employee rights & responsibilities document · 2015-02-13 · employee rights &...

Employee Rights & Responsibilities Document

October 2013

This document summarises important information for new employees to the council and should be read in conjunction with the contract of employment. It can also be used as a reference guide for current staff alongside the Council’s intranet (the Wave).

ICT network access is provided for new starters when they join. This is irrespective of whether you use a personal computer in your day to day job role or not. This enables access to the Wave from a computer within the Council, or one that is privately owned outside it. If you do not use a computer at work or own one at home, but wish to view the Wave, your line manager should be allowing you access via their own computer, or from one within the team. Alternatively computers are available to use in the Learning Resource Centre at King’s House, or at Hollingdean Depot.

Human Resources information, which forms the majority of this document, can be found under the “Supporting You” tab on the Wave. There are two main paths to follow for information:

• Employee Matters – Information and Guidance for Staff

• Managing Teams – Information and Guidance for Managers

Should you wish to see full copies of information referenced within this document, please contact the People Centre Officer who sent your employment offer letter to you, or the generic Human Resources team number (01273) 291111.

Employee Rights & Responsibilities Page 1 of 78 October 2013 Document Owner: Liz Boswell

TERMS & CONDITIONS A 2-24

Part I: General A 2 -7

Contract of Employment A 2

Terms & Conditions of Service A 2

Place of Employment A 2

Pay A 2

Payment of Salaries/Wages A 3

Pensions A 3

Sickness Absence Notification A 4

Sick Pay A 5

Probationary Service A 6 Recognition of Continuous Service A 7

Notice A 7

Retirement A 7 Part II: Working Hours & Working Arrangements

A 8-16

Working Hours A 8

Standard Flexible Working Hours Scheme

A 8

Flexible Working Hours Scheme for Senior Managers

A 10

Dental/Medical Appointments A 11

Time off for Medical Screening A 12

Working Arrangements A 12

Enhancements for Non-standard Working Arrangements

A 12

Overtime A 14

Standby, Call Out & Sleep-in Duties A 14

Winter Gritting Rates A 15

Absence Pay A 15 Part III: Leave Provisions A 17-22

Annual Leave A 17

Extra Statutory Days A 20

Bank/Public Holidays A 20

Concessionary Leave A 20

Bereavement Leave A 21

Leave for Jury Service A 21

Leave for Public Duties A 21

Service in Non-Regular Forces A 22

Career Break/Sabbaticals A 22 Part IV: Travel at Work A 23-24

Travel Expenses A 23

Subsistence Expenses A 24 POLICIES & PROCEDURES B 25-36

Part I: General B 25-33

Financial Regulations B 25

Standing Orders B 25

Data Protection Act B 25

Data Matching B 25

Anti-Fraud & Corruption Policy Statement & Strategy

B 25

Equalities & Inclusion B 26

Staff with Disabilities B 27

Whistleblowing Policy B 27

Disciplinary Procedure B 28

Capability Procedure B 28

Grievance/Dispute Procedure B 29

Job Sharing Policy B 29

Appointment Support Procedure B 29

Learning & Development B 30

Foundation Learning Programme B 30

Training in the Workplace B 30

Individual Performance Review B 31

Attendance Management Procedure B 31

Return to Work Interview B 31

Absence Review Meetings and Attendance Concern Levels

B 32

Dignity & Respect at Work Policy B 32

Drug & Alcohol Policy B 32 Part II: Travel-Related Policies B 34-36

Re-imbursement of Travel Expenses (for travel within Brighton & Hove)

B 34

Re-imbursement of Travel Expenses (for travel outside Brighton & Hove)

B 34

Re-imbursement of Subsistence Expenses

B 35

Overnight Provisions B 35

Travel Abroad B 35

Vehicle Loans B 35

Season Ticket Loans B 35

Adverse Weather Policy B 36 Part III: Family-Friendly Policies B 37-41

Occupational Maternity and Adoption & Surrogacy Policies

B 37

Maternity Leave Entitlement B 37

Maternity Pay B 37

Adoption Leave Entitlement B 37

Adoption Pay B 38

Surrogacy B 38

Maternity Support Leave B 38

Paternity Leave B 39

Additional Paternity Leave B 39

Parental Leave B 40 Discretionary Special Leave B 40 Part IV: Health & Safety Policies B 42-43

Health & Safety Policy B 42

Workstyles B 42 RULES & INFORMATION C 44-77

Part I: General C 44-45

Confidentiality C 44

Change of Address or Personal Circumstances

C 44

Queries on Pay C 44

Bright Start Nursery C 45 Part II: Codes of Conduct C 46-72

Code of Conduct for Employees C 46

Use of ICT Policy C 59

Social Networking Policy C 72 Part III: Health, Safety & Welfare C 73-76

Accidents at Work C 73

Abuse/Violence at Work C 73

Evacuation Procedures C 73

First Aid C 73

Hazard Reporting Procedures C 73

Personal Protective Clothing & Footware

C 73

Display Screen Equipment C 74

Security C 74

Smoking at Work C 75

Lone Working C 75 Part IV: Employee Relations C 77

Trade Union Recognition C 77

Trade Union Membership C 77

Index Section/Page Section/Page


Section A: Terms and Conditions Part I: General 1 Contract of Employment

The contract of employment (or Statement of Particulars) sets out the principal terms and conditions of your employment with Brighton & Hove City Council. The contract contains information relating to such matters as your rate of pay (including overtime and any additional payments to which you may be entitled), the terms and conditions relating to your hours of work and pattern of working and holidays etc. You are strongly advised to read this document thoroughly as it contains important information relating to your employment with the Council. Human Resources are responsible for issuing your contract of employment and must provide this document to you within two months of your commencing employment with the Council. If you should have any queries in connection with your contract, you should contact Human Resources.

2 Terms and Conditions of Service

Your employment will be subject to the terms and conditions of service negotiated nationally for National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services’ employees and any terms and conditions agreed locally, from time to time, between the Council and its recognised trade unions. In the event of any change(s) being made to your terms and conditions of service, the Council will notify you of such change(s) within one month of the change(s) being implemented.

3 Place of Employment You are employed by the Council and, as such, the Council has the right to require you to work, whether on a permanent or temporary basis, at any location within the City of Brighton and Hove where the duties and activities of the Council are undertaken. Your place of work (or if you have no fixed place of work, your work base for administrative and supervisory purposes) at the time you take up your appointment will be specified in your contract of employment. However, the Council reserves the right, after consultation with you, to change your work location for some, or all, of your time as organisational/operational needs dictate.

4 Pay

The Council’s grading structure is linked to the nationally agreed scale of “spinal column points” for National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services’ employees. You will, therefore, be paid in


accordance with these national salary scales. The NJC for Local Government Services’ pay scales are reviewed annually with any pay award agreed being implemented on each 1 April. The Council is a Living Wage Employer. This means that the minimum entry point for new employees is equivalent to the Living Wage rate applicable at the time. Current pay scales can be found on the HR site on the Council’s intranet, the Wave.

5 Payment of Salaries/Wages

Your contract of employment will state the frequency and timing regarding the payment of your salary/wage. You are required to:

• maintain a suitable Bank or Building Society account into which payment can be made

• provide the Council with accurate account details

• notify Human Resources immediately of any changes to your account or personal circumstances which might affect payment of your salary/wage.

Your payslip, confirming what you have been paid, will be sent to you electronically if you have a council ICT network account set up. Otherwise, a paper payslip will be sent to you, under confidential cover, via your workplace. It is your personal responsibility to check your payslips to ensure that the amounts paid to you each month are correct. If you are not sure whether you have been paid correctly, you must check with Human Resources immediately. If you should be overpaid, irrespective of how this error occurred, the Council will automatically recover the monies to which you are not entitled directly from your salary. Knowingly receiving money to which you are not entitled is a serious disciplinary offence and could result in your dismissal.

6 Pensions

If you have been appointed on a contract for more than 3 months, you will automatically become a member of the Local Government Pension Scheme unless, no later than three months after taking up your post, you give written notice that you do not wish to join the Scheme. As a member of the pension scheme, you will pay contributions from your salary on sliding contribution rates based on your whole-time equivalent pensionable pay (refer to the Local Government Pension Scheme website for latest contribution rates www.lgps.org.uk ).

If you have transferred from another local authority, and you were a member of the Local Government Pension Scheme, your membership of the Scheme can be transferred with you. However, you will still need to complete the necessary paperwork to effect the transfer.


If you do not join the Local Government Pension Scheme you may enter into a personal pension arrangement. If you do neither, you will participate fully in the State Second Pension. Further information on the Local Government Pension Scheme can be obtained from the Scheme Administrator at: www.eastsussexpensionfund.org

7 Sickness Absence Notification

If you are unable to attend work due to illness, it is very important that you follow all the steps of the notification procedure set out below unless your manager tells you that you must follow a different notification procedure within your service area. You must familiarise yourself with these requirements and comply with them. If you fail to do so you may have disciplinary action taken against you.

First Day: You must personally notify your manager (or in his/her absence the officer notified to you by your Department) as soon as possible but no later than 10.00 am on the first day of sickness. If you work a rota / shift pattern, contact must be made no later than one hour after you were due to begin work. In all but exceptional circumstances (e.g. emergency hospitalisation), you must notify your absence personally to your manager (or in his/her absence the officer notified to you by your Department). You must give the reasons for your absence, details of when you became unfit to work and the likely date of your return to work.

Fourth Calendar Day:

If you are still unfit to work on the fourth day you must personally inform your manager (or other officer nominated in his/her absence) of your continuing absence. You must also give an indication of the likely date of your return to work.

Eighth Calendar Day:

If you are sick for more than seven consecutive days (including Saturdays and Sundays and days you would not normally work) you must obtain a Statement of Fitness for Work form Med 3 (generally known as a medical certificate) from your doctor which must be sent to your manager as soon as possible.

Continuing Sickness:

If your sickness continues beyond the date given on the doctor’s medical certificate you must obtain further medical certificates as often as required. These must be sent to your manager as soon as possible.

If your medical certificate covers a period exceeding 14 days, or you have had to obtain more than one medical


certificate during your period of sickness absence, then you must submit a final medical certificate to the Council confirming that you are fit to resume your duties before you return to work.

Return to Work:

Upon returning to work from any period of sickness absence you must contact your manager who will carry out a return to work interview with you and ask you to sign the appropriate sickness absence notification form.

Note 1: If you live alone, and without a telephone, you should let your manager know that you may have difficulty notifying him/her that you are unwell. In these circumstances, you will need to agree with your manager the procedure that should be followed when notifying your absence from the office.

Note 2: You must personally keep your manager regularly informed during any period of sickness absence.

Note 3: Late notification of sickness absence and submission of medical certificates may result in delays in receiving benefit or the withholding of payment.

Note 4: Making a false declaration of sickness absence is a serious matter and may result in disciplinary action, including dismissal, being taken against you.

Note 5: Failure to provide a medical certificate in accordance with these arrangements may result in disciplinary action, including dismissal, being taken against you.

Note 6: The Council reserves the right to require you to submit to a medical examination at any time regarding your fitness or otherwise for work.

Note 7: If you are admitted to hospital or a similar institution you should submit a doctor’s statement on entry and on discharge, in substitution for periodical medical certificates.

Details of the procedure for managing attendance can be found under Section B Part 1 (page 31).

8 Sick Pay

Your occupational sick pay entitlement is dependent upon your length of recognised continuous service (see section 1 of your contract of employment) as follows: During first year of service: I month full pay and, after 4 months

service, 2 months half pay


During second year of service: 2 months full pay and 2 months half pay

During third year of service: 4 months full pay and 4 months half pay

During fourth & fifth year of service: 5 months full pay and 5 months half pay

During fifth year of service: 6 months full pay and six months half pay

Under certain circumstances you may also qualify for Statutory Sick Pay. Full details of the Council’s provisions relating to rates of sick pay during any sickness absence under the occupational and statutory sick pay schemes are available for you to refer to in Human Resources.

If you have any queries relating to your occupational or statutory sick pay entitlements you should contact Human Resources. Please note the Council reserves the right to terminate your employment before your sick pay has been exhausted.

9 Probationary Service

The Council requires all new employees (whether permanent or temporary) to complete satisfactorily a probationary period of six months (twelve months for those working in Children’s Residential Services or as a Newly Qualified Social Worker working in Children’s or Adults’ Services) before their appointment, permanent or otherwise, with the Council will be confirmed.

During the probationary period you will be expected to demonstrate your suitability for the post to which you have been appointed. Your performance, conduct and attendance will be assessed by your manager during this period in accordance with the provisions of the Council’s Probationary Service Procedure. At the end of this period, subject to your service having been satisfactory, your appointment, permanent or otherwise, with the Council will be confirmed. However, should your performance, conduct and/or attendance be considered unsatisfactory in any respect (at any time during, or at the end of, your probationary period) then the Council reserves the right to terminate your employment by giving you one calendar month’s notice in writing unless it is a case of gross misconduct in which case no notice or notice pay will be due to you. Under the procedure you would have the right of appeal against your dismissal. Please note that the Council’s Disciplinary and Capability Procedures will not apply to you during your probationary period. Should you wish to leave the Council during the probationary period you would be required to give the appropriate period of notice, in writing, to the Council. The amount of notice you are required to give is specified in your


contract of employment. A copy of the full Probationary Service Procedure can be found on the HR site on the Council’s intranet, the Wave.

