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EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK
For Local Government Employees
Version 5.1 – October 2011
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Table of Contents
EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK ........................................................................................ 1
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE AND THE COUNCIL.................................................................................................................. 5
The Council.............................................................................................................. 5
Our Vision................................................................................................................ 5
The Corporate Management Team......................................................................... 5
SECTION 2: PRINCIPAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS............................................ 6
Terms and Conditions of Employment .................................................................. 6
Future Changes....................................................................................................... 6
Policies, Procedures and Schemes ....................................................................... 6
General..................................................................................................................... 6
SECTION 3: WORKING HOURS AND SALARY PAYMENTS ................................. 7
Working Week ......................................................................................................... 7
Changes to Working Hours .................................................................................... 7
Working Time Regulations ..................................................................................... 7
Meal Breaks ............................................................................................................. 7
Pay and Grading...................................................................................................... 7
Job Evaluation......................................................................................................... 8
Pay Frequency......................................................................................................... 8
Salary Placement on Appointment, Promotion or Regrading .............................. 8
Incremental Progression ........................................................................................ 9
Flexible Working Hours Scheme (Flexi) ................................................................ 9
Alternating/Rotating Shift Allowance..................................................................... 9
Occasional Night Shift Allowance........................................................................ 10
Overtime Working ................................................................................................. 10
Sleep-In Duty Payment.......................................................................................... 10
Irregular Hours/Unsocial Hours ........................................................................... 11
Standby and Call-out Payments........................................................................... 11
•••• Standby Payments ........................................................................................ 11
•••• Call Out Payment........................................................................................... 11
•••• Recalling Employees to work (not on standby)........................................... 11
Responsibility Allowance ..................................................................................... 11
First Aid Allowance............................................................................................... 12
Transferring to a Different Workplace ................................................................. 12
Travel & Subsistence ............................................................................................ 12
SECTION 4 - HOLIDAY ENTITLEMENT AND LEAVE ........................................... 13
Holiday Entitlement............................................................................................... 13
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Rewarding Other Local Authority Service ........................................................... 13
Public Holidays ..................................................................................................... 13
Work on a Public Holiday ..................................................................................... 14
Special Leave ........................................................................................................ 14
•••• Bereavement .................................................................................................. 14
•••• Medical Treatment ......................................................................................... 14
•••• Jury and Witness Service ............................................................................. 14
•••• Public Duties.................................................................................................. 14
•••• Family and Domestic Emergencies.............................................................. 14
•••• Reservists ...................................................................................................... 14
SECTION 5 - FAMILY FRIENDLY POLICIES AND SCHEMES.............................. 15
Maternity and Adoption Leave and Pay............................................................... 15
Paternity Leave...................................................................................................... 15
Maternity/Adoption Support Leave ...................................................................... 16
Parental Leave....................................................................................................... 17
Right to Request Flexible Working for Parents and Carers ............................... 17
Job Sharing Scheme............................................................................................. 17
Further Information ............................................................................................... 17
SECTION 6 - HEALTH AND WELLBEING............................................................. 18
Health and Safety .................................................................................................. 18
Accidents at Work................................................................................................. 18
Protective Clothing ............................................................................................... 18
Health Surveillance ............................................................................................... 19
First Aid ................................................................................................................. 19
Smoking at Work................................................................................................... 19
Driving at Work...................................................................................................... 19
Safety Representatives......................................................................................... 19
Wellbeing ............................................................................................................... 20
SECTION 7 - POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AFFECTING HOW WE WORK ..... 21
Absence Procedure............................................................................................... 21
Sickness Allowance .............................................................................................. 22
Matters of Conduct or Concern............................................................................ 23
Discipline ............................................................................................................... 23
• Informal Action................................................................................................ 23 • Formal Action ................................................................................................. 24
Raising a Grievance .............................................................................................. 24
• Informal Action................................................................................................ 24 • Formal Action - Stage 1 .................................................................................. 24 • Formal Action - Stage 2 .................................................................................. 25 • Formal Action - Stage 3 .................................................................................. 25
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Dignity at Work...................................................................................................... 25
Support for Employees Experiencing Domestic Violence ................................. 25
Alcohol/Substance Misuse ................................................................................... 26
Safer Recruitment ................................................................................................. 26
Organisational Change Policy.............................................................................. 26
Restructuring and Redeployment Protocol......................................................... 27
SECTION 8 - BENEFITS AND FACILITIES FOR COUNCIL EMPLOYEES ........... 28
Local Government Pension Scheme.................................................................... 28
Retirement ............................................................................................................. 28
Savings and Investments ..................................................................................... 29
Specsavers Premium Club Vouchers .................................................................. 29
Cycle to Work Scheme.......................................................................................... 29
Long Service Awards............................................................................................ 29
SECTION 9 - MISCELLANEOUS .......................................................................... 30
Employee Development........................................................................................ 30
Employee Communication ................................................................................... 30
Trades Union/Partnership Working...................................................................... 30
Equal Opportunities .............................................................................................. 31
Personal Information ............................................................................................ 31
ICT Access Security Agreement Form................................................................. 31
Appendix 1: Pay and Grading Structure 1 April 2010 ......................................... 32
Appendix 2:............................................................................................................ 33
National Agreed Rates for Specific Allowances/Payments................................ 33
Sleeping-in Duty Payments .................................................................................. 33
Standby Duty and Call-out Payments .................................................................. 33
• Standby Duty Payments ................................................................................. 33 • Disturbance and Call Out Payments ............................................................... 33 • Payments for Employees not on Standby ....................................................... 33
First Aid Allowance............................................................................................... 34
Term Time Calculator............................................................................................ 35
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SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE AND THE COUNCIL
The Council West Dunbartonshire Council works hard to be a modern, flexible employer. We demonstrate continuous improvement across all Services and are recognised as an employer of choice. Our employment terms and conditions, employment policies, procedures and practices are designed to promote equality and to eliminate discrimination. Our terms and conditions package supports excellence in service delivery and includes progressive measures to assist employees maintain a healthy work life balance. This Employee Handbook has been developed to provide local government employees with a summary of our main terms and conditions of employment, important employment policies, procedures and employee benefits.
