Agile Working Policy - Equality Screening
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 | Organisation Wide |
| Title | Agile Working Policy |
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Brief Summary This policy does not negate or supersede the Flexible Working arrangements that already exist for use by all employees. This policy is intended to supplement the Flexible Working Policy specifically in relation to proposed changes in work location and any applications for agile working will be considered in accordance with the procedure and provisions contained with the Flexible Working Policy. |
| What is it trying to achieve? (intended aims and outcomes)
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council recognises the need to develop modern working practices that enable employees to maximise their performance whilst maintaining a good work life balance. The Council is seeking to strike a balance between employees work commitments, and the faster pace of personal and working lives. Agile working gives employees the opportunity to work flexibly from any location, whether it is from a Council building, within the community and client sites or by varying degrees of home working. Although the nature of most roles within Council cannot be classed as totally flexible, there is considerable scope in many cases for some form of agile working. The different ways in which agile working can be undertaken is dependent on the demands and needs of the role, the individual’s preferences and circumstances and the service an employee is engaged in. It is possible, with careful planning, for some employees to carry out their duties from a variety of different locations. |
| Who owns and who implements each element of the function, service, policy, procedure, project, strategy, plan or guidance?
OD/HR own the Policy. At the discretion of the appropriate Head of Service and Director, agile working may be applied from the point of recruitment in line with the criteria outlined in this policy. The line manager must establish clear arrangements for managing the agile worker. Agile workers are responsible for and required to record hours worked via Timeware, electronic diaries and other formal means as instructed by their line manager. |
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Other policies etc. which have a bearing on this function, service, policy, procedure, project, strategy, plan or guidance? |
| 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. |
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| Section 75 Category |
Details of Evidence/Information |
| Religious Beliefs |
N/A |
| Political Opinion |
N/A |
| Racial Group |
Council will put in place alternative formats or an interpreter if required |
| Age |
N/A |
| Marital Status | N/A |
| Sexual Orientation |
N/A |
| Men and Women Generally |
N/A |
| Dependants |
N/A |
| Disability |
Reasonable adjustments will be considered where appropriate |
| 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 impact |
Neutral | Negative impact |
Reason | |
| Gender | Women | ☒ | ☐ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
Agreed Policy which will be applied consistently across the organisation, however we believe it will have a positive impact on the work life balance of all employees irrespective of gender as they have the flexibility to work from home or other work locations subject to the needs of the service and agreement from the LM and HoS.
Findings from the small survey completed in June 2021 suggest employees are keen to continue to work on a flexible basis i.e. from home and office based.
The CIPD Working From Home Report September 2020 reported that 68% want to continue to WFH post-lockdown. |
| Men | ☒ | ☐ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
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| Transgender men/women | ☒ | ☐ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
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| Other please specify | ☐ | ☐ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
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| Race (As used in the 2011 census) |
Asian | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
Agreed Policy which will be applied consistently across the organisation |
| Black | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
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| Chinese | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
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| Mixed race White |
☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
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| Other please specify | ☐ | ☐ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
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| Disability | Long term health impairment could include mental health problems, asthma, heart conditions, chronic fatigue etc. | ☐ | ☐ | Major ☐ Minor ☒ |
The Policy on some occasions may be of benefit to a disabled employee in terms of the flexibility with work from home subject to the needs of the service. However it is recognised that this may not be suitable for all employees and therefore it is not a compulsory requirement. It will be down to the individual to determine whether it is something they wish to do and if so discuss with their manager. Specifically, there is the potential for it to limit the ability for some people to work at other office locations if they have personally adapted equipment. As it is voluntary it will be up to individuals to decide whether they are able to work at other locations taking into account the work station available, the amount of time they are likely to be spending there and the type of work they are undertaking. The Council will support the employee when deciding on the location which best suits their needs. This is subject to the needs of the service and with agreement from the line manager. The provision of equipment could be a reasonable adjustment for some disabled employees and may be the safest option for those with existing health conditions. If an employee develops a medical condition during the course of their work the Council will consult OH in this regard. The CIPD’ Disability and Employment report 3rd June 2021 found that 73% of disabled workers said they were more productive working from home, owing to reduced pain and fatigue through less commuting, and having the ability to take additional breaks and later start times.