10 Recognition of Continuous Service

Your length of continuous service will be used to calculate your entitlement to annual leave, sick pay, maternity leave, redundancy payments and period of notice. The date recognised for these purposes will be the date on which you commenced employment with Brighton & Hove City Council unless you have had any previous service with another local authority or other recognised public body which would be recognised as continuous for the purpose of calculating these entitlements. Your contract of employment states the date of commencement of your employment with Brighton & Hove City Council and, where different, the date recognised for continuous service purposes.

11 Notice

If you wish to leave the Council you are required to give notice in writing of your wish to do so. The amount of notice you are required to give to the Council is dependent upon the grade of your post and is specified in your contract of employment. Should you fail to give, or serve, the required period of notice, the Council reserves the right to offset a sum for the period of notice not served against any amounts (including accrued holiday entitlement) due to you. The amount of notice required to be given by the Council to you is your contractual notice or the appropriate minimum statutory period of notice, whichever is the greater. The statutory minimum periods of notice are: Period of continuous employment Minimum notice One month or more but less than 2 years Not less than 1 week Two years or more but less than 12 years Not less than 1 week for

each year of continuous service

12 years or more Not less than 12 weeks

12 Retirement

The Council does not have a default retirement age which means you do not have to retire when you reach a certain age, but can choose to continue working for as long as you want to subject to your conduct, work performance and attendance remaining satisfactory.


Section A: Terms and Conditions Part II: Working Hours & Working Arrangements 1 Working Hours

Your contract of employment will specify the number of hours you are contracted to work each week including, your working pattern, working arrangements and, where appropriate, any allowances you may be entitled to receive in addition to your basic pay. For more information on allowances please see paragraph 2 “Working Arrangements” below.

Flexible Working Hours Schemes

The Council has two distinct flexible working hours schemes (a Standard Scheme that applies to the majority of staff and one specifically for senior managers). These schemes offer benefits not only to the Council but also to employees by allowing some discretion in arranging working hours. However, there will be some employees who for operational reasons will be excluded from participating in these schemes. Your contract of employment will tell you whether or not you are included in a Flexible Working Hours Scheme. If you are included in one of the Schemes you must ensure that you comply with the requirements of that Scheme. Details of both Schemes are set out below: Standard Flexible Working Hours Scheme (for posts graded Scale 1 to M8 inclusive) Contractual working week:

As stated in Section 1 of your contract.

Core Times (where these apply to the service):

10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon and 2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m., unless you are notified by your manager that different Core Times apply locally. During core times all employees must be at work. Part time and job share employees must be at work during those parts of the Core Times that fall within their normal pattern of working.

Lunch break: Between a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 1 hour 30 minutes within the period 12.00 noon to 2.00 p.m. The lunch break constitutes the in-work rest break prescribed in the Working Time Regulations.


In the event that the lunch break period (i.e. 12.00 noon-2.00 p.m.) is either at the beginning or at the end of a working day, you will be entitled to have an unpaid in-work rest break of 20 minutes (30 minutes for an employee aged over 15 and under 18 years) during that day. The timing of the in-work rest break will be by agreement with your manager having regard to the needs of the service.

Accounting period:

Four weeks - the total hours to be worked during the period will be 4 x your normal contractual working hours per week.

Standard working day:

A standard working day is 7 hours 24 minutes and a half-day is 3 hours 42 minutes.

Recording: You will complete an individual time sheet for each week showing the start and finish times in the morning and afternoon on each day. It is your responsibility to record your hours of work accurately. The deliberate misuse of the Scheme or the falsification of records will result in disciplinary action and could lead to dismissal.

Verification: At the end of each accounting period, you will submit the completed time sheet to your manager for authorisation. Managers must retain flexi-time record sheets for a minimum of 3 years from the date on which they were made.

Credit/debit balances:

A maximum of 10 hours credit balance (pro rata for part-time employees) and a maximum of 5 hours debit balance (pro rata for part time employees) can be carried over from one accounting period to the next.

Daily working arrangements:

Your manager will determine, in consultation with you, your normal working pattern so as to ensure the office/team is adequately staffed throughout normal office hours.

Revision of work periods:

You must give one month’s notice to your manager if you want to change your regular daily work periods.

Dental/medical appointments:

You must make every effort to arrange such appointments in your own time and outside any Core Times specified for your service. However, where this is not possible, and at the discretion of your manager, time to attend such appointments will be allowed. If you are intending to be absent during normal working hours you must notify your manager in reasonable time so that alternative working arrangements can be made to ensure the


provision of an effective service. Holiday/sickness: Where staff holidays or sickness are likely to affect

the efficiency of an office / team, then you may be expected to adjust your work periods, on a temporary basis, by agreement with your manager.

Time off: You may take up to a maximum of 7 hours 24 minutes (pro rata for part-time employees) as flexi-time leave during any one accounting period provided that the appropriate amount of flexi-time credit has already been accrued before the flexi-leave is taken. However, you must first discuss and agree this with your manager.

Flexible Working Hours Scheme for Senior Managers (for posts graded M7 or above) There is a separate Flexible Working Hours Scheme for employees graded M7 or above. This is principally because the demands on employees at a more senior level are somewhat different and, as a consequence, the standard Flexible Working Hours Scheme is not felt to be appropriate. However, there will be some employees working in certain areas of the Council’s service, who it is necessary for operational reasons to exclude from participating in the Flexible Working Hours Scheme for Senior Managers. It will be stated in your contract of employment whether or not the Flexible Working Hours Scheme for Senior Managers applies to your post. If you are included in the Scheme you must ensure that you comply with the requirements of the Scheme, details of which are set out below: Contractual working week:

As stated in section 1 of your contract but with a requirement to work such reasonable hours as the needs of the job dictate.

Core Times (where these apply to the service):

You will normally be expected to be at work during Core Times (i.e.10 a.m. to 12.00 noon; 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., unless you are notified by your manager that different Core Times apply locally). During core times all part time and job share employees must be at work, or that part thereof that falls within their normal pattern of working, but with flexibility of working hours around these times as the needs of the service


demand.

Rest break: Where your working day is more than 6 hours in duration and your working pattern does not provide for a lunch break or other such break from work of sufficient duration, you are entitled to an unpaid in-work rest break of 20 minutes.

Recording: You will complete an individual timesheet for each week, showing the start and finish times in the morning and afternoon on each day. It is your responsibility to record your hours of work accurately. The deliberate misuse of the Scheme, or the falsification of records, will result in disciplinary action and could lead to dismissal.

Verification: At the end of each four week period you should submit your completed timesheet to your manager for verification. Managers must retain flexi-time record sheets for a minimum of 3 years from the date on which they were made.

Credit /debit balances and time off:

Will be at the discretion of the relevant Head of Service

Dental/Medical Appointments You must make every effort to arrange such appointments in your own time and outside normal working hours (or outside any Core Times, that may be specified for your service area by your manager). However, where this is not possible (e.g. hospital, urgent dental appointments) and, at the discretion of your manager, time off with pay to attend such appointments (including reasonable travelling time) will be allowed. You must notify your manager in reasonable time if you are intending to be absent during normal working hours. This is important so that alternative working arrangements can be made to ensure that the office / section / service can be staffed adequately and that effective services can be maintained. You must also provide evidence of the appointment (e.g. an appointment card) if requested to do so by your manager.


Time off for Medical Screening Time off with pay will be allowed for you to attend for cancer screening or other potentially life-threatening conditions. However, you must notify your manager in good time so that arrangements can be made to ensure office cover and, wherever possible, you should arrange such appointments outside of the Core Times, if any are specified by your manager for your service area.

2 Working Arrangements

For the purpose of allowances, the following definitions apply:

• full time hours are 37 hours per week over 52 weeks per year

• the standard working week operates Monday to Friday 6.00am to 8.00pm

• night work applies between the hours of 8.00pm to 6.00am

• ‘normal working pattern’ is defined as an individual’s normal contractual working arrangements.

• ‘normal hourly rate’ is defined as the hourly rate derived from an individual’s grade and spinal column point.

• allowances for non-standard working arrangements will be applied to part-time employees in the same way as they are applied to full-time employees, unless otherwise stated in your contract of employment or council policies.

The expectation is that working patterns are allocated to meet operational need and are fairly distributed across each relevant staff group.

3 Enhancements for Non-standard Working Arrangements

Allowances for Grade Scale 6 and below These allowances will be paid to employees on spinal column point (scp) 28 and below (i.e. up to Scale 6) where their normal working pattern goes beyond the standard working week. Saturdays and Sundays Half time in addition to the normal hourly rate. Bank Holidays Plain time in addition to the normal hourly rate plus a day off; or Double time in addition to the normal hourly rate.


Resident Service Guarantee (RSG) Working For CityClean, where ‘Resident Service Guarantee’ rules apply, a fixed rate payment is payable on Bank Holidays except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day where a fixed rate payment is payable on the following Saturday. RSG payments are subject to satisfactory performance by City Clean staff. Night Work Third time in addition to the normal hourly rate for any hours worked between 8.00pm and 6.00am. 24/7 Services Employees whose working pattern operates across a 24 hour period, 7 days a week will be entitled to a payment equivalent to 10% of their actual spinal column point salary pro-rata’d to the number of hours they are contracted to work per week. Allowances for Grades SO1/2 to M8 inclusive For employees above scp 28 the rules governing entitlement to the allowances for non-standard working arrangements are set out below.

• employees who are working in services which operate beyond the standard week, and are contracted to undertake regular work outside the standard week, will be entitled to claim enhancements for non- standard working arrangements.

• staff working ad-hoc hours outside of the standard week will not be entitled to enhancements for non-standard working arrangements but will be granted time off in lieu (calculated at plain time) or may be granted overtime subject to the conditions set out in paragraph 4 below.

Allowances for Grades M7 and above

The grade is inclusive and no allowances are paid for non-standard working arrangements.


4 Overtime

Employees graded Scale 1/2 to Scale 6 (up to scp 28) will be required, on occasions, to work additional hours.

• Overtime (i.e. additional hours for part-time staff) up to and including 37 hours per week will be paid at plain time.

• Overtime in excess of 37 hours per week will be paid as follows:

o Monday to Sunday – half time in addition to normal hourly rate.

o Bank Holidays – plain time in addition to the normal hourly rate.

Employees graded SO1/2 to M8 will be required, on occasions, to work additional hours as the needs of the job dictate. Such overtime working will not normally qualify for additional payment but compensatory time off (calculated at plain time) will be allowed by arrangement with management. Payment may only be payable by exception, as agreed by an Executive Director and in circumstances where compensatory time off may not be accommodated. Employees graded Scale M7 or above are required to work such reasonable additional hours as are necessary to ensure the efficient and effective discharge of their duties. Some compensatory time off may be agreed with the line manager. Where an enhanced overtime payment is made no other enhancement can be applied to those hours.

5 Standby, Call Out and Sleep-In Duties

M7 and above grades are inclusive salaries and no other allowances are paid. Standby Standby is payable where an employee is required to be available to work in order to deal with emergency situations as and when they arise. The payment will be made regardless of whether the employee is called upon to work. Employees who are contractually required to undertake standby duties will receive £26.76 (updated 1st April 2013 NJC Agreement) per duty. If they are called out, then after the first thirty minutes they will be paid for any additional hours. This is paid at the overtime rate if this takes the individual


beyond 37 hours or the relevant working pattern enhancement in line with the time of day/week that the call-out takes place. The standby payment represents a period of standby for up to 24 hours. Standby duty rates will be reviewed each year in line with NJC rates. Exceptions Winter-Gritting standby and rates will remain as they are currently with a week’s standby at £59.53. Payments for the work undertaken when called out will be as follows:

• Hill Top Grit £53.94

• Standard Grit £65.93

• Full Grit £77.90

Call Out Employees may occasionally be contacted outside of the normal working hours. This type of arrangement would not attract a standby payment as there is no contractual requirement to be available. The post holder would however receive payment for the hours worked in line with overtime and additional hours payments. Sleep-In Duty Employees undertaking sleep-in duties will receive £33.27 per duty (April 2013 NJC Agreement). Where employees are woken from sleep they will be paid at the relevant rate (night rate) after the first thirty minutes. Sleep-in duty rates will be reviewed each year in line with NJC rates.

6 Absence Pay

Where an employee is absent from work (either through illness or annual leave) when they would otherwise have been contracted to work a pattern that would have attracted an enhancement to their hourly rate, the contracted enhancement will be paid according to the same rules that govern basic pay during absence.

