Frequently Asked Questions

The University of Waterloo collects Employee Equity Census data using Workday. The form asks employees to choose the terms that match their identity in different areas including the following: disability, racial identity, Indigenous identity, gender identity, sexual identity, religious or spiritual affiliation, first generation, and Canadian residency status. The form takes about five minutes to complete.

The data is collected directly within Workday. The Workday database is accessible only to members of the Human Resources Department by double password and key locked terminals. The system work of the Human Resources Department is contained within a computer network which is not accessible to outside users. For more information and details on who has access to the data in Workday, please see “Who has access to the data in Workday?”

Data from the form will also be copied and stored on a secure server. Access to this data on the server will be limited to those who support institutional analysis and reporting. Employee information and data are protected and de-identified. Unapproved individuals, including Waterloo staff (e.g. professors, teaching assistants, academic advisors, managers) will not have access to your data.

Reporting will include only summarized results so that no individual can be identified. There is an option to refuse or decline to answer each question (i.e., by choosing “I prefer not to answer”). Where an “I prefer not to answer” option is selected along with another response option (e.g., selecting “I prefer not to answer” and a specific disability such as “hard of hearing”), the “I prefer not to answer” response will be used for analyses purposes.

For more information and details on how we are protecting your identity, please see “How will my identity be protected?”.

Your responses may be combined with information found in University records (such as citizenship status in Canada, unit or faculty, length of time at the University, USG level or rank and salary) to help us analyze for potential gaps and improve our employee programs and outcomes. Only pseudo-IDs are used for all analyses, which allows the University to combine equity census data with additional information  in a manner that protects your identity.

For purposes of institutional analysis and reporting, Institutional Analysis and Planning (IAP) uses a system of role-based data access (which means that each individual analyst is only able to see one component of the data and no analyst sees a data set that includes both socio-demographic data and personal identifiers) combined with pseudo-IDs which prevents personal identification by any party, including analysts involved. Pseudo-IDs are developed in a secure manner to protect identification of individuals and replace personal identifiers such as your name and employee ID to protect your privacy during analysis. This pseudo-ID will be exclusively used by authorized data analyst(s) for the purpose of creating a “matched data file” by adding a subset of other variables from administrative data systems to the Equity Census data to facilitate conducting specific analyses.  No individual analyst in IAP, the unit responsible for data analysis, sees a data set that includes socio-demographic data and personal identifiers. Indigenous data is owned by the office of Indigenous relations and IAP will steward the data on their behalf. If you have any questions, please email analysis@uwaterloo.ca.

The Employee Equity Census asks for your personal identity like gender identity, ability, race, etc. Collecting this data is a necessary first step for an organization to understand the socio-demographic composition of its community. Waterloo is committed to collecting Equity Census data for the students, faculty, and staff with three main goals:

• to identify gaps in representation among student and employee populations,
• to identify gaps in participation of equity deserving groups in programs and services, and
• to identify gaps in outcomes (i.e., progressing and succeeding) at Waterloo.

Self-identifying Equity Census data is a vital starting point to achieving these three goals, along with information and data from other sources.

Waterloo employees are asked to self-identify in the following areas: 

• disability
• Indigenous identity
• racial identity
• gender identity
• sexual identity
• religion or spiritual affiliation
• family education background
• Canadian residency status

You may choose to not answer any question by selecting the “I prefer not to answer” option with no consequence.

At Waterloo we have been collecting some socio-demographic data, but the data we have is not complete. The existing data we have was collected through the following voluntary surveys and processes:

• 2021 Equity Survey: The University of Waterloo conducted an “Equity Survey” in 2021. The 2021 Equity Census Survey was the most comprehensive collection of socio-demographic data to-date at the University of Waterloo. That survey was an initial snapshot of voluntarily-provided data; however, we need a comprehensive data collection effort to fully understand our community.
• The Canadian Graduate and Professional Student Survey (CGPSS), National College Health Assessment (NCHA), National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and Canadian University Survey Consortium (CUSC) student surveys include questions on gender, Indigenous status and ethnicity/racial identities. These surveys are each conducted on a three-year cycle.
• Some socio-demographic equity data is confidentially and securely collected and stored within University’s administrative systems such as Quest and Workday.

Each of these processes have challenges. It is important to collect socio-demographic data more comprehensively and consistently, offer new members of the University community opportunities to add their data, and existing community members the opportunity to change or update their data. To address these challenges, and further improve the validity and reliability of these existing socio-demographic data collection processes, the 2021 Equity Census survey will gradually be replaced with data gathering through administrative systems (WorkDay and Quest), using an updated set of questions. We anticipate running Employee Equity Census updates annually.

