How does the audit process work?
- An organization has from the beginning of May through to the end of November each year to register and complete its application for the Employer of Choice designation.
- The application consists of 99 questions covering the seven functional areas of human resources.
- Questions are answered by uploading policy documents and manuals or typing answers into text boxes.
- After the application has been submitted, an STEC auditor will review the application and score each question.
- Based on the scores received, organizations will either "Not qualify at this time", "Meet Minimum Standards" or qualify for the "Employer of Choice" designation. To qualify as an Employer of Choice organizations must meet the minimum standards and demonstrate some best practices.
- The scores are not shared with the organizations.
- If an organization qualifies for an Employer of Choice designation, the organization will be recognized at the annual Professional Recognition Dinners.
Do my employees have to participate in this audit?
- Yes. Each organization will be given a link to an online Employee Opinion Survey. They may then provide this link to as many employees and managers as possible. In order for the survey to be valid, 25% of employees and 25% of managers must respond.
- Each employee or manager will be asked what they know about the organization's various policies.
- Results of the individual surveys will be kept confidental. The compiled results will be included in the audit report.
- Participation in this survey is essential to receive the Employer of Choice designation.
Who can submit an application?
- All Saskatchewan businesses in the tourism sector.
- If an organization has any outstanding or unresloved issues or complaints related to Employment Standards, WCB, or STEC, the audit process will stop until the issue is resolved.
- Disqualified organizations will be notified immediately.
- All organizations must be situated in the province of Saskatchewan.
Is there a fee for the Employer of Choice designation?
- There is currently no fee for this program.
Does personal information have to be submitted during the audit?
- In order to verify that policy statements are implemented as stated and to see through an employee's eyes, we need some actual document scanned and submitted. In order to protect the privacy of individuals, all personal information should be removed before documents are scanned (names, addresses, SIN, etc.)
How is the information submitted kept confidential?
- All information gathered is electronically secured by passwords and all STEC workstations are password protected. STEC auditors follow strict security protocols during the course of the workday.
- All information gathered during the course of the audit is maintained as confidential by the STEC auditors. Final audit results will only be shared with senior management at the organization and will not be provided to any other party without the express written consent of the organization's management.
- Responses may be used to make general conclusions about HR trends in the tourism industry (for example, it may be discovered that 80% of the organizations applicants used behavioural interviewing techniques), but no specific details of any application will be released to any individual outside of the STEC auditing team.
- Security of the application information from the organization side is soley the responsibility of the organization.
- For information regarding the security of the Web Hoster please see "Web Hosting Security Information" at the bottom of this page.
Who performs the Employer of Choice audit?
- Each audit is reviewed by members of the Employer of Choice audit team.
- Auditors have knowledge and understanding of both auditing and HR practices.
- Auditors understand the key requirements of Saskatchewan legislation related to employment standards, human rights and privacy.
- Auditors are objective and neutral towards the organization.
- Auditors understand the importance of confidentiality and discretion in dealing with sensitive information.
Once an organization has achieved the Employer of Choice designation do they have to reapply each year?
- Yes, each year the organization has to reapply, but each organization can access their application from the previous year and copy and paste answers in the current submission. A "Carry Forward" button is not availble at this time.
Can one submission be made for multiple organizations?
- Yes. There is a series of qualifying questions to be answered and the STEC audit team will determine, from the answers provided, whether a multiple organization submission can be made.
Can I change my application once it is submitted?
- No. Due to the volume of audits applications received and to maintain the integrity of the audit process, applications can only be submitted once in any audit year. During the application time (May-November) the organization may add, edit and update their answers as many times as they like. Please take the time to review and answer each question before you press the submit button.
Web Hosting Security Information
Base Corp. Learning Systems is the web developer for the Employer of Choice Website. Base Corp. has selected Alentus as the commercial hosting service. The hosted services data centers provide a secure location for user access, customer information and data, and controlled access. The User must have a login id and must enter a password. The Hosted site is updated, monitored and maintained by Base Corp. support personnel remotely from Edmonton.