For the avoidance of doubt the following enhancements will be paid when an employee is absent as long as these enhancements are for contractual working patterns:

• 1/2 time for weekend enhancements

• 1/3 time for night enhancements

• Standby Payments

• Sleep In Payments


• Shift Payments

• Bank Holiday enhancements

In order for these payments to be made, staff will need to claim for them in the same way as normal. If a member of staff is on long term sick leave, it will be the manager’s responsibility to lodge the claims on their behalf. Please note- there are separate rules governing the payment of Resident Service Guarantee payments at City Clean”


Section A: Terms and Conditions Part III: Leave Provisions 1 Annual Leave

Definitions Contractual leave entitlement for a full time employee is the basic leave entitlement plus bank/public holidays, plus 2 extra-statutory days, plus 2 concessionary days per annum. Statutory leave entitlement for a full time employee is 5.6 calendar weeks (that is 28 working days) per annum. Contractual and statutory leave entitlements are pro rata for part-time and part-year employees. An employee’s contractual leave entitlement will count towards the statutory leave entitlement as prescribed in the Working Time Regulations. Therefore, the statutory leave entitlement is not in addition to the contractual leave entitlement, although an employee can take advantage of whichever right is more favourable. In addition, leave that an employee takes on extra-statutory days or any bank/public holidays on which they would otherwise normally have worked, will go towards discharging the Council’s liability to grant employees 5.6 calendar weeks statutory leave per year (pro rata for part time employees) under the Working Time Regulations. Annual Leave Your annual leave entitlement depends on your length of service, the grade of your post and the number of hours you are contracted to work per week. If you join or leave the council’s employment during the leave year you will be entitled to leave proportional to your service with the council during that year. Basic leave entitlements for full-time employees in a full year of service are shown in the table below:

Under 5 years service

Number of days

5 years or more service

Number of days Scale 1 - Scale 6 21 25

Scale SO1/2 – Scale M8

23 25

Scale M7 or above 26 28


If you work part-time, or for only part of the year, then your entitlement to leave will be pro rata according to the number of contractual hours you work per week and the number of weeks you work per year compared with a full time employee. Similarly, if you start or leave the Council’s employment during the leave year you will be entitled to leave which is proportional to your completed service with the Council during that year. You will become entitled to the enhanced rate of annual leave from the date on which you complete 5 years’ continuous service. The date used in calculating your entitlement is shown in Section 1 of your contract of employment. If you complete 5 years service part-way through a leave year, you will be entitled to a proportion of the full year’s enhanced leave entitlement, calculated on the basis of the number of complete months remaining in the leave year. The Leave Year The leave year runs from 1st April to 31st March and you are expected to schedule your taking of annual leave throughout the leave year and to have taken your full entitlement by 31 March. Arrangements for taking annual leave

You must obtain your manager’s approval before taking annual leave. Approval must be sought as far in advance as practicable of the date(s) you are proposing to take as leave. This is to enable your manager to make the necessary arrangements to ensure adequate staffing levels within your work area. When considering requests for annual leave, your manager will have regard to work demands and other agreed absences. If you take leave without the prior authorisation of your manager you may be subject to disciplinary action including the possibility of dismissal. Such unauthorised absence will result in you losing pay for the period in question. Payment during annual leave You will be paid at your full basic rate for all authorised absence on annual leave. If you receive contractual payments for working arrangements other than normal office hours, you will be entitled to such payments during such leave. See also “Absence Pay” in Section A Part 2 (page 15). Any contractual remuneration paid to you in respect of a period of leave discharges the Council’s liability to make payments in respect of that same period of leave as prescribed by the Working Time Regulations i.e. you will not be entitled to receive contractual holiday pay and statutory holiday pay in respect of the same period of leave.


Sickness during annual leave If you fall sick whilst you are on annual leave, your absence will only be regarded as sick leave if you obtain a medical certificate. You will be expected personally to meet the cost of any medical certificate issued in these circumstances. You will then be deemed to be sick from the date of the certificate and further annual leave would be suspended from that date. No such adjustment will be made for self-certified sickness absence. Carry over of Leave Although you are expected to have taken your full contractual leave entitlement by the end of the leave year (i.e. 31 March) you may, where this has not been possible due to extenuating circumstances such as workload, ask your manager if you can carry forward up to 5 days (pro rata for part-time employees) of your contractual leave entitlement to the next leave year. Carrying forward annual leave is not an automatic entitlement - you must get the express agreement of your manager to do so. Any annual leave carried forward must be taken by 31 May. You will not be entitled to carry forward any untaken statutory leave to the following year except when you have been unable to take that leave by 31 March due to an extended period of sickness absence. You will also not be entitled to receive a payment in lieu of any untaken statutory leave except on leaving the Council’s employment.

Termination of Employment (by yourself or the Council)

If you leave the Council’s employment, you are required to take any outstanding leave entitlement during your period of notice. Normally, no payment will be made to you in respect of any contractual annual leave entitlement outstanding on the date your employment ceases. In the event of your being dismissed for gross misconduct, you would not be entitled to receive a payment in lieu of any contractual annual leave not taken by the date your employment is terminated. However, you would be entitled in these circumstances to receive a payment in lieu of any outstanding statutory annual leave not taken by the date of leaving. If you have taken more than your leave entitlement at the time you leave the council’s employment, the council will automatically adjust your final pay to take account of the additional day(s) taken.


2 Extra-statutory Days

In addition to your basic annual leave entitlement, you are entitled to 2 extra-statutory days leave a year (pro rata for part-timers and part-year workers). These days are added to your annual leave entitlement and, therefore, you may take these extra-statutory days leave at any time subject to your manager’s approval.

3 Bank/Public Holidays

Your entitlement to additional leave on Bank/Public holidays will be dependent upon your working pattern and the number of hours you are contracted to work per week.

If you are required to work on a Bank/Public holiday you will need to agree with your manager in advance, the basis on which you will work on that day i.e. whether you will:

• be paid at plain time in addition to the normal hourly rate for the hours you work on that day and be granted the equivalent time off in lieu at a later date or

• be paid double time in addition to the normal hourly rate and not be entitled to time off in lieu at a later date

4 Concessionary Leave

In addition to your basic annual leave, Public/Bank holiday and extra-statutory leave mentioned above, you are entitled to two Christmas Concessionary days leave per year (pro rata for part-time employees). Temporary employees will only be entitled to Christmas Concessionary leave if their period of employment includes the entire Christmas period i.e. between the last working day before Christmas and the first working day after New Year’s Day. If your office is closed, or your office remains open and you are permitted to take leave during the period between Christmas and New Year, you will be required to take your Concessionary leave together with the appropriate amount of annual leave or flexi-leave depending upon your pattern of working during this period. If you are required to work between Christmas and New Year, subject to actual dates being agreed with your supervisor/manager, you may take your Concessionary leave at another time (i.e. between 1 December and 31 March).


5 Bereavement Leave

Your Head of Service has the discretion to grant up to 5 days bereavement leave with pay in the event of the death of:

• an immediate family member e.g. husband, wife, son, daughter, partner

• either of your parents

• either parent of your husband, wife or partner

A request for bereavement leave should be made to your supervisor/manager.

6 Leave for Jury Service

If you receive a summons for Jury Service you must report that fact to your manager at the earliest opportunity. Your manager will grant you leave of absence unless exemption from the Jury Service is secured. If you serve as a juror you must claim the allowance for loss of earnings to which you are entitled under the Jurors’ Allowance Regulations currently in force. The Council will then deduct the amount claimed from your pay. In view of the implications regarding your pay, it is important that you notify Human Resources if you are going to serve as a juror and seek advice from them on the procedure to be followed.

7 Leave for Public Duties

Your manager has the authority to grant paid leave, not exceeding 18 days in any one year, if you are involved in any of the following defined activities:

• attendance, as a member, at meetings of a local authority or other body including managing/governing bodies of schools;

• service as a Justice of the Peace (i.e. a magistrate);

• attendance at a court of law as a witness/party for any cases involving the Council or arising out of any activity conducted for the Council. Court appearances in this context would include criminal, civil and coroner’s courts, courts of inquiry, Employment Tribunals and any necessary interviews in connection with the proceedings);

• attendance when summoned to appear as a witness in any criminal proceedings or at a coroner’s inquest;

• duties as a retained fire-fighter with East Sussex Fire Brigade;

• attendance at Civil Protection training courses;

• attendance at Police identity parades.

Where such duties permit you to claim an allowance for loss of earnings, you should make a claim and, at the same time, notify Human Resources


of that fact. It is important that you do so in order that the amount you have claimed can be deducted from your pay. Failure on your part to notify the Council of any such claims may result in disciplinary action being taken against you.

8 Service in Non-Regular Forces

If you are a member of the non-regular forces, your manager has the authority to grant you one week’s leave with pay for attendance at annual camp. Such leave is additional to your annual leave entitlement.

9 Career Break/Sabbaticals

A career break/sabbatical is a break from employment of 3 months or more for personal reasons, or to pursue an interest not related to work e.g. travelling or voluntary work overseas. However, career breaks can also be taken in order to undertake an activity which is related to development and which is likely to assist in a current or prospective role.

The individual requesting a career break/sabbatical is required to resign their employment. If they then wish to be re-employed at the end of the break, the council will seek to do so. However, there is no guarantee of a return to the same job, similar job or to any job at all.

The period of the break will not count towards continuous service for redundancy or pension, but the service either side of the break will be aggregated together for these purposes.

The period of the career break is at the discretion of the line manager and service needs will be taken into full consideration, including any requirements to backfill.

Full information is available on the Council’s intranet (the Wave).


Section A: Terms and Conditions Part IV: Travel at Work 1 General

The council is committed to ‘a low Carbon Brighton & Hove’. This means that where it is necessary for you to travel in order to carry out your duties, you should choose the most cost-effective, efficient and sustainable way of travelling. You should make optimum use of diary planning to minimise the number of business travel journeys you need to make and should explore walking, cycling and public transport options before using a car.

2 Travel Expenses (for travel within Brighton & Hove)

If you are required by your manager to travel on official duty, and transport is not provided by the Council, then you are entitled to be re-imbursed for the reasonable expenses necessarily incurred. Re-imbursement will only be made where you provide proof of expenditure. If you are authorised by your manager to use your private vehicle to travel on council business then you are required to:

• hold a full, current driving licence

• ensure that your vehicle is regularly maintained and it has a current MOT certificate

• ensure that your vehicle has valid insurance which includes business use i.e. the policy indemnifies the council against any third party liability (including passengers) whilst using the vehicle on official duties.

You must show these documents to your manager every six months and must notify him/her immediately should you be involved in an accident, be awarded penalty points on your licence and/or are disqualified from driving. Re-imbursement of car mileage will be in accordance with NJC casual mileage rates (Band 1 or 2 as appropriate). Important information on claiming re-imbursement of travelling expenses is contained in the Council’s Travel and Subsistence Policy which can be found on the Council’s intranet, the Wave.

3 Travel Expenses (for travel outside Brighton & Hove)

You should use public transport (not first class) for all business journeys outside the boundaries of the City of Brighton and Hove. However, if you


think that using public transport is not appropriate, you will need to get prior authorisation from your manager to use a car.

Situations when travelling by car might be considered an appropriate alternative to using public transport are:

• the need to avoid an overnight stay

• the need to carry passengers

• availability and frequency of public transport

• time constraints

• safety considerations.

Re-imbursement of expenditure incurred when travelling outside the boundaries of Brighton and Hove by car will not exceed the appropriate public transport cost.

4 Subsistence Expenses

You will not be entitled to claim subsistence expenses in connection with any journey (including attending training courses) made within Brighton and Hove. When you travel on council business outside the City of Brighton and Hove, you will only be able to claim re-imbursement of subsistence expenses where the journey necessitates an overnight stay which has been approved by your manager beforehand. Re-imbursement will be limited to the actual expenditure incurred providing the maximum amounts are not exceeded. A claim may not be made in respect of any item without the appropriate receipt. The current subsistence rates (i.e. the maximum amounts that can be claimed) are published on the HR site on the Council’s intranet, the Wave.


Section B: Council’s Policies and Procedures Part 1: General 1 Financial Regulations

You must ensure that you use public funds entrusted to you in a responsible and lawful manner and you should strive to ensure value for money to the local community and to avoid legal challenge to the Council. You must, therefore, ensure that you familiarise yourself with the Council’s Financial Regulations and comply with them at all times when carrying out your duties. They can be found on the Council’s intranet (the Wave).

2 Standing Orders

You must ensure that you comply with the Council’s Standing Orders when carrying out your duties. A copy of the Council’s Standing Orders is available for you to refer to on the Council’s intranet (the Wave).

3 Data Protection Act

You must ensure that you comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act at all times when carrying out your duties. The Act covers the handling of personal information and it is important that if you do not know, or are unsure, how the Act affects your job you must seek clarification immediately from your manager or from the Council’s Data Protection Officer. Failure to comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act may lead to disciplinary action being taken against you, which could result in your dismissal.