The Employee Equity Census provides one source of evidence to drive equity action in two important ways:

1. External benchmarking: To describe the socio-demographic composition of the Waterloo community and compare it with the relevant external context (regional, provincial, and national). This data will be reported in an aggregate form at the institutional, as well as Faculty and larger academic support unit (ASU) levels, as long as the sample size is large enough for reporting (i.e., does not need to be suppressed for the risk of identification).
2. Identification of institutional gaps and barriers: Data “disaggregation” based on equity dimensions offers a starting point to identify gaps and differences in experiences of equity-deserving groups.

• Employee Equity Census will be used to evaluate possible barriers to access and participation that impact students, faculty, and staff who are members of excluded, marginalized, and racialized groups, as well as to examine differential outcomes across groups.
• A lifecycle model has been developed for this purpose. This model provides a structured framework to guide the evaluation process and study inquiry, aiming to uncover systemic barriers on campus. The lifecycle model examines how students, staff, and faculty interact and engage with the institution — from their initial point of contact to their exits (e.g., graduation, retirement, or resignation). This process will be mapped out with the intention of identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement along this cycle. For an example, see the table below for the employee lifecycle model. 
• To enable this analysis/evaluation, Employee Equity Census data will need to be combined with other sources of data and information on campus (e.g., salary information, employee and student engagement surveys, and graduation rates). In some cases, new data will need to be collected to support the initiative or project. 

We are working to put a process in place to be able to do the following type of analysis in the future.

The initial Equity Survey was developed through an Equity Data Advisory Group in 2021. The Equity Data Advisory Group was made up of students and employees with expertise in equity data collection and/or lived experience as a member of an under-represented group. The Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Office (EDI-R) worked with Indigenous representatives, and groups such as the President’s Anti-Racism Taskforce (PART), the Black Faculty Collective, and student groups and associations to inform the survey development.

The group conducted an external scan (e.g., other University equity surveys, Statistics Canada, Ontario’s Anti-Racism Data Standards, community consultation), and ensured alignment with existing external and internal policies and legislation guidelines (Ontario’s Human Rights Code, Anti-Racism Data Standards, and Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act) for equity data collection, adapted for the University of Waterloo context.

Waterloo’s Survey Advisory Committee provided oversight of the survey development and implementation as per Policy 55. This Committee includes the University’s information stewards, privacy coordinator, representatives from the Office of Research Ethics, and an expert in survey methodologies.

In 2023, the survey questions were reviewed and updated by the EDI-R office and Indigenous Relations in consultation with campus partners.

In the first iteration of this process (fall 2023), all employees will be asked to complete the form. After that, all new employees are asked to complete the Equity Census during their onboarding process and existing employees will receive a reminder to update their data annually in the fall. We expect that our first status report based on this new data collection methodology will be available by spring 2024.

All employees are asked to complete the Employee Equity Census form using Workday. Students will be asked to complete a similar data collection effort via Quest.

The data collection form will be available to all employees via Workday over the course of two months each fall. Each employee will receive an email with a data collection link, and will be able to access the form through their Workday profile. The data collection form can only be completed by clicking on the link and logging into your Workday profile.

Workday stores data on Canadian servers. If you are a CUPE employee, you will have access to a computer during one of your shifts during the survey collection period (annually in the fall) to log in and complete the data collection form.

Workday has applied technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to protect collected information from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no electronic record is ever fully secure. Workday login requires two-factor authentication (2FA), is maintained on a secure server and only a small number of authorized individuals have access to the data.

The data collection will take approximately five minutes to complete. If completing the form online, you may save your responses and return to the form at any time between September and October 31st.

 As with other types of census,  we are aiming at 100% participation rate; there is an option to choose “prefer not to answer” for every question. All employees are asked and expected to complete this form. However, you can decline to answer any question using the “I prefer not to answer” response. There are no consequences to choosing “I prefer not to answer”, aside from the University missing your contribution in identifying equity gaps. You can also change a response before you submit the form by clicking on the link in your Workday profile and modifying your answers.

Yes. If you started but did not submit your responses, you may access the form at any time using the original form in your Workday profile. If you have already submitted your responses, you can update your responses when a reminder is issued. Responses will be collected and updated each year in October. 

For this year’s analysis and reporting, this data collection will last from September to October 31st. During this time, we will be reminding everyone in our community to fill out this form. If after October 31st we do not have an employee’s responses, they will be recorded as missing data until the next cycle of annual updates.

