Advanced - Sample Policy Statements - Electricity Human Resources Canada

At the Advanced level, organizations demonstrate a deeper integration of DEI principles into their operations and culture. They develop strategies to support historically excluded communities, build strong partnerships with external stakeholders, and implement comprehensive systems for accountability. At this level, organizations actively monitor progress and ensure that their efforts are sustainable.

Key policies at this level include:

Supplier Diversity Policy
Comprehensive Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Partnerships with Indigenous Communities

Group of electrical workers in safety gear walking to the job site

Adapt and customize: Tailor each Sample Policy Statement to your organization’s specific context, legal framework, and operational needs.
Consult stakeholders: Engage employees (especially those from equity-deserving groups), community members, or Indigenous Elders/leaders for input.
Ensure compliance: Align policies with relevant federal, provincial/state, and local legislation.
Communicate broadly: Clearly announce new or revised policies, ensuring managers and employees understand the purpose and benefits.
Measure and report: Track implementation and share results, committing to a cycle of continuous improvement.

🔥 Indicates policies that advance Indigenous reconciliation and align with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

1. Accessible Workplace Policy
Sample policy statement

The organization ensures that both physical and digital workplaces are accessible to all employees, customers, and visitors. We follow or exceed local accessibility standards (e.g., AODA in Ontario) and continually seek to remove barriers.

Examples
1. IESO
  - Multi-Year Accessibility Plan (2021–2026)
  - Outlines how IESO removes barriers across physical and digital environments, commits to AODA/IASR compliance, and includes web accessibility measures aligned with WCAG 2.0 Level AA.
2. SaskPower
  - Accessibility Plan 2025–2028
  - Describes how SaskPower will identify and remove barriers in the built environment and information and communications, aligned with the Accessible Saskatchewan Act, to improve access for employees and the public.
3. BSES Yamuna Power Limited (India)
  - Equal Opportunity Policy for Persons with Disabilities
  - Sets expectations to remove barriers and support full participation for employees with disabilities
4. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) (United Arab Emirates)
  - Policy for the happiness, accommodation and empowerment of People of Determination
  - Commits to removing barriers and supporting full participation for employees with disabilities, grounded in a rights-based approach.
2. Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Policy
Sample policy statement

We commit to actively confronting racism and oppression in our workplace. This includes providing education on systemic barriers, establishing support structures for racialized employees, and regularly assessing organizational policies to ensure they are anti-racist and anti-oppressive.

Examples
1. Ontario Power Generation
  - Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Strategy
  - Describes how OPG confronts systemic racism through workforce‑wide learning, including an anti‑racism course, and supports racialized employees through its Racial Equality ERG, while tracking progress and reviewing practices for bias.
2. BluEarth Renewables
  - 2021 ESG Report
  - Outlines an employee‑focused DEI approach that includes a formal DEI policy, organization‑wide training, and a Respect in the Workplace program to prevent harassment and strengthen an inclusive culture.
3. Enel (Italy)
  - Code of Ethics
  - Sets standards for dignity and non-discrimination and describes expectations for respectful conduct and accountability across global operations.
4. National Grid (United Kingdom)
  - Responsible Business Charter
  - Commits to eradicating discrimination, explicitly addressing race through data transparency, trend analysis, and workforce‑wide learning.
3. Bias Reporting and Resolution Policy
Sample policy statement

Employees can report incidents of bias, discrimination, or harassment through confidential channels. All reports will be investigated swiftly, with findings leading to corrective actions up to and including termination. Data on reported incidents and outcomes will be reviewed to identify systemic issues.