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| Sexual orientation | Heterosexual, lesbian, gay men, bisexual, others | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
Agreed Policy which will be applied consistently across the organisation |
| Age | Older People | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
Agreed Policy which will be applied consistently across the organisation |
| Younger people and children | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
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| Political Opinion | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
Agreed Policy which will be applied consistently across the organisation | |
| Religious Belief | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
Agreed Policy which will be applied consistently across the organisation | |
| Marital Status | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
Agreed Policy which will be applied consistently across the organisation | |
| Dependants | ☐ | ☒ | Major ☐ Minor ☐ |
Agreed Policy which will be applied consistently across the organisation |
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| Screening Questions 2. Are there opportunities to better promote equality of opportunity for people within any of the Section 75 categories? |
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| Section 75 Category | If Yes, provide details | If No, provide details | ||
| Gender | Women | No secific opportunity to better promote equality of opportunity for people within the section 75 equality categories has been identified. | ||
| Men | ||||
| Transgender men/women | ||||
| Other please specify | ||||
| Race As used in the 2011 census. |
Asian | No specific opportunity to better promote equality of opportunity for people within the section 75 equality categories has been identified. | ||
| Black | ||||
| Chinese | ||||
| Mixed race White | ||||
| Other please specify | ||||
| Disability | Long term health impairment could include mental health problems, asthma, heart conditions, chronic fatigue etc. | No specific opportunity to better promote equality of opportunity for people within the section 75 equality categories has been identified. | ||
| Sexual orientation | Heterosexual, lesbian, gay men, bisexual, others | No specific opportunity to better promote equality of opportunity for people within the section 75 equality categories has been identified. | ||
| Age | Older People, Younger people and children |
No specific opportunity to better promote equality of opportunity for people within the section 75 equality categories has been identified. | ||
| Political Opinion | No specific opportunity to better promote equality of opportunity for people within the section 75 equality categories has been identified. | |||
| Religious Belief | No specific opportunity to better promote equality of opportunity for people within the section 75 equality categories has been identified. | |||
| Marital Status | No specific opportunity to better promote equality of opportunity for people within the section 75 equality categories has been identified. | |||
| Dependants | No specific opportunity to better promote equality of opportunity for people within the section 75 equality categories has been identified. | |||
| 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. | |
| Political Opinion |
The policy has no impact on people of different political opinion.
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| Racial Group | The policy has no impact on people of different 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 | No specific opportunity to better promote good relations for people of different religious beliefs. | |
| Political Opinion |
No specific opportunity to better promote good relations for people of different political opinions. |
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| Racial Group | No specific opportunity to better promote good relations for people of different racial groups. |
| Additional Considerations | |
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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.) No |
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| 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 Is there an opportunity to better promote positive attitudes towards disabled people by altering this function, service, policy, procedure, project, strategy, plan or guidance? ☐ Yes ☒ No |
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| If yes, please give further information and examples: -- |
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| 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 |
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| Please give further information and examples: As the Policy allows for Agile Working this may be an attraction to potential employees with a disability. |
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Screening Decision
We have already seen a reduction in our sickness absence rates since individuals have been working at home. Having a sustainable and resilient workforce is a priority for the council, and the agile working offer can hopefully continue to have a positive impact on attendance at work. It is anticipated, once the threat of coronavirus has passed, that this will be particularly positive in terms of stress and mental health absences, which currently makes up a significant portion of the absence. As part of the Agile Working Policy, it is important that consideration is given to the benefits of the individual and the organisation to ensure they are inclusive of our entire workforce. It will also be important that we have regard to the Health and Safety of our employees who work in a more agile/ remote way. This will be a lay aspect of the implementation of the new arrangements to ensure that employees when working remotely are doing so from an environment and home ‘set up’ which meets statutory requirements relating to working conditions.
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If the decision is not to conduct an equality impact assessment (i.e. likely impact = None), please provide details of the reasons for this: -- |
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| 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 |
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If YES, give the reasons to support your decision, together with the proposed changes/amendments or alternative policy: See minor impact mitigations above |
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| 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. |
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| Priority Criterion | Rating (1 to 3) |
| Effect on equality of opportunity and good relations | N/A |
| Social Need | N/A |
| Effect on people’s daily lives | N/A |
| Relevance to the Council’s functions | N/A |
| Monitoring | |
| Please outline proposals for future monitoring of the policy/decision: The Council will keep this Policy under review as required and may make any changes in line with legislation, and in consultation with trade unions. |
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| Approval And Authorisation | |
| Screened By Position/Job Title Date | Date |
| HR Business Officer | 11/11/2021 |
| Approved By Position/Job Title Date | |
| HR Business Partner Org Development | 11/11/2021 |