Our Vision Our corporate vision helps employees focus on the future and work towards the same goals. This vision allows every one of the Council’s employees, and elected members to understand the part they need to play in the daily delivery of services to over 90,000 people. Our vision is to:
“Improve prosperity and inclusion for all citizens, deliver better and more efficient services, and improve West Dunbartonshire as a place to live, work
and visit”. We also have a Corporate Plan which guides the work of the Council by setting out clear priorities for services these are
• Regenerate and develop the local economy
• Promote health and wellbeing
• Promote life-long learning
• Create a better environment
• Develop our children and young people
• Provide high-quality, best value services
The Corporate Management Team West Dunbartonshire Council is led by a Corporate Management Team who are committed to delivering results and meeting service, employee and customer needs.
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SECTION 2: PRINCIPAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Terms and Conditions of Employment Your Principal Statement of Terms and Conditions of Employment (“Contract of Employment”) provides details of your grade and salary and also details the terms and conditions of employment applicable to your post. Full terms and conditions of employment can be found in the West Dunbartonshire Council Manual of Terms and Conditions of Employment for Local Government Employees and in Part 1 and Part 2 (as amended) of the “Red Book”, i.e. the Scottish Joint Council for Local Government Employees National Agreement on Pay and Conditions of Service. The West Dunbartonshire Council Manual of Terms and Conditions of Employment for Local Government Employees is available on the intranet or can be made available by your manager or Human Resources.
Future Changes
If any changes to terms and conditions arise in the future through local or national agreements or arrangements, then these will be automatically incorporated into your terms and conditions. You will be notified of any such changes through the Core Brief, administrative messages, payslip messages and through your manager.
Policies, Procedures and Schemes Where reference is made within this Employee Handbook to a specific Policy, Procedure or Scheme you can obtain the full document from the Intranet, your line manager or Human Resources and Organisational Development.
General Information within the Employee Handbook details the terms and conditions of employment for full-time employees. If your job is part-time a number of conditions, for example annual leave, public holidays, and salary will be pro-rated to hours worked. Further details relevant to you will be contained within your Contract of Employment.
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SECTION 3: WORKING HOURS AND SALARY PAYMENTS This section provides information on our normal working hours, normal salary payments and additional salary payments.
Working Week The Council operates a normal working week of 7.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. Monday to Sunday. Your working hours will be within these hours unless specifically provided otherwise and your Contract of Employment will detail your normal working hours and pattern.
Changes to Working Hours Your hours of work are contractual and are outlined in your Contract of Employment. It is recognised that to meet operational service requirements we need to operate various working patterns. Any changes to working arrangements (rosters or working patterns) would only change, in accordance with current consultative arrangements. Changes to working hours or patterns would be proposed by your manager and would only be introduced once consultative procedures have been concluded.
Working Time Regulations The Working Time Regulations 1998 (Amendment 2003) provide you with basic rights and protection in terms of your working hours. We fully comply with the regulations and would not expect you to work longer than the 48 hour week time limit (an average of 48 hours per week over a 17 week period), unless you have signed a declaration confirming that you have chosen to opt out of the weekly limit. If you have more than one job (including any work outside the Council), and the combined hours are likely to be more than 48 hours, you must agree this with your manager and sign an opt out declaration. Any legislative changes to the Working Time Regulations will be implemented within the Council.
Meal Breaks If you are required to work more than 6 hours continuously you have an entitlement to an unpaid meal break of 30 minutes.
Pay and Grading
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The Council’s current Pay and Grading Structure is attached at Appendix 1. These Pay Scales will be updated and published when any national settlement is agreed, or adopted by the Council. Appendix 2 also provides details of the term time calculator used to calculate the salary for a term time employee.
Job Evaluation As part of the Council’s commitment to ensuring pay equality all posts in the authority covered by the Single Status agreement will be evaluated using the Scottish Council’s Job Evaluation Scheme. This scheme has been endorsed by both sides of the Scottish Joint Council for Local Government Employees and:
• Complies with the Equal Pay Act
• Is free from sex bias
• Follows the ACAS Code of Practice on job evaluation
• Adopts accepted best practice
• Is based on recognised statistical techniques The Job Overview document provides an outline of the job and is designed to support the job evaluation process and is quite different in style and content from job descriptions, job profiles and job outlines used within the Council for recruitment purposes. All posts are evaluated using the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) Gauge software by trained Job Analysts who will consider a full range of post information prior to agreeing a grade for a post. All post grades are in line with the agreed Pay and Grading Structure for the Council.
Pay Frequency Your salary will be paid by BACS transfer direct into your Bank or Building Society on the pay frequency detailed in your Contract of Employment.
Salary Placement on Appointment, Promotion or Regrading Salary placement is normally to the minimum point of the salary scale. In exceptional circumstances, placing above the minimum point of the salary scale may be considered to take account of an individual’s employment history, skills, competencies and experience.
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Incremental Progression Subject to satisfactory performance salary progression through the Grade is by one incremental point each 1 April until the maximum point in the Grade is reached. The first incremental increase following appointment, promotion or regrading is awarded as from 1 April each year, except in the case where the appointment, promotion or regrading is made between 1 October and 31 March in any year. In these circumstances you would be entitled to an increment after 6 months service in the post (i.e. entered service 15 October, increment payable from 15 April, the following year). An increment may be withheld if an employee’s performance is unsatisfactory and does not meet standards. In this event the employee will always have the right to submit an appeal to the Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development. If an increment is withheld because of unsatisfactory performance, and performance subsequently becomes satisfactory the increment may thereupon be reinstated. The increments of any employee may be accelerated within the appropriate salary scale on the grounds of special merit or ability.
Flexible Working Hours Scheme (Flexi) A flexi-hour scheme operates in a number of our service areas. Your Line manager will be able to advise you if the scheme operates within your particular area. The scheme allows employees more freedom to balance their working and personal lives. Your manager can work with you to agree working times that will suit both the needs of the service and yourself. Check the Flexible Working Hours Scheme for full details on how the scheme works.
Alternating/Rotating Shift Allowance To meet operational service requirements some individuals and teams work different working patterns and in these cases a shift premium of 10% will be paid to all pre-determined roster patterns which are designed to meet operational service requirements:
• A shift worker works on rotating shifts in immediate succession, covering a period of 24 hours. Or
• Alternating shifts which from the beginning of the first shift to the end of the second shift, covers an operational period of more than 11 hours i.e. a group of workers may be required to cover an operational period covering more than 11 hours e.g. Worker “A” works from 7.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. (7 hours) Worker “B” covers 2.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. (7 hours) which results in a total operational period of 14 hours.