Examples
1. Cameco
  - Ethics and U
  - Provides multiple channels to report concerns, including an anonymous hotline, protects employees from retaliation, and outlines an investigation process with consequences for violations, supported by logged reports for oversight.
2. Ontario Power Generation
  - Anonymous Ethics Reporting Portal
  - Offers a confidential portal for reporting suspected Code violations, with an option to report anonymously, and provides additional internal reporting routes, ensuring multiple secure channels for raising concerns.
3. Kot Addu Power Company (KAPCO) (Pakistan)
  - Anti-Harassment Policy
  - Sets out a confidential, structured process for reporting, investigating, and addressing harassment and discrimination.
4. Seplat Energy (Nigeria)
  - Anti-Discrimination, Bullying and Harassment Policy
  - Requires reporting of discrimination, bullying, and harassment, with investigation through formal channels and disciplinary action informed by trend data.
4. Equitable Career Development and Advancement Policy
Sample policy statement

The organization provides equitable access to professional development, mentorship, and advancement opportunities. Leadership tracks are transparent, and high-potential employees from underrepresented groups are proactively supported.

Examples
1. Ontario Power Generation
  - Bridging the Gap
  - Supports women pursuing licensed control‑room progression roles through structured preparation and training, strengthening OPG’s pipeline for senior leadership in nuclear operations.
2. Canada Energy Regulator
  - Employment Equity Report 2023-24
  - Highlights tailored leadership development and mentorship programs that expand career opportunities for equity-deserving employees and shows how CER tracks participation to advance equitable career outcomes.
3. Iberdrola (Spain)
  - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
  - Frames equal opportunity across the employment lifecycle, including development and progression practices intended to prevent barriers for underrepresented groups.
4. Xcel Energy (United States)
  - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  - Describes an equal‑opportunity approach covering promotion and terms of employment, supported by structured development programs that promote equitable career growth.
5. Comprehensive Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Sample policy statement

We adopt a strategic approach to DEI, including measurable goals, timelines, and regular progress reports. This policy spans recruitment, retention, leadership, supplier diversity, and cultural competence initiatives.

Examples
1. Enbridge
  - 2022 Sustainability Report
  - Outlines an enterprise-wide DEI strategy with measurable representation goals and progress tracking, embeds DEI across recruitment, retention, and leadership development, requires Indigenous cultural competence training, and integrates supplier inclusion into procurement.
2. Ontario Power Generation
  - ESG Report 2021: 10-year ED&I strategy (2020–2030)
  - Sets a long-term, board-endorsed ED&I strategy with defined priorities and annual progress reporting, addresses systemic barriers in hiring and advancement, and strengthens supplier diversity with spend targets supporting Indigenous-owned businesses.
3. Enel (Italy)
  - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
  - Framed as a strategic DEIB framework with targets and KPIs linked to sustainability reporting, setting clear expectations across the value chain.
4. Peninsula Clean Energy (United States)
  - DEAI Action Plan
  - Structured as a multi‑year framework spanning culture, HR, learning, and supplier diversity, with a strong focus on measurable and reportable equity outcomes.
6. Equitable Performance Evaluation Policy
Sample policy statement

Performance evaluations use standardized criteria to reduce bias. All managers undergo bias-awareness training, and evaluation outcomes are regularly reviewed to ensure fairness across gender, race, and other protected groups.

Examples
1. Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
  - CNSC Employment Equity Report 2020–21
  - Reinforces inclusion in leadership evaluations through required manager training on unconscious bias and uses employee survey results to monitor progress and guide organizational priorities.
2. BC Hydro
  - Inclusion objectives and D&I in leaders’ performance plans
  - Integrates D&I into executive performance plans by requiring leaders to set annual inclusion objectives and uses organization-wide inclusion measures to ensure consistent people‑leader accountability.
3. Petrobras (Brazil)
  - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy
  - Identifies unconscious bias as a decision‑making risk and embeds equity expectations across HR processes, supported by governance oversight and workforce‑wide learning.
4. Repsol (Spain)
  - DEI disclosure
  - Links performance and compensation to objectives, supported by mandatory unconscious‑bias training and reporting on promotion outcomes to monitor fairness.
7. Gender Transition and Inclusion Policy
Sample policy statement

The organization fully supports employees undergoing gender transition. We ensure privacy, respect for chosen names/pronouns, and flexible leave options. Managers receive training on how best to support transitioning colleagues.