Human Resources (HR) is the information steward for all data collected in Workday. Institutional Analysis and Planning (IAP) is the information steward for university analytical data, per Policy 46. Indigenous identity data is owned by the Office of Indigenous Relations (IR), which delegates custodianship to IAP; all decisions about sharing Indigenous data are directed to IR. The information steward is responsible for keeping and protecting information that is collected, and for ensuring that it is destroyed when it is no longer needed. HR and IAP will manage equity census data in consultation with the Secretariat, the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Office (EDI-R), and the Indigenous Relations Office.

One of the most important characteristics of managing data, and especially Equity Census data, is collecting and storing data in a manner that protects privacy. For any analysis based on this data, IAP uses a system of role-based data access combined with pseudo-IDs which prevents personal identification by any party, including staff (typically, data analysts) involved in analyzing the data.

The Employee Equity Census is collected directly within Workday, which is secured by two-factor authentication and stored on a secure server not accessible to outside users. For more information and details on who has access to the data in Workday, please see “Who has access to the data in Workday?” Institutional Analysis & Planning will handle all data analysis as delegated by the Equity, Inclusion, Diversity and Anti-racism Office and the Office of Indigenous Relations.

Reporting will include only summarized results so that no individual can be identified.

This data will be copied and stored in a secure database with limited access to support institutional reporting and analysis. No individual analyst in IAP, the unit responsible for data analysis sees a data set that includes both socio-demographic data and personal identifiers.   Employee information and data are protected and de-identified. Unapproved individuals, including Waterloo staff (e.g., professors, teaching assistants, academic advisors, managers), will not have access to your data, even after it is de-identified.

Your responses may be combined with additional information found in University records (such as citizenship status in Canada, unit or faculty, length of time at the university, USG level rank, and salary) to help us improve our employee programs and outcomes. Combining Equity Census data with additional information will be done in a manner that protects your identity. Additional data security procedures including 2FA, and secure key-locked virtual machines are in place to ensure that this data is de-identified when linked to other administrative data for analysis (please see the FAQ for examples of the types of analysis that might be performed. For example, data analysis is completed using pseudo-IDs so that your identity is protected at each stage of the data management cycle.

Individual records collected will be maintained until outdated, or required to be deleted by law, whichever is earlier. Results will be stored on the internal Waterloo server until outdated (i.e., superseded or obsolete).

The data will be collected and retained in Workday similar to other confidential HR records and following the University of Waterloo and HR security protocols. Employees will have access to their data in Workday on an ongoing basis should they wish to update any of this information. Managers, Departments heads, including HR partners, etc. do not have access to this information in Workday for anyone other than their own individual record.

Technical administration of the census tool in Workday is managed by three individuals in HR and IST. Employees in HR and IST do not use the data for analysis or any other purposes. All of Workday access is managed through strict and standard HR data access protocols.

Your responses may be de-personalized and combined with other information found in University records (such as citizenship status in Canada, unit or faculty, length of time at the university, USG level, rank, and / or salary) to help us improve our employee programs and outcomes. Combining the Employee Equity Census with additional information will be done in a manner that protects your identity. Additional data security procedures, including 2FA, and secure password-protected, UW-owned virtual machines are in place to ensure that personal identifiers are protected when linked to other administrative data for analysis  (please see the FAQ for examples of the types of analysis that might be performed). Data analysis is completed using SPSS and Power BI. When reporting data, only summarized (i.e., aggregate) results will be used to ensure that no individual student or employee is identifiable. Only the data that is relevant to any particular analysis will be matched to additional University record information and kept in the database to prepare reports. Once the linked data is no longer needed, it will be destroyed.

Note that any and all requests for data will be subject to applicable federal and provincial laws, and University policies and guidelines.

Like with other data analysis, with the Employee Equity Census, there is concern that in case only a few members of a community identify with a certain characteristic, that it would be possible that the individuals with that characteristic could be identified. To prevent this, all Equity Census data will be reported in summary form. When reporting data tables and reports from the equity census, and cell sizes (the number in a particular category) are too small (fewer than five respondents per group), the data will be suppressed (i.e., hidden), rounded up or reported only at a higher level to eliminate the possibility of identification.

Protecting your identity is our first priority. While your answers on this form are associated with your profile in Workday, only a small number of staff with appropriate authorization and training will have access to the Equity Census data, and only authorized staff will have the ability to combine your responses with other administrative data for analysis (please see section “Results” [hyperlink] for examples of the types of analysis that might be performed).The following procedure is in place to protect your identity:   

1. When registering at the University of Waterloo as either a student or an employee, individuals provide personal information that is regulated by the notice of data collection for students,  the notice of data collection for students, the employment equity data collection for employees, and is used by the institution in a protected manner (see Policy 46) to inform administration, programming, support, planning, and evaluation activities. These administrative data systems (QUEST, Workday) are the starting point for generating any list of contacts at Waterloo, including emails and updates on the Equity Census form.
2. You will be invited to complete the data collection form in Workday. Your responses will be stored in your Workday profile (see Employee Equity Census introduction).
3. Responses are authenticated when you complete the form via your Workday profile.
4. Data from the form will be transferred and stored in a secure database. Access to this data will be limited to those who are responsible to support institutional analysis and reporting. Employee information and data are protected and de-identified. Unapproved individuals including Waterloo staff (e.g., professors, teaching assistants, academic advisors, managers) will not have access to your data.
5. A designated person in IAP will generate pseudo-IDs for everyone listed in Workday. These pseudo-IDs are random identifiers that replace personal identifiers such as your name and email address to protect your privacy during analysis. This pseudo-ID will be exclusively used by different data analyst(s) to create a file with the pseudo-ID and the employment equity data (and, if relevant, other administrative data) to facilitate specific analyses.
6. In the case of the Indigenous identity data, designated staff from Indigenous Relations will be the primary owners of this data and will delegate responsibility for data management to IAP.

Only authorized staff in HR and IAP will have access to the Employee Equity Census. A small number of authorized staff in HR have access to the identifiable records within Workday. The staff who will analyze and report the results have signed data sharing and confidentiality agreements meant to ensure secure and appropriate handling of data. All analysis related to the collected Equity Census will be managed using pseudo-IDs and without unnecessary use of any potentially identifiable information.

Reports are available annually. More detailed requests for data and analysis will be managed through confidentiality, data sharing, and other appropriate approvals according to the request.

We expect that annual reports using this Equity Census Data collection process will be available beginning in 2024.

The Equity Census provides one source of evidence to drive equity action in two important ways:

1. External benchmarking: To describe the socio-demographic composition of the UWaterloo community and compare it with the relevant external context (regional, provincial, and national). This data can be reported in an aggregate form at the institutional, as well as Faculty and larger academic support unit (ASU) levels, as long as the sample size is large enough for reporting (i.e., does not need to be suppressed for the risk of identification).
2. Identification of institutional gaps and barriers: Data “disaggregation” based on equity dimensions offers a starting point to identify gaps and differences in experiences of equity-deserving groups.
   • • Equity Census data will be used to evaluate possible barriers to access and participation that impact students, faculty, and staff who are members of historically excluded, marginalized, and racialized groups, as well as to examine differential outcomes across groups.
     • A lifecycle model has been developed for this purpose. This model provides a structured framework to guide the evaluation process and study inquiry, aiming to uncover systemic barriers on campus. The lifecycle model examines how students, staff, and faculty interact and engage with the institution — from their initial point of contact to their exits (e.g., graduation, retirement, or resignation). This process will be mapped out with the intention of identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement along this cycle. For example, see section “How will this data be used” for the employee lifecycle model. 
     • To enable this analysis/evaluation, Equity Census data will need to be combined with other sources of data and information on campus (e.g., employee and student engagement surveys, graduation rates, employee retention, etc.). In some cases, new data will need to be collected to support the project or initiative. 

Summary results will be made available on the Equity Data Strategy web site. Reports and dashboards will include summary information that will, for example, help provide an understanding of how the University of Waterloo reflects the broader community and the equity-deserving populations in the programs and services offered on campus.

Results will be reported in summary form. The data tables and reports resulting from the analysis, where cell sizes are too small (with fewer than five respondents per demographic group), will suppress this data through random rounding (for example, rounding to the nearest 3-5 percentage points, providing ranges of percentages), or aggregating the data to eliminate the possibility of identification.

Reports and dashboards by Faculty, unit and department (sample size permitting) will be available online through an authenticated website. Requests for additional data or analysis can be directed to analysis@uwaterloo.ca

The Equity Census data is considered sensitive and as such highly protected. All requests for information based on this data should be made to IAP. Freedom of Information requests will be managed by the Secretariat.

Requests from researchers, students, and employees for record-level anonymized data will be handled on a case-by-case basis, subject to appropriate security and privacy procedures and best practices laid out in Policy 11, Policy 46, Policy 55, Policy 75, and related guidelines