Policies and Procedures
Below is a list of some of the Policies and Procedures of
Bassetlaw District Council followed by a brief summary.
Alcohol
and Substance Abuse at Work Policy
The Council is committed to ensuring the health and safety of its
employees and visitors and recognises the risks that may be caused
by the misuse of alcohol, drugs and other substances.
Assimilation Guidelines
The need for assimilating employees into different roles will
mainly occur as a result of organisational change impacting on the
staffing structure, and during the redeployment process.
Capability
Procedure
The Council is committed to recognising the importance of the
contribution of the Council’s employees in providing high quality
services to the community. It is therefore the Council’s
Policy to ensure that sufficient numbers of suitably qualified
people are employed to meet the Council’s requirements. It is
also Council Policy to establish appropriate work standards for
employees and provide training which ensures these standards are
met.
Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure
Policy,
Disciplinary
Procedure for all Employees
(Excluding JNC Chief Officers) and (JNC
Chief Executives)
It is recognised by the Council that discipline
is essential for the conduct of the Authority’s affairs, and for
the safety and well being of all employees and the public.
All parties have identified that a disciplinary code should
be fair and equitably applied. It is similarly agreed that all
disciplinary matters should be dealt with as quickly as possible
whilst recognising the need for a full investigation to be
undertaken.
Early
Retirement Policy
(this Policy applies to all employees
of the Council)
This Policy outlines Bassetlaw District Council’s
approach to early retirement and has been agreed between the
Council and the recognised trade unions. The Policy covers
all staff working for the Authority.
Equal
Opportunities Policy
The Council aims to provide equal opportunity
for all people and will do so by declaring a policy statement and
taking action in strategic areas
Procedure
for Settling Grievance
(Excluding JNC Chief Officers and JNC
Chief Executives)
It is the Council’s policy to ensure that
employees with a grievance relating to their employment have a
procedure available, which is designed to help resolve grievances
as quickly and as fairly as possible. Extensions to the time
limits as stated in paragraphs 3 and 4 of this procedure should be
by mutual agreement with the management and employee concerned.
Harassment
and Bullying Policy and Procedure
Bassetlaw District Council is committed to the development and
promotion of a positive workplace culture that is free from
harassment and bullying, and aims to ensure that any allegation of
harassment or bullying at work is taken seriously, is properly
investigated, and is dealt with effectively.
Managing
Attendance
Bassetlaw District Council values the contribution of its employees
in the delivery and maintenance of quality services to the
community. Whilst recognising that employees may be prevented
from attending work through ill health, the Council has a duty to
maintain service delivery and minimise disruption and to ensure
that additional strain is not placed upon other employees through
coping with additional workloads due to sickness absence.
Within the Bassetlaw Approach of Care, Quality and Fairness
the Council is therefore committed to managing attendance and
sickness absence and believes that it is the responsibility of the
Council’s managers, trade union representatives and employees to
work together to promote the management of sickness absence and ill
health.
Maternity Leave Guidelines
The purpose of this policy is to outline the employment rights
of expectant mothers including maternity leave, maternity pay,
returning to work, and varying contracts of employment.
These guidelines have been produced, following changes to
legislation, to reflect maternity leave and pay entitlements and
responsibilities as they apply both to employers and to pregnant
employees and employees who are new mothers whose baby is due on or
after 1st April 2007.
Organisational Change Policy
The organisational change policy sets out the main processes to
be followed where, due to economic reasons, changes in the delivery
of services, new technology or new ways of working; which result in
needing changes to be made to the composition of the Council’s
organisational structure and workforce.
Recruitment and Selection - A guide for Managers
The Council’s recruitment and selection
procedure aims to provide equality of opportunity to all applicants
and to recruit the best person for the vacancy, one who will make a
positive contribution to the delivery of the organisational
objectives and to the values and aims of the Council.
Redeployment
Procedure
The purpose of the redeployment procedure is
to seek to redeploy employees, to avoid the need for their
dismissal. Every attempt will be made to a comparable post.
For the procedure to be successful it requires the
active support, participation and co-operation of Heads of Service,
Unit Managers and trade unions. Employees involved also
share the responsibility with the Council to identify redeployment
opportunities. They must be responsive and
flexible when considering alternative jobs.
Restructuring
Enabling Process
Bassetlaw District Council is undertaking a restructuring
following the Senior Management Review which took place in 2006.
The purpose of the restructuring is to:
Align the resources within each
service to the structure envisaged and put in place through the
Senior Management Review;
Ensure that the Council is
resourced appropriately to deliver the key priorities identified in
the Corporate Strategy;
Enable services to deliver required efficiency savings.
Smoke Free Environment
Bassetlaw District Council recognises the rights of all staff to
work in a smoke free environment and has operated a policy of no
smoking within its buildings and vehicles for many years. The
Council is committed to promoting the good health of its employees
and the provision of a safe working environment. The Health and
Safety at Work Act (1974) requires that the Council takes
reasonable measures to protect the health and safety of employees
and members of the public visiting Council premises.
Work Life Balance
Over recent years Bassetlaw
District Council and the Joint Trade Unions have jointly developed
a number of Policies and Procedures designed to help employees
achieve an appropriate work life balance. The purpose of this
joint bulletin is to summarise existing policies and procedures,
and to announce new developments.