Our goals in action
Community impact
Partnering for a prosperous economy
Queen’s is Kingston’s top employer with 1 in 10 jobs in the city found at the university. Additionally, Queen’s has supported more than 700 startup companies and entrepreneurs, including 600 in Kingston. Our economic activity also makes up 11% of our community’s local GDP from Belleville to Brockville.
Employment pathways
Queen's Career Gateway Program creates employment pathways and on-the-job learning for opportunities at Queen's for vulnerable persons within the community, including refugees and individuals belonging to equity-deserving groups with limited English-language skills. Participants develop in-demand skills as casual members of the Custodial Support Services team, positioning them as possible candidates for future employment opportunities, and receive paid release time from work to attend language training.
Teaching and student life
Building experience
Queen’s offers a wide-range of opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to build their work experience and develop industry ready skills from experiential learning to paid internships. In addition to faculty-specific initiatives, eligible students can take part in the (QUIP), (SWEP), and Work Study Program. Queen’s also works with our local partners to offer initiatives such as the Queen’s Career Apprenticeship: Kingston that helps new graduates jumpstart their careers while helping small businesses attract and retain highly skilled talent in Kingston.
In 2022, Queen's launched a series of modules as part of Ontario's eCampus Virtual Learning Strategy to integrate experiential learning programs across the university. The goal is to empower individuals, addressing barriers that underrepresented students may face when engaged in a work-integrated learning experience.
Administration and operations
![[Line drawing of Grant Hall]](/social-impact/sites/sdgwww/files/img/statistic/queens-icon-8.png){kind=icon}
Queen’s University was selected by Employment and Social Development Canada as a recipient of an Employment Equity Achievement Award in the category of Innovation for the Queen’s Equity Appointments Process (QEAP) Application.
Reflecting the Queen's mission, vision, and values
In 2023, Stephanie Simpson became the inaugural Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion), with oversight of the Human Rights and Equity Office, the Office of the Ombudsperson, the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, and the Complaints and Investigations Office. This new role better reflects and delivers on the Queen's mission, vision, and values, particularly our commitment to I-EDIAA as it is embedded in the Queen's Strategy.
Tracking and promoting employee diversity and inclusion
The Queen’s Equity Office measures and tracks our employment representation rates to better ensure gender parity, as well as pay scale equity, among our staff.
Going beyond fair pay
Total Compensation for Queen’s staff and faculty includes pay, benefits, pension, as well as a wide array of work/life wellness programs. The university strives to provide career enrichment as well as staff learning and development opportunities. Queen’s also publishes the that are used for salary administration and pay-related decisions as part of its efforts to promote pay equity and transparency.
Supporting job satisfaction and personal growth
Understanding that employees need coaching and regular feedback to succeed, Queen’s has implemented the Performance Dialogue Process (PDP) to allow staff at all levels to have regular opportunities for meaningful conversations with supervisors about their work and contributions.
Supporting job satisfaction and personal growth
Understanding that employees need coaching and regular feedback to succeed, Queen's has implemented the Performance Dialogue Process (PDP) to allow staff at all levels to have regular opportunities for meaningful conversations with supervisors about their work and contributions.
Respecting labour rights
Queen’s recognizes unions and labour rights, including freedom of association and collective bargaining for all. Our Human Resources website features a list of the University Unions and Associations and their corresponding collective agreements. The agreements set the terms of employment at Queen’s as well as conditions for salary negotiation and conflict resolution.
![[Line drawing of four clasped hands]](/social-impact/sites/sdgwww/files/img/statistic/end-discrimination.png)
Queen’s is committed to ending discrimination in the workplace, including discrimination based on religion, sexuality, gender, and age.
An impartial resource for promoting fairness
The Office of the University Ombudsperson is an independent, confidential and impartial support for the Queen’s community. It provides general advice to employees and students about their rights and responsibilities and helps ensure procedural fairness in decision-making.
![[Photo of alliums outside of Summerhill on Queen's campus]](/social-impact/sites/sdgwww/files/uploaded_images/2021-2022/Summerhill_Allium_750x500.jpg)
Outlining our commitment to employment equity
The Human Rights and Equity Office at Queen’s University developed the Employment Equity Action Plan 2022-2023, outlining the university’s goals to increase equity in the areas of recruitment, retention, and professional development for the 2022-2023 academic year.