Service Standards are an important way for Equity to ensure the delivery of optimum service levels. Equity aims to offer the best service possible and our Service Standard Policy assists staff, members, engagers and non-members to understand how we can collectively achieve this aim.
Equity's Service Standards Policy is available for download here.
It is important to note that Equity is a small organization, and its staffing levels were reduced because of the pandemic. The Service Standards Policy identifies what you can expect in terms of response times and procedures and explains how Equity prioritizes and responds to questions and requests.
Equity's Service Standards Policy expresses its commitment to delivering optimum service to members and others who interact with the Association. While interacting with Equity staff, if you have concerns about the service you are receiving, please ask to speak with the staff member’s supervisor to discuss your concerns. They will transfer you or provide you with contact details.
After an interaction with Equity, if we didn't get something quite right, or if you have any questions or concerns, please click the appropriate button below to send an email. Don't delay. We encourage you to reach out seeking prompt resolution.
Or contact Equity and ask to follow-up with the staff member’s supervisor. Staff compliments are also welcome.
Your feedback is essential to help us improve our service.
What Can You Expect From Equity?
All persons dealing with Equity should expect:
Everyone who contacts Equity should expect to be dealt with in a polite and businesslike manner. No one should be insulted, ridiculed or treated rudely. We recognize that there are cases where someone may be distressed or anxious when they call Equity and staff members are expected to speak calmly and politely in those circumstances.
Staff may not immediately know the answer to every question you may have. However, they should endeavour to connect you with the right person to get the answer you need. Staff may ask you questions to understand your needs and determine the best way to offer assistance. You can help us by being as specific as possible and communicating the pertinent information.
There is a complete staff list available on the website under Contact Equity/Staff Listing. If you don’t know exactly whom you want to speak with when you call, please help Reception determine where your call should be transferred by answering a few questions about the nature of your inquiry.
Due to the volume of work, it is not possible for all requests to be dealt with immediately. Staff must make decisions about priorities based on a number of competing workplace priorities.
Unless it is an emergency, it may take at least 48 hours to hear back from any staff person. During holiday periods this time may be even longer.
Due to a reduction in staffing levels, there may not always be someone available to answer the phone and you may receive voicemail. Please speak clearly and leave enough information that your message can be directed to the staff member best suited to help you.
If you have not received a response to your call or email within two weeks, please contact us again.
What Can Equity Staff Expect?
Equity's staff dealing with members and others should expect:
While all who come into contact with Equity should expect to be treated in a courteous way, Equity staff should also expect to be treated in a courteous manner and in cases when members or engagers raise their voices or use violent or aggressive language (verbally or written) the staff is not expected to tolerate this behaviour.
While members, engagers and members of the public expect courteous and speedy service, keep in mind that Equity staff may have to finish other work or need time to research your question. Please be patient and polite while they try to assist you.
Equity staff’s workload can vary widely across the year depending on Association requirements. As a rule, Equity’s priorities are tied to the delivery of the Organizational Results as articulated by Council. This can affect staff’s ability to respond to questions and requests for service in a timely manner. Some of these Association constraints include:
- Equity’s Constitution and Bylaws have certain fixed schedules and timelines that impact workload including: Council elections, National AGM, agreement ratifications, dues billing etc. These activities have non-negotiable dates and they cannot be moved to accommodate incoming issues.
- The preparation and delivery of information to Council is on a predetermined schedule and these delivery dates are not flexible. There is additional support required for ongoing Council activities, such as committees and projects, which may have fixed timelines that will have to take precedence over other work across many departments.
- Some projects involve collaboration between staff from various Equity departments which may impact availability more broadly across the Association.
- Negotiating collective agreements is a key activity for Equity and can be time consuming involving staff from different departments. Negotiations are particularly labour intensive for the Executive Director (ED) and may involve the ED and other staff to be absent from the office for extended periods of time.
Priority of service will be allocated to members contacting Equity with member-related issues and engagers first, followed by service to non-members.
It is always helpful to be clear and specific about the reason for contacting Equity which helps the staff to determine how urgent your needs are and to respond accordingly.
All requests will be dealt with according to the four levels of priority explained below.
The following urgent or emergency incidents are our first priority and take precedence over any other requests: an accident; an immediate health and safety problem in a workplace or a crisis that could stop or interfere with a production going ahead; or engager non-payment for current or recent work.
Emergency support remains available outside of regular work hours. Callers should follow the “in case of an emergency” prompts when calling the Equity offices.
Any violation of Equity’s Respectful Workplace Policy should be reported through the HAVEN Online Form, and if requested, one of Equity’s Respectful Workplace Advisors will get back to you within 48 hours. If you are in a situation that is immediately unsafe, call 911.
Ensuring that security is in place and contracts have been issued so that members can begin work is an important priority.
There are a significant number of engagers who wait until the last minute to contact us and/or members who wait until the last minute to alert us to a problem and we may not be able to always accommodate these last minute requests as quickly as the engager and/or member would like due to other previously scheduled priorities. If a member or engager has not performed their own work in a timely fashion and now faces an immediate or imminent deadline, we cannot guarantee being able to displace other important priorities to respond immediately, although every effort will be made to assist them.
This category includes inquiries of a general nature or activities that either have no deadline or fixed date or when that date is significantly in the future. Equity will respond as quickly as possible, though please allow up to two weeks. If you have not had a response during that time period, please follow up.
This category includes calls or requests that have to do with information or services not provided by Equity. In these cases, we will do the best we can to offer other contact information. This would include information about talent agents, casting directors, other unions or associations, work opportunities including non-union work, and other service providers like The AFC or PAL.
For general information about Equity, we encourage first visiting our website which has comprehensive information about Equity and its activities. Requests to Equity for information of a general nature and those not specifically related to a situation or production will be addressed at the first available opportunity.
If you are not satisfied with the service that you have received, these are the steps to follow for resolution.
Any service complaint should first be discussed with the staff member’s immediate supervisor. If you have concerns about the service you have received, please ask to speak with the staff member’s supervisor to discuss your concerns and they will transfer you or provide you with contact details for their supervisor.
After the fact, please email servicestandards@caea.com indicating whom you spoke with and we will have their immediate supervisor contact you to discuss the incident.
If you are still unsatisfied, please use the link below to make a complaint. Complaints against Equity staff are confidential. They are reviewed by the Executive Director for review and action. A complaint against the Executive Director is referred to Equity's Council for review.
You will be advised about the progress of your complaint, that is has been received, when it is under review, and about its outcome once the review is complete.