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Note
• Alternating shift allowances will be paid where the number of “office based hours” shifts do not exceed one half (1 in 2) of the total number of shifts in the rota.
• Day Workers required to work occasional weekend working or to work outside normal office hours (Monday to Friday) will not be entitled to claim shift allowance payments.
Occasional Night Shift Allowance Night shift is recognised as working shifts which are part of your normal working pattern between 10.00 p.m. and 8.00 a.m. If you are required to work night shift you will receive a night shift allowance at 1 ⅓ for each hour worked during the night shift period, when the majority of rostered hours are worked within this period. This allowance is not payable to employees in receipt of irregular hours or alternating/rotating shift allowance.
Overtime Working Managers will in all instances seek to keep overtime working to a minimum; however it is recognised that from time to time to meet operational service requirements overtime working will be necessary. We will do our best to give you reasonable notice of this, but occasionally we may have to deal with unforeseen peaks of work or other operational problems. You don’t have to work extra hours, unless it is a condition of your contract, but if you do we will give you either time off in lieu or pay you for the extra hours worked. Where we do pay, you will receive:
• Plain time for hours worked up to 37 in any week
• Time and a half for hours worked over 37 and up to and including 48 hours in any week
• Double time for hours worked over 48 in any week
• Overtime rate at double time will be paid for hours worked on a public holiday
Overtime rates only apply to posts on Grades 1-7 and all overtime must be authorised by the appropriate departmental manager. Overtime is not normally payable to employees on Grade 8 or above except in exceptional circumstances or in circumstances where service delivery would be inhibited.
Sleep-In Duty Payment This payment is appropriate in establishments which require a staff presence but not necessarily requiring a waking presence during night duty i.e. residential homes.
In this instance staff will be available for duty, when called during night hours (outside the standard operating hours - 7.00 a.m. - 9.00 p.m.).
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The payment will be made to cover the sleeping-in requirement and up to 30 minutes sleep disturbance.
If the sleep disturbance period exceeds 30 minutes during the shift then any period (minus 30 minutes) will be paid at the appropriate overtime rate for that week.
Irregular Hours/Unsocial Hours An out of hours allowance of 10% will be paid to you if you work an average of 8 hours outside the period 1½ hours before and/or 1½ hours after the normal working hours (i.e. outwith core working hours of 7.00 a.m. – 9.00 p.m. Monday – Sunday). This allowance is not payable to employees in receipt of nightworking or alternating/rotating shift allowance.
Standby and Call-out Payments If you are on standby as a requirement of your contract of employment you must be ready, contactable and be available for immediate call out for duty, if and when required at any time outwith normal working hours.
• Standby Payments If you are on standby you will be required to return to work if needed during the standby period. Your contract will detail whether standby is a contractual element of your post. Standard payments for each period on standby are set at national level. Appendix 2 shows the current rate of payment.
• Call Out Payment If you are on stand-by duty and you are called out to work you will be paid a call out payment. In addition overtime will be paid in accordance with our new overtime rates, as outlined in the overtime working section. Appendix 2 shows the current rate of payment.
• Recalling Employees to work (not on standby) If you are not on standby, and are called out to meet an emergency requirement, and agree to return to work you will receive payment for this at the agreed national level. Appendix 2 shows the current rate of payment.
Responsibility Allowance It is recognised that in delivering excellent services there may be a requirement for an employee to undertake a more senior role on a temporary basis (for example to cover long term absence) in this event you will be eligible for a responsibility allowance. This allowance is not usually paid to cover short term absence such as annual leave, unless there are service delivery requirements. In all cases the temporary nature of the additional role will be discussed with you and outcomes agreed. You would only be asked to undertake a more
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responsible role if you have the required competencies/skills to undertake the role. If you are asked to temporarily act up to the duties of a higher graded post you will receive the grade for the higher post, if the full duties (or as comprehensive a range as could be reasonably expected) are undertaken. If the full duties are not undertaken an allowance based on a % of duties undertaken will be paid. The responsibility allowance will normally be paid from the first working day of undertaking the higher duties. Payment of the allowance will be calculated on the bottom of the scale of the higher level post and would be paid as a daily allowance for the number of working days the role is undertaken.
First Aid Allowance If you are designated by the Council to provide first aid as an extra responsibility you will be paid the nationally agreed allowance. You will require to hold and maintain a valid First Aid Certificate and provide evidence of this to your line manager. The current payment is detailed in Appendix 2.
Transferring to a Different Workplace If, through service requirements, we change your normal place of work and you have to pay more for travel as a result, we will pay any additional travel costs you incur at public transport rate for a 4 year period. If your normal place of work is changed during the 4 year period or you move nearer to your location, the travel allowance will be recalculated. If you accept a promoted post in the new location, the travel allowance will cease. Check the Travelling Expenses Scheme for more details.
Travel & Subsistence We don’t cover the cost of travel to and from your normal place of work. If, however you are required to use your own car on council business we will pay you the approved HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) mileage rates. Your vehicle must be taxed and insured for business purposes and you must hold a valid driving licence. Arrangements are made through your department for annual checks to be made on these documents, to ensure that the Council meets its duty of care. Your Head of Service can approve travel expenses for journeys outwith West Dunbartonshire and expenses will normally be based on the cost of the most economic method of travel. For longer journeys and/or overnight stays we will discuss the arrangements with you before you leave. Any hotel bills and incidental expenses you have to pay whilst out on business need to be supported by a receipt before we can consider reimbursing you. Check the Travel & Subsistence Scheme for further details.
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SECTION 4 - HOLIDAY ENTITLEMENT AND LEAVE We give all our employees a generous holiday entitlement, which exceeds the statutory entitlement.
Holiday Entitlement
All local government employees receive a minimum of 24 days holiday entitlement, rising to a maximum of 34 days after 10 years continuous local authority service (or recognised service within the Redundancy Modification Order). This applies to 5 day working patterns, for alternative working patterns equivalent leave entitlements will be calculated.
