Our Future Workplace - Extension to the Hybrid Working Scheme
North Lanarkshire Council · 16 March 2023
Back to Policy and Strategy Committee — 16 March 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Policy and Strategy Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref FW/LC/JH Date 16/03/23 Our Future Workplace – Extension to the Hybrid Working Scheme From Fiona Whittaker, Chief Officer (People Resources). E-mail whittakerf@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07973 728628 Executive Summary The Council has a clear ambition to create a more agile and collaborative workplace environment that will enable our employees to work digitally, flexibly, and in locations which are closer to, and within our communities. Underpinning this ambition is a focus on creating a positive workplace experience for all our employees, regardless of level, whilst maintaining productivity and performance and ensuring we retain our position as an employer of choice, in an increasingly competitive labour market context. Over the last two years, and accelerated by the requirements of the pandemic, the Council has been on a journey to develop flexible workspaces and technology that have brought several significant benefits to our staff and services. These include collaboration tools which allow the remote sharing of ideas and co-creation of solutions; reduced travel to enable more effective use of time; reduced overall carbon footprint; increased staff engagement through connected teams; and improved data governance and information security. All of this has been supported by appropriate health, safety and workforce policies and guidance that promote flexible working and uphold our duty of care towards all staff, wherever they are working. Following approval at Policy and Strategy Committee on the 2nd December 2021, the Council implemented its first temporary Hybrid Working Scheme for an initial period of 12 months, effective from 1st April 2022. The implementation of the scheme was based on significant manager, staff and trade union consultation, and we have continued to survey staff during the operation of the scheme. Our first 12 months will now come to an end in March 2023, and this report seeks approval for the proposed next steps for the Hybrid Working Scheme, and as we respond to the challenges and opportunities presented over the next few years. Recommendations It is recommended the Policy and Strategy Committee: (1) Approve the extension of the Hybrid Working Scheme for a further 12 months to the 31st March 2024. (2) Note the commitment to explore opportunities for a permanent scheme during this time, to provide increased flexibility for hybrid staff whilst ensuring performance, productivity and staff wellbeing are maintained.
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1. Background 1.1 In March 2020, over 1,500 previously office-based employees were asked to work from home and were supported with various digital platforms, which were developed and accelerated quickly to meet operational demands. These working practices continued throughout the course of 2020, with staff and services adapting to the new ways of working successfully and with limited impact on service delivery. 1.2 During this time, it was important to ensure that our contractual and health & safety arrangements with homeworking staff were reflective of both their work location and pattern, as required by employment legislation. To support this, an Interim Homeworking Scheme was put in place in September 2020 for a period of 6 months with the approval of Gold Command. 1.3 Following a review of these arrangements in March 2021, the Interim Homeworking Scheme was extended by a further 12 months to March 2022 with the oversight and agreement of the Finance and Resources Committee and in consultation with employees and Trade Unions. 1.4 In late 2021, and as the work of our services began to return to normal operation, and the risk to staff from Coronavirus diminished, it was agreed that North Lanarkshire Council, like many other Local Authorities would take the opportunity shift its predominantly homeworking scheme to a more hybrid working approach with some days spent in office locations and some days spent working at home. 1.5 Accordingly, and to ensure that our contractual arrangements with staff continued to reflect their location and work pattern, a full paper was brought to was brought to Policy and Strategy in December 2021, where the Council set out its desired future workplace arrangements, aligned to its longer-term operating model to enable staff to work closer to their communities and within our town and community hubs. 1.6 Within this overall future workplace approach, it was proposed to establish the Council’s first Interim Hybrid Working Scheme, with staff working a pattern of a minimum of six days in a 4-week period in the office, with the remainder at home or working from another community-based location. This replaced the Interim Homeworking Scheme which was in operation at that time. 1.7 The Hybrid Working Scheme was introduced on 1st April 2022 for an initial period of 12 months and temporary contract variations were issued to 1,524 employees until the end of March 2023. Under current arrangements, Hybrid Workers are also free to attend an office or other work setting for more than the prescribed six days, subject to availability of space and in agreement with their service. 