HUMAN RIGHTS MATURITY MODEL

Headers / Guiding Questions / Details Sought

Case Abstract

/ The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC)is Canada’s NHRI and administers the Canadian Human Rights Act and ensures compliance with the Employment Equity Act. Both laws ensure that the principles of equal opportunity and non-discrimination are followed in all areas of federal jurisdiction.The CHRC promotes the core principles of Protect, Respect, Remedy and works to prevent discrimination in Canada by:
  • promoting the development of human rights cultures;
  • understanding human rights through research and policy development;
  • protecting human rights through effective case and complaint management; and
  • representing the public interest to advance human rights for all Canadians.
The Commission believes that respect for human rights is valuable in and of itself, and that widespread respect for these rights is a mark of a healthy, mature and prosperous society. The reality of achieving a human rights culture in the workplace lies with the employers and stakeholders. To help organizations foster and sustain such a culture, the CHRC developed the Human Rights Maturity Model (HRMM).
The HRMM is the result of a collaborative initiative between the Commission and organizations within the private and public sectors. The HRMM benefited from the guidance and commitment of all parties which provided a forum for advising on content, success and continuous improvement, namely: the Employer Advisory Council members, the HRMM Steering Committee members and the members of the HRMM Working Group.
Issue/Situation / From 2005 to 2008 the CHRC established memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with 10 organizations with the goal to developing and implementing discrimination prevention strategies. Although the MOU partnerships showed great success and evoked interest, the impact was limited given the CHRC’s available resources. It became clear that we had to find a more efficient way to address the common discrimination issues that were emerging.
Creating a human rights maturity model seemed to be the best investment the Commission could make to give more impact to our discrimination prevention efforts. Wanting to be as inclusive and collaborative as possible, the Commission embarked in a four-year consultative and developmental process with its stakeholders. The decision to involve employers and union representatives right from the beginning of the process made it possible to create a model that would be adaptable to all of them.
The HRMM was launched on Feb. 15, 2012.
Proven Practice/ Actions Taken / The HRMM is a business-management framework designed to support organizational change. It outlines a collaborative, proactive, step-by-step approach to increasing awareness of, and respect for, human rights inside and outside the workplace. Although the HRMM is completely voluntary, it can help organizations create a workplace culture characterized by a fundamental respect for human rights. Organizations embark on their own accord, not because they have to, but because it is the right thing to do.
The focus of the HRMM is to provide assistance to employers to go beyond meeting their basic statutory requirements. This is done through leadership, where there is a clear commitment to a culture change within their organization. Once an organization commits to the idea of using the HRMM, they self-assess their current status using an online system. A detailed implementation guide and comprehensive fact sheets help manage the journey. As organizations input their data, the online system automatically generates a Gap Analysis and an Action Plan, which helps in planning the next steps.
The HRMM is built around five levels and key elements that determine the “maturity” of an organization with regard to human rights competencies in the workplace. The five levels are defined as:
1)Initiated
2)Defined
3)Managed and Routine
4)Predictable and Sustainable
5)Continuously Optimizing
At each of the five levels, there are key elements that are assessed through a series of indicators and outcomes. The indicators help an organization identify its current level of maturity for each element. The key elements include:
  • Leadership and accountability
  • Communication and consultation
  • Alignment of policies and processes
  • Capacity building and resources
  • Evaluation for performance measurement and continuous improvement
The organization easily tailors the HRMM to its distinct needs. The objective is to continually improve competency within each of the five elements. An organization that attains Level Five will have implemented a fully inclusive and sustainable workplace culture.
Challenges & Responses / Many challenges were faced during the development of the HRMM: ensuring the Model was adaptable for private and public sector organizations of all sizes; creating it in a clear, common and engaging language; balancing the expectations and interests of employers, employees and unions; and, creating an easy to use, free, online tool within limited resources.
-The CHRC’s mandate is to work with federally regulated organizations. This includes public and private sector organizations from a wide range of industries (transportation, communication, banking, etc.), large and small, unionized or not. The Model had to be adaptable for all of them.
-Knowing that the end product would benefit from a collaborative approach, the Commission brought the right contributors together. This in itself, with everyone’s busy agendas, represented a logistical challenge. Thankfully, the participants desire to contribute to the process was enough to overcome all obstacles. The enthusiasm and dedication of the members of the Employer Advisory Council, the HRMM Steering Committee and the HRMM Working Group were key in the success of the project.
-The Model had to be elaborated in a clear and common language that would be engaging to all our stakeholders. Countless drafts and versions had to be produced without losing the essence of the consensus that had been reached through the various committees and at all the different stages of the process.
