HR policies and statements

The purpose of the Adverse Weather Policy document is to provide an acceptable procedure for attendance at work in times of adverse weather.

Whilst the Council will treat employees that encounter difficulties in attending work during adverse weather conditions in a sympathetic manner, it must be recognised that, where possible, services have to be maintained.

The aim of this policy is to provide acceptable working practices whilst safeguarding the health, safety and welfare of employees.

North Ayrshire Council has procedures in place to support employees who need to be away from the workplace. In the main, this is facilitated by our generous annual leave entitlement and supported by policies and procedures which may apply, depending on personal circumstances.

Annual leave entitlement

The annual leave year runs from 1 January to 31 December.

Entitlement is dependent on length of continuous service.

A full time employee will be entitled to annual leave as follows:

Regardless of length of service, every full time employee gets 12 public holidays, either fixed or floating.

Part-time employees

Entitlement for a part time employee is calculated using this formula:

(Weekly contracted hours divided by Full-time weekly hours) times Full-time annual leave entitlement (hours)

Holiday entitlement differs for teachers and chief officers.

Personal days

Personal days allow you, if necessary, to apply to take up to three days of your annual leave entitlement (per leave year) at short notice.

Personal days are not an addition to your existing annual leave entitlement. They simply allow you to apply for a days' unplanned annual leave at short notice. Before requesting a personal day, you should consider:

• any diary commitments you have
• the impact your absence will have on both your workload and your colleagues

For more information see our HR Guide: Personal Days document.

Special leave

Our Special Leave Scheme provides for time off under employment legislation, known as statutory leave, for example time off for: Jury Duty, antenatal appointments.

In addition, the scheme provides employees with additional support, in the form of non-statutory time off work. The intention of non-statutory time off is to support employees who have no other leave to use, and where at the discretion of the council, the leave can be authorised as 'Special Leave'.

Employee Volunteering Policy

North Ayrshire Council supports employees who wish to do volunteer work within the community or for charitable institutions. See our Employee Volunteering Policy document.

It is expected that the majority of volunteering should take place outside of work. Where this is not possible the council will try to facilitate volunteering through flexible working options.

North Ayrshire Council is committed to:

• being an excellent employer
• ensuring that its employees and communities are safe and protected
• promoting equal opportunity
• combating social exclusion
• providing first rate support for employee welfare.

The support available includes the policies, procedures and guidance highlighted below.

Alcohol & other Addictions Support

North Ayrshire Council recognises that alcohol/drug/solvent related problems and gambling addictions are areas of health and social concern and can have an adverse effect on employment.

The council aims to ensure that all employees are made aware of the dangers of alcohol, drug misuse and gambling addiction, and that our employees are encouraged to seek help and guidance on how to deal with these issues.

Domestic Abuse Support

Domestic abuse is unacceptable and inexcusable. For many victims of domestic abuse there is no escape, even when they go to work. North Ayrshire Council is committed to assisting and supporting any employee, both male and female, who are experiencing domestic abuse. The Domestic Abuse Policy document provides a framework of support for any employee who is a victims of domestic abuse.

Employee Health & Safety

The Council’s corporate Health & Safety team provide support across a spectrum of areas, including:

• Stress Management
• Fire Safety
• Lone Working
• Risk Assessment
• Audits
• Incident Investigation

As an employer, North Ayrshire Council is responsible for setting the direction of effective health and safety management, and for developing and approving the Corporate Health, Safety & Wellbeing Policy document.

Menopause and the workplace

Menopause and the workplace guidance document outlines how employees can gain help and support within the workplace. It should be recognised that this is a very personal experience, and different levels of support may be needed. With women making up over 70% of the council’s workforce, there is a need to better understand possible implications on health and work.

Occupational Health

The council’s Occupational Health service is the main source of support for our employees. Employees can self-refer, or be referred by their manager. If an employee is referred to Occupational Health by their manager, both employee and manager receive a report providing guidance on any support available.

North Ayrshire Council has a number of policies in place to support employees who are expecting a baby, or have been newly matched for adoption.

Our Maternity Scheme document and Adoption Scheme document set out an employee’s statutory right to leave and pay, and also provide information on our Occupational Scheme.

Our HR Guide: Shared Parental Leave document provides guidance on the new statutory right for new parents to share leave.

Entitlements

All employees are entitled to take up to 52 weeks leave, and you may be entitled to Statutory or Occupational pay during this period, depending on whether you satisfy the qualifying criteria as set out in the Schemes.

Shared Parental Leave

Shared Parental Leave (SPL) is designed to give parents much more flexibility in how they share the care of their child in the first year following birth/adoption. Parents can share a pot of leave, and can decide to be off work at the same time and/or taking it in turns to have periods of leave to look after their child.

