UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH MEETING OF PEOPLE COMMITTEE 27 February 2018, 2 – 4pm, Cuillin Room, Charles Stewart House If you require any of the documents for this meeting in an alternative format, please contact

Linda McAllister at: Linda.McAllister@ed.ac.uk or telephone 0131 650 8128

AGENDA 1 Welcome & Apologies

2 Minute

To approve the minutes of the meeting on 18/10/17 Attached

3 Matters Arising To raise any matters arising

4 Main Agenda Items 4.1 Staff Volunteering Policy Paper A 4.2 Financial Wellbeing– Employee Loan Facility Paper B

4.3 Staff/Student relationships Paper C(closed)

4.4 Support for Carers Paper D

4.5 Athena Swan Paper E(closed) 4.6 Appeals Paper F(closed) 4.7 Appointment of HR Director Verbal

5 Standing Items: 5.1 To note People Report Paper G(closed) 6 Further Information

Papers considered by People Committee area available on the wiki site: https://www.wiki.ed.ac.uk/display/UCC/People+Committee. And on University web pages:

.http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/human-resources/people-committee

7 Any Other Business

Next meeting: 9 May 2018, 2 – 4pm, Cuillin Room, Charles Stewart House

1

PAPER A

PEOPLE COMMITTEE

27th February 2018

Staff Volunteering Policy

Description of paper 1. This paper details the proposal for the University to develop a staff volunteering

policy, providing the opportunity for all staff to take paid leave for one day (on an annual basis) to participate in a volunteering role.

Action requested 2. People Committee are asked to consider the content of this paper and provide

support to the proposal. Recommendation 3. People Committee are recommended to provide support ‘in principle’ for the

development of a Staff Volunteering Policy and provide comment on the structure of a possible future staff volunteering scheme.

Background and context 4. The Special and Other Leave Policy advises that requests for time off for

volunteering activities from staff will be considered by line managers on merit and in line with business requirements. Specific guidance is provided for volunteering to assist at sporting events and for the Territorial Army / Volunteer Reserve Forces.

5. The University’s Strategic Plan 2016 is framed around delivering impact for

society. The developmental theme of ‘contributing locally’ sets out the commitment to expand student and staff opportunities to support strengthening the university’s relationships with local communities. The Strategic Plan 2012-16 explicitly mentioned encouraging staff and students to take part in volunteering activities.

6. There is a commitment within the University’s Human Resources Strategy to

support the evolution of the workforce and to make staff engagement and wellbeing a reality.

7. Edinburgh Local, the University’s Community Engagement Strategy, aims to build

and strengthen relationships between the university, the city and our communities, with an explicit commitment to support staff volunteering.

8. In 2015, research was undertaken to gain an understanding of how the university was perceived by the people of Edinburgh. 90% of the sample viewed the university as an asset to the city. Awareness of the university was high, however

2

66% weren’t knowledgeable about what we do, with 65% having never used or university services or facilities.

Discussion 9. 1,652 staff completed the Social Responsibility and Sustainability (SRS) survey in

2017. The survey included a number of questions on volunteering. 50% of staff volunteer either sometimes or often in their spare time. When asked what sort of practical actions would support further engagement with the community, 81% of staff wanted the option to take a volunteering day (in addition to annual leave).In free text responses, some staff cited long working hours as a reason they did not volunteer more.

10. Individual departments (such as Finance) have established volunteering schemes, allowing staff the opportunity to take one day per year (paid) to volunteer. Staff have responded positively to these schemes, highlighting benefits to staff wellbeing and team building. These localised schemes have contributed to differences in the experience of staff from across the university, as not all departments provide this opportunity.

11. Interest in developing a staff volunteering policy has come through recent discussions in the review of the University’s SRS Strategy and the implementation of the Community Engagement Strategy. Staff volunteering has been discussed as an opportunity to enhance links with the local community, improve the visibility of the university in the city region and provide staff with a structured way to make a positive impact on society. Developing a Staff Volunteering Policy would significantly contribute to meeting strategic objectives around local community engagement and its social responsibility commitments.

12. The experience gained in many organisations using volunteering schemes clearly demonstrates their potential benefits to individual staff and to the University. Such schemes have been shown to enhance professional and transferable skills in areas such as communication, time management, coaching and listening skills, project management, as well as increased self-esteem, confidence and pride (both in their community and in the University).