1.8 It is important to note that the agreed pattern of six days was reflective at that time of the need for a balance between returning staff to offices, taking the opportunity to trial a new flexible way of hybrid working, and still acknowledging a need to protect staff from infection in a post pandemic environment. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve North Lanarkshire's resource base Ambition statement (23) Build a workforce for the future capable of delivering on our priorities and shared ambition
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1.9 More recently and acknowledging the potential impact of the cost-of-living crisis on hybrid staff, a ‘Work Local’ scheme was introduced in November 2022, providing more facilities to work from during the day and evenings. This means that for Hybrid Workers, if they wish to attend an NLC location out with their six-day core work pattern, to reduce their commute or avoid heating their home further, ‘Work Local’ facilities are now available for them. 1.10 The Council’s Interim Hybrid Working Scheme has now been in operation for 11 months and existing contract variations for staff will expire at the end of March 2023. There is therefore a requirement for us to agree the next steps in relation to this scheme, and as part of our wider journey to establish a final future workplace model, and this paper sets out our proposed approach at this time for review and approval. 2. Report 2.1 The current Interim Hybrid Working Scheme impacts 1148 employees with around 400 employees having now returned to their previous office based working arrangements, mainly within our operational services. Workplace usage has also been monitored and services have been asked to continually review the effectiveness and appropriateness of the scheme for their service, employees and the Council as a whole. 2.2 Additionally, to assess the ongoing impact of the scheme over the last 11 months, two employee surveys have been undertaken and discussions have been ongoing with Trade Union colleagues. Across the two employee surveys undertaken in August 2022 and February 2023, there was a 66% and 73% response rate respectively, with representation across services and grades. These response rates provide a high level of confidence that the views displayed are representative of the whole hybrid workforce. Hybrid Working Survey 2.3 A total of 838 staff working as hybrid responded to the most recent survey in February 2023, and figure 1 shows a balance across the different grades responding, between Senior Officers at NLC14 and above, professional staff and managers at grade NLC 10-13 and administrative workers and employees at Grades NLC 5-9 and below. Figure 1 57 288 393 100 Hybrid Worker by Grade NLC 1-4 NLC 5-9 NCL 10-13 NLC 14 and above Total number of respondents 838
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2.4 As part of the survey, Hybrid Workers were also asked how many days they are currently spending in the office in each 4-week cycle, and the results of this are set out in figure 2 below. Figure 2 2.5 This shows that the majority of our Hybrid staff are now consistently attending the office 1-2 days per week with around 10% of staff doing three days or more. This indicates that there may be future potential to review our current arrangement of six days spent in the office for Hybrid Workers, with some appetite to increase of levels of office-based working. 2.6 Figure 3 below shows staff responses when asked if they would prefer to do less or more than the existing six-day arrangement. This indicates that staff views are largely split on this particular issue, with around 55% saying that the current arrangement is just right or not enough and 45% suggesting it is too many. Figure 3 2.7 Interestingly, these views show variations by grade level, as set out below in figures 4 and 5, with more senior grades at NLC14 and above showing a preference for keeping the six-day arrangement the same or increasing the number of days in the office and a larger proportion of lower administrative grades NLC 5-9 shower a strong preference for working at home more days in the week. 89.4% 10.6% Number of Days in the Office per Week 1-2 Days 3 Days or more 54.5% 45.5% Views on current six days About right or not enough Too Many
