S75 Equality And Good Relations Screening Form
| General Information |
|---|
| Service/ Function ☐ | Policy/ Procedure ☒ | Project ☐ | Strategy ☐ | Plan ☐ | Guidance ☐ |
Is this an existing, revised or a new function, service, policy, procedure, project, strategy, plan or guidance? Existing ☐ Revised ☐ New ☒ |
| Operational Area | OD / HR |
| Title | Sickness Absence Management Policy & Procedure |
Brief Summary The Council currently has 5 sickness absence policies in operation from the 4 legacy Council and NICS (for the Planning staff who transferred). The purpose of the Policy is to have one policy which allows managers to manage absence in a consistent manner across the Council. The Policy is designed to encourage all its employees to maximise their attendance at work whilst recognising that, from time to time, employees may be unable to come to work due to sickness. |
What is it trying to achieve? (intended aims and outcomes) The sickness absence policy and procedures aim to:
|
Who owns and who implements each element of the function, service, policy, procedure, project, strategy, plan or guidance? The Policy is owned by the OD / HR Department however the Policy itself is a Corporate Policy to manage absence throughout the Council. Relevant managers are responsible for implementation. |
Other policies etc. which have a bearing on this function, service, policy, procedure, project, strategy, plan or guidance? Local Government Code of Conduct |
| Available Evidence Evidence to help inform the screening process may take many forms. Public authorities should ensure that their screening decision is informed by relevant data. What evidence/information (both qualitative and quantitative have you gathered to inform this function, service, policy, procedure, project, strategy, plan or guidance? Specify details for relevant Section 75 categories. |
| Organisation Employee Statistics | Number |
| Number of Employees | 684 |
| Male | 390 |
| Female | 294 |
| Disability | 13 |
| Age <30 | 21 |
| Age 30 – 50 | 334 |
| Over 50 | 329 |
This Policy has been reviewed with Senior Leadership Team, Heads of Service and with Trade Unions at Action Group Meetings & JCNC. All parties have had an opportunity to provide feedback and some minor amendments have been made as a result. |
| Section 75 Category | Details of Evidence/Information |
| Religious Beliefs | |
| Political Opinion | |
| Racial Group | |
| Age | Absence information including age profiles is collated by CCGBC on PAMS. The legislation on the removal of the default retirement age was considered. |
| Marital Status | |
| Sexual Orientation | |
| Men and Women Generally | Absence information including gender composition is collated by CCGBC on PAMS. Maternity Related Absence is identified separately to other absences. The policy acknowledges the following: ‘Absence trigger points may be adapted when justified in individual circumstances. For example, in the case of disabled or pregnant employees, or exploring the feasibility of reasonable adjustments’. |
| Dependants | |
| Disability | Information in relation to the disability status of an employee is recorded by the Monitoring Officer. ‘Absence trigger points may be adapted when justified in individual circumstances. For example, in the case of disabled or pregnant employees, or exploring the feasibility of reasonable adjustments’. |
Screening Questions 1. What is the likely impact on equality of opportunity for those affected by this function, service, policy, procedure, project, strategy, plan or guidance? |
| Section 75 Category | Positive | Neutral | Negative impact | Reason |
| Gender | Women | ☐ | ☐ | Major ☐ Minor ☒ | CCGBC is aware of the issues relating to maternity related absences,affecting Worklife balance options CCGBC recognise that a |
| Men | ☐ | ☐ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ | ||
| Transgender men/women | ☐ | ☐ | Major ☐ Minor ☒ | ||
| Other please specify | ☐ | ☐ | Major ☐ Minor ☒ | ||
Race (As per the 2011 census). | Asian | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ | |
| Black | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ | ||
| Chinese | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ | ||
| Mixed race White | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ | ||
| Other please specify | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ | ||
| Disability | Long term health impairment | ☐ | ☐ | Major ☐ Minor ☒ | |
| Sexual orientation | Hetero- sexual, lesbian, gay men, bisexual, others | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ | |
| Age | Older People | ☐ | ☐ | Major ☐ Minor ☒ | CCGBC are aware of the removal of default retirement age, the changes to pension regulations and the probability of an increasingly older workforce. All reasonable adjustments will be considered to help employees maintain acceptable standards of attendance. |
| Younger people and children | ☐ | ☐ | Major ☐ Minor ☒ | ||
| Political Opinion | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ | ||
| Religious Belief | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ | ||
| Martial Status | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ | ||
| Dependants | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
| Screening Questions 2. Are there opportunities to better promote equality of opportunity for people within any of the Section 75 categories? |
| Section 75 Category | If Yes, provide details | If No, provide details |
| Gender | Women |
| |
| Men | |||
| Transgender men/women | |||
| Other please specify | |||
Race (The categories used in the Race section are those used in the 2011 census. Consideration should be given to the needs of specific communities within the broad categories.) | Asian | Policy is applicable to all staff regardless of race. | |
| Black | |||
| Chinese | |||
| Mixed race White | |||
| Other please specify | |||
| Disability | Long term health impairment could include mental health problems, asthma, heart conditions, chronic fatigue etc. | CCGBC is aware of Provisions have been | |
| Sexual orientation | Hetero- sexual, lesbian, gay men, bisexual, others | Policy is applicable to all staff regardless of sexual orientation. | |
| Age | Older People, Younger people and children | CCGBC is aware of the increasingly older workforce. All adjustments will be considered to help employees attain the standards of attendance. | |
| Political Opinion | Policy is applicable to all staff regardless of political opinion | ||
| Religious Belief | Policy is applicable to all staff regardless of religious belief. | ||
| Marital Status | Policy is applicable to all staff regardless of marital status. | ||
| Dependants | Policy is applicable However, work life |
Screening Questions 3. To what extent is the policy likely to impact on good relations between people of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group? |
| Section 75 Category | Details of policy impact | Level of impact major/minor/none |
| Religious Belief | The policy has no impact on people of different religious belief. The policy is implemented consistently regardless of religious belief. | |
| Political Opinion | The policy has no impact on people of different political opinion. The policy is implemented consistently regardless of political opinion. | |
| Racial Group | The policy has no impact on people of different racial groupings. The policy is implemented consistently regardless of racial groupings. |
Screening Questions 4. Are there opportunities to better promote good relations between people of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group? |
| Section 75 Category | If Yes, provide details | If No, provide details |
| Religious Belief | The policy does not provide the opportunity to promote good relations. | |
| Political Opinion | The policy does not provide the opportunity to promote good relations. | |
| Racial Group | The policy does not provide the opportunity to promote good relations. |
| Additional Considerations |
| Generally speaking people can fall into more than one Section 75 category. Taking this into consideration, are there any potential impacts of the function, service, policy, procedure, project, strategy, plan or guidance on people with multiple identities? (For example: disabled minority ethnic people, disabled women, young Protestant men, young lesbians, gay and bisexual people. |
| There is no negative impact on people with multiple identities. |
| Provide details of data on the impact of the function, service, policy, procedure, project, strategy, plan or guidance on people with multiple identities. Specify the relevant Section 75 categories concerned. |
| N/A |
Disability Considerations |
| ☐ Yes ☒ No |
If yes, please give further information and examples: -- |
Is there an opportunity to encourage participation by disabled people in public life by altering this function, service, policy, procedure, project, strategy, plan or guidance? ☐ Yes ☒ No |
Please give further information and examples: -- |
Screening Decision Likely Impact ☐ Major ☐ Minor ☐ None If the decision is to subject the policy to an equality impact assessment (i.e. likely impact – Major), please provide details of the reasons for this: |
If the decision is not to conduct an equality impact assessment (i.e. likely impact = Minor) the Council should consider if the policy should be mitigated or an alternative policy be introduced: Screened out with mitigation. The Sickness Absence Management Policy is based on best practice and legislation. Steps have been taken within the Policy to address potential equality issues arising from disability, gender and age. |
If the decision is not to conduct an equality impact assessment (i.e. likely impact = None), please provide details of the reasons for this: -- |
| Mitigation |
When the Council concludes that the likely impact is ‘Minor’ and an equality impact assessment is not to be conducted, the Council may consider mitigation to lessen the severity of any equality impact, or the introduction of an alternative policy to better promote equality of opportunity or good relations. Can the policy/decision be amended or changed or an alternative policy introduced to better promote equality of opportunity and/or good relations? ☐ Yes ☒ No |
If YES, give the reasons to support your decision, together with the proposed changes/amendments or alternative policy: -- |
| Timetabling And Prioritising |
If the policy/decision has been ‘screened in’ for equality impact assessment, then please answer the following questions to determine its priority for timetabling the equality impact assessment. On a scale of 1 to 3, with 1 being the lowest priority and 3 the highest, assess the policy in terms of its priority for equality impact assessment. |
| Priority Criterion | Rating (1 to 3) |
| Effect on equality of opportunity and good relations | |
| Social Need | |
| Effect on people’s daily lives | |
| Relevance to the Council’s functions |
| Monitoring |
Please outline proposals for future monitoring of the policy/decision: The policy will be reviewed annually. |
| Approval And Authorisation |
| Screened By Position/Job Title | Date |
| HR Business Partner | 13.01.2020 |
Approved By Position/Job Title | Date |
| Head of OD / HR | 16.01.2020 |