At the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism (EDI-R), we rely on your input to help create a stronger, more equitable University of Waterloo. The Employee Equity Census is one of the most important tools we have to understand the diversity of our workforce and the obstacles they may face in their daily work and careers.
Since its launch in 2023, the census has informed meaningful changes across campus—helping to shape initiatives like spiritual spaces, all-gender washrooms, wellness programming, and the Salary Anomaly Process that addresses inequities in faculty compensation. These are tangible examples of how data drives action.
Currently, 64% of employees have completed the census. The higher our response rate, the stronger our ability to act. A complete and accurate picture of our community means we can
-
plan programs and services that reflect the needs of staff and faculty;
-
understand disparities in areas such as recruitment, retention, progression, and compensation; and
-
build policies that support fairness and inclusion for everyone.
The census includes questions regarding disability, racial identity, gender identity, sexual identity, religious or spiritual affiliation, family education background, and Canadian residency status. You can choose to answer or select the “prefer not to answer” option for each question.
Responses are deidentified (i.e., assigned a random number) before being used for analysis, analyzed in aggregate, kept confidential, and stored securely. When combined, these insights will be reviewed by EDI-R in partnership with Institutional Analysis and Planning (IAP) to evaluate where inequities exist and how resources should be focused.
Please complete the census by October 31, 2025 to be included in this year’s data analysis – it only takes a few minutes. Thank you to everyone who has already completed the census. If your information has changed since you completed the census, please update your answers in Workday.
Refer to the Equity Data Strategy website for detailed instructions on how to complete the census.
Thank you for participating in this important initiative.