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2.8 These variations are somewhat to be expected, given that more senior colleagues are likely to be in meetings and interacting with others more frequently than those whose job largely involves sitting at their computer for most of their working day. Figures 4 & 5 2.9 For those who expressed a preference for fewer days, the majority added commentary to say that being in the office one day per week (4 days in every weekly cycle) would be their preference, as they feel that this would be sufficient for them to engage with wider colleagues in their team. 2.10 Anecdotally, the reasons being given for this include the fact that they feel they are subject to more interruptions or distractions when working in the office and feel that they can be more productive when working at home. Considerations for our future Hybrid Working Model 2.11 In considering our future hybrid working arrangements 11 months on, particularly with sustained low rates of Covid-19 infection, it is important to balance the desire of staff for the Council to maintain or increase flexibility, with a requirement to have organisational assurance around productivity and performance levels. 2.12 The Council must have a clear position as an employer on its Hybrid Working Policies, however this requires careful consideration and balancing of several different, and sometimes competing factors, drivers and expectations which will inevitably shape our final adopted approach to hybrid working. 2.13 These factors include elements such as how we, as an employer, maintain a reasonable level of work supervision, monitoring and training of hybrid working staff, as would normally be present in a productive office environment. This is particularly true as the Council is a public sector employer who has a duty to demonstrate best value and the effective use of public funds. 2.14 There is now also a significant volume of research that shows that staff wellbeing, engagement and belonging is enhanced by a balance of spending time in the office and allowing time to work at home. It will therefore be important going forward that the Council achieves the right balance in these two areas, to ensure a fair approach at all levels of its workforce and to maintain a vibrant and effective workplace culture. 17.7% 46.0% 28.7% 7.7% About right or not enough (457 employees) NLC 14 and above NLC 10-13 NLC 5-9 NLC 1-4 5.0% 48.0%41.2% 5.8% Would prefer fewer (381 employees) NLC 14 and above NLC 10-13 NLC 5-9 NLC 1-4
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2.15 An important consideration is also the significant shift across the labour market to hybrid working post pandemic, particularly with respect to the expectations of prospective candidates for professional and middle/senior manager roles, who now increasingly come with an expectation of flexible working as a core element within our contracted working arrangements. That said our current arrangements of six days in the office are considered very competitive, even generous, and fully within the range being offered by other employers. 2.16 Given the staff feedback from our most recent survey, it is clear that there are split views on the current arrangement of six days, with differences in views by grade. However, when reviewed against the material considerations set out above, and our duties as a Public Authority, it is not considered prudent at this time that the Council consider any reduction in the number of days that our Hybrid Working staff spend in an office or other work environment. 2.17 In this next phase, additional consideration and research will be undertaken into ways in which the Council can work with staff and services to monitor productivity and gain the necessary assurance to consider further flexibilities in the future, aligned to our Future Operating Model. This would include developing our digital tools and other ways of supporting Hybrid staff to work effectively and efficiently. 2.18 Additionally, other feedback from the survey indicates that there is significant potential to increase employee use of alternative facilities across the Council estate, as most Hybrid Workers have indicated that they tend to spend most of their office time within their designated office space at the Civic Centre. This will be explored as the Future Operating Model continues to be rolled out. Recommended way forward 2.19 At this time in our ongoing journey toward our Future Operating Model, and given staff feedback and other considerations, we have concluded that it is not the right time to move to a final hybrid working model. We are therefore proposing to extend the current Hybrid Working Scheme and associated arrangements, for a further 12 months. 2.20 This has the benefit of maintaining current arrangements, which for the most part are working well, and to allow for more research and thought to be given to what a permanent hybrid working model should look like including further engagement with services, employees and trade unions. 2.21 To support this extension, minor amendments will be required to the current Hybrid Working Scheme (attached in appendix 1), and we will work with our Trade Unions to finalise these amendments prior to the end of March. A summary of the material changes are as follows: • The current provision of a £100 home working set up support allowance has been changed to to reflect that this should only be for new employees or existing employees newly appointed to a hybrid post. • Section 5.5 has been changed to reflect that tax rebates are no longer applicable to Hybrid Workers. • The wording at Section 6 and 7 has been changed to reflect the extension of the scheme for a further year.
