The NRC is committed to transparency and equity in our hiring practices. All participants in hiring processes must uphold the NRC's hiring policies and procedures, including the NRC's Conflict of Interest Policy and the NRC's Code of Conduct.
The NRC's Conflict of Interest Policy applies to all NRC employees and the relationship between their roles and work at the NRC, their outside activities and assets, and their personal relationships.
All individuals involved in hiring processes, including individuals who have access to assessment materials, who provide administrative or managerial assistance or who make hiring decisions should take every possible step to prevent, disclose and resolve any bias and preferential treatment, perceived or real. Favouritism and personal relationships should not influence the outcome of hiring processes. A real, apparent, or potential conflict of interest may include being related to, or having a close association with a candidate. For information on conflict of interest as it relates to relatives or associates, refer to the directive on working with relatives or associates (appendix F of the Conflict of Interest Policy).
Responsibilities of participants in a hiring process
- If you are asked to take part in any hiring activity (e.g., candidate screening, assessments) that involves a relative or an associate, you must inform the hiring manager in writing of your relationship.
- If a hiring manager or any member of a selection board has a real, apparent or potential conflict of interest, such as a being a relative or an associate to the individual who has applied for the job, they must inform their direct supervisor and the hiring advisor before becoming involved in any part of the hiring process.
- At any stage of a hiring process, selection boards must exclude any person whose relationship to the candidate could compromise the board's objectivity, impartiality or integrity. This should be done as soon as the relationship with a candidate becomes known.
- If you have participated as part of the NRC Employee Referral Program, this should be disclosed and you should refrain from participating at any stage in the related hiring process.
- If a candidate is successful and their position reports to the person with whom they have a relationship prior to issuing a letter of offer, management with oversight for the position must establish an appropriate reporting structure. An example of this is where an employee would be reporting to a supervisor who is also their family member; this would require that management have the employee report to a different supervisor instead, or move the supervisor to a different team.
- All disclosures above should be appropriately documented to ensure the integrity of the hiring process.
Examples of relationships that could result in a real, apparent, or potential conflict of interest for members of a selection board
- Co-author of a paper with a candidate
- Previously worked with a candidate (e.g., as a colleague or as a supervisor)
- Has or had a business relationship with a candidate
- Has a direct commercial interest in the outcome of a candidate's research
- Has a personal interest in ensuring a specific candidate is selected for financial reasons
- Has or had a professional relationship as a member of a board or committee
- Acted as a referee for the candidate or supported their current application
- Is a relative, family member, friend, sponsor or mentor of a candidate
If your situation resembles any of these scenarios, you must inform the hiring advisor immediately so that appropriate measures, including risk mitigation plans, can be documented and implemented to ensure the integrity of the hiring process.
All selection board members must be familiar with these 2 important reference documents: