EIA Summary Dignity at Work Policy. May 2010

Transcription

1 EIA Summary Dignity at Work Policy May 2010

2 Contents Description of the policy study or work area assessed 3 How we incorporated the promotion of equality into this work 4 Who we spoke to, what they told us 5 What changes were made as a result of the equality impact assessment and consultation with stakeholders 6 Monitoring/evaluation 7

3 Description of the policy assessed Description of the policy study or work area assessed 1 The Dignity at Work policy sets out the process that will be followed if staff have concerns about the way they (or others) are being treated by colleagues. 2 The primary purpose of this policy is to assist with creating a fair working environment that is free from bullying and harassment and discrimination, which maximises the talent of our employees and values their individual contributions. If we are able to create this environment this will improve our productivity and effectiveness, with consequential improvements in public services. 3 A key objective is to reduce the number of cases of bullying, harassment or discrimination and the policy sets out the responsibilities of line managers and employees for ensuring dignity at work. It also explains the process for raising informal and formal complaints and reminds employees of the positive standards of behaviour expected at the Commission. If we are able to deal with conflicts effectively this will minimise lost productivity, mitigate potential tribunal costs and work towards achieving value for money. 4 The policy aims to ensure equality of application to all employees regardless of any personal factor age, disability, family responsibilities, gender, marital status (including civil partnerships), political affiliations, race (including ethnic origin, colour, nationality and national origin), religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other personal characteristic. 3 Dignity at Work equality impact assessment summary

4 How we incorporated the promotion of equality into this work How we incorporated the promotion of equality into this work 5 The 2009 Employee Attitude Survey reported that 12 per cent of employees stated that they had personally experienced bullying and 18 per cent had witnessed bullying. BME staff reported higher incidences of bullying (19 per cent) than white staff (14 per cent). Also 26 per cent of disabled employees reported that they had experienced what they considered to be bullying and harassment. 6 Workshops were held in 2009 to explore these issues in more detail and a range of initiatives were implemented in The outcome of these initiatives will be evaluated as part of the 2011 staff survey. 7 We recognised the need to address these issues in the revision of the relevant policy. Previously the HR policy on Bullying and Harassment dealt with the process of dealing with complaints but this was recognised as having a narrow focus on how the organisation reacts to complaints of bullying or harassment and insufficient emphasis on prevention. 8 We recognised that the dignity at work policy had clear relevance to promoting equality. We set clear standards of behaviour in our Values and Expectations which are linked to the policy. The policy emphasises that bullying and harassment are unacceptable and gives examples of the sort of behaviours that constitute bullying and harassment. The policy specifically addresses concerns by staff about discriminatory behaviour such as racial or sexual harassment. By doing this we have tried to mitigate any adverse impact on those groups who have reported higher incidences of bullying or harassment. Dignity at Work equality impact assessment summary 4

5 Who we spoke to, what they told us Who we spoke to, what they told us 9 During the development of the policy we consulted with our staff networks, (Out, Dart, Flexi-net, ENRG, and Citac) representing lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender staff, disabled staff and carers, flexible workers and black and minority ethnic staff and staff with Christian beliefs. We also consulted with our employee union, Prospect, our Diversity Champions in each Directorate and the Diversity team. 10 Their comments included: the policy needs to cover victimisation of complainants; the policy needs to cover harassment of Commission employees by employees of organisations that we audit and inspect; there needs to be a change in focus to drive positive standards of behaviour which reflect our organisation's values and expectations; the policy should be anti-discriminatory; the measures in place to monitor the impact of the policy and of incidences of bullying and harassment need to be improved; and there needs to be a link in the policy to the senior manager's grievance procedure for complaints against the Commission's management team and senior management group. 11 We took all the comments into account when developing the policy and made changes to reflect the views expressed. 5 Dignity at Work equality impact assessment summary

6 What changes were made as a result of the assessment and consultation What changes were made as a result of the equality impact assessment and consultation with stakeholders 12 As a result of our assessment of how we could promote equality through the policy and mitigate adverse impact and in response to comments from groups consulted with we made several amendments to the policy. 13 We included explicit references throughout to discrimination. We made it clear that our policy was aimed at preventing and dealing with complaints of discrimination as well as bullying and harassment and included definitions of direct and indirect discrimination. In the section where we define behaviours that would constitute harassment, we explicitly refer to harassment or insulting behaviour on grounds of race, sex, disability, sexual orientation, religion/belief or age. 14 We incorporated two sections dealing with victimisation giving a definition of victimisation and stating clearly that it would not be condoned. We included a section describing the process to be used for complaints of bullying or harassment against our staff by employees of audited and inspected bodies (AIB's). We also changed the wording so that the emphasis on the policy was more on positive standards of behaviour and inserted a link to our values and expectations statement. 15 We included a separate section detailing how the impact of the policy will be monitored. This will be done through the outcomes of the employee attitude survey and spot surveys. A summary of grievances relating to bullying, harassment or discrimination will also be provided for the Diversity Strategy Board on a regular basis. Dignity at Work equality impact assessment summary 6

7 Monitoring and evaluation Monitoring and evaluation 16 As detailed in the policy itself, we will monitor and evaluate the outcomes from this policy by analysing the responses to the employee attitude survey and comparing these with previous surveys. We will also conduct spot surveys. We will use the learning from these surveys to inform us of the extent to which the positive behaviours advocated by the policy are being practised. We will assess whether staff feel more confident of raising issues of bullying, harassment and discrimination. 17 Our Diversity Strategy Board which is made up of senior managers and representatives from staff networks and Diversity and Equality representatives, will use the monitoring information to decide whether further measures to deal with bullying, harassment and discrimination need to be introduced. 7 Dignity at Work equality impact assessment summary

8 The Audit Commission The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better outcomes for everyone. Our work across local government, health, housing, community safety and fire and rescue services means that we have a unique perspective. We promote value for money for taxpayers, auditing the 200 billion spent by 11,000 local public bodies. As a force for improvement, we work in partnership to assess local public services and make practical recommendations for promoting a better quality of life for local people. Copies of this report If you require further copies of this report, or a copy in large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call Audit Commission 2010 For further information on the work of the Commission please contact: Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ Tel: , Fax: , Textphone (minicom):