Examples
1. BC Hydro
  - MoveUP Collective Agreement (2022–2025)
  - Includes a Gender Transition Leave provision that allows employees to take unpaid or sick‑leave–supported time off for transition-related procedures, based on employee preference and approval processes.
2. Suncor Energy
  - Gender Transition Guidebook initiative (Osler Diversity Disclosure Practices, 2023)
  - Introduces a Gender Transition Guidebook to help leaders and employees support transitioning colleagues, alongside updated self-identification practices that include gender identity and pronouns.
3. EnergyAustralia (Australia)
  - Gender Affirmation Guidelines
  - Outlines practical steps for supporting employees through workplace transition, including privacy, respectful practice, planning, and manager responsibilities.
4. Apraava Energy (India)
  - Transgender Inclusion, Equality, and Protection Policy
  - Commits to supporting employees through gender transition by protecting privacy, respecting names and pronouns, and setting clear workplace expectations, supported by active HR and management guidance.
8. Implementation of TRC Calls to Action Relevant to Business 🔥
Sample policy statement

We will actively respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action relevant to corporate Canada, including providing education on Indigenous issues, collaborating with Indigenous communities, and eliminating employment gaps.

Examples
1. NB Power
  - First Nations Relations
  - Aligns its First Nations Relations approach with TRC Call to Action 92, focusing on engagement with First Nations, organization-wide education and cultural awareness, and stronger Indigenous employment pathways.
2. SaskEnergy
  - SaskEnergy–FNPA MOU
  - Frames reconciliation as a practical action by referencing TRC Call to Action 92 and committing to deeper collaboration with First Nations communities, including expanded Indigenous procurement and economic participation.
3. Oakville Hydro
  - Indigenous Relations Policy
  - Explicitly commits to the TRC Calls to Action, grounding its approach in Call to Action 92 to advance Indigenous employment, relationship‑building, and reconciliation.
4. Electricity Human Resources Canada
  - Reconciliation Action Plan
  - Sets out a reconciliation roadmap with concrete actions aligned to TRC Calls to Action, advancing Indigenous education, relationships, and participation in employment and economic opportunities.
9. Indigenous Languages Support Policy 🔥
Sample policy statement

The organization supports the preservation and use of Indigenous languages in the workplace where applicable. This can include bilingual signage, encouragement of Indigenous place names, and language-learning resources for interested employees.

Examples
1. Qulliq Energy Corporation
  - Inuit Employment Plan
  - Supports Indigenous language use through recruitment outreach in Inuktitut and training approaches that incorporate Inuktitut instruction, helping normalize Indigenous language use and strengthen cultural relevance for Inuit employees.
2. Manitoba Hydro
  - Celebrating Manitoba’s Indigenous languages
  - Promotes Indigenous language revitalization through employee learning programs during Indigenous Awareness Week, including virtual events highlighting Manitoba’s seven Indigenous languages and efforts to recover and normalize their use.
3. Top Energy (New Zealand)
  - Te Puna Hihiko: Our Sustainability Journey 2024-25
  - Promotes Te Reo Māori through practical workplace actions, including bilingual communications, learning resources, and internal capability‑building.
4. Eskom (South Africa)
  - Eskom Language Policy
  - Commits to supporting and using South Africa’s official languages across operations and communications, recognizing linguistic diversity and setting clear expectations for language access.
10. Partnerships with Indigenous Communities 🔥
Sample policy statement

We form long-term, respectful partnerships with Indigenous communities for mutual benefit. This may include revenue sharing, community development projects, and joint ventures in energy infrastructure.