The annual leave year begins on 1 April and ends on 31 March and any carry-over leave should be used by 30 April of the new annual leave year.
If you join the council or leave the Council part way through the year, your entitlement will be proportionate to your completed service during the leave year.
Rewarding Other Local Authority Service
If you join us directly from another local authority, or a body on the Redundancy Modification Order, you will be pleased to know that your service with your previous authority/body may be recognised for the purposes of enhancing certain of your service entitlements such as annual leave, maternity pay, sickness allowance, and redundancy pay.
Public Holidays
In addition to annual leave there are currently 8 fixed public holidays throughout the year. If you work part-time your public holidays will be pro-rata.
The 8 fixed public holidays as shown below:
• New Year’s Day (or next working day)
• 2 January (or next working day)
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• May Day (first Monday in May)
• September Monday (last Monday in September)
• Christmas Day (or next working day)
• Boxing Day (or next working day) Further guidance on annual and public holiday entitlements can be found in the Annual Leave Scheme.
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Work on a Public Holiday If you are required to work on a public holiday as part of your normal working week you will be paid at double time and time in lieu for the time worked.
Special Leave We will consider requests for leave, other than holidays, which come up from time to time. This may include granting paid or unpaid special leave or asking you to take annual or flexi leave to cover the time. The list below shows the sort of things we will consider:
• Bereavement In the case of a near relative we would give you reasonable paid time off as necessary to deal with funeral arrangements, etc (maximum 5 days). In other cases reasonable time to attend the funeral.
• Medical Treatment We will give you paid time off to attend hospital appointments. For routine appointments for medical treatment we would expect you to arrange this outwith working hours or by using flexi-time.
• Jury and Witness Service If you are called to perform jury duty or attend court as a witness we would expect you to claim loss of earnings allowance from the court. We will pay you the difference to make your pay up to its normal level.
• Public Duties If you are elected to public office we will provide unpaid leave for you to attend meetings as a member of a Community Council or Health Council. If you are elected to work as a Justice of the Peace or are a member of Children’s Panel we would give you up to 10 days paid leave to attend.
• Family and Domestic Emergencies We would cover the time it takes for you to make alternative arrangements to deal with the emergency up to a specified limit. Check the Special Leave Scheme for full details.
• Reservists
An employee who is a member of reserve forces and attends an annual training camp for a period of one week or more will be granted up to 15 days special leave with pay. This will be subject to the deduction of service pay and allowances received in respect of the period of special leave.
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SECTION 5 - FAMILY FRIENDLY POLICIES AND SCHEMES
We believe that individuals should be able to work and enjoy a quality family life, and that the ability to balance life inside and outside of work is key to attracting and retaining the best employees. It is for this reason we are committed to providing a range of family friendly benefits, which in most cases exceed the statutory requirements.
Maternity and Adoption Leave and Pay
We offer excellent maternity and adoption benefits for all employees. The leave and pay entitlements you may be entitled to depend on length of service and earnings. The entitlements include:
• Up to 52 weeks maternity/adoption leave • An additional 12 weeks at half pay on top of statutory entitlements for
employees on maternity or adoption leave (for employees with 26 weeks service at the qualifying period)
• Paid time off to attend ante-natal/pre-adoption meetings • Up to 10 Keep in Touch Days (KIT) days
Our HR Teams are happy to have an individual meeting with you if you are expecting a baby, or adopting a child to ensure you fully understand your employment rights and entitlements and get all the support needed during what can be a happy, but anxious time.
Paternity Leave
Ordinary Paternity leave and pay is a statutory entitlement available to employees to enable them to provide support to an expectant/new mother or some-one adopting a child. Paternity leave and pay is available to the father of the child, or the mother’s husband or partner who meet the following qualifying conditions:
• Have or expect to have responsibility for the child’s upbringing
• Have completed at least 26 weeks continuous service by the 15th week before the baby is due
2 weeks leave is granted, irrespective of the number of children born as the result of a single pregnancy. The leave must be taken within 56 days of the child’s birth and must be taken in 2 consecutive full weeks and not in odd days.
Additional Paternity leave and pay is a statutory entitlement available to parents to give greater flexibility in how they use maternity and paternity provisions. Under the new regulations, fathers or spouses/partners of the
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mother or primary adopter, if eligible, can take a further 26 weeks additional paternity leave and pay.
Additional Paternity leave and pay is available to the father of the child, or the mother’s husband or partner who meet the following qualifying conditions:
• Have or expect to have responsibility for the child’s upbringing
• Have completed at least 26 weeks continuous service by the 15th week before the baby is due
• Requested Additional Paternity Leave 8 weeks before the leave is due to start.
To be eligible for additional paternity pay the mother/primary adopter must have been entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay or Maternity Allowance has returned to work and has ceased to be in receipt of the aforementioned and received less than the full 39 weeks entitlement.
Eligible employees can take a minimum of 2 consecutive weeks to a maximum of 26 weeks leave and must take additional paternity leave after the mother’s first 26 weeks of Maternity leave when the child is over 20 weeks or has been with its adoptive parents for over 20 weeks. For further information on payment for this type of leave please refer to the Employee Guidance Note on Paternity Leave and Pay and Maternity Support Leave
Maternity/Adoption Support Leave
Maternity Support Leave is provided to enable support to an expectant/new mother at or around the time of childbirth in circumstances where the expectant/new mother has no other support available to her. This person is nominated by the expectant mother (normally a close relative) who will assume the main supporting role at the time of the birth.
The nominated carer must have 26 weeks service at the expected week of childbirth.
Maternity Support Leave is not available to support expectant mothers who have a partner unless the partner is unable to be with the expectant mother through circumstances which are exceptional e.g. the father or partner is in prison, the father or partner is serving abroad in armed forces. It would not be granted where the father or partner opts to take statutory paternity leave at a later date.
Up to 2 weeks leave can be granted. The leave must be taken at or around the time of birth to support the mother. The leave must be taken in full weeks and not odd days. For further information on payment for this type of leave please refer to the Employee Guidance Note on Paternity Leave and Pay and Maternity Support Leave
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Parental Leave
If you are a parent of a child age under 14 years (up to 18 years if your child has a disability), and you have completed at least one year continuous service with us you will be eligible for parental leave.