4 Data Matching

You should be aware that as part of its twin objectives of preventing and detecting fraud, the Council, whilst respecting the rights and privacy of individual citizens, supports participating in data matching initiatives. This means that the Council will, within data protection principles, compare the data it holds on individuals both internally and externally and will exchange information about fraud and corruption matters. For more information please refer to the Council’s Anti-fraud and Corruption Strategy which is available on the Council’s intranet (the Wave).

5 Anti-Fraud & Corruption Policy Statement and Strategy

Brighton & Hove City Council is determined that the culture and tone of the Authority is one of honesty and it is entirely set against fraud and corruption. The Council, therefore, expects the highest standards of conduct and integrity from all its elected Councillors, employees (whether


full-time, part-time, permanent or temporary) and casual workers as well as all those who have dealings with it. To this end, Brighton & Hove City Council has adopted an Anti-Fraud & Corruption Policy and you should have received a leaflet summarising the main principles of the Policy, the obligations it places on you as an employee and the routes through which you can raise concerns if you suspect the occurrence of malpractice. Although you have been provided with a summary, you are nevertheless strongly advised to read the full versions of the Council’s Anti-Fraud & Corruption Policy Statement and Strategy (available on the Council’s intranet, the Wave) as any failure on your part to comply with the provisions contained within these documents is likely to render you liable to disciplinary action which could result in your dismissal. Should you be unable to gain access to a copy of these documents within your Service, you may obtain a copy from the Internal Audit Section. It is important that you read these documents in conjunction with the Council’s “Code of Conduct” for employees and “Whistleblowing Policy”.

6 Equalities & Inclusion

The Council is committed to working with its communities, employees, unions and other local organisations to develop and implement a policy that: “values and celebrates the diversity of all people living and working in Brighton & Hove, woman or man, black or white, lesbian, gay, trans or heterosexual, with an impairment or not, irrespective of age, income, health, belief or ethnic origin. It will openly consult with others to find the best ways of ensuring that its services and employment practices are accessible”. This means:

• ensuring equalities is a priority in all policy and decision making

• working with communities of interest to increase involvement in the development of Council policies and initiatives

• ensuring equal access within the Community to the Council’s services

• ensuring all employees are trained to provide a fair, anti-discriminatory service

• implementing fair employment and recruitment policies

• providing a working environment in which employees have equal access to job and development opportunities

• ensuring that selection for employment or development is made on merit alone


• providing a working environment in which employees are able to work with dignity, free from harassment, bullying and victimisation.

It is the responsibility of every employee to implement the Council’s Equalities & Inclusion Policy (which is available to view on the council’s website and intranet) at a level appropriate to their job and to carry out their duties having regard to the Policy at all times. An employee who fails to act in accordance with the Council’s Equalities & Inclusion Policy may be subject to disciplinary action.

7 Staff with Disabilities

The Council is an accredited “Two Ticks” Disability Symbol User. This means we are an employer which is positive about employing and retaining people with disabilities. The Council is therefore committed to:

• removing obstacles to employment for people with disabilities (both for current and prospective employees)

• encouraging applications from people with disabilities

• ensuring that present and prospective employees will not receive unfair or unlawful treatment on the grounds of disability

• guaranteeing an interview to applicants with disabilities subject to them meeting the minimum requirements of the person specification for the post

• making every effort to enable employees with disabilities, or those who become disabled during their working lives, to remain in our employment

• raising awareness regarding the employment issues associated with those with disabilities

• creating a culture within the Council that has a positive attitude towards those with disabilities.

8 Whistleblowing Policy

The Council is committed to the highest standards of openness, probity and accountability. Therefore, we encourage employees and others with serious concerns about any aspect of the Council’s work to come forward and voice those concerns without fear of reprisals. The Whistleblowing Policy is intended to encourage and enable employees to raise serious concerns within the Council rather than overlooking a problem. The Policy aims to:

• provide avenues for you to raise concerns and receive feedback on any action taken


• allow you to take the matter further if you are dissatisfied with the Council’s response and

• to reassure you that you would be protected from reprisals or victimisation for whistleblowing about a matter that is considered to be in the public interest.

A full version of the Whistleblowing Policy can be found on the Council’s

intranet, the Wave.

9 Disciplinary Procedure The Council’s Disciplinary Procedure applies to all employees except:

• the Chief Executive

• JNC employees

• employees who are appointed by the governing body to work at a school

The purpose of the Disciplinary Procedure is to ensure a fair, non- discriminatory, systematic and confidential approach to handling disciplinary matters and to ensure consistency in the application of disciplinary measures and fairness for employees who become subject to them. The primary objective of the Procedure is to help the individual whose conduct has given cause for dissatisfaction to improve to the required standard. A full version of the Disciplinary Procedure can be found on the Council’s intranet (the Wave), or by contacting Human Resources.

10 Capability Procedure

The Council’s Capability Procedure applies to all employees except:


• JNC employees

• employees who are appointed by the governing body to work at a school

• employees who have not completed their probationary period.

The purpose of the Capability Procedure is to ensure that employees achieve and maintain the level of work performance expected of them and to provide a fair, non-discriminatory, constructive, consistent and confidential mechanism for dealing with those employees who are unable to achieve a satisfactory level of work performance which is supportive and encouraging. A full version of the Capability Procedure can be found on the Council’s intranet (the Wave).


11 Grievance/Dispute Procedure

The Council’s Grievance/Dispute Procedure applies to all employees except:


• JNC employees

• employees who are appointed by the governing body to work at a school.

The Grievance/Dispute Procedure is designed to ensure that any problems or grievances are handled quickly, fairly and consistently across the Council. A full version of the Grievance and Dispute Procedure can be found on the Council’s intranet (the Wave).

12 Job-Sharing Policy

As part of its strategy to help employees balance their work and other commitments, the Council has adopted a Job-Sharing Policy. The Policy applies to all employees except for teachers and other school-based staff (unless the Policy has been adopted locally by the particular school). In principle, any post within the Council may be considered suitable for job-sharing. An employee who wishes to transfer to a job-share working arrangement in his/her present post should apply in writing to his/her manager giving details regarding the number of hours and pattern of working preferred. However, where the manager has justifiable reasons for considering that the conversion of the full-time post in question into a job-share working arrangement would not be feasible, then he/she may seek approval from the relevant Head of Service not to grant the employee’s request to job-share. Terms and conditions of service for employees who job-share will be comparable with those of equivalent full-time employees.

13 Appointment Support Procedure

If you have completed your probationary period, and subsequently take up a new appointment with the Council, your progress in the new post will be monitored by your new manager and formally assessed (normally at eight, sixteen and twenty-two weeks). You will have the opportunity to discuss your progress with your manager at each of these formal review meetings.


If at the end of the six month period your performance is satisfactory then you will be allowed to continue in the new post. However, if at the end of the Appointment Support Period, your performance and/or conduct is not considered to be satisfactory, then the Council reserves the right to instigate Stage 3 of the Council’s Capability Procedure, examine the feasibility of redeploying you to a more suitable post or other such course of action it considers appropriate given the circumstances.

14 Learning & Development

To meet the needs of our customers the council is committed to embracing improvements in ways of working supported by new technology and changing standards, growing our knowledge, skills and experience to ensure continued improvement to meet service goals. Although staff are generally responsible for their own personal and professional development at work, the ongoing development of staff is a priority for all managers. The Council supports qualifications relevant to work through internal and external study and enhanced learning and development opportunities through the ‘Investors in People’ programme. Learning for all staff begins with the Foundation elearning and induction programme and continues through corporate personal skills and management development programmes. Together these compliment the significant investment and development opportunities for continuous professional development. Foundation Learning Programme The Council operates a ‘Foundation Learning Programme’ for all new starters which includes a series of short elearning modules such as an overview of the council’s organisational structure and services, information on key HR policies and important guidelines on how we all must work with and handle customer data. The Foundation Learning Programme will be incorporated into your induction process by your line manager and accessible via the council’s ‘Surf2learn’ online learning facility. Training in the workplace Corporate learning and development events are available for staff to help the council achieve its priorities and objectives through learning interventions which aim to improve the confidence, skills and knowledge of its workforce. These include ‘Council Induction’, ‘Recruitment & Selection’ and ‘Equality & Diversity’. A full list of events can be found on the council’s intranet site (the Wave).


15 Individual Performance Review

You will discuss and agree your Performance Development Plan (PDP) with your manager in March/April. The plan sets out your work objectives/ targets for the year and any training or development needs that may have been identified. Your performance during the year will then be assessed through regular one to one meetings with your manager, normally every four to six weeks, and via a formal PDP review meeting in September/October.

When assessing your performance, your manager will consider not only how well you are progressing in terms of achieving your personal work objectives but also whether the way in which you go about your work is consistent with the council’s values and staff behaviour framework. The six values are: Respect, Collaboration, Efficiency, Openness, Creativity and Customer Focus. You have a personal responsibility to familiarise yourself with these organisational values and the behaviours that describe how you should conduct yourself at work. You can find more details on the council’s intranet site (the Wave).

16 Attendance Management Procedure

The Council is committed to ensuring a positive attendance culture throughout the organisation. To this end, it has developed an Attendance Management Procedure. The procedure aims to ensure fair and consistent treatment and support for those employees who are genuinely not fit for work, with the objective of facilitating their sustained return to work. In cases of extended sick absence, the Council seeks to strike a sympathetic balance between the welfare of the employee and the needs of the service. The Procedure applies to all employees with the exception of:

• employees who are appointed by the Governing Body to work at a school and

• employees who have not completed their probationary period.

Return to Work Interview Following any period of sickness absence, a return to work discussion will be conducted by the line manager. The purpose of the informal meeting is to establish the reason(s) for the absence, whether a recurrence is likely and whether any additional support, reasonable adjustments etc is needed. At the interview, a self-certification form will need to be completed (except where the absence has been covered by a medical certificate). False certification of sickness absence will be regarded as a disciplinary offence and could result in dismissal.


Absence Review Meetings and Attendance Concern Levels Unless there are clear reasons not to do so, a formal absence review meeting will be held by the line manager whenever sickness levels reach the following attendance concern levels:

• 3 separate spells of absence in any six months period

• 10 or more days of absence in any six month period

A first absence review meeting will invoke stage one of a formal process and the beginning of a formal rolling twelve month attendance management process. A full version of the Attendance Management Procedure is available on the Council’s intranet, the Wave, or by contacting Human Resources.

17 Dignity & Respect at Work Policy

No matter who you are, if you work for the Council you are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect at work and you have a duty to treat others with dignity and respect in return. The Council is dedicated to providing a safe, healthy and fulfilling environment in which everyone feels valued and is treated with consideration, fairness, dignity and respect. To help us achieve a culture, free from bullying and harassment, the council has adopted six organisational values, one of which is Respect. Each of our values is under-pinned by a set of staff behaviours that all employees are expected to adopt at work. In the council, Respect means:

• recognising everyone is different and valuing a mix of ideas, skills and experience

• listening carefully to understand each other’s views and needs

• treating everyone with importance to ensure equality

• communicating decisions clearly and checking people have understood

The Dignity and Respect at Work Policy aims to support a working environment and culture in which bullying and harassment is unacceptable and will not be tolerated and to promote a climate in which employees have the confidence to raise any concerns they may have about the way they are being treated. A full version of the Policy is available on the Council’s intranet (the Wave), or by contacting Human Resources.

18 Drug and Alcohol Policy

The primary focus of the Council's Drug and Alcohol Policy is on raising awareness of the issues associated with drug and alcohol misuse and


providing information and guidance to both employees and managers on these matters. As importantly, it is designed to provide appropriate support to those employees who may be experiencing problems and provides useful contact numbers of external agencies which can provide specialist help to staff who may be concerned about their alcohol or drug usage. Under the Policy all employees have a duty to report for work, and remain throughout the working day, in a fit and safe condition to undertake their duties and not to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This means that anyone working for the Council must not consume intoxicating substances such as alcohol or drugs at any time whilst at work including during rest or meal breaks spent at or away from Council premises. A full version of the Policy is available on the Council’s intranet (the Wave).


Section B: Council’s Policies and Procedures Part II: Travel-Related Policies 1 Re-imbursement of Travel Expenses (for travel within Brighton &

Hove)

If you are required by your manager to travel on official duty, and transport is not provided by the Council, then you are entitled to be re-imbursed for the reasonable expenses necessarily incurred. Please note that you are expected to use public transport on all appropriate occasions. Claims for re-imbursement must be made promptly and no later than two months from the date the expenditure was incurred. Re-imbursement will not be made without proof of expenditure. In order to be able to claim re-imbursement of business mileage costs, you must first have obtained your manager’s approval to use a car and have shown your manager your driving licence. If you intend to use your own private vehicle, then you must also let your manager see appropriate business insurance and a current MOT certificate for the vehicle you intend to use. Re-imbursement of mileage will be in accordance with the NJC casual mileage rates (Band 1 or 2 as appropriate). Current rates can be found on the HR site on the council’s intranet, the Wave. Deliberate falsification of mileage records and/or expenses claims is a serious disciplinary offence and is likely to result in your dismissal. Important information on claiming re-imbursement of travelling expenses is contained in the Council’s Travel and Subsistence Policy which can be found on the Wave.

2 Re-imbursement of Travel Expenses (for travel outside Brighton &

Hove)

Public transport (not first class) should be used for all business journeys outside the boundaries of the City of Brighton and Hove. If using public transport is not considered appropriate (see paragraph 3 in Section A Part IV page 23) and your manager has agreed that you may travel by car, the amount re-imbursed to you will not exceed the appropriate public transport cost.


3 Re-imbursement of Subsistence Expenses Employees are entitled to claim re-imbursement of subsistence expenditure only when it has been necessary for them to travel outside the boundaries of Brighton and Hove on Council business and it has not been possible to avoid an overnight stay. Re-imbursement will only be made on submission of appropriate receipts and when the employee’s manager has given prior approval for the overnight stay. Employees are not entitled to claim subsistence expenses in any other circumstances. Details of the current subsistence rates can be found on the Council’s intranet, the Wave. Overnight Provisions An employee who is required to make an overnight stay(s) in the course of undertaking their official duties will be entitled to re-imbursement of actual expenditure incurred up to a maximum equivalent to a U.K. 3* hotel (AA or RAC grading). Where a hotel of this standard is not available within reasonable travelling distance of the venue, then re-imbursement of expenses for a higher standard hotel may be authorised. Hotel accommodation will only be re-imbursed where such accommodation is not included in a package arrangement. Travel Abroad An employee who is required to travel abroad on official business will be re-imbursed the actual expenditure incurred (subject to this not exceeding the maximum allowances applicable to U.K. absences) plus 50%.

4 Vehicle Loans

Vehicle loans are available from the Council to those employees who are eligible. Further information can be found in the Council’s Travel and Subsistence Policy. Information on applying for a vehicle loan can be found on the Council’s intranet (the Wave).

5 Season Ticket Loans

Brighton & Hove City Council wishes to encourage the use of public transport and, therefore, is willing to offer employees a loan to purchase a bus or rail season ticket. All employees are eligible for a loan except those in receipt of a vehicle loan.

There is no cap on the amount of the loan but it must be wholly in respect of the cost of the employee’s travel from home to his/her normal place of work only.


The repayment period is fixed at 12 months. The maximum period of the loan may not exceed the period of an employee’s temporary or fixed-term contract or the date on which the employee is due to retire. Repayments will be made by direct deduction from pay on a frequency in accordance with the employee’s pay cycle. The employee must repay to the Council any outstanding balance on the loan should he/she leave the Council’s employment, whatever the reason for the termination. An employee may not hold more than one season ticket loan in any 12 month period. An employee may terminate the loan at any time as long as he/she repays the full amount of the balance outstanding. The loan must be repaid in full if the season ticket is returned to the public service provider to obtain a refund.

6 Adverse Weather Policy

If bad weather prevents you from getting to work, or getting to work on time, you must contact your usual place of work to find out what arrangements are in place. If you arrive up to 4 hours late you may be paid for a full day and credited any flexitime. If you make a serious attempt to get to work but are prevented from arriving by lack of public transport or closed roads etc you may be credited with a full day’s pay / flexitime. Where appropriate your manager may ask you to work from home. If you have recognised disability under the Equality Act 2010, and are unable to travel to work or use alternative modes of transport as a result of your impairment, your manager may consider that a reasonable adjustment can be made, such as working from home. If this is not possible then you will be credited with a normal day's pay/flexi-time for the day concerned. If you do not contact your workplace or set out for work, you may be asked to take flexitime or annual leave for the day. If you are sent home early due to bad weather you will be credited with a normal day’s pay and any flexitime to the end of the working day.

These provisions apply only on the first day of a period of adverse weather.

Full details are confirmed in the Adverse Weather Policy which is available on the Council’s intranet (the Wave).


Section B: Council’s Policies and Procedures

Part III: Family-Friendly Policies 1 Occupational Maternity and Adoption & Surrogacy Policies

The Occupational Maternity and Adoption & Surrogacy Policies apply to all

pregnant employees and to those adopting a child through an official adoption agency, regardless of the number of hours worked per week.

Adoption leave is open to employees of either gender but only ONE adoptive parent is entitled, regardless of whether they work for different employers.

Adoption leave does not apply to special guardians, foster carers or step parents adopting a child outside of an adoption agency framework.

Maternity Leave Entitlement

All employees, regardless of length of service, are entitled to 26 weeks ordinary maternity leave (OML) followed immediately by 26 weeks additional maternity leave (AML) making a total of 52 weeks.

Maternity Pay:

An employee who has less than one year’s continuous local government service at the beginning of the 11th week before the Expected Week of Confinement (EWC) shall be entitled, if she qualifies, to Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) only during her maternity leave period. SMP is payable for up to a maximum of 39 weeks.

An employee who has completed not less than one year’s continuous service (as defined above) will be entitled to 18 weeks paid Occupational Maternity Pay. Full details on Maternity provision is available on the Council’s intranet (the Wave), or by contacting Human Resources.

2 Adoption Leave Entitlement

A matching certificate from the UK adoption agency must be provided as proof of entitlement. If an employee is adopting a child through a surrogacy arrangement, a Parental Order and/or birth certificate should be provided as proof of entitlement.

When adopting from abroad the earliest date adoption leave may start is from the date the child enters Great Britain and the latest date it can start is 28 days after the child has entered Great Britain.


If an employee has 26 weeks continuous service with the Council by the end of the week in which he/she is notified of being matched with a child, then they are entitled to 26 weeks ordinary adoption leave followed immediately by 26 weeks additional adoption leave, giving a total of 52 weeks’ continuous leave, the ‘adoption leave period’.

Adoption Pay

An employee who has less than one year’s continuous local government service at the week of matching shall be entitled (if they qualify) to 39 weeks Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP).

An employee who has completed not less than one year’s continuous local government service at the week of matching shall also be entitled to 18 weeks Occupational Adoption Pay (offset by any statutory payment).

Full information on maternity and adoption provisions are available on the Council’s intranet (the Wave), or by contacting Human Resources. Surrogacy Although an employee who becomes a parent through an arrangement with a surrogate mother is not entitled to statutory adoption leave or pay, he or she, on becoming a parent, may be eligible to take adoption leave and additional (Occupational) adoption pay, subject to meeting the qualifying criteria and to providing the necessary evidence confirming parental responsibility, e.g. Parental Order/birth certificate. Payment will be equivalent to additional (Occupational) Adoption Pay (including the equivalent payment to Statutory Adoption Pay). After the payment of any additional (Occupational) adoption pay, the remaining leave would be unpaid. Full information is included within the Occupational Adoption & Surrogacy Policy.

3 Maternity Support Leave

Up to 5 days maternity support leave with pay (pro rata for part-timers) may be granted to the child’s father or to the partner or the nominated carer of an expectant mother at or around the time of the birth. A nominated carer is defined as the person nominated by the mother to assist in the care of the child and to provide support to the mother at or around the time of the birth. Only one application for maternity support leave will be granted in any 12 month period for each employee. Up to 5 days maternity support leave with pay (pro rata for part-timers) may also be granted when adopting a child.


4 Paternity Leave

Purpose: Paternity leave is for the purpose of caring for a child or supporting the mother following the birth. It also applies to employees who are adopting a child and who are not taking adoption leave in respect of that child. To qualify the employee must:

• have 26 weeks’ continuous service with the Council by the end of the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth (EWC), or by the end of the week in which he/she is notified of being matched with a child

• be the biological father or

• be married to, or be the partner of the child’s mother or adopter and

• expect to have responsibility for the upbringing of the child.

Any entitlement to paternity leave is not in addition to maternity support leave. An employee who qualifies will be entitled to 1 or 2 consecutive weeks’ leave following the birth or adoption of the child. The leave must be taken in one block, and within 8 weeks of the birth or date of placement. Paternity leave may start on any day of the week and the start date can be changed by giving 28 days notice. Only one period of paternity leave is permitted per pregnancy or placement arrangement. An employee will be entitled during the first week of paternity leave to be paid at his/her normal rate of pay. During the second week he/she will receive Statutory Paternity Pay. Full information in available on the Council’s intranet (the Wave), or by contacting Human Resources.

5 Additional Paternity Leave

Additional paternity leave is available if you are the partner of someone who is expecting the birth or adoption of a child on, or after, 3 April 2011. If you qualify, you will be able to take a minimum of 2 weeks and a maximum of 26 weeks additional paternity leave provided the mother or co-adopter returns to work before the end of their statutory 52 week maternity or adoption leave period. The leave must be taken in a single block in multiples of a complete week. You may take this leave at any time from 20 weeks after the birth or


adoption of the child up to the child's first birthday or 52 weeks after the date of adoption. You will be entitled to receive Additional Statutory Paternity Pay in respect of that part of your additional paternity leave that falls within the mother/co-adopter's 39 week statutory maternity pay or statutory adoption pay period. Any additional paternity leave taken after the 39 week statutory maternity/adoption pay period will be unpaid. Entitlement to Additional Paternity Leave is in addition to the two weeks paternity leave referred to above.

Full information is available on the Council’s intranet (the Wave), or by contacting Human Resources.

6 Parental Leave

The purpose of parental leave is to enable an employee to take time to care for a child for whom he/she has responsibility. This could include:

• spending more time with the child

• staying with the child during a planned stay in hospital

• settling the child into a nursery/new school/new childcare arrangements

• enabling the family to spend more time together. In order to qualify for parental leave an employee (male or female) must:

• have completed at least one year’s continuous service with the Council, and

• have parental responsibility for a child.

An employee who qualifies will be entitled to 18 weeks unpaid leave (pro rata for part-time employees) in respect of each individual child. The leave can be taken in the period up to the child’s fifth birthday (the eighteenth birthday where the child is in receipt of a disability living allowance) or within five years following placement in the case of adoption.

The parental leave entitlement is an individual right and cannot be transferred between parents. Full information including details of the application process is available on the Council’s intranet (the Wave), or by contacting Human Resources.

7 Discretionary Special Leave

The purpose of discretionary special leave is to provide time off with pay to enable an employee to fulfil his/her carer responsibilities in an emergency situation or to cope with an urgent, complex domestic situation.


The carer does not need to be related to the dependant, who can be an adult or a child. Discretionary Special Leave will not be granted where the circumstances are known in advance and the employee could reasonably have been expected to plan to meet the commitment by using annual leave or flexi-leave e.g. school holidays, pre-booked medical/dental appointments etc. An employee may be granted up to 10 days discretionary special leave in any one leave year (pro rata for employees on temporary, part-time or job-share contracts). Line managers, in consultation with Human Resources, have the authority to grant requests for such leave up to 5 days. Requests for leave beyond the first 5 days is subject to the approval of the relevant Head of Service. Where an employee is carrying forward annual leave to the next leave year, the number of days carried forward will be reduced by the number of days of discretionary special leave granted. Full information, together with details on the application process are available on the council’s intranet (the Wave), or by contacting Human Resources.


Section B: Council’s Policies and Procedures Part IV: Health & Safety Policies 1 Council’s Health & Safety Policy

Brighton and Hove City Council recognises and accepts its responsibility as an employer to provide, so far as is reasonably practicable, a safe and healthy workplace and working environment for all its employees. Although the Chief Executive and Executive Directors bear ultimate responsibility for health and safety matters across the Council, each employee has a personal responsibility for health and safety whilst they are at work. This means they must:

• take care of themselves and adhere to safe working practices and

encourage their colleagues to do likewise • consider the impact of health and safety issues on their activities

whether in respect of people, materials, equipment and their environment

• cooperate with and draw matters of health and safety concern to the attention of the appropriate level of management.

Any employee, irrespective of grade or position, who interferes with or misuses anything provided in the interests of health, safety and welfare or fails to comply with the health and safety policy may be subject to disciplinary action. Such offences may be regarded as gross misconduct which may result in dismissal. As an employee, it is your personal responsibility to familiarise yourself with the Council’s Health and Safety Policy, and Health & Safety Management Standard which is available on the Council’s intranet (the Wave).

2 Workstyles

Workstyles is a policy framework approach to how staff work in the council. Its aim is to help the organisation improve service delivery, increase efficiency and sustainability and promote flexibility. The policy specifically concentrates on workstyles rather than working arrangements such as compressed hours etc. Flexible working arrangements are detailed separately in this document. Workstyles includes making better use of the council buildings and combining workspaces so that desks and facilities are occupied more often and cost less. New technology is being introduced to make the most of ‘our people’ and ‘our facilities’, which will include a mobile workforce and staff who ‘hot-desk’ working alongside fixed desk staff members.