13. Staff volunteering schemes have been shown to create a rewarding and positive place to work and recent statistics from the not-for-profit organisation Employee Volunteering showed that 76 per cent of volunteers said that it had a positive influence on how they felt about their employer. A recent survey by Deloitte also showed that those aged 21 -35, who frequently participated in workplace volunteer activities, were nearly twice as likely to be very satisfied with the progression of their career. This increased employee engagement, could also have the potential to improve awareness of the University and what it does in local communities.

14. The Edinburgh University Students’ Association have a dedicated team to support students wanting to volunteer in the local community. Students are encouraged to use a dedicated database, which list existing opportunities with

3

local organisations. 79% of staff who completed the SRS Survey wanted a database of volunteering opportunities. It should be noted that there are already established mechanisms to recruit volunteers in Edinburgh (such as Volunteer Edinburgh).

15. A number of universities have staff volunteering policies and schemes. The University of Bristol has a Public Duties and Volunteering Policy which grants each member of staff one day's paid leave per year to undertake volunteering. As part of its commitment to staff development and the local community, the University of Nottingham has developed and introduced staff volunteering scheme. Staff are able to participate in voluntary placements for up to 40 hours (e.g. 20 hours paid, 20 hours unpaid) per year, at a time when they would normally have been at work. Durham University’s ‘Experience Durham’ programme is responsible for coordinating staff and student volunteering and outreach. Durham University has a commitment to enable all staff members to apply to volunteer for up to 5-days per year in work time, supported by a dedicated staff volunteering scheme.

16. The University will need to decide a structure of a possible future staff volunteering scheme. A light touch approach could be adopted, allowing staff to participate in a volunteering activity of their own choosing, ensuring these activities were recorded through a monitoring system. This could be less resource intensive to support and build on links individual staff have with local community groups and charities. A more structured approach could be adopted, where the University could provide and coordinate volunteering opportunities which could offer a more strategic approach and provide staff from different departments an opportunity to volunteer together, promoting a better sense of University community.

17. A future Staff Volunteering Policy would need to comprehensively address health and safety concerns, ensuring appropriate risk assessments are completed for potential volunteering activities. In addition, work would need to be undertaken to investigate if the university’s liability insurance would cover any accidents or emergencies from staff volunteering.

18. The benefits of a future Staff Volunteering Policy and scheme would need to be effectively communicated to staff, especially those who feel they cannot volunteer due to long working hours. All staff should have the opportunity to dedicate time to their own professional development and staff volunteering could be considered as a developmental opportunity, leading to benefits for the University. Future work would need to be undertaken to ensure any barriers to staff participating are addressed.

Resource implications

19. Adopting a Staff Volunteering Policy would have resource implications. Further work will need to be undertaken to scope out and develop a range of mechanisms and support structures which would support staff volunteering. This would include the resources required for each option.

4

Risk management 20. Appropriate consideration of risk has been taken in the preparation of this paper.

Development of a Staff Volunteering Policy and any subsequent supporting mechanism would need to comprehensively address risk management and reduce any potential risk.

Equality and diversity 21. Providing support ‘in principle’ for this proposal would be a signal of the

University’s commitment to social responsibility, providing every staff member with the same opportunity to volunteer. Equality and diversity would be a key consideration in developing a policy, especially concerning inclusion.

Next steps and communication 22. Should this proposal be agreed, a working group will be established to develop a

Staff Volunteering Policy. This would include further work to research best practice from across the sector and provide options for a future staff volunteering scheme.

Consultation

23. This proposal has been shared with key stakeholders, with contributions from

Professor Lesley McAra, Assistant Principal Community Relations; Moira Gibson,

Head of External Affairs; Dave Gorman, Director of Social Responsibility and

Sustainability. The paper has been reviewed by the Director of Human

Resources.

Further information 24. Author and Presenter Matthew Lawson Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability

Freedom of information

25. This paper can be included in open business.

PAPER B People Committee

27 February 2018

Financial Wellbeing – Employee Loan Facility

Description of paper 1. Further to the paper bought to People Committee in the last quarter of 2016 that outlined the rational for adopting an employee loan facility, this paper reports on the review of the market for this benefit.