Employees are entitled to 13 weeks parental leave for each child under age 14 years. Parents of children who are disabled are entitled to 18 weeks parental leave up until the child’s 18th birthday.
Right to Request Flexible Working for Parents and Carers You have the right to request flexible working if you meet the criteria within our Scheme. Under our scheme you can request a change to your working arrangements and we will fully consider your request. If we are unable to support your request we will provide you with written reasons for this, and give you an opportunity to appeal our decision.
Job Sharing Scheme Job sharing allows you to share the duties and responsibilities of a full time job with another person. We consider that most of our jobs are suitable for job sharing and will consider any request where you have followed the process as outlined in the Job Sharing Scheme.
Further Information
Further information on the above documents is contained within our Family Leave Policy, supporting procedures and schemes.
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SECTION 6 - HEALTH AND WELLBEING We value all our employees and are fully committed to ensuring a healthy and safe working environment and supporting employee wellbeing.
Health and Safety As an organisation we have a statutory and common law duty to ensure that your health, safety and welfare are not put at risk as a result of our work activities. This includes the provision of a safe working environment. We ensure that management systems are implemented for this purpose, including clear lines of responsibility as outlined in our Health and Safety Policy. Risk assessments are carried out by management in conjunction with the workforce to identify significant risks and to develop, where appropriate safe systems of work, along with adequate training. In addition, individual departments develop health and safety documentation that set out localised arrangements to ensure continued compliance with corporate policies. We also expect you to take reasonable care of your own health, safety and welfare and that of other persons who may be affected by your work activity. We also expect you to co-operate fully with any measures implemented by the organisation to ensure your wellbeing and not to intentionally, or recklessly interfere with, or misuse anything provided for this purpose. All departments are required to develop local health and safety policies and arrangements which shall be maintained and reviewed. These are available to you within your department.
Accidents at Work Whilst our aim is to provide a safe and secure workplace, we recognise that accidents can and do happen. It is important to us, that you promptly report any accident or violent incident you may be involved in to your line manager. Local arrangements will be in place for this purpose and your line manager will advise you of the procedure.
Protective Clothing Every effort will be made in the first instance to remove the hazard at source, thus removing the need for protective clothing. However, where such equipment is required we shall supply you with suitable protective clothing/footwear or other equipment for the identified risk. In the event that such equipment or clothing is made available then it must be worn and treated appropriately.
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Health Surveillance
Taking good care of our workforce depends on having access to others with specialist knowledge. You will have access to occupational health services where necessary.
Health surveillance is a programme of systematic health checks to identify early signs and symptoms of disease, and to allow action to be taken to prevent its progression. There are certain statutory requirements that require employers to implement such management systems.
In the event that your work activity causes an identifiable disease you will be required to participate in any such health surveillance programme organised by the Council.
First Aid We have a list of designated First Aid persons within the workplace. Up-to-date details of current First Aiders are displayed on notice boards throughout the workplace.
Smoking at Work The purpose of our No Smoking in the Workplace Policy is to protect individuals from the effects of tobacco smoke. It is not designed to make people stop smoking. However, the Council is aware that some employees may need to change their smoking habits to comply with the policy, whilst others may decide to stop. Smoking cessation support is offered to employees and further information is contained within the Policy.
Driving at Work As an employer we recognise that driving at work is an essential and integral part of our undertakings. As part of our arrangements it may be necessary for you to attend a driving assessment (even although you hold a current driving license) if you are required to drive a council vehicle. As a driver we require you to comply with the Highway Code at all times. This includes wearing seatbelts and not using mobile phones whilst driving. It is also a requirement to report any defects or concerns to your Line manager.
Safety Representatives As a Council, we recognise that Safety Representatives, have an important role to play in assisting the organisation in identifying potential hazards, participating in health and safety committees, risk assessment working groups and developing safe working practices. In the case of Safety Representatives we also encourage them to undertake 3 monthly inspections of the workplace accompanied by management. It is also hoped that such practices will
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encourage the development of a health and safety culture that will inevitably benefit both the organisation and employees.
Wellbeing Your health is very important to us and we have our own in-house Occupational Health Service to provide support to employees and managers. We recognise that at some time employees may need additional support and we can offer confidential support from the Employee Counselling Service. This is a free confidential resource based in Glasgow and is independent from the Council. You can be referred to the service through your line manager or you can contact them directly on 0800 435 768. Whatever the problem be it financial, family or personal issues, help is only a phone call away. Human Resources will be happy to provide further information and can be contacted on 01389 737373 or at [email protected].
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SECTION 7 - POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AFFECTING HOW WE WORK We have provided a summary of a number of key policies and procedures which you should be aware of.
Absence Procedure We hope you keep good health whilst you work for us and we will do all we can to help you in this. If you fall ill and are unable to attend work you should let us know straight away. Do this by making personal contact with your line manager as soon as possible before you were due to start work - or in extreme cases no later than one hour after you are due to start. If your line manager is not available you have to make personal contact with another manager within the service area, or a designated departmental contact. Your department will provide you with the details of your contact. You need to notify your line manager on the 1st, 4th, 8th and every subsequent 7th day of absence (unless covered for a longer period by a Doctor’s Certificate). If you do not follow this procedure we will consider your absence to be unauthorised, which means that you will not be able to access sick allowance. You need to submit a Self Certificate Form each time you are off ill, and if your absence goes beyond 7 consecutive days you will have to get a Doctor’s Certificate to cover any ongoing absence. If you do not get your certificates in on time we will not be able to pay your sickness allowance. At any time, if we have concerns over your absences, we may refer you to our Occupational Health Service for examination. They may also ask your permission to get a report from your General Practitioner. These facilities and arrangements help us to assist you in better maintaining a good level of attendance. The Council’s Attendance Management Policy outlines what you can expect from the Council and what we will do to manage your attendance at work. You can expect:
• A supportive approach from management
• Fair treatment
• Consistency
• Confidentiality
• A firm approach to employees who abuse the system, and
• A counselling service
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Your manager will:
• Carry out return to work interviews
• Meet with you to discuss your absence and support which can be provided
• Monitor attendance levels, keep records and discuss these with employees
• Keep records of meetings, about your attendance at work The Council will:
• Provide training for employees who need to manage employees attendance at work, and
• Deal quickly with cases of long-term incapacity If you are concerned about an attendance issue please speak to your line manager, who will explain the various stages of the Attendance Management process.