Flexible workstyles suit posts where the work requires or allows some mobility. Generally there will be no fixed workstation and designated shared workspaces will be used as necessary to undertake some duties. Although there will be a designated office location, this will not prevent the use of appropriate facilities elsewhere, e.g. other hot-desk, or wireless-enabled areas in council buildings. This type of working will encompass a range of working methods including; working from a council base, working from designated areas in other council buildings, working at a remote site and working from home. One or a combination of these will probably be the most efficient. Managers will consider the suitability of posts for a particular work style and assess the suitability of an employee against various factors. These are listed within the Workstyles Policy which is available on the council’s intranet (the Wave). The Workstyles policy is part of the Council’s Human Resources and Health & Wellbeing Policy Framework and is supported by other HR policies as well as Health, Safety and Wellbeing Standards and Guidance.


Section C: Council’s Rules and Information Part I: General 1 Confidentiality

In the course of your duties, you may have knowledge of, or access to, information in respect of the Council’s business affairs/transactions, politics, finances or information concerning its employees, Councillors, contractors, suppliers, agents, distributors, customers, or service users, all of which is confidential. It is a condition of your employment that this confidentiality must be respected at all times and you have a personal responsibility to ensure that, except in the proper course of your duties, the confidential information entrusted to you is not published or divulged other than to an authorised person. If you are unclear about what is confidential, or who is authorised, you must consult your supervisor/manager as failure on your part to comply with the requirement to maintain the confidentiality of the privileged information, or knowledge in your possession, will render you liable to disciplinary action, which could result in your dismissal. All notes, memoranda, letters, reports, etc. containing confidential information concerning the business affairs/transactions of the Council or any of its employees, Councillors, contractors, suppliers, agents, distributors or customers which have been acquired, received or made by you during the course of your employment shall be the property of the Council and shall be surrendered to someone duly authorised in that behalf on the termination of this employment or at the request of the Council at any time during the course of your employment.

2 Change of Address or Personal Circumstances

Whenever you change your address, telephone number or there is any other change in your personal circumstances (e.g. the person to contact in the event of an emergency etc.) you should inform your manager and Human Resources immediately. Similarly, if you change your Bank or Building Society account into which your salary/wage is paid you must notify Human Resources of the changes immediately.

3 Queries on Pay

You have a personal responsibility to check your payslips to ensure that the amount paid to you each month is correct. If you are not sure whether you have been paid correctly, you must check with Human Resources immediately. If you should be overpaid, irrespective of how this error


occurred, the council will automatically recover the monies to which you are not entitled directly from your salary. Knowingly receiving money to which you are not entitled is a serious disciplinary offence and could result in your dismissal.

4 Bright Start Nursery The Bright Start Nursery is a safe, warm and happy environment providing

for the physical and emotional needs of babies and children. Within this, they are helped to develop social skills with an emphasis on self-respect and respect for other children and adults. Music, arts and crafts are used to expand language and other forms of self-expression. There are also physical activities based on guided play, with a wide range of materials. Independence is encouraged, although always within a safe context. There are also outings, including visits to parks and training in road safety. All staff possess relevant qualifications and childcare experience gained in a variety of settings.

The nursery has 55 places for children of Council employees, 22 for 6-

month to 2-year-olds and 33 for 2-year to 5-year-olds. Cost is assessed on a sliding scale, according to salary.

The nursery is in a central and convenient location behind the Prince

Regent Swimming Pool in Barrack Yard (off North Road) in Brighton. Applications should be registered three months before the place is

needed. Parents should be aware that there is a waiting list. Before deciding whether to apply, parents can arrange to visit the nursery by ringing the Nursery Manager on (01273) 291570. Bright Start also run after school and holiday clubs for the over-fives, details of which can be obtained from the nursery.


Section C: Council’s Rules and Information Part II: Codes of Conduct 1 Code of Conduct for Employees

Please take time to read this Code and make sure that you understand it. If you are unclear or want to know something specific, talk to your manager or your human resources division.

Introduction You are employed by Brighton & Hove City Council and that means that you are a Local Government Officer. You and the services you provide are paid for by public money and therefore you are accountable to the public for your behaviour, actions and decisions. You must not only behave properly, you should also be seen to behave in a way that is beyond question. The Council recognises that working in a public service is not easy. Every area is changing and it may be unclear to you what is acceptable and what is not. This Code is intended to explain your responsibilities and your rights as an officer. As a council officer you are expected to achieve your personal best for our customers and for the city. To ensure that you understand what this means, the council has adopted six values that describe what you should aim to accomplish in the way you carry out your job. These are:

• Respect: Embrace diversity with kindness and consideration and recognise the value of everyone

• Collaboration: Work together and contribute to the creation of helpful and successful teams and partnerships across the council and beyond

• Efficiency: Work in a way that makes the best and most sustainable use of our resources, always looking at alternative ways of getting stuff done and asking, ’How can I improve that?’

• Openness: Share and communicate with honesty about our service and self, whenever appropriate. Accept where we have to change in order to improve

• Creativity: Have ideas that challenge the ‘tried and tested’, use evidence of what works, listen to feedback and come up with different solutions


• Customer Focus: Adopt our ‘Customer Promise’ to colleagues, partners, members and customers. We will be easy to reach, be clear and treat you with respect, listen and act to get things done

This Code of Conduct underpins these six organisational values by setting out in more detail the standard of behaviour expected of you as an officer whilst you are carrying out your duties. There are other Codes which are important for you to understand and which you should read alongside this one. The Code of Conduct for Member–Officer Relations This deals with the relationship between you and Members of the Council (Councillors) The Code of Conduct for Members A local code setting out standards of conduct and behaviour for Members of the Council The Whistleblowing Policy This sets out a procedure for you to report actions, wrongdoings or serious failures The Complaints Procedure A procedure for members of the public to complain about services or actions of the Council The Anti-fraud and Corruption Strategy The Council’s commitment to fighting fraud and corruption whether attempted from outside or inside the Council. The Acceptable Use of ICT Policy A policy which sets the parameters for the appropriate work and personal use of Information and Communications Technology. The Social Networking Policy for Employees A policy which governs the use of social media in both the work and personal use contexts Scope This Code of Conduct applies to you if you are an employee of Brighton & Hove City Council, whether employed on a permanent, temporary or casual basis, or if you are an officer holder. All officers must follow this Code. Deliberate breaches of the Code will be treated as a disciplinary offence. In some cases a breach of the Code may result in criminal prosecution.


Basic principles & definitions

The basic principles on which this Code is built are that:

• you, your family or your friends must not gain financial or other benefits from the decisions or actions you take whilst working for the Council

• you must make decisions, choose purchases and award contracts on merit and in the best interests of the Council

• you will not accept money or other benefits from individuals or organisations that may, or may be seen to, influence your decisions

• you should always declare any interests you have outside work that relate to your work for the Council. You must always think how your actions would look to the residents of Brighton & Hove. Would they be seen to be in the best interests of the public? Would you be able to explain your role?

If you are at all uncertain, you should be guided by the key principle that even if your actions, decisions or behaviour are proper, you are still sure that you are above suspicion and any appearance of improper conduct.

If you are unsure what is expected, you can raise the matter with your manager, Executive Director, the Chief Executive, the Head of Human Resources & Organisational Development, the Council’s Monitoring Officer or the Head of Audit & Business Risk. Definitions

Throughout this Code there are references to partners, close friends, relatives, close personal relationships. All of these are in the context of you having a loyalty to another person that is in conflict with the job or action in which you are involved for the Council. There is no formal definition of ‘close personal friend’ or whether partner includes ex-partners with whom you are still friends. It is your responsibility to act openly, honestly and without bias. You must assess if a relationship may cause you to act or be seen to act inappropriately. This Code is not an exclusive or definitive list.

Political neutrality As an officer you work for the Council as a whole and not just the majority (or leading) group. Although most staff will have very little direct contact


with Councillors, some staff will be asked to give advice to individuals or to Committees. This must always be done in a politically neutral way and you must be prepared to explain your advice to all political groups. You should also bear in mind that you may be called to account for your advice, for example to an overview and scrutiny committee.

Once a policy has been approved through the Committee or Full Council stages as appropriate, it is a lawful policy of the whole Council and must be adopted by you, regardless of your beliefs. You must not allow your personal or political opinions to interfere with your work. If you believe that a policy is unlawful, you should contact your Executive Director or the Monitoring Officer.

If you are asked by a Councillor to provide assistance on a matter that you feel is clearly political, or which does not have a clear link with the work of the Council, you should seek the advice of your Director or the Monitoring Officer.

If you are asked to attend any meetings of any political group of the Council, you should consult your Director before accepting the invitation. Political activity You are not eligible to stand for office as a Councillor of Brighton & Hove City Council, but you may stand for office of another Council providing you are not in a politically restricted post (see paragraph below). Politically restricted posts Some officers, normally those in more senior positions, are in posts where political activity is restricted through the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. This Act prevents them from taking part in certain political activities outside their work. If this applies to you, you should have been informed in writing as part of your contract of employment. If you are not sure about your position, you should contact your manager or Human Resources.

The political activities which are restricted for these officers include:

• standing as a Member of Parliament, Member of the European Parliament or a Councillor in any local authority (other than a Parish Council)

• holding office in a political party at any level, (except in limited roles concerned only with the internal membership of the party)

• canvassing at elections

• speaking in public or publishing any written or artistic work which appears to be intended to influence public support for a political party.


You need to be aware of your position in terms of political activity. If you are not sure whether an activity is subject to ‘political activity restrictions’, you should seek advice from your Executive Director or Head of Human Resources & Organisational Development, who will consult the Monitoring Officer if necessary. Violation of the statutory rules is a breach of contract and liable for investigation under the Council’s Disciplinary Procedure.

Council policies and legal requirements

As a Council officer, you must know the legal or statutory requirements of your job, and work within this framework at all times. All members of the local community, service users and officers have the right to be treated fairly and impartially. As a Council officer you must comply with all Council policies relating to equalities issues and the requirements of the law.

Outside commitments/ Working Time Directive and declaration of interests

Your first work commitment is to the Council. If your job is graded at Scale SO1 (or its equivalent) or above, you should not engage in any other business or take up an additional appointment without written permission from your manager. If you are allowed to undertake work outside the Council, you must not use the Council’s facilities for that work. The Council is required to take all reasonable steps to ensure that workers do not exceed the maximum hours per week. The statutory maximum hours per week [as laid down by the Working Time Directive] is an average 48 hours over a 17 week period, extended in certain circumstances to a 26 or 52 week period. Whatever your grade or position the Council has a responsibility to ensure that you do not exceed the statutory maximum hours per week. If you have, at the time of appointment, or subsequently obtain, other employment you should declare this to your immediate manager. Normally, the Council will not seek to prevent you from working more than the statutory maximum but it will want you to confirm, in writing, that this your choice. In addition to the statutory maximum, if you are above school leaving age but under 18 years and working a total of 4.5 hours per day or more you are required to have a 30 minute break during that time. This applies whether you work only for the Council or for several different employers. If you are a young person with more than one job which adds up to 4.5 hours per day or more you should also inform your manager. If you are 18 years of age or over, you are entitled to have a 20 minute break for every working shift lasting 6 hours or more per day.


Declaration of personal / business interests: conflict of interests You must declare to your manager any financial and non-financial interests that you consider could bring you into conflict with the Council’s interests. Conflict may occur where the Council has entered into (or is going to enter into) a contract in which you, your partner or a relative has a financial interest. You may have a financial interest if, for example, you could:

• receive money or goods

• have value added to a property

• benefit from an increase in share value. If you have shares in a privatised utility, such as British Gas, with which the Council will have dealings, you will not normally need to declare this involvement. It is ultimately a question of degree. You would be expected to declare any large shareholdings you may have in a company coming into contact with the Council. A conflict of interest may also arise when you have a direct interest in the outcome of a Council decision. If this is the case, in order to protect yourself from any appearance of improper conduct you should inform your manager immediately that you are aware of the situation. Conflicts of interest may occur in a number of circumstances. You should, for example, declare your involvement with an organisation which is grant aided by the Council if you have any part in the grant process. You should also declare any involvement with an organisation or pressure group which may seek to influence the Council’s policies. If you are not sure whether you should declare such an interest and wish to discuss the matter in confidence, the Monitoring Officer or Head of Human Resources & Organisational Development can offer advice. Although you can be offered advice about declaring interests, it is ultimately your responsibility: if you are not sure, then it is always best to declare an interest. Declared interests are kept on registers of interests. . It is important to remember that declaring an interest does not imply that you may act improperly, but that it could protect you from claims or the potential appearance of impropriety. Note: The form on which declarations of interest should be made can be found on the Council’s intranet.