Examples
1. Innergex
  - Indigenous Partnership
  - Highlights renewable projects co-developed with Indigenous partners through a BC Hydro RFP, showing how shared project design and joint participation can embed partnership models in energy infrastructure development.
2. ATCO
  - Indigenous Relations – Projects & Partnership
  - Demonstrates a long-term partnership approach that includes equity sharing opportunities, project-based collaboration, and community investment, modelling how utilities can structure ongoing, relationship-based partnerships rather than one-time consultations.
3. Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation (Australia)
  - Yindjibarndi people partner with ACEN to develop clean energy projects
  - Establishes a joint venture securing significant equity for Traditional Owners, alongside preferred contracting, training, and employment pathways.
4. Mint Aotearoa (New Zealand)
  - Ngāi Tahu Holdings and Mint Renewables: “Mint Aotearoa” joint venture
  - Forms a strategic joint venture to develop large‑scale renewable energy projects, supporting long‑term value creation and iwi prosperity through Indigenous partnership.
11. Supplier Diversity Policy
Sample policy statement

We commit to diversifying our supplier base by prioritizing businesses owned by women, minorities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups. We will set supplier diversity targets and measure progress annually.

Examples
1. Enbridge
  - Responsible Procurement Program
  - Recognizes certified diverse suppliers through its registration process and embeds supplier diversity directly into procurement, supporting inclusive practices across its supply chain.
2. SaskPower
  - Empowering Supplier Diversity
  - Sets measurable supplier diversity targets, including directing 1% of spend to women‑owned businesses, and embeds Indigenous participation requirements and ownership expectations in procurement processes.
3. National Grid (United States)
  - Global Supplier Diversity Policy
  - Clearly outlines program expectations and how diverse suppliers are supported and engaged.
4. SSE (United Kingdom)
  - Supplier Diversity Strategy
  - Defines diverse suppliers clearly and commits to public supplier diversity targets and reporting to support annual measurement and transparency.
12. Indigenous Supplier Diversity Policy 🔥
Sample policy statement

We commit to including Indigenous-owned businesses in our procurement processes. We will collaborate with Indigenous chambers of commerce, attend Indigenous trade shows, and create set-asides for Indigenous suppliers where appropriate.

Examples
1. Hydro One
  - Indigenous Procurement
  - Sets a clear target to increase Indigenous procurement spend to 5% by 2026 and supports this through supplier requirements and active tracking of Indigenous supplier engagement.
2. BC Hydro
  - Annual Service Plan Report
  - Reports measurable Indigenous procurement targets and results, and explains how directed contracting supports long-term economic benefits for First Nations in B.C.
3. SaskPower
  - Indigenous Procurement Policy
  - Establishes a formal procurement commitment to include Indigenous vendors and Indigenous business entities, reinforcing ongoing relationship‑building.
4. TC Energy
  - Supplier Diversity and Indigenous Reporting Requirements
  - Sets a procurement‑forward requirement for contractors to submit participation plans and report spend, and defines Indigenous Business to include joint ventures, supporting structured Indigenous participation.

These sample policies are provided solely as general guidance and should not be interpreted or relied upon as legal advice.

Links included in this resource were accurate and functional at the time of publication; however, content and URLs may change over time. If a link is inactive, please consult the organization’s main corporate website for the most current information. If you notice an error or broken link, please let us know at [email protected].

Turnkey Policies for Inclusive, Equitable and Accessible Workplaces - Reading Materials - Chapter 04: Advanced – Sample Policy Statements

About the Advanced Level

How to use these sample policies

Sample statements

1. Accessible Workplace Policy

Sample policy statement

Examples

2. Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Policy

Sample policy statement

Examples

3. Bias Reporting and Resolution Policy

Sample policy statement

Examples

4. Equitable Career Development and Advancement Policy

Sample policy statement

Examples

5. Comprehensive Diversity and Inclusion Policy

Sample policy statement

Examples

6. Equitable Performance Evaluation Policy

Sample policy statement

Examples

7. Gender Transition and Inclusion Policy

Sample policy statement

Examples

8. Implementation of TRC Calls to Action Relevant to Business 🔥

Sample policy statement

Examples

9. Indigenous Languages Support Policy 🔥

Sample policy statement

Examples

10. Partnerships with Indigenous Communities 🔥

Sample policy statement

Examples

11. Supplier Diversity Policy

Sample policy statement

Examples

12. Indigenous Supplier Diversity Policy 🔥

Sample policy statement

Examples

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