Sickness Allowance The sickness allowance available to you when you are ill is in two parts:- 1. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is a government benefit, and as long as you
qualify for this we will pay it on the government’s behalf for up to 28 weeks. If you do not qualify for SSP you may still be able to get some form of benefit from the Department of Work and Pensions.
2. Occupational Sick Pay Allowance is paid at our discretion and
incorporates any SSP you are entitled to. The current entitlement is shown on the table below, however you need to meet the qualifying period and follow our reporting procedures to be eligible.
Occupational Sick Pay Allowance
Continuous Service on the day your sickness absence starts
Period of Full Pay Period of Half Pay
Less than 26 weeks Nil Nil
26 weeks or more but less than 1 year
5 weeks
5 weeks
1 year but less than 2 years 9 weeks 9 weeks
2 years but less than 3 years 18 weeks 18 weeks
3 years but less than 5 years 22 weeks 22 weeks
5 years and over 26 weeks 26 weeks
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An employee who is paid any damages as the result of an accident will be required to re-pay any sickness allowance advanced, either in total or the proportion thereof represented in the amount of damages received. Any period of absence in such a case where a refund of the advance is made in full, will not be treated as sickness absence.
If you are ill when off on annual leave we might consider that part of your leave as sick leave rather than annual leave. For us to consider this we would need you to submit a Doctor’s Certificate covering the days you were ill. If you are ill on a public holiday you will be treated as having taken the public holiday as normal and no payment or time off in lieu will be made.
Matters of Conduct or Concern We need to make you aware of our expected standards of conduct whilst you work for us. If you don’t adhere to these standards then we will consider treating any breaches under our disciplinary processes. Our requirement of you is that you will:-
• Be honest in all dealings with us and others with whom you work
• At all times behave in a respectful and tolerant manner with colleagues, customers and others with whom we work
• Not abuse our facilities or property
• Not disclose confidential information which you may come into contact with during your work
• Be frank and upfront about any commercial interest you may have in any business we deal with
• Not publish or profit from any work done within our organisation as this belongs to us until such time as we give permission for its use
• Not accept any gift, (except small incidental items e.g. pens, calendars, etc), favour or inducement from any organisation you deal with. If you do accept a gift you should ensure that this is registered
• Follow our policies, procedures and aims regardless of any personal or political beliefs you may have
Our Code of Conduct gives all the details and if you are in any doubt please speak to your line manager
Discipline We want to maintain the highest possible standards of attendance, conduct and performance and our disciplinary processes are here to help you to do this.
• Informal Action
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Most often you should expect us to try and deal with any minor difficulties in an informal manner first. Your Line manager will speak to you and confirm any improvements required or support identified. This is not formal action at this stage, simply confirmation of required action.
• Formal Action We will follow our formal process when attempts to have improvements dealt with under the informal process have not been successful. We will also use our formal process straight away for more serious matters. In our formal disciplinary process we will follow these principles:
• We will not take any action without giving you the chance to state your case, and a reasonable investigation has taken place
• If we feel you may have committed a very serious breach of discipline we may suspend you on full pay whilst the matter is being investigated
• We do not normally dismiss anyone for a first offence - unless it is a very serious one
• If we ask you to attend a formal disciplinary hearing you can be accompanied by either a trade union representative or a colleague
• We will give you as much information/documents relating to the matter as is possible for you to prepare for any formal meeting
• If we take action against you (other than to dismiss you) we will be clear on the improvement we are seeking and the timescale within which we want this to be achieved
• You will have a right of appeal if we take any action Check the Disciplinary Procedures for further details.
Raising a Grievance We want to ensure you feel comfortable that any issues or disputes you raise will be looked at and resolved wherever possible. You are encouraged to raise concerns at the lowest possible level and we will do our best to resolve these quickly.
• Informal Action Most often you should try and have your concerns dealt with in an informal manner first. Raise any concerns with your Line manager who will discuss these with you and attempt to find a satisfactory resolution. If this approach does not work you can use our formal process.
• Formal Action - Stage 1 You can submit a Stage 1 grievance to your Head of Service, and a nominated Senior Officer will arrange to meet you and consider your grievance. You will be notified of the outcome of this meeting. If you are not satisfied with the outcome and feel that the matter has not been resolved you can appeal this outcome.
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• Formal Action - Stage 2 You can submit a Stage 2 grievance to your Head of Service, and a nominated Senior Officer will arrange to meet you and consider your grievance. You will be notified of the outcome of this meeting. If you are not satisfied with the outcome and feel that the matter has not been resolved you can appeal this outcome.
• Formal Action - Stage 3 You should submit details of your appeal in writing to the Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development within 14 days requesting that the matter be heard by the Appeals Panel. Attempts can still be made by both parties to resolve the grievance prior to the Appeals Panel meeting. For details on the full process refer to the Grievance Procedures.
Dignity at Work We are fully committed to creating a workplace that ensures our employees are treated with respect at all times. Any form of harassment, victimisation, discrimination or bullying will not be tolerated and we have a separate Dignity at Work Policy which gives full details. The key points from our Policy which affect you include:-
• You are required to ensure you take personal responsibility within the scope of our policy to ensure that any harassment does not occur
• Your behaviour should be such as to not cause offence or discriminate against colleagues and/or others
• You should draw our attention to any apparent instances of harassment
• If you feel that you have been subjected to a breach of the policy you should raise this matter in line with the arrangements set out in the policy
Support for Employees Experiencing Domestic Violence The Domestic Abuse Policy applies to any employee who may be experiencing domestic abuse or may be the perpetrator of domestic abuse. We will provide support to you if you are experiencing domestic abuse and will take all steps practicable to help eliminate domestic violence. If reasonable grounds are established that an employee is guilty of perpetrating domestic violence (whether or not there has been a criminal conviction) then consideration will be given as to whether there is a conflict between such behaviour and the employee's job. Where a conflict is identified then appropriate disciplinary action may be taken.
Further information is contained within the Domestic Abuse Policy.
