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A02.07.03 Recruitment, Selection, and Retention of Employees

• Policy Statement
• Purpose
• Scope
• Principles
• Related Policies

Policy Statement

Douglas College, in fulfilling its mandate of organizational and teaching excellence, recognizes the critical role that its employees play in the attainment of that objective. It therefore strives to attract and retain qualified and motivated employees to ensure that the College operates in an effective manner and that it provides a satisfying employment experience.

Market and demographic trends are driving the need to engage in workforce planning more strategically and systematically. In response to the workforce challenges that face the College, Strategic Workforce Planning has been identified as a key priority. Strategic Workforce anticipates, examines and plans for the alignment of the College's critical workforce capabilities to the organization's strategic business goals.

Douglas College is committed to ensuring fair and consistent treatment of all employees, including employees with a disability, in accordance with individual need and operational objectives. The College recognizes its legal duty under the BC Human Rights Code to provide accommodation to facilitate employment and access to employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment who have a disability.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure a timely, effective and equitable hiring process to attract, select, appoint and retain quality employees. Accordingly, the College has established a process of recruitment and selection of employees which is consistent and objective in its application and which is in compliance with the laws of the province, the terms of its collective agreements, as well as College and Board policies and procedures.

Scope

This policy applies to the recruitment, selection and hiring of persons to fill current and anticipated vacancies at the College. This policy does not apply to persons who may be located on campus but who are working for other agencies and are not employees of the College.

This Policy is subject to any applicable provisions contained in the Douglas College/DCFA or Douglas College/BCGEU collective agreements. Where such a collective agreement provision applies and is inconsistent with a part of this Policy, the collective agreement provision will prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.

Principles

1. The recruitment of employees is the responsibility of the Human Resources Department and of the Department/Discipline/Program wherein the vacancies exist.
2. The College strives to balance the retention of the institutional memory, skills, and experience of long service employees with the effective orientation, leadership development and job-related training of newer employees to ensure they have the tools, skills and support to perform well in their roles.
3. In compliance with the terms of the Collective Agreements and in recognition of the College's desire to encourage high potential employees by providing them with suitable career growth, the College will give serious consideration to qualified internal candidates to fill specific vacancies in the context of workforce and succession planning.
4. In accordance with Canadian immigration regulations, priority will be given to Canadian citizens, permanent residents and landed immigrants. Any discussions with a foreign applicant regarding a possible offer must always be prefaced by stating that all Human Resources Development Canada and Citizenship and Immigration conditions of entry into Canada and of employment must be met in order for the person to be appointed and remain employed.
5. The College interviews candidates using a behaviour-based interviewing model. Required knowledge, abilities and skills are determined by duties and responsibilities of the position to be filled. Candidates will be asked to give examples of behavioural competencies and skills from previous positions and to provide proof of credentials claimed.
6. Subject to Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy legislation, the College conducts confidential employment reference checks prior to making any offer of employment.
7. For certain positions involving work with vulnerable persons, offers of employment will be subject to a satisfactory criminal record check.
8. To protect the privacy of candidates and to preserve the integrity of the recruiting process, all selection committee members are required to maintain confidentiality throughout and after the conclusion of the recruitment and selection process.
9. All records of the competition and selection process will be forwarded to Human Resources at the conclusion of the competition and will be retained in a secure, confidential file in Human Resources, in compliance with the College policy on Records Management and Retention.
10. Unsolicited applications are retained by the Human Resources department for one year.

Related Policies

A02.01.01 Conflict of Interest

A02.05.01 Compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

A16.01.04 Records Management and Retention Policy