An employee taking SPL can split their leave into, up to, 3 separate blocks instead of taking it all in one go, even if they aren't sharing the leave with their partner. Requests for (up to 3) discontinuous blocks will be considered but may not be granted, as this decision will be made by taking into account the exigencies of the service. If both parents are taking SPL then they can take their leave at the same time as each other, or at different times. Combined time off can only reach a maximum of 50 weeks leave and 37 weeks pay.

Time off to support your partner

Employees can take up to 2 weeks Paternity Leave in order to support the new mother/Principal Carer at the time of the birth/being matched for Adoption. This time off is paid at the statutory rate.

North Ayrshire Council are committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process.

As a Disability Confident Employer, the Council has introduced the See Me CV within the recruitment process for disabled candidates applying for Modern Apprentice roles. Disabled candidates will be guaranteed an interview provided they meet the essential criteria for the post.

See our HR Guide: See Me CV document for full details.

North Ayrshire Council recognises the importance of high standards of attendance at work in maintaining high levels of service delivery to the community it serves. The Council also recognises that from time to time employees will be unable to work because of ill health.

See our Wellbeing at Work (Supporting Attendance Policy) document for full details.

If Council employee suspects wrongdoing within the Council, there are a number of ways this can be dealt with. Normally the first step would be to report this to your Manager, whom failing your Head of Service or Executive Director. The Council also has existing policies and procedures to deal with disciplinary and grievance issues which involve individual members of staff. It has a Corporate Fraud Hotline which allows both public and employees to confidentially report potential cases of fraud. However, there will be other occasions when it is not possible or appropriate to use these procedures.

This Whistleblowing Policy document relates to such occasions, when in the course of their work, Council workers (including agency workers) become aware of serious wrongdoing in the Council or have information regarding malpractice. These acts or omissions may be committed by an individual, more than one individual in the Council or external contractors working for the Council.

North Ayrshire Council, as an employer of choice, has a number of policies and procedures in place to allow employees to achieve a work life balance either through a permanent arrangement, or on an ad-hoc basis.

Work Life Balance

The Work Life Balance Policy and Procedure document is in place to allow employees to apply to make a permanent change their working pattern, to support a better balance between work and home.

There are different options available, as detailed in the HR Guide: Work Life Balance Options document.

Flexible Working Hours Scheme

Most of our full time employees work 35 hours per week. A flexible working scheme is in operation in some parts of the council. This scheme affords employees the opportunity to vary their start and finish times so they can maintain a comfortable work-life balance.

Eligible employees can arrange their working times based on workload, patterns of work within their service, and other commitments, whilst providing the most efficient service possible.

Find out more in our Flexible Working Hours Scheme document.

Workstyles

North Ayrshire Council supports a flexible and skilled workforce by introducing more flexibility around how and where employees carry out their work, enabling them to maximise their productivity and performance, whilst embracing the changes that have evolved around the ways we are working.

North Ayrshire Council has identified, through consultation, four different Workstyles document. Each post in the council can be attributed to one of these styles:

• In Building - More than 90% of time spent primarily at a single base or location.
• Mobile - More than 90% of time spent primarily working on a mobile basis across multiple Council facilities and/or home.
• Agile - 100% of time spent working agile (flexibly) and interacting with others. Able to work at home, office or multiple locations.
• Home - More than 90% of time working at home, with the requirement to attend Council locations as the role requires.

If you want to work at a set location or time each week you will need to apply via the Work Life Balance Policy and Procedure. This is because it would be considered a fundamental change to your contract of employment.

Working Time Regulations

All working patterns agreed must comply with the Working Time Regulations. Our HR Guide: Working Time Regulations document includes guidance on having 2 or more jobs, and working more than 48 hours per week. If you have any questions regarding these regulations please contact Human Resources & Organisational Development.

We actively encourage Trade Union engagement and membership. The provision of facility time provides the space and time for Trade Union representatives to engage in workplace matters with their own members and managers to enable effective joint working between union representatives and employers.

Facility time data is legally required by the Trade Union (Facility Time Publication Requirements) Regulations 2017. It is available for you to view in our Facility Time Statement document.

Our Fair Work First Statement document confirms our commitment to ensuring fair working practices are in place in support of ‘Fair Work First.’

Fair Work First is the Scottish Government's flagship policy for driving high quality and fair work across the labour market in Scotland by applying fair work criteria to grants, other funding and contracts being awarded by and across the public sector, where it is relevant to do so. Through this approach, the Scottish Government is asking employers to adopt fair working practices.