Agenda item
Equalities and HR Policies and Practices Review and draft Action Plan
The review was led by Cllr Michael Pavey, Deputy Leader of the Council and was undertaken between October 2014 and January 2015. The report is a wide ranging review of staffing matters and HR policies and practices within the Council. The methodology consisted of scrutinising documents and policies, discussions with managers and staff, and was supported by the Local Government Association and other external experts in order to ensure objectivity and fairness. The review is supported by a draft Action Plan which sets out the actions that the council will take to implement the findings.
Minutes:
A report on the Review of Equalities and HR policies and Practices, conducted between October 2014 and January 2015 by the Deputy Leader of the Council, was introduced to the committee by Christine Gilbert (Chief Executive). The review had been wide ranging and had encompassed scrutiny of staffing matters and HR policies and practices within the council. Highlighting the key areas of learning arising from the review, Christine Gilbert advised that there needed to be greater consistency in the application of policy across the council and more BME representation in the council’s senior management. It was emphasised that both issues had previously been identified and were included within the council’s Equalities Action Plan and Corporate Plan; however, the review had provided additional focus on these issues. Members’ attention was subsequently drawn to a draft action plan detailing how the council would address and implement the findings of the review. Members’ comments on the draft action plan were invited and it was explained that once finalised, the Corporate Management Team (CMT) would oversee its implementation, with each director undertaking responsibility for a specific strand of work. It was clarified that the delivery of the action plan would be monitored by the new member committee due to be established by the Council at the annual meeting in May 2015. This committee would also be responsible for overseeing progress made towards achieving Excellence in the Equalities Standard for Local Government.
Members welcomed the review. During the subsequent discussion concerns were raised regarding the number of staff failing to receive supervisory appraisals, the implications this had for staff progression and whether managers were using the appraisals as an effective tool to support staff. It was noted that the review reported that more than half of staff members attending two focus groups had not seen a plan for their team or service area and it was queried what action would be taken to address this. The committee further noted that 94 per cent of staff were yet to complete their equalities data on the council’s Oracle system. A member emphasised that the recommendations of the action plan needed to be specific and indicate appropriate timescales and budgets to ensure effective delivery. It was queried whether staff had had the opportunity to comment on the draft action plan and whether managers and staff had expressed confidence that the issues identified would be addressed. Clarity was sought on the policy for medical appointments and assurance was requested that this was not considered a reasonable adjustment for disabled employees. The issue of unconscious bias was raised and it was strongly suggested that this form a core element of any training provided around recruitment. Further details were requested regarding the training and support provided to members appointed to the Senior Staff Appointments Sub Committee.
With regard to BME representation at senior management, a member queried how the council compared to other boroughs and whether there was an opportunity to learn from the practices of other local authorities. At the invitation of the Chair, a member of the public queried what action was being taken by the council to improve BME representation in senior management. The committee subsequently queried how the council reached out to and publicised opportunities to BME communities in Brent and whether the new Chief Executive who was shortly due to be appointed would be set a target deadline to ensure this issue was addressed. Councillor Filson, with the permission of the Chair, emphasised that all applicants, irrespective of race, gender or disability, had to feel confident that they would be recruited based on merit and that it would be unlawful for the council to implement quotas.
Responding to the issues raised, Christine Gilbert advised that Brent’s monitoring of staff appraisals was very good and the figures highlighted in the review did not reflect current levels. It was likely that as the review had been completed mid-year, a number of staff would not have yet had their appraisals conducted; however, further investigation of this was in process and the outcome would be reported back to the committee. Members further heard that a key priority for the council over the past few years had been to improve planning across the council; the Borough Plan had been developed into a living document, influencing the work of individual teams, and the public had been engaged in the process as never before. The council’s Corporate Plan reflected the Borough Plan and was now being translated into the aims and objectives for individual teams and staff members across the organisation. With regard to the completion of equalities data by staff, Cara Davani (Director of HR) advised that the information previously recorded by staff had not transferred across to the council’s new Oracle System. A campaign was underway to encourage staff to complete the information, including daily engagement activities; however, staff members were not obliged to disclose this information if they did not wish to. Cara Davani assured the committee that good progress was being made and noted that a similar campaign run in previous years had been very successful.
Christine Gilbert further advised that the every activity on the draft action plan should have a deadline and reiterated that CMT would lead on the delivery. No budgets had been specified as the plan would be implemented within existing staff resources. The committee was assured that there had been significant levels of staff engagement across the council. Equality had been a high priority for the council prior to the review, as reflected in the work undertaken to work towards the Equalities Standard for Local Government and the Investor In People awards. Councillor Butt (Leader of the Council) highlighted that as of 2012 the council had also undertaken to review all HR Policies and Procedures. Such work evidenced the value placed on staff and on ensuring there were appropriate opportunities for progression within the organisation. Cara Davani explained that though it had not been recorded in the action plan, an additional piece of training for all managers had been prepared regarding unconscious bias. It was proposed that this training be delivered by 1 June 2015 and the action plan would be updated to reflect this. It was further clarified that as a result of the review, the council had identified that medical appointments related to a person’s disability should not be recorded as sickness. This was distinct from any actions that would be taken by the council to implement reasonable adjustments for an employee with a disability. It was emphasised that a more proactive approach was now in place regarding identifying if a new employee required any reasonable adjustments to be made to ensure that they could be in place at the very start of a person’s employment with the council. Addressing the query raised regarding the support provided to members appointed to the Senior Staff Appointments Sub Committee, Councillor Butt advised that all members and alternates of the sub committee had received extensive training.
Christine Gilbert informed the committee that Brent was in the top quartile for BME representation in senior management amongst London boroughs. The action plan included several proposals to improve the level of representation in Brent, including a graduate programme aimed at Brent residents. Councillor Butt reiterated that it was important to ensure that staff were sufficiently supported to access opportunities for career progression within the council and noted that the action plan included the creation of an innovative mentoring programme to support the development of underrepresented groups. It would take time, however, for improvements to be made and any suggestions by members would be welcome. Councillor Butt confirmed that the recruitment pack for the Chief Executive’s position had referred explicitly to Brent’s diverse community.
The Chair highlighted the importance of ensuring that there was robust monitoring of the action plan and the committee agreed that an update should be provided on the progress achieved in six month’s time.
RESOLVED:
that an update on the implementation of the action plan be provided to the committee in six month’s time.
Supporting documents:
- 9a-equalites-hr-review, item 10. PDF 77 KB
- 9b-equalites-hr-review-app1, item 10. PDF 368 KB
- 9c-equalities-hr-review-app2, item 10. PDF 83 KB