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Alcohol/Substance Misuse We operate a zero tolerance approach to alcohol or substance misuse in the workplace. If an employee has an alcohol or substance misuse problem, we will try to help them as far as possible. This policy aims to help identify problems and make sure that managers, employees and trades unions have the confidence to deal with them effectively once they come to light.. All our employees are expected to report for work completely free from the effects of alcohol or other illegal substances and remain free from these effects for the duration of their working day or shift If you have, or think you might have, an alcohol or substance misuse problem, or for more information on the Policy you can speak to your manager, HR, or a trades union representative.
Safer Recruitment Many of our posts involve working with children or vulnerable adults. The aim of our Safer Recruitment guidance is to help us make safer recruitment decisions. The guidance outlines when and how we obtain checks from Disclosure Scotland for job applicants to posts that involve working with children and/or vulnerable adults. The Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme allows us to monitor that an applicant’s history does not make the individual unsuitable for the job. We operate a strict confidentiality process when dealing with disclosure information, and individuals with criminal records will have the opportunity to explain the circumstances of any convictions disclosed.
Organisational Change Policy As a large organisation we are constantly looking at how we can provide services most effectively. This may mean we have to reorganise or change the number of people employed in a particular area. If the Council needs to reduce the number of employees, we will work with trades unions to make sure that compulsory redundancies are kept to a minimum. The Organisational Change Policy sets out the steps to be followed when the Council needs to reorganise services or when a service needs to reorganise the services it provides. As well as guidance on how to manage change the policy and guidelines aim to:-
• Make sure that there is open and honest discussion between managers, trades unions and employees in any change situation
• Make sure that employees affected by the change are involved in what happens
• Provide guidance on how an employee or group of employees should be matched to new jobs after reorganisation or restructuring of services
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• Give guidance on alternatives to compulsory redundancy when it is necessary to reduce employee numbers.
Restructuring and Redeployment Protocol In order to support Organisational change a restructuring and redeployment protocol is available to support employees to find suitable alternative employment within the organisation.
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SECTION 8 - BENEFITS AND FACILITIES FOR COUNCIL EMPLOYEES
We offer an excellent employment benefits package to all our employees and we have listed some information below on the benefits you can enjoy.
Local Government Pension Scheme If you are going to work for us for longer than 3 months you will be able to join the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) - which is a very secure scheme as the benefits are defined and set out in law. Your contributions are based on your rate of pay in line with the contribution rate set out by Strathclyde Pension Fund Office (SPFO) and you will be provided with details of the contribution rate. You also benefit from tax relief on your contributions when they are deducted from your pay and lower National Insurance contributions. We will also make a contribution to your pension. The Pension Scheme offers:
• Pension based on your final salary
• Pension increasing each year in line with price inflation
• Ability to exchange some of your pension providing a tax free lump sum
• Death in service benefit
• Tiered ill-health retirement Details of the scheme can be obtained from Strathclyde Pension Fund Office (SPFO) 0845 213 0202 or from their website at: www.spfo.org.uk. In addition you can choose to top up your tax free lump sum and your pension by purchasing Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC’s). Further information on this option is available from Prudential on 0845 607 0077 or from their website www.pru.co.uk/localgov
Retirement You can retire at any age of your choosing in line with notice requirements and appropriate employer consent. The Local Government Pension Scheme normal retirement age is 65, and if you are a member of the Scheme have right to access your pension benefits from this age. If you are a member of the LGPS, and wish to retire at age 65 or beyond you must provide your Line Manager with 4 months notice of your intended retirement date, to ensure the Council meets administrative requirements and notice periods set out by the Pension Fund administrators.
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Savings and Investments
You have the option of joining the Scotwest Credit Union. Scotwest offers its members a unique range of savings accounts, loans and other products and benefits. These include:
• Easy savings made by automatic payroll deduction from pay • Easy repayment of loans as deducted direct from pay • Competitive rates of interest on savings • Quick loan decisions • No hidden fees or charges • Free loan protection insurance (conditions apply)
Check their website for further information and an application form - http://www.scotwest.co.uk
Specsavers Premium Club Vouchers
You can benefit from savings of up £20 on spectacles from Specsavers. The Premium Club voucher can be used against spectacles from their £99 or above range. Not only can you use this voucher for yourself but you can also claim another 2 vouchers which can be given to family members or friends.
Cycle to Work Scheme
We support the Government scheme to encourage healthier journeys to work and to reduce environmental pollution. We have introduced a Cycle to Work Scheme where you agree to sacrifice part of your gross salary in return for the hire of a bike and any related safety equipment. The Scheme is offered on an annual basis and information on the scheme will be published on the intranet site.
Long Service Awards
We value the service of our employees and we have long service awards for employees who reach 25 or 35 years service.
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SECTION 9 - MISCELLANEOUS
Employee Development We are committed to providing all employees with effective learning and development opportunities. The ongoing training, skills development, and learning of our employees is fundamental to ensure we have a highly skilled and talented workforce who achieve their personal best and deliver the highest quality services to our customers. A range of learning and development opportunities are provided through departmental training plans or the Organisational Development team. All employees are encouraged to discuss their personal development needs with their line manager and agree a plan which will facilitate the required support, training, and continuous development.
Employee Communication We value our employees and believe that good employee communications are important. In our drive to create an environment of trust, we recognise that all employees are entitled to information that impacts on their work life and we fulfil our responsibility to provide this. We encourage our employees to share information with each other and with the Council, without worry, so that we can all improve the services we provide to our communities. In communicating with our employees, we are committed to:
• Communicating with employees in an open and honest way
• Ensuring that employees are given priority in receiving information that is relevant to their job
• Ensuring employees receive information about Council and service developments directly from the Council and as early as possible
• Encouraging two-way communication with employees and listening to their views
• Involving trades unions and elected members in the communication process
You can obtain a copy of the Internal Communications Strategy on the Intranet.
Trades Union/Partnership Working The Council is committed to working in partnership with all our recognised trades unions. You have the right to choose to join a trades union if you wish.