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2.22 This extension would take effect from 1st April 2023 and would run to 31st March 2024, with contract variations to be issued on this basis following approval from Committee. 2.23 It is envisaged that our next version of the Hybrid Working Scheme will be developed as a full permanent policy, which will be applied to all current and future contracts for posts that are designated by their service as suitable for hybrid working. 2.24 Based on current data, we expect the number of posts in this category to be between 1000 and 1100 posts, which will be mainly in our Enterprise and Communities and Chief Executive Services. It should be noted that this figure remains less than 1% of our overall staffing establishment. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Continued support for the Interim Hybrid Scheme and its benefits for staff wellbeing and flexibility. 3.2 Further evidence and research to support a more permanent arrangement to be agreed by Committee in late 2023. 4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1 – Hybrid Working Scheme Phase 1 Future Workplace Model - Microsoft Word - PSCommitteeFutureWorkplaceFinal.docx (northlanarkshire.gov.uk) Fiona Whittaker Chief Officer (People Resources)
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5. Impacts ( http://connect/report-template-guidance ) 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Consideration has been given to the Fairer Scotland duty in the development of the Hybrid model. An EQIA has been undertaken. If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☒ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts have been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts have been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If the extension is approved for a further year, contract variations will be issued to all impacted staff. All other HR policy considerations and requirements are contained within the Hybrid Working Scheme. 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts have been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? See above in HR Policy impact 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact
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Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The hybrid scheme supports the future operating model of the council and aids business change processes and service redesign needs. Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☒ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The hybrid scheme continues to play a mitigating impact in the cost and effects of climate change, in particular in the reduction of carbon emissions resulting from lesser car journeys and energy required to run buildings, 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? A project risk assessment has been developed in line with the councils Risk Management Framework. The project risk register will remain under regular review and will evolve as the project progresses 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services.
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Hybrid Working Scheme Author Lindsay Millar Contact details MillarL@northlan.gov.uk, Owner Fiona Whittaker whittakerf@northlan.gov.uk Date 08/02/2023 Version number 3 Document status Final Governance Committee Policy and Strategy Date approved Scheduled for 13 March 2023 Review date Strategic Alignment Improving the Council’s Resource Base – A Workforce Strategy that is built around the needs of the Council (as a single resource base) to deliver the priority outcomes, ensuring future workforce requirements, new skills and innovative approaches, and succession planning are recognised.
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2 Change record Consultation process Consulted with Joint Trade Unions and Employee Equality Forum Stakeholders Contacts identified for each service Joint Trade Unions Employee Equality Forum Employees Distribution Date 03/02/2023 Author Linda Cullen, Employment and Policy Manager Change made Changes made to dates scheme is in operation and also removal of tax information that is no longer applicable.
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3 Contents 1. Introduction 2. Scope 3. Application of Hybrid Working 4. Flexibility of workforce 5. Operating Principles: 5.1 Arrangements whilst in the office 5.2 Arrangements whilst at home 5.3 Sickness 5.4 Technology and equipment 5.5 Expenses 5.6 Health and safety 5.7 Data Protection 5.8 Wellbeing of employees 5.9 Managing virtual teams 6. Review and Evaluation 7. Variation to Contract of Employment
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4 1. Introduction The Council’s ambition is to create a more agile, flexible, and collaborative workplace environment that will enable the Council to be more effective and more efficient and to allow our employees to work closer to, and within our communities. As part of this, hybrid working is an important element of the Council’s strategy for adapting to, and thriving in, the new working environment following the pandemic; in addition to continuing to support a positive work life balance for employees. Home working has been an option for employees under the Council’s Smarter Working Policy as a way to balance home and working life, however the introduction of a full hybrid working model will build on this flexibility, and our lessons learned during the pandemic, to allow an element of choice for employees and services in terms of where they work. An employee’s work location is often based on the work they are doing that day and through discussion with their line manager. That might mean working from home to work on a report or coming into a collaborative space to work with colleagues. This scheme sets out the Council’s approach to hybrid working, which will allow employees to divide their time between attending work at one of our 6 main office buildings or any of our sites along with working remotely from home or a hub. 2. Scope This scheme will apply to all posts that are suitable for hybrid working which have been determined as such by the relevant Chief Officer and in discussion with the employee. If an employee disagrees with the categorisation of their post, they should discuss this with their line manager who will discuss their concerns and if appropriate, amend the categorisation of the post. 3. Application of Hybrid working A hybrid worker must attend their service office base for a minimum of 6 days in each 4-week period (this will be pro-rata for part time workers). Hybrid workers are free to attend an office setting or hub for more days than this, subject to availability of space and in agreement with their line manager. This may mean working in a different office from the service office base. For the remaining days they will work from home or increasingly in another community-based location as community workplace capacity is increased. The number of days required to work in the office will be reviewed over the implementation of the Council’s new working model and patterns of office occupancy will be monitored and reviewed over this period. This is to allow for time to reflect on feedback from services on desired initial number of days in the office, and more importantly to ensure that the Council maintains a focus on the health and safety of employees in our office settings. Hybrid workers main base will be their home however they will also be allocated a service office base which will act as their administrative base. Hybrid Workers should work in this way initially and in going forward, if there is a reason that the employee cannot participate in Hybrid Working, they should discuss this with their line manager.