Action requested 2. People Committee is asked to review the contents of this paper and consider if the University should proceed to implementation of this benefit via the preferred supplier. Recommendation 3. People Committee are recommended to support the proposal for the implementation of an employee loan facility to enable further consideration by the University Executive. Background and context 4. A number of higher education institutions have introduced an employee loan facility. The purpose of doing so is to provide access to affordable borrowing using salary deduction for repayments. The emphasis is on debt consolidation with the aim of reducing borrowing costs and increasing take home pay. The introduction of a loan facility is not to encourage more debt but to reduce existing debt. 5. Providers of employee loans provide fixed low interest rates to help employees pay off their debts faster by consolidating into one loan. Financial institutions may offer lower rates but these tend to be only available to high earners with good credit scores. 6. The University has explored the market and identified two suitable providers – Neyber and Salary Finance. Both providers also offer a Financial Wellbeing Hub for customers producing financial education to help employees budget and save. Salary Finance in partnership with Yorkshire Building Society launched a new product in January 2018. This new product makes it easy for employees to build a saving habit by adding deposits to a savings account direct from salary. Neyber is also currently developing a similar product. Discussion 7. After meeting with both Neyber and Salary Finance it was apparent that they provide a similar offering (please see Appendix 1). References for each provider were obtained (see table overleaf) and a small Panel was established to review the references.

2

Neyber Salary Finance

UK Power Network (6,000 employees) Hays Plc (2,500 employees)

Axis Group Services (3,600 employees) Ageas (4,000 employees)

Sheffield University (6,500 employees) Carlsberg UK (1,700 employees)

The following made up the Review Panel – Susan McNeill, Head of HR CMVM, Mike Cowan, Senior HR Adviser and Graham Mechan, Payroll Manager. The main points resulting from the review are detailed below: Interest Rate 8. Salary Finance has the option to provide one rate of interest for all employees – this is set at 7.9%. Neyber offers 3 rates ranging between 4.9% - 9.9%. The Panel liked the use of a single rate of interest as it is transparent what the rate will be before applying and the set rate will be most beneficial to those in the higher risk/lower income group. Minimum Eligibility 9. The minimum age and income threshold are lower for Salary Finance – minimum age is 18 and minimum income is £9,000. Neyber will provide their product to those over 21 and minimum income is £13,500. The Panel agreed that the lower income threshold specified by Salary Finance will allow more staff, especially those working part time to take up this benefit. Minimum Tenure 10. One year tenure with the University is required by Salary Finance. Neyber require a permanent contract for at least 6 months. In certain areas of the University a high number of employees are on fixed term contracts, so the fact that Salary Finance can provide loans to those that are not classed as permanent is beneficial. References 11. References obtained for both suppliers were positive and there were some powerful stories how the introduction of a loan facility had made a difference to a lot of people. Feedback from the Panel was that there was a “feel good” factor identified by the referees when dealing with Salary Finance and in general their references were more favourable especially for customer service. Conclusion 12. After consideration of the product offering and references, the Panel were unanimous in agreeing that Salary Finance are the preferred supplier for an employee loan facility. Their offering was felt to be better suited to the University’s ethos and requirements supported by excellent customer services.

3

Resource implications 13. The references obtained advised take up rates ranged from 2%-5%. Data verification of Payroll ID, Date of Birth, Salary, Start Date and Status (part time or fixed term) is required and will be taken forward by UHRS and Payroll within existing resources. Risk Management 14. Should the loan facility proceed, the launch will be done with a light touch taking care to convey factual representation of the loan facility without any deemed inducement. Equality & Diversity 15. Due consideration has been given to equality and diversity when researching the implementation of the employee loan facility. Next steps & Communication 16. Should People Committee support the proposal for an employee loan facility via the preferred supplier approval will be sought from University Executive. Consultation 17. This paper has been reviewed by Zoe Lewandowski (Director of Human Resources), Further information 18. Further information on the matters contained in this paper is available from Louise Kidd, HR Partner Reward. Author Presenter Louise Kidd HR Partner Reward

Craig Hennessy Acting Deputy Director of HR

6 February 2018 Freedom of Information 19. This paper is open.

Appendix 1

Comparison of Providers

1

PAPER D

PEOPLE COMMITTEE

27 February 2018

Support for Working Carers

Description of Paper

1. This paper outlines the proposal for the University to extend its provision of

support /family friendly policies to cover staff who have unpaid caring

responsibilities for an elderly, disabled or long term ill dependent. It is proposed

that support extends beyond ‘emergency’ time off and includes time off to

accompany a dependant to scheduled appointments or activities.