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Equal Opportunities West Dunbartonshire Council is committed to ensuring that the ethos and principles of equality of opportunity and valuing diversity are embedded in all aspects of service delivery and are a guiding principle for all its activities. The Council strives to embrace a positive attitude towards the promotion of equality and diversity and to create a working environment which is inclusive of everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation. You can find out more about our approach to equalities by visiting the Council’s public website at: http://www.wdcweb.info/law-and-licensing/equality-and-diversity/
Personal Information You need to keep us up to date with any changes to your personal details such as home address, next of kin, and emergency contacts. You should also tell your line manager or appropriate person if you have any particular allergies or conditions that may be important in any emergency. We will keep all your confidential details secure at all times and will not inappropriately disclose these to any third parties without your knowledge or consent. We expect our employees to keep up to date with council tax payments and we reserve the right to use computerised payroll file information to identify council tax arrears. We also participate in an anti-fraud initiative organised by Audit Scotland and are required to provide them with details of employees to enable comparison with other information provided by us and other public bodies to ensure that public funds are being paid to individuals entitled to them.
ICT Access Security Agreement Form The Council has a large investment in the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) which is used to the benefit of all departments. In many areas of work the use of ICT is vital and must be protected from any form of disruption or loss of service. It is therefore essential that the availability, integrity and confidentiality of the ICT systems and data be maintained at a level, which is appropriate for the Council’s needs. When you commence employment with the Council you will be issued with 3 copies of the Access Security Agreement form, regardless of whether or not you have authorised access to WDC computer equipment. You should complete and return 2 copies of the form (yellow and white) with your acceptance form to HR Connect for processing. You should retain the blue copy for your own information.
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Appendix 1: Pay and Grading Structure 1 April 2010 Grade Spinal Column
Points Hourly Rates
£ Annual Salary
35 hours Annual Salary
37 hours
1
3 5 7 9
6.36 6.56 6.75 6.96
11606 11971 12318 12701
12270 12655 13022 13427
2
12 14 16 18
7.29 7.49 7.73 7.94
13304 13669 14106 14490
13967 14353 14816 15221
3
22 24 26 28
8.44 8.70 8.96 9.23
15402 15877 16351 16844
16282 16784 17285 17806
4
31 33 35 37
9.65 9.95
10.26 10.56
17610 18158 18723 19271
18617 19195 19793 20372
5
40 42 44 46
11.04 11.36 11.71 12.07
20147 20731 21370 22027
21298 21915 22591 23285
6
50 52 54 56
12.81 13.20 13.59 14.01
23377 24089 24800 25567
24713 25465 26218 27028
7
61 63 65 67
15.11 15.56 16.02 16.51
27574 28395 29235 30129
29150 30018 30905 31851
8
70 72 74 76
17.26 17.77 18.32 18.85
31498 32428 33432 34399
33298 34282 35343 36365
9
79 81 83 85
19.73 20.33 20.95 21.57
36005 37100 38232 39363
38063 39220 40416 41612
10
88 90 92 94
22.57 23.24 23.94 24.68
41188 42411 43688 45039
43542 44834 46185 47612
11
97 99
101 103
25.80 26.57 27.37 28.19
47082 48488 49948 51444
49773 51258 52802 54384
12
106 108 110 112
29.49 30.40 31.29 32.24
53816 55477 57101 58835
56892 58647 60364 62197
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Appendix 2: National Agreed Rates for Specific Allowances/Payments
Sleeping-in Duty Payments From 1 April 2010 - the nightly payment will be at a rate of £33.30
Standby Duty and Call-out Payments
• Standby Duty Payments From 1 April 2010 – the standby payment will be at a rate of £80.76 for each complete week of standby duty actually performed, plus £15.16 for each general or public holiday in that week. For broken periods of standby duty payment will be as follows: Monday – Friday - £8.05 per night Saturday - £17.13 or 24 hours Sunday/General or Public Holidays- £23.34 or 24 hours Each 24 hour period of standby duty is to commence at the beginning of the working day (or at the same hour on non-working days).
• Disturbance and Call Out Payments Employees undertaking standby duty, who are contacted or called out in accordance with the agreed arrangements will be paid on the following basis: From 1 April 2010: (i) for each occasion on which the employee is contacted which results in
the use of the skills for which the standby duty is required, either at the employee’s home or elsewhere, a payment of £12.90 will be made. An employee will, however, only be entitled to one such payment within each period of 2 hours commencing with the start of the standby session.
(ii) Where an employee becomes entitled to a payment as above, and
where that, or subsequent call out is in excess of one hour, the employee will be entitled to further payment for the whole of the period or call-out at the appropriate overtime rates.
• Payments for Employees not on Standby Employees not undertaking standby duty but who are contacted our called out will be paid on the following basis:-
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From 1 April 2010 (i) for each occasion on which the employee is contacted which results in
the exercise of skills for which the standby duty is required, either at the employee’s home or elsewhere, a payment of £17.74 will be made. An employee will, however, only be entitled to one such payment within each period of 2 hours commencing with the start of the notional standby session, and
(ii) Where an employee becomes entitled to a payment as above, and
where that, or subsequent call out is in excess of one hour, the employee will be entitled to further payment for the whole of the period or call-out at the appropriate overtime rates.
First Aid Allowance
From 1 October 2010 an annual allowance of £362.34.
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Term Time Calculator
Weeks Worked
38 39 40 41 42
<1 44.4 45.4 46.4 47.4 48.4
1 44.6 45.6 46.6 47.6 48.6
2 44.8 45.8 46.8 47.8 48.8
3 45.0 46.0 47.0 48.0 49.0
4 45.2 46.2 47.2 48.2 49.2
5 45.4 46.4 47.4 48.4 49.4
6 45.6 46.6 47.6 48.6 49.6
7 45.8 46.8 47.8 48.8 49.8
8 46.0 47.0 48.0 49.0 50.0
9 46.2 47.2 48.2 49.2 50.2
Years Service
10 46.4 47.4 48.4 49.4 50.4
Paid Weeks (Inc. PH and AL
entitlement)
Example: A term time (39 week) Clerical Assistant works 15 hours per week and has 8 years service. Using the table above they are entitled to 47 paid weeks per year – looking at weeks worked and years service equals 47 paid weeks. To calculate their term time salary the following formula should be used Number of Hours Worked x Number of Paid Weeks x Hourly Rate. The Clerical assistant (grade 3) on the top point earns £9.23 per hour (provided in Appendix 1) Number of Hours Worked x Number of Paid Weeks x Hourly Rate. 15 hours x 47 paid weeks x £9.23 hourly rate = £6,507.15 (salary per annum)