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5 Employees who wish to change their working pattern to allow them to work from home on a permanent basis or attend an office location on fewer than 6 days in each 4 week period, will be able to apply to do so through the Council’s Smarter Working Policy. It should be noted that Smarter Working applications will only be approved where the suggested working pattern and/or style is suitable to the operation of the service and/or Council. Managers should continue to have conversations with their employees around how the service needs them to work going forward, and this will include discussions around how the minimum days requirement in the service office base are best used and deployed in line with the needs of the service. Employees who are unable to fulfil the requirements of hybrid working from the onset should discuss this immediately with their manager to allow for the implementation of support or for alternative arrangements to be made. 4. Flexibility of Workforce Your manager can ask you to be in attendance at your Service office base or on site on particular days for example for in-person training and for meetings that he/she has determined are best conducted in person. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and employees are expected to comply with managers requests. Similarly, there may be circumstances in which employees are asked to work remotely, at home or from another location for specific purposes and service delivery requirements, for instance: • for operational needs, for example if there are too many members of a particular team in the office/on site on specific days or • for coronavirus-related reasons, for example in the event of a lockdown/government guidance that employees should work from home if they can or to comply with self-isolating rules. In such cases, employees will be given as much notice as possible. • To deliver a particular element of their role or service 5. Operating principles 5.1 Arrangements whilst in the office Working hours For days on which employees are attending the workplace, their normal hours of work as set out in their contract of employment will apply. Where a level of flexibility is required to facilitate attendance at the office, employees should discuss this with their line manager and an agreement reached. The pattern of an employee’s working time may need to be varied to comply with government guidelines and to ensure safe working during any Covid restrictions. Any changes of this nature should be discussed with the employee at the earliest possible point. Employees who have access to the flexible working hours (including coreless flexi) as part of their contract of employment should continue to do so and hours worked should
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6 be recorded accurately and timeously on myself. The operating principles for the flexible working hours (including coreless flexi) can be found here. Employees who have existing smarter working applications in place, will continue to do so unless they apply to change their contractual hours/location through the Smarter Working Policy. Workspaces While in some areas, employees will be returning to a workstation in their service office base, in other areas there may need to be more flexible arrangements in place and hot-desking may be required. Managers should discuss this with employees and ensure that they are aware of the arrangements that are in place in any specific location. If an employee is provided with their own permanent workstation within the service office base, they must ensure at the end of each day that their laptop and other equipment is either taken home with them or secured safely away. Alternatively, if an employee is hot-desking, they must ensure at the end of each day that they leave the hot desk clear, clean and tidy. Laptops and other equipment and any personal items should not be left on any of the hot desks overnight. Employees should ensure that their laptop and other equipment is either taken home or secured away at the end of each working day. Work areas are cleaned regularly, and any additional measures required by government guidelines will be implemented as required. Safe-working measures Employee safety is our priority, and all the standard workplace health and safety measures will continue to operate. However, due to the use of flexible working arrangements and hot desking, employees need to pay particular attention to certain aspects of health and safety: • Ensure you have complied with any sign-in procedures, which are necessary to identify building occupation in the event of an emergency. • Adhere to all appropriate measures such as the wearing of face coverings when moving about the office, desk cleaning and the use of hand sanitiser • Ensure that you know how to evacuate the building/space in an emergency and where to assemble. • Ensure that you know about local first aid arrangements (and how to summon help if needed). • Ensure that your workstation is kept tidy during the day and especially that bags and trailing cables do not represent trip hazards (this is especially important where “hot desks” are being used). • Ensure that your workstation and chair are adjusted properly and set up correctly for you. You should have completed the DSE awareness e-learning course available on Learn NL so you know how to set up your workstation. You should have completed a DSE self-assessment for your workstation at home and apply the same principles when in any workplace. • In addition to general workplace health and safety measures that must be followed, specific COVID-19 measures may still be in place and must be