Action Requested/Recommendation 2. People Committee is asked to consider and support the proposal outlined in this paper. Background and Context 3. It is estimated by Carer Postive http://www.carerpositive.org/about/.org that there are currently 270,000 people in Scotland who juggle being at work with being an unpaid carer to a family member or friend. It is expected that 3 in 5 people will have to take on a caring role at some point in their lifetime. 4. The University has held a Carer Positive Engaged Award since the end of 2015, indicating our commitment to supporting carers in the workplace. Agreement to this proposal will enhance the University’s position as an employer of choice offering enhanced support for employees’ non work commitments. It should also help ensure retention of valuable staff by encouraging flexible working arrangements and time off when needed for caring duties. Discussion 5. The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine undertook a survey in June 2017 to assess how many of its staff were unpaid carers and the impact this had on their working lives. The survey revealed that approximately 5% of CMVM’s workforce were carers, with the majority holding down full time roles. Most carers were supporting a parent or parent-in-law and nearly 80% were female staff. 6. Staff were asked to indicate the impact of being a working carer. Over 50% used annual leave to cover caring responsibilities such as attending hospital appointments, visiting care homes etc. The survey revealed that one staff member used her entire allocation of annual leave in 2017 for caring responsibilities.

2

7. 32% of respondents had changed their working hours to enable them to support their dependent and 6% had considered giving up work entirely. 8. Feedback from the survey did not suggest that carers are looking for unique treatment but rather that the chance to access flexible working and time off to support their dependant with appointments and assessments would have a significant impact on their work life balance. We are already addressing how we can publicise flexible working as an option for carers through webpages and CMVM are running awareness events in Carers Week (June 2018). 9. The Time off for Dependants Policy states ‘Employees have a statutory right to a reasonable amount of unpaid time off work to deal with emergencies involving dependants.’ The survey suggests that the majority of time off needed for carers is not for emergency situations but for planned appointments such as assessments at memory clinics and for other specialist needs. With no provision for time off for planned caring support, staff are using annual leave to cover these requirements meaning they reduce their opportunity for relaxation and recuperation that holiday from work should provide. 10. It is proposed that the current provision in the Time off for Dependants Policy is extended to cover a right to time off for carers to attend scheduled specialist appointments and meetings. Examples might include; hospital appointments, meetings to discuss care packages with social services and occupational therapy assessments. 11. An expectation to schedule general appointments (e.g. doctor/dentist) at the start or end of the day to avoid disruption at work would remain, but a change to policy would acknowledge that a carer needs to attend certain essential appointments with a relative or dependant and that these are of equal importance to emergency situations. 12. The opportunity to take time off to attend such scheduled appointments would not increase the maximum amount of time that can be taken as time off for dependants (currently 10 days per annum). Entitlement would remain for staff to take up to 10 days’ paid leave per year to deal with both family emergencies and scheduled specialist appointments. 13. It is recommended that the policy specifies that time off should be with a manager’s approval so that business needs can be taken into account as well as ensuring consistency and fairness. Resource Implications 14. Revision to and consultation on the Time off for Dependants Policy will need to be scheduled into University HR Services’ policy work plan. Resource will also be needed to publicise/communicate the revised policy but this can be accommodated within existing resources. Risk Management 15. No specific risks identified. Equality & Diversity 16. Enabling carers to take time off to accompany dependants to scheduled appointments would be a positive demonstration of the University’s commitment

3

to supporting work life balance and family friendly policies. It would contribute to the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda. 17. This commitment may also enable the University to apply for an “Established” Carer Positive Award (the next level up from our current award) Currently the University of Strathclyde is the only Scottish University to hold this level of award. 18. The CMVM survey demonstrated that the majority of caring responsibilities fall to women. The University’s support for Athena Swan initiatives has dealt with a number of areas to promote work life balance, but it has not as yet looked in to support for carers and this would be a positive addition to our profile. Next Steps/Implications 19. If supported by People Committee this proposal will be taken to the University Executive for agreement before formal consultation on and approval of the amended Time off for Dependants policy is sought through CJCNC. Consultation 20. This paper has been informed by the staff survey of carers carried out in CMVM in June 2017. The paper has been reviewed by the Director of HR. Further Information 21. Author Presenter Elspeth Wedgwood Zoe Lewandowski Senior HR Advisor CMVM Director of Human Resources February 2018 Freedom of Information 22. This paper is open