to ensure inclusion is part of everyone’s business. Advancing
7. Make DEI learning easily accessible to all employees and managers in a learning toolkit, including programs, activities and team building tools. Advancing
8. Maintain funding for CSPS^{Footnote 1}  courses. Completed
9. Implement the Joint Learning Program (JLP) as developed within the Core Public Service^{Footnote 2} . Advancing
10. Track employees’ DEI training. Initiated

8. Cultural Wellness

1. Make every employee accountable for their own awareness and actions and promote, educate and raise awareness on DEI through organized activities with the support of the CSIS D&I Advisory Committee, including a pronoun-use campaign, DEI learning events, multilingual greeting signs in all CSIS buildings, and ethnically diverse cafeteria menu options.^{Footnote ****}  Advancing

9. External/Internal Image of the Service – Indigenous Reconciliation Efforts

1. Standardize Indigenous land acknowledgments across CSIS-managed digital platforms and major public written products (e.g., annual reports), events hosted by CSIS, and in consultation with the Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour Network (BIPOC-N) and Indigenous elders, create a guide for staff to understand when and how to use land acknowledgments. Completed
2. Develop a land map of CSIS’s presence across Canada by identifying Indigenous land association for each office. Initiated
3. In consultation with Indigenous employees, consider how to replace the “Chief” position title, recognizing the historical racism and colonialism associated with this word as it has been applied to Indigenous people. Initiated
4. Edit the CSIS oath for incoming employees so that it includes,”…faithfully observe the laws of Canada and Treaties with Indigenous Peoples, and fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen.” (refer to Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action #94)^{Footnote 3} . Completed (further review underway)

10. Transparent Data Driven Goals 

1.  Set clear goals by directorate to increase overall CSIS EE workforce representation to include 25% racialized employees, 3.4% Indigenous employees, and 8.9% Persons with Disabilities. Considering the significant gap for Women in Science and Technology, increase their representation to 25% in this position group. Advancing
2. Make representation data readily available to management and all employees in the organization through quarterly dashboards and provide access for managers to EE statistics for their teams/units/branches . Completed
3. Track not only diverse workforce data, but also work assignments, promotions and mentoring opportunities of diverse employees to ensure that inequities are understood and addressed. Completed