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7 complied with. Up to date information including workplace risk assessments are available on myNL. We encourage employees to let us know if they have any concerns, have identified any potential risks, or have any suggestions for further adaptations we can make. Employees can do this by raising concerns or making suggestions to their line manager, HR, Safety and Wellbeing Advisor or a trade union representative. 5.2 Arrangements whilst working from home Working hours While working in a hybrid way, employees must be available and working during their normal hours of work, as set out in their contract of employment. Employees should also be available to attend an office or site location within North Lanarkshire Council at short notice. At this time employees are not permitted to work away from their home address or an office/site location unless agreed by their line manager and only in exceptional circumstances. An employee’s working hours at home should largely mirror those normally undertaken in the office, unless otherwise agreed by their line manager. These working hours can vary to accommodate work life balance arrangements, if agreed with the line manager and in line with the Smarter Working Policy. Hybrid workers can still apply to change their working hours or pattern on a permanent or temporary basis through the Council’s Smarter Working Policy. Employees should, where possible, limit interruptions during their working day, unless previously agreed with their line manager. Under no circumstances should an employee undertake any other responsibility e.g. childcare, during the hours they are contracted to work. However, where childcare arrangements are not available due to Covid19 restrictions, managers are asked to take a flexible approach to working hours and patterns to accommodate these situations. It is also important to monitor employees working hours to ensure that they are not overworking - "downtime" from work is essential. To help maintain employee wellbeing, it is important to remind employees to take adequate rest breaks: • Take a lunch break each day. • Even if you are busy, it is essential that you find the time to take a break of at least 20 minutes during each working day that lasts more than six hours. • Ensure the time period between stopping work one day and beginning the next is not less than 11 hours. Further information relating to the Working Time Directive can be found at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/1833/contents/made Communications and non-urgent meetings out with normal working hours are discouraged, and where possible lunch breaks should also be avoided for routine meetings. Line managers should be able to contact their employees throughout the working day and therefore it is important that employees ensure that their outlook calendar is up- to-date with details of any appointments or scheduled visits to other offices. It is also important that staff use the out of office facility when not available. Teams should also
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8 consider the use of tools such as shared calendars which can also help colleagues understand each other’s availability on any working days. Environment The working environment for an employee working from home will need to be assessed by the employee and line manager via a self-assessment being completed and returned to their manager. If any aspect of the working environment is not suitable, alternative arrangements for the employee to work from an office location should be sought. All employees will be required to complete the appropriate Home Working Assessment which is outlined in the Health and Safety Section below. Where employees have reasonable adjustments in place these should be reviewed to ensure they are suitable and appropriate for their new working environment. This review should be undertaken by the employee and their line manager using the reasonable adjustment protocol. The same procedure should be used for any employee who in the future acquires a disability or long-term health condition and requires reasonable adjustments to be made. For more information go to: www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/disabilityconfident or https://mynl.co.uk/knowledge- base/theequality-act-2010/#reasonable-adjustment-protocol 5.3 Sickness When working remotely, employees should not work if they are unwell. If an employee is sick and unable to work, they must follow the Council’s Supporting Attendance Policy reporting procedures and notify their line manager by telephone as early as possible on the first day of absence to explain the reason for their absence and to give an estimate of its probable duration. Where an employee’s agreed working day commences before the normal 8.45am start time, employees will be required to make contact with their line manager to advise them of their absence by no later than 9.30 am. Where an employee’s agreed working day commences after the normal 8.45am start time; employees will be required to make contact with their line manager within an hour of their scheduled start time or within such other timescales as may be specified by individual Services. Should telephone contact with their line manager not be possible then notification of the absence should be advised to the line manager or nominated officer by e-mail at their earliest convenience, and the line manager will then make contact with the individual at the first available opportunity 5.4 Technology and equipment To enable people to work in a hybrid way, the Council will supply, within reason, the IT and associated equipment necessary. As a minimum, employees working in a hybrid way will receive: • a laptop computer and software (to be used both remotely and in office/onsite) • Provision of “key fob” facility for access to Council systems. • Access to network printer as necessary • Mobile phone where necessary.
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9 A chair, monitor and ancillary equipment (for example foot rest, wrist support, riser etc.) will be provided by the Council as required and in line with the appropriate Health and Safety assessments. All equipment provided remains the property of the Council and must be returned upon request. Access to the employee’s home may be required for this purpose and arrangements will be discussed in advance to agree a mutually agreeable time. It is anticipated that employees who have had to work from home through the pandemic will already have the technology and equipment needed to work effectively from home. A record of what equipment an employee has at home should be kept on myTeam. It will be the employee’s responsibility to ensure that the broadband facility, provided and maintained by the employee, is sufficient to support all necessary IT connections and equipment essential for connection to the relevant Council databases. Where there is any break in this service liable to last longer than two hours, then the employee should arrange to attend work at a local office or site. If their broadband is not sufficient or they do not have any within their household, this should be discussed with their line manager and may mean alternative arrangements are made for them to work from an office or site. The use of technology underpins any home working arrangement. It needs to be fit for purpose, accessible, reliable and useful. It should include all elements that the employee needs to do their work from home, and this should be provided with appropriate guides or training to support engagement. Equipping employees to work at home through online learning, good IT support and timely updates is essential for the successful implementation of the scheme. Only Council approved devices and software should be used for work related activities. Employees should be provided with the appropriate packages to allow them to conduct meetings from home if required. These meetings should be conducted confidentially and away from other household members. Relevant ICT policies and guidance should be referred to as appropriate. Please see further guidance here. Permission to use laptops outwith the normal working environment must be sought from the line manager and should only be granted in exceptional circumstances. 5.5 Expenses A new employee or an existing employee who has been newly appointed to a Hybrid post, can, where appropriate, purchase additional equipment to a maximum cost of £100 to allow them to work from home. However, this must be agreed with the line manager in the first instance. Existing hybrid workers who require additional equipment, should discuss the matter with their line manager. Where an employee is required to attend a specific meeting or site visit, they can claim the appropriate business mileage. Any business mileage will be calculated from either the employee’s home or administrative base, whichever provides for the lowest mileage.
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10 If an employee commences work at home and they are required to visit sites throughout the day as part of their role, they can claim business mileage from their home or admin base, whichever provides the lowest mileage. On the days when employees commence work from a Council office or site, the journey from home to office will be classed as a commute and business mileage cannot be claimed. The six days you are required to attend the office will be classed as a commute. Expense claims should be submitted via mySelf and authorised via myTeam. Line managers should ensure employees have appropriate business insurance for work related journeys when travelling in personal vehicles. There is no allowance for working from home and being a Hybrid Worker does not entitle you to a tax rebate. Further information can be obtained from the HMRC website. 5.6 Health and Safety Employees should liaise with their line manager and/or Safety and Wellbeing Advisor to ensure that their remote working set-up is appropriate and that they are working in a safe manner. However, employees must also take responsibility for their own health and safety and that of anyone else who is affected by their work (for example others in their household when working from home). Employees must keep the work area clean and tidy, avoiding trip/slip hazards. A Homeworking Risk Assessment should be undertaken for each home workspace at the beginning of the home working arrangement and reviewed periodically thereafter. Guidance will be provided for how these risk assessments should be undertaken and outcomes fed into the line manager for appropriate action. Employees must notify their line manager if: • they feel any discomfort due to working remotely (such as back pain) or • they believe that there are any work-related health and safety hazards • any work-related accidents occur in their home Line managers must escalate these matters to a Safety and Wellbeing Advisor who will provide support and look into what action can be taken. The employee should undertake the relevant online learning to ensure they are clear on the need for good DSE and workstation layout and posture. The employee has a responsibility to always maintain safe systems of work and a safe working environment. If an employee proposes to make any changes to their home workplace that would impact on any risk assessment, they should notify their line manager. Advice is available from the Council’s Safety and Wellbeing team. It is the Council’s responsibility to ensure all employees are aware of requirements in relation to the safe installation and use of equipment within the home working environment and any necessary training will be provided.
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11 5.7 Data Protection Employees who are working in a hybrid way are responsible for keeping information associated with our organisation secure at all times. Specifically, hybrid workers are under a duty to: • practise good computer security, including using a unique password for work laptops and any other devices used for work • keep your, and others’, data secure and make sure personal data is stored, shared, and used lawfully and appropriately • keep all hard copies of work-related documentation secure, including keeping documents locked away at all times except when in use and • ensure that work-related information is safeguarded when working in public spaces, for example by: o positioning your laptop so that others cannot see the screen o not leaving your laptop unattended and o not having confidential/business-sensitive conversations in public spaces Laptops and other equipment provided by the Council must be used for work-related purposes only and must not be used by any other member of the employee’s household or a third party at any time or for any purpose. All information held should be treated in confidence, should not be inappropriately disclosed, and should be in accordance with the Council’s Acceptable Use of ICT Policy, the Council’s Policy on Data Protection and the Council’s Policy on Information Security. Advice is available from the employee’s line manager and on myNL. Employees should be reminded of their need to complete the statutory online learning courses on Data Protection Essentials and Information Security Awareness. Employees must ensure that they do not share sensitive or personal information under any circumstances outside of the secure Council systems. WhatsApp, Zoom or other similar messaging tools or personal email should not be used. It is not recommended that employees retain paper records at home and should consider scanning materials to save digitally. Retention arrangements for these records should also be considered. Where employees require to discuss confidential matters, they should ensure their environment allows for this and/or they have appropriate equipment such as headsets to reduce the risk of conversations being overheard. It is recommended that virtual calls that are known to be confidential in nature are arranged outwith an open office environment i.e. at home if privacy can be assured or within a designated meeting room. Where these measures cannot be met, employees should discuss this with their manager at the earliest opportunity.
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12 5.8 Wellbeing of Employees Employee wellbeing is crucial and particular elements should be considered for those working in a hybrid way: • Employees should be encouraged to take regular breaks and exercise and to structure their working day. • Managers/employees should be encouraged to create intentional space for celebrations and social connection. • Loneliness and isolation can be factors when employees spend a lot of time working from home. Line managers should maintain regular contact with their teams both individually and in a group and look out for signs that their mental health may be deteriorating. Managers should react quickly to concerns and ensure that employees feel listened to and are pointed to relevant support mechanisms. • Managers should consider how to build the resilience of employees working in a hybrid way; this may be through coaching or mentoring, online learning and encouraging teams to discuss their experiences about how to be most productive and effective at home. • Further guidance for managers and employees on maintaining good health, safety and wellbeing whilst working in an agile way can be found here. • Managers should seek advice from the Employee Relations team if they are concerned about an employee’s mental health. 5.9 Managing Virtual Teams Whilst there are some challenges with hybrid working, there are also opportunities to work in new and exciting ways, increase work life balance and embrace technology. Line managers should be more intentional in how they motivate and manage their teams. It is also important that managers do not contact employees out with their normal working hours or make unnecessary contact throughout the working day. However, managers reserve the right to review the use of key fobs and electronic diaries whilst employees are working from home. Managers should: • Establish rules of engagement – set expectations of the frequency, means and ideal timings of communication with them as individuals and in their teams. Agree regular meetings to review workload and planned work for the following period between check-ins. • Regularly check on communication between team members to ensure they are sharing information and touching base as necessary. • Utilise a variety of communication technologies to keep employees linked in and engaged. These can include email, telephone, video conferencing, instant messaging and chat. • Encourage individual teams to establish their own norms – ways they find best to communicate with each other – this might be Yammer, Teams or other forms of chat endorsed by the Council. • Consider virtual team building activities and plan ways to update and engage with your teams regularly. Employees working at home or in an agile way should be reminded that they will continue to be governed by and must adhere to the Council’s policies and procedures including Employee Code of Conduct and Supporting Attendance.
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13 Further support for managers can be accessed on LearnNL. 6 Review and evaluation The Hybrid Working Scheme will be in place for a further period from 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2024, during which time it will remain under review to ensure it remains fit for purpose. The conditions of this scheme may be subject to amendments following the outcome of reviews and evaluations and in respect of any Council wide policies or initiatives. The trade unions will be consulted on any proposed changes to the scheme. 7 Variation to Contracts of Employment Employees who are part of the Council’s hybrid working scheme will be issued with a further temporary contract variation for a period of 12 months with effect from 3 April 2023.