-Having employers and union representatives at the same table and balancing their expectations and interests could have been an impossible task without the common willingness of all to act for the greater good. Everyone came with an open mind and ready to truly listen. Despite strong differences of opinion, the contributors to the Model demonstrated a high level of professionalism in their exchanges which transpired, ultimately, into the final product.
The creation of an easy to use online tool and all the questions relating to hosting and accessibility were negotiated within limited resources of the CHRC, thanks to the creativity and again, dedication, from stakeholders and staff.
The challenges were, and continue to be, addressed. Feedback has been positive and the CHRC continues to refine the HRMM and its associated tools. Our challenge now will be to develop tools to measure the impact the HRMM is actually having on Canadian workplaces.
Outcomes and Impacts / The CHRC is pleased with the response the HRMM has received and the impact it could have on Canadian workplaces. So far, 45 organizations from both the public and private sectors have registered to use the online system since the release of the HRMM in February 2012. This represents a potential impact on more than 370,000 employees across Canada.
It is the CHRC’s view that a healthy work environment can enhance motivation, increase productivity and morale and improve the recruitment and retention of employees. Fostering a corporate culture where employees are respected and where conflicts that arise are resolved in a timely and respectful manner can be advantageous to both employers and employees.
In a letter stating their commitment to the HRMM, Joy Serne, Sr. Director, Farm Credit Canada, had this to say:
“The HRMM is helping us build a culture of human rights, where our commitment to equality and respect influences every decision, from hiring and advancement (…) to serving customers in a respectful manner. It’s in everything we do at FCC.”
During a recent presentation, an organization talked about some benefits of the HRMM. This is what they had to say:
“The Maturity Model promotes awareness and education from top to bottom/bottom to top and supports us as an employer of choice.”
“The Model has helped our organization take a more proactive approach to discrimination prevention. It reinforces employee engagement and helps build respect and fairness in the workplace.”
“The self-assessment tool facilitates communication, alignment of policies and procedures and culture change. Its concrete methodology is easy to apply and fits in well with our organizational priority setting.”
The HRMM was also recently nominated for an award of excellence and is featured in the Canadian Race Relations Foundation's 2012 Best Practices Reader:
Observations and Lessons Learned / The development of the HRMM was a collaborative initiative between the CHRC, employers and unions. The four-year development process included a pilot test and a review of the HRMM tools and interviews with the pilot test group. Key elements for improvement were underlined during the review and most were actioned prior to the launch of the HRMM. The lessons learned from the pilot test were grouped in two categories:
1)Process and Tools
2)Resource Utilization
1)The study found that the HRMM processes and tools were well-designed but required some realignment.
  • The implementation guide was adapted with the findings of the review prior to the launch;
  • Ongoing work on the fact sheets will be completed by March 2013; and
  • Regular updates and enhancementsbased on user feedback are ongoing and will continue.
2)The HRMM pilot project demonstrated that the resource requirements for participating organizations was reasonable and sustainable but ensuring CHRC support and ongoing enhancements was key to the success of the initiative. Some lessons learnedemerged:
  • Providing employers with support, tools and an orientation session prior to beginning implementation of the HRMM;
  • Senior leadership commitment to the HRMM is required from the outset; and
  • Assembling a steering team and dedicating resources to the HRMM implementation is key to success.
The HRMM is recognized as a best practice and although a fairly new initiative, a key department of the Canadian government wrote us:
“For the past few months we have been in the process of researching innovation and current industry standards and practices in values and ethics, within the public sector, at the domestic and international levels, to determine what practices contribute to the successful and effective delivery of a values and ethics program. We identified your Maturity Model Continuum as the most effective model to adapt to our purposes. (…) Over fifty maturity models were analyzed for their applicability to the delivery of a values and ethics program.”
The HRMM will also soon be adapted by another government department to create an official languages continuum and a Multiculturalism Champions Network has sought out the CHRC’s expertise in creating a similar model to help apply the provisions of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act.
Conclusion / As more and more organizations begin to implement the HRMM, the CHRC envisions an environment where respect for human rights is integrated into daily activities, where all individuals are treated equally, where everyone can raise any issue and concern with confidence that it will be respectfully received and responsibly addressed, and where all can pursue careers of their choice or receive services, free from discrimination. Our long term vision is Canada as a healthy, mature and prosperous society, where discrimination is eliminated.
Contact Information / -Canadian Human Rights Commission
-Piero Narducci
Director, Prevention Initiatives and Liaison Division,
Discrimination PreventionBranch

-Human Rights Maturity Model Website:
-Canadian Human Rights Commission Website: