HR Bulletin - June 2021
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the June edition of our HR Bulletin. We are now half way through the year and on our third edition already! There are some interesting articles below for you to escalate to your teams. For additional information on any of the below articles please contact karen.baker@moray.gov.uk
MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING SURVEY
The Mental Health & Wellbeing Survey launched on 7th June 2021. COVID has brought significant change to our lives and to help shape future working practices it’s important to understand how our staff are managing at work while balancing life demands, and the impact both personally and professionally.
Colleagues should be supported to complete the survey when working and while we hope most will complete the electronic survey, there will be paper copies for those with no computer access.
The survey will close on 9th July 2021 with the results being analysed and recommendations for any improvements.
If you have any queries on the survey please contact kayley.kearns@moray.gov.uk
BREXIT
The deadline of 30 June 2021 for applications to be made to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) is nearly upon us. All EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members, who were resident in the UK by 31 December 2020, should apply without delay so that they can continue to work, study, access free healthcare and benefits in the UK after 30 June 2021.
A range of support is available to those that need help to apply. The following link provides information on where to get support. www.gov.uk/help-eu-settlement-scheme and there is also further information available for staff on the Interchange http://interchange.moray.gov.uk/int_standard/Page_137024.html
CYCLE TO WORK SCHEME
This year’s scheme opened on 31st May and lasts for 5 weeks before closing on 2nd July 2021. This is an opportunity for all employees to hire a bike (manual or electric) and accessories up to £2000 and pay for them over a 12 month period direct from their salary, with the option of purchasing the bike at the end of the extended hire agreement. If you want to have a look at any bikes please visit Halfords, Cycle Circle in Elgin or The Bike Bothy in Forres or you can look on-line too. To qualify for the scheme the bike should be utilised for 50% of travel to your work place. This is a hire agreement so please ensure you fully read all the terms and conditions surrounding the scheme.
Further details can be found online at www.cycle2work.info or by calling 0345 504 6444.
LONG SERVICE AWARDS
The Long Service Awards (2020) will be distributed shortly.
There are 76 awards for the first half of 2021 to be distributed across the various services within the council and we very much appreciate the employees dedicated service over the years including 2 employees celebrating 40 years’ service.
REFRESHER TRAINING FOR BUDGET MANAGERS
Following recent requests from the triennial budget manager declaration exercise and the fact we needed to look at alternative training options for face to face meetings, a new CLIVE (Learnpro) module has been designed for all budget managers for refresher training. This module will not replace the initial training for new budget managers which will still be completed by the service accountant. This is a refresher training module to remind you of your responsibilities, support available and important documents you should be aware of.
You can access CLIVE (Learnpro) from the Interchange home page or http://interchange.moray.gov.uk/int_standard/Page_107125.html
SCOTTISH MILITARY COMMUNITY PAGE
We are continuing to update the Scottish Military page monthly with updates from Age Scotland for our service veterans, and information directly from a Major in the Scottish Military for our serving personnel. You can find details on the Interchange:http://interchange.moray.gov.uk/int_standard/Page_134613.html
PRE RETIREMENT COURSES
Affinity Connect are running 2 hour pre-retirement courses to anyone considering retirement within the next 3 years. The courses will encourage a positive and realistic approach to a financially secure retirement and help employees make informed choices.
Monday 28th June 2021 @ 1.00pm - 3.00pm (online via Microsoft Teams)
Tuesday 14th September 2021 @ TBC (hopefully Classroom based)
Thursday 18th November 2020 @ TBC (hopefully Classroom based)
Spaces are available to book via Learnpro or by emailing organisational.development@moray.gov.uk
RISK ASSESSMENTS
A reminder that risk assessments for operational activities should be reviewed regularly in the light of Covid, and as the level changes come into play e.g. when we moved from Level 2 to 1, and any future changes.
Also, risk assessments for buildings and activities should be sent to the ICT service desk at ict.servicedesk-new@moray.gov.uk for hosting on the Covid pages on interchange so that staff can make themselves aware of the Covid-related requirements.
EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION SCHEME
There’s been a great response to the employee appreciation scheme launched on interchange, and it can be a huge morale boost to say a simple thank you.
You can look at the messages submitted so far, and see how you can thank an individual or team, via interchange: Employee Appreciation Scheme - interchange.
For any queries please contact kayley.kearns@moray.gov.uk
MANAGERS FORUM
The Organisational Development team are encouraging managers to attend the virtual monthly managers’ forum. These are virtual networking groups where managers can choose whether to actively participate or simply listen in to the discussion.
Previous sessions have explored:-
- Promoting Mental Health
- Motivating Staff Remotely
- Mental Health Initiatives
- Different Approaches to Performance Management
The forum can be a great way for managers to connect over shared experiences in a proactive, non-judgemental and supportive environment. It offers managers a chance to:-
- Take time to take a step back, pause and reflect
- Check in to see how others are doing
- Capture and share learning on what’s working and what could be done differently
- Build on positives achieved
These sessions are facilitated by the OD team, the topics and direction of the forum are led by those in attendance. As such we would love to hear from our managers any ideas or suggestions for forum topics that we can explore in future sessions.
Invitations will be sent before each session but if you have any questions in the meantime please don’t hesitate to get in contact via glen.dunn@moray.gov.uk
INCIDENT REPORTING
Effective incident reporting has an important role to play in managing health and safety. It helps to keep managers abreast of what is happening in their service and it can aid in highlighting unwanted trends in the safety culture of an organisation.
The Council has an incident reporting procedure but we suspect that it is not capturing everything that is happening and on the ground and improvement is needed. Managers are at the centre of this and we require their assistance in improving our performance in this area.
What needs to be reported?
- All accidents that cause injury or ill health to employees, service users and members of the public
- Near misses and dangerous occurrences, i.e. unintended incidents that caused equipment damage or could have caused human harm
- Incidents of violence and aggression to staff
How should incidents be reported?
- Serious incidents must be reported immediately to the Service Manager and the Health and Safety Team, i.e. by telephone or e-mail
- An Internal Incident Report form must be completed for all injuries, near misses and dangerous occurrences
- A Work Related Violent Incident Report form must be completed where a staff member is physically or verbally assaulted
- Both forms can be found on the Interchange
Who should complete the form?
- Managers or supervisors should complete the form in conjunction with the staff member involved or affected
- Ensure all relevant sections are completed
- Use the form to investigate what happened and how it can be avoided in future
What happens to the form?
- The original should be kept by the manager in a secure file for at least 3 years
- A copy must be sent to HR Admin who will notify the H&S Team. (The exception to this rule is V&A incidents in schools where the forms should be sent to Education Central Admin instead.)
- It is best practice to send a copy to the Service Manager but it is up to services to determine their own notification procedures
Some types of serious incidents have also to be reported online to the HSE under RIDDOR, eg, fatalities, broken bones, over 7 day absences, certain work related illnesses, specific types of dangerous occurrences, etc. The criteria for RIDDOR can be very ambiguous and there is the potential for unnecessary reporting so the Health and Safety Team must be contacted for advice before making a report.
More information on the Council’s incident reporting procedures are available on the interchange and the HSE website can be consulted if you want more information on RIDDOR.
SECONDMENT GUIDANCE
A reminder has been requested for managers and employees to be aware of the guidance around secondments.
Secondments arise where there is an opportunity for employees to apply for an advertised temporary role performing different duties from those that they are currently employed to do, or they are temporarily transferred to an organisation out with the Council.
There is secondment guidance available on the intranet which sets out the clear procedures to be followed and identifies a number of important factors which require to be considered by both the individual and employing department before a secondment is made.
If an employee wishes to be seconded to another role that has been advertised on the Council website, it is their responsibility to identify such opportunities and raise this with their line manager prior to applying for the post as a secondment.
If they them wish to apply for the vacancy on a secondment basis, they must seek approval from their line manager to support their secondment from their current role before the application is made. The line manager must respond to the employee’s initial request within 7 days.
The employee’s request should be assessed and a recommendation made based on a thorough evaluation of the situation. Factors to be taken into account are outlined in the secondment guidance.
Only after careful consideration, should a decision be made on whether a secondment is granted. If the employee is successful at interview, the host department should not offer a secondment until agreement has been made. When clearance has been established the host and parent department should enter into a written agreement in relation to the services of the secondee and the period of secondment. The purpose of this is to avoid any misunderstanding which could prejudice the employment of the secondee and success of any future secondments.
You can find further information here: http://intranet.moray.gov.uk/secure/docs/pandplib/hr_human%20resources/secondment%20guide.pdf