Membership of non-open / closed organisations You must declare in the registers of interests membership of any organisation not open to the public without formal membership and commitment of allegiance, and that has secrecy about rules or


membership or conduct. This includes membership of organisations such as the freemasons. Declaration of such membership is required in order to avoid allegations of conflict between an officer’s job and their personal interests and allegiances. Tendering / dealing with contractors Orders and contracts must be awarded on merit by fair competition against other tenders and in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders. You must not show favouritism to any contractor. You must also make sure that no special favour is shown to current or recent former employers, officers or their partners, close relatives or associates in awarding contracts. If you are involved in the tendering process and deal with contractors, you must be clear about the need for separation of client and contractor roles. You must also make sure that, if you are privy to confidential information on tenders or costs for either internal or external contractors, you do not disclose such information to any unauthorised party or organisation. If, as part of your job, you are involved with or supervise contractors, and you have any kind of personal or other relationship with a contractor or potential contractor, the law states that you must disclose this relationship. Any such relationships should be disclosed to your manager and entered in the register of interests. Using your position in the Council You are entitled to expect fair and reasonable treatment by your colleagues, managers and Councillors. If you feel that you have been unfairly treated, discriminated against or harassed, you have the right to raise a complaint with the council. In the same way, you are required to treat your colleagues and staff fairly. Not only is it a criminal offence to harass another person on any grounds, it is also a disciplinary offence in the Council. You should not cause any person harassment, alarm or distress by using threatening, abusive or insulting language or disorderly behaviour, or by displaying any writing or signs, drawings, posters etc. which are threatening, abusive or insulting. You are also entitled to be treated with respect by clients, service users and members of the public. If you feel that their behaviour is unreasonable in the circumstances, you are entitled to terminate the contact, providing that you do so without further antagonising the situation and that you give notice of your intention. You must always report such actions to your manager and make a record of the incident. It is your responsibility to act reasonably and fairly.


Corruption It is important that you are aware that it is a serious criminal offence for you to corruptly receive or give any gift, loan, fee, reward or advantage for doing (or not doing) anything or showing favour or disfavour to any person in the course of your work with the Council. Under the Bribery Act 2010 it is an offence to request, agree to receive or accept a financial or other advantage intending that a relevant function or activity should be performed improperly as a result. Use of Council facilities You should only use Council facilities [such as accommodation, transport, stationery, postal service, ict etc.] provided by the Council for your use in your duties as an officer to carry out those duties and for no other purpose. In exceptional circumstances your manager may give you permission to use Council facilities but you should always obtain this authority prior to use. Telephones, both static and mobile, can be used for short urgent calls, for example in an emergency or to book a doctor’s appointment. Telephones should not be used to give or receive personal calls which are not urgent. The cost of any personal call made on a Council mobile phone must be repaid, regardless of whether it is within the agreed ‘free time’. (To avoid mobile phones becoming a personal taxable benefit, you should repay the cost plus 5 %.) Use of ICT There is a separate policy on the use of computers, email and internet facilities and you should refer to this policy for the rules governing acceptable use. Inventions / patents / copyright / publication of work / conferences If you have invented or written something at work then as a general rule it belongs to your employer if:

• it has been written/made in the course of your normal duties

• it has been made/written in the course of your duties and might reasonably be expected as part of your duties.

You must also make sure that you do not breach the copyright held by others so that if you wish to copy the work of others you should seek their permission and acknowledge the source.


Conferences You may be invited to address conferences or make presentations about your area of work. If you are asked to address a conference or make a presentation you must consult your manager before you accept the request, as there may be some occasions when the Council would not wish to be officially associated with the organising body. You must not personally accept fees for such work, but you may accept expenses and/or the ability to attend the full conference. There may be exceptions whereby your own time and resources are being used and you can be paid for the work. You should nonetheless seek your Executive Director’s advice before accepting a fee, and should refer to the “Outside commitments/Working Time Directive and declaration of interests” section of this Code (section 4). Appointing staff / discipline and grievance If you are involved in making appointments you must make sure these are made on merit against an agreed person specification and in accordance with the Council’s recruitment policy and procedures. It is unlawful for you to make an appointment based on anything other than the ability of the candidate to undertake the work. In order to avoid any possible accusation of bias, you must not be involved in an appointment if you are related to an applicant, or have a personal relationship with them outside work. It is also important that there is no suggestion of collusion among panel members. You should not be a member of a panel which includes your partner or someone with whom you have a close personal relationship. You must not canvass on behalf of an applicant. Similarly, you must not be involved in decisions relating to discipline capability, grievance procedures, pay adjustments or promotion for any other officer who is a relative, partner or close friend. Gifts You must, at all times, avoid any occasion for suspicion and any appearance of improper conduct. Any gift, reward or benefit offered to you as a Council officer should generally be refused. You should report any offers of expensive gifts to your Head of Service, Executive Director or the Monitoring Officer. Gifts offered to you (whether or not you accept them) are to be recorded by you in the register as follows:- (a) If the gift is of a nominal value of £25 or less, you have discretion as to

whether or not to record the gift. Thus, for example, you would not normally record being given gifts mentioned in category (a) in the


following paragraph , but it would probably be appropriate to record gifts in categories (b) and (c) even if worth less than £25.

(b) If the gift is of a nominal value of more than £25 you must record it.

Note 1: If your department or team has special rules about accepting / refusing gifts, you must also comply with those rules.

Note 2: The form on which gifts and hospitality should be registered can be found on the Council’s intranet.

Gifts may only be accepted if they are:

(a) small and of modest value or of a promotional or advertising nature,

e.g. calendars, diaries, pens and other similar articles (see also below)

(b) small gifts offered during official authorised hospitality, e.g. gifts on the conclusion of any courtesy visit of a type normally given by that organisation

(c) small gifts given by service users or clients. Where appropriate, such gifts should be shared between teams.

Gifts that are not acceptable must be declined or returned.

It is very important that any gifts or other promotional material (pens, calendars, diaries) which carry names or logos should not be used or displayed in public areas. This is to avoid unintentional promotion or endorsement of such products or services. Hospitality You may receive hospitality from other Councils, organisations or individuals as part of your work. You should avoid being personally entertained by those who want, or are likely to want, something from you or the Council. When hospitality is offered, you need to consider how this may be perceived by others. Hospitality must not be accepted from any parties concerned in a contract during the tendering period.

When considering offers of hospitality you should consider whether:

• the invitation comes from an organisation likely to benefit from the Council

• the organisation is seeking a contract with the Council, or already has a contract with the Council

• the hospitality is part of a conference, seminar etc. or is more of a social function

• the scale and location of the hospitality is relative to the event

• the event takes place outside normal working hours

• it is being offered on a frequent basis


• it is being offered just to you or to others as well. All offers of hospitality, whether or not accepted, are to be recorded in the register of gifts and hospitality as follows: (a) You do not need to record any hospitality which is an integral part of

a conference or seminar and is being offered to all delegates. (b) Otherwise, if the hospitality is

(i) of a nominal value of £25 or less, you have a discretion as to whether or not to record the hospitality. It is suggested that you should record it unless it falls within the three acceptable categories mentioned below;

(ii) of a nominal value of more than £25 you must record it.

After consideration, you may wish to decline the hospitality. You may refer to this Code when you decline hospitality, and you should record in the register what was offered and refused by you. If the individual or organisation later comes under investigation, it will be important to know all the offers that were made, not just those accepted. Note 1: If your department or team has special rules about accepting / refusing hospitality, you must also comply with those rules.

Note 2: The form on which gifts and hospitality should be registered can be found on the Council’s intranet. Below are some broad guidelines on what is generally acceptable and unacceptable.

Acceptable

• modest working refreshments or meals provided that their purpose is to continue the work underway in the meeting

• attendance in an official capacity at functions to which invitations have been sent to other local authorities

• attendance in an official capacity at functions arranged by local public service bodies and other public authorities.

Unacceptable

• holidays or weekends away

• the use of a company flat or suite

• lunch with a developer who is applying for planning permission

• tickets to theatre, concerts or sporting events which are offered to you to influence your decisions in the Council and which you would not attend in an official capacity.


Sponsorship, giving or receiving When an outside organisation wishes to sponsor activity, or is being asked to sponsor a Council activity, the basic conventions covering acceptance of gifts or hospitality apply. You must take particular care when dealing with suppliers or contractors or potential suppliers or contractors. Where the Council wishes to sponsor an event or activity, then you, your partner, spouse or relative must not directly benefit from this sponsorship. If you think you may have some benefit from sponsorship, you must advise your manager before the sponsorship is agreed. This could protect you from potential allegations of favouritism or bias. Similarly, where the Council (through sponsorship, grant aid, financial or other means) gives support in the community, you must make sure that you give impartial advice and that there is no conflict of interest involved. Information, openness and confidentiality Brighton & Hove City Council wants to ensure that it operates openly: this means that information should generally be available to the public. However, you should be aware that certain types of information are confidential and must remain confidential (even after you or the person concerned has left employment with the Council). Such types of information include:

• personal information given in confidence

• information that might compromise the right of commercial confidentiality

• information that if disclosed might prejudice enforcement action

• information that the Authority is not allowed or required by law to disclose (e.g. under data protection legislation)

• information relating to the prevention, investigation or prosecution of a crime

• information that is defamatory

• information that appears in the confidential part of committee or council reports – Part 2 papers, often printed on pink paper

This list is not exhaustive You should never pass on information, confidential or otherwise, for personal or financial benefit. You should be clear about the scope of information to which you have access and the constraints and freedoms applicable. If you are in any doubt about whether information is confidential or not you should consult your line manager or the council’s Monitoring Officer.


Use of financial resources / financial regulations You must make sure that you use the public funds for which you are responsible in a responsible and lawful manner and in accordance with the Council’s Contract Standing Orders, Financial Regulations and Anti-fraud and Corruption Policies. If you feel there is evidence of financial impropriety, fraud or corruption you should contact the Head of Audit & Business Risk immediately. The role of the Monitoring Officer The Monitoring Officer is responsible for making sure that Councillors and officers act with propriety and within the law. He/she has a statutory responsibility to produce a report to full Council in the event of any possible illegality, maladministration or injustice coming to his / her attention. The Monitoring Officer in Brighton & Hove City Council is the Head of Law. Raising concerns The Council takes any malpractice seriously and is committed to taking action when such practices are drawn to its attention. Examples of malpractice include bribery, fraud, corruption, gross negligence, risks to public safety or where capability is impaired by alcohol or drugs. There may be occasions when such practices are hidden or covered up and need to be drawn to the attention of the Council. To make it easier for you to raise your concerns the Council has a procedure which allows you to raise your concern confidentially and, if necessary, outside your department. This is the Whistleblowing Policy and you can find this on the Council’s intranet. If you feel that you cannot raise your concerns within the Council, then you can contact the charity Public Concern at Work (Tel. 020 404 6609), which is a registered charity independent of Brighton & Hove City Council whose services are free and strictly confidential. Responding to complaints

Brighton & Hove City Council is committed to being open with its service users and to treating their complaints fairly. Information about the Council’s complaints procedures is included in the Council’s series of leaflets “Complaints, compliments, comments and suggestions” which are available at main Council reception points or from the Council’s Standards and Complaints Team. This Team can also give you guidance on how to handle complaints.


2 Use of ICT Policy The Council’s Use of ICT Policy is reproduced in full below. It is important that you read it and comply with its provisions. If you are unclear about any of its provisions you should speak to your manager or the Head of ICT & E-Government.

Introduction

The following outlines the acceptable use of ICT Services for all Elected Members, employees and contractors of Brighton and Hove City Council.

Scope of Policy

This policy applies to all users accessing any ICT systems (such as computers, hand held devices, or any information storing or processing devices) owned and/or operated by Brighton and Hove City Council. Its application extends to the use of all such equipment wherever situated.

Statement of Policy

Use of ICT facilities must be in accordance with the Code of Conduct for officers and UK legislation.

General Policy Statements

1 Only Brighton & Hove Council devices can connect to Council

devices\networks unless permission is granted by the Head of ICT or one of his/her nominated officers

2 Only Brighton & Hove Council employees or authorised 3rd parties can connect to the Council networks

3 Files may be password protected where the application software has such a facility built in. Where files are password protected employees must make provision for line managers and/or colleagues to gain access to the file in their absence.

4 Employees must not install or use any other encryption software without the written permission of the Head of ICT or one of his/her nominated officers

5 Adequate protection must be given to any device holding sensitive or personal data to prevent unauthorised access.

6 Data stored on Council devices or other authorised devices must be adequately backed up and accessible to the ICT section.

7 No software can be installed on Brighton & Hove Council equipment without permission from the Head of ICT or one of his/her nominated officers.

8 If users leave their workstations unattended for any time, it must be locked by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys (all at the same time) and then select lock Workstation.


Acceptable Use:

• Activities commensurate with individual job descriptions.

• Communication and exchange for professional development, to remain professionally current, or to debate issues in a field of knowledge.

• Professional activities, or work-related professional associations and research and development.

Non-Acceptable Use:

• Profit or gain-making activities not sanctioned by Brighton and Hove City Council.

• Private or personal interests or business, where such use is deemed to be excessive or unreasonable, especially in the use of Internet or electronic mail services.

• Any illegal activities.

• Seeking to gain unauthorised access to resources.

• Wasting of resources (e.g. people, capacity, computer).

• Alteration or destruction of the integrity of computer-based information.

• Compromising the privacy of users or confidentiality of data.

• Downloading and/or viewing obscene material.

• Playing computer games.

• Propagating chain letters.

• Electronic harassment of any kind.

• Any action which may be to the detriment of Brighton and Hove City Council or its trading partners.

• Logging onto another member of staffs P.C. using someone else’s user credentials (id), name and password.

• Using the Councils devices for the introduction of music, software or other unlicensed or inappropriate material.

Use of mobile computing devices and media:

The use of mobile computing devices and media such as Media devices, P.D.A.s, USB sticks, CDs, DVDs, Discs, and Laptops etc are only allowed with the authority of the staff member’s manager. The device/media type used must be approved or supplied by the Head of ICT or one of his/her nominated officers, as set out in the ICT Computer Purchasing Guide. Compliance This policy has been issued with the authority of the Chief Executive and compliance with its principles is mandatory for all employees of Brighton and Hove City Council and authorised third party users accessing any computer system owned or operated by Brighton and Hove City Council.


Breaches Any actual or suspected breaches of any security policy within, or affecting, Brighton and Hove City Council’s systems will be thoroughly investigated by the ICT Security Group. If staff are involved, disciplinary action, as defined in the Employee Handbook, may be taken which may lead to dismissal. Any action taken internally does not preclude prosecution through a court of law. Definition All references in this document to the ‘Council’ shall be deemed to refer to Brighton & Hove City Council, Interpretation In the event of an issue arising from an interpretation of this policy, it should be resolved by reference to Head of ICT. Reference Documents: The following documents must also be read if corresponding facilities are used. These are available on the Council’s intranet (the Wave), or by contacting ICT:

1 Information Security Policy 2 Email Use policy 3 Email Good Practice 4 Laptop and Portable Devices Acceptable Use Policy 5 Protective Marking Scheme Guidelines 6 Use of Internet Policy 7 Data Protection Policy and Guidelines 8 Non Disclosure Agreement 9 Do’s and Don’ts of Using ICT 10 Security Breach Procedure 11 Procedures for dealing with abuse of internet access & ICT within

the Council 12 ICT Security Policy Working at Home DRAFT 13 Baseline Security Check Procedure 14 Removable Media 15 Workstation Security 16 Information Access Security Policy 17 PGP Encryption Guideline 18 Mobile Home Working 19 Physical Security Policy draft


Data protection The Council has a nominated Data Protection Officer who is tasked with ensuring that the Council records, stores and transmits data in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998. The Data Protection Act 1998 puts certain legal obligations on the Council for the recording and storing of personal information. These are confirmed within the Council’s Data Protection Policy which is available on the Council’s intranet (the Wave) within the ICT pages. Any queries should be addressed to the Data Protection Officer.

Employees responsible for computer systems that record personal information must ensure that all such systems comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 as outlined with the Council’s Data Protection Policy.

Any employee who develops a database, spreadsheet or other computer system that records personal information must ensure that the system complies with the Data Protection Act 1998 as outlined with the Council’s Data Protection Policy. Intellectual property rights

With the facilities offered by ICT systems it is now a straightforward operation to copy, store and transmit complex sets of information. However in doing so it is essential that intellectual property rights are respected.

Material that is Copyrighted or Trademarked, or other proprietary material must not be copied, stored or transmitted without the express permission of the owner. Such action, whether knowing or inadvertent, may result in liability to the Council and/or the individual responsible. Employees should be aware that the Council retains intellectual property rights to all material that is created by employees of the Council as part of their work or whilst using Council owned resources.

System Security Policy ICT is responsible for establishing and enforcing a password policy on the Council’s networks, Internet, Intranet and e-mail systems. Application system owners are responsible for establishing and enforcing a password policy on their systems based on the level of security required. Passwords are assigned to individual users of ICT systems for the following reasons:

• to maintain the security of systems and the data that they contain;


• to ensure that all access and modification to the data can be traced back to an individual employee.

Ownership All systems have a designated system owner, though this phrase is used as a convenience to describe the part of the Council that has the delegated responsibility for the maintenance and integrity of that system.

Some applications have the sole system owner of ICT, such as the Council’s e-mail system. Most applications are owned by the service that paid for or maintains the system.

Securing passwords

Employees must protect their passwords as they will be held accountable for all activities undertaken under their usernames. Employees must keep their passwords private and where written down must be kept in a secure location such as a safe or cash box. On request, any password used by an employee must be provided to their line manager, the Head of ICT, the Head of Human Resources & Organisational Development, the Head of Audit & Business Risk or any of their nominated officers. Choosing passwords Passwords should be chosen in a way that makes them difficult to guess, i.e. avoid dictionary words, names connected with the user, dates or repeated characters. For each computer system that has its own acceptable password policy, this must be complied with by all users of that system. Groups of employees must not share the same password for their individual usernames on a computer system unless there is a valid technical and operational reason. Such action defeats the objectives of secure and accountable access to data.

Staff changes Line managers, or other nominated officers, should inform ICT of all new employees so that the appropriate usernames and passwords can be created. When an employee leaves their job, whether leaving the Council or not, their line manager, or other nominated officer, must inform ICT


immediately so that all usernames and passwords for that employee can be suspended as appropriate. Access to systems

Employees must never attempt to gain unauthorised access to other computers, networks or information either within or external to the Council. In the UK this is an offence under the Computer Misuse Act.

Employees must not use the username and password of another employee unless the access is in connection with a formal request for the provision of a password made by the employee’s line manager, the Head of ICT, the Head of Human Resources & Organisational Development, the Head of Audit & Business Risk or any of their nominated officers.

Most computer systems will automatically suspend a username if repeated attempts are made to access it using an incorrect password. If this occurs then the employee to whom this username is assigned should contact the appropriate system manager to have the username unlocked.

Employees must not give any person not employed by the Council access to any computer system whilst that person is working in Council premises without the written permission of the Head of ICT or one of his/her nominated officers..

Employees must not set up any remote access facilities to any Council computer system without the written permission of the Head of ICT or one of his/her nominated officers.

Employees must not subvert any system that controls or monitors access to a computer system.

System integrity

Employees must not damage or compromise the integrity of any computer system.

Any computer system, data or workstation taken off Council premises must be protected with a security system if so specified by the Head of ICT or one of his/her nominated officers.

Employees must not alter any information held on any computer system for any reason other than the normal performance of their duties.

Line Managers must ensure that where data backup or security procedures are delegated to them that these procedures are followed.


Encryption Files may be password protected where the application software has such a facility built in. Where files are password protected employees must make provision for line managers and/or colleagues to gain access to the file in their absence.

Employees must not install or use any other encryption software without the written permission of the Head of ICT or one of his/her nominated officers. Electronic Mail Policy The Council provides electronic mail systems for business use only. Electronic mail users should be aware of the importance of using e-mail on a daily basis, using common courtesy in messages, performing regular housekeeping and discouraging excessive, inappropriate or wrongful use of the system. Ownership and privacy All electronic mail originating, arriving, or in transit through any electronic mail system belonging to the Council is the property of the Council. An employee may be granted access to use an electronic mail system at the discretion of management and the Council reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend or terminate any person’s use of electronic mail at any time, for any reason. In addition the Council may take disciplinary action against any person who misuses electronic mail. The Council strives to provide controls to safeguard information access to its electronic mail systems. The Council reserves the right to monitor, access, review and disclose all messages without the additional consent being required from any employee, contractor, vendor or person who uses an electronic mail system belonging to the Council. Surveillance may be undertaken for the purposes of audit, security or where there is reason to believe that a breach of this policy has occurred. Electronic mail communications, either internally or on the Internet, are not guaranteed to be private nor to arrive at their destination either within a particular time, or at all. Private use The Council’s electronic mail systems must not be used for private use other than where agreed as acceptable within this policy.


If employees wish to send and receive private electronic mail then they should subscribe to an Internet based service and access this service in their own time. Acceptable use

As well as the general policy detailed above, the following specific usage constraints for electronic mail also apply:

• electronic mail used to complete transactions, such as transfer of funds, must only be used in controlled environments that can ensure the authenticity of the originating persons (for advice on this subject contact ICT);

• employees must not use e-mail to provide any reference of a personal nature i.e. employment, medical or financial without confirming the authenticity of the request;

• employees must not send irrelevant or inappropriate e-mail to mailing lists or bulletin boards;

• employees must not participate in chain or pyramid letters or similar schemes;

• employees must not use a third party electronic mail system in place of the Council’s system without the written approval of the Head of ICT or one of his/her nominated officers;

• employees should report to their line manager, or such other appropriate officer, the receipt of any e-mail that they consider to be offensive or that may be construed as bullying or harassment;

• messages should be communicated in a way that clearly identifies the author and if writing to someone that isn’t known to the author then they should include their first name, surname, job title, and if relevant, the organisation;

• an employee receiving an electronic mail message in error must inform the sender immediately and delete the message from the system.

House-keeping The Head of ICT sets a maximum size for an electronic mail box and where possible the system is configured to enforce this automatically. The Head of ICT may periodically delete all messages older than a certain date or larger than a certain size. Where possible notice will be given that such deletions are to occur but this may not always be possible. Employees must reduce the size of their mailbox if requested to do so by the Head of ICT or one of his/her nominated officers. Employees should check their electronic mail on a daily basis. Employees should arrange to set up a rule notifying other users sending messages when they are on leave for more than 2 days. The return


message should state an alternative contact who can deal with work in their absence. Large attachments should be saved off and the mail message containing them deleted so as to reduce the storage requirements of the electronic mail systems. Good practice guidelines

The following good practice guidelines should be observed:

• e-mail is intended for business use and whilst correspondence is generally briefer than other correspondence, try to use correct grammar and spelling making use of the spell checking facilities on the e-mail system;

• consider the correspondence to be permanent and do not assume that the e-mail, when deleted, will be lost forever;

• take care when communicating sensitive information;

• take care when communicating with someone in another country as insensitive use could lead to litigation in that country;

• if training is required on the use of the Council’s e-mail system then discuss your requirements with your line manager;

• keep a permanent record of an e-mail containing substantive advice;

• do not communicate information via e-mail that you would not be prepared to say to the recipient if you were talking face to face;

• avoid using upper case in e-mail as it is generally interpreted as shouting;

• wherever possible, other people’s comments or observations should be communicated verbatim by using the “threading” capability of e-mail i.e. using Reply and Forward options so that the message history is retained (do not quote comments or observations from other people as a quote may be taken out of context);

• care should be taken to address electronic mail to the intended recipient as misaddressing is common;

• clearly title messages so that the contents can be understood before the message is opened;

• clearly mark a message “for information” if no action is required;

• make it clear what action or response is required from each recipient;

• do not copy or forward unnecessary messages to others.

Bulletin boards/intranet

The Council provides bulletin board facilities both for business and recreational usage and these are considered part of the electronic mail system. Bulletin boards are maintained by the Head of ICT or one of his/her nominated officers and they may delete any message on any bulletin board at their discretion.


Employees must not post messages to bulletin boards that are not relevant to the usage of that particular board. Where doubt exists as to the usage of a particular board then messages should not be posted to that board until such doubt has been alleviated. Employees must not post the same message to multiple bulletin boards. Employees must not delete or amend a message posted to a bulletin board by someone else. Messages intended for one of the internal recreational bulletin boards must be created and posted in the employee’s own time. Internet Policy The Council’s principal objective in providing Internet facilities is to facilitate the organisation’s business and meet e-government targets. However, it is recognised that the use of the Internet can also be educational and may therefore be used for purposes other than work under controlled arrangements. Access The Council provides a secure, filtered and monitored Internet feed, access to which may be granted to a member of staff at the discretion of their management.

Employees must not access the Internet through any means other than the Council provided service except with the written permission of the Head of ICT or one of his/her nominated officers. Employees must not attempt to bypass either the security, filtering or monitoring services on the Internet service.

Employees must not access any unsuitable material that is not filtered. Ownership and privacy The Council reserves the right to monitor, access and review an individual’s use of the Internet without the additional consent being required from any employee. Surveillance may be undertaken for the purposes of audit, security or where there is reason to believe that a breach of this policy has occurred. Private use An individual may request the private use of the Internet under the following circumstances:

• private use must be through the Council’s Internet service;


• private use must be approved in advance by the employee’s line manager including the length of time that it may be used privately;

• private use must only occur in the individual’s own time after having already signed out of work;

• private use must comply with this policy on the use of the Internet.

Downloading Employees must not download or install any programs from the Internet without the permission of the Head of ICT or one of his/her nominated officers. Workstation Policy Workstations are provided by the Council for business use and must not be used for any other purpose other than where agreed as acceptable within this policy.

Ownership and privacy

All information or programs stored or created on a Council owned computer are the property of the Council and not individual employees.

An employee may be granted access to use a workstation at the discretion of management and the Council reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend or terminate any persons use of any or all workstations, at any time, for any reason. In addition the Council may take disciplinary action against any person who misuses workstations or systems accessible through it.

The Council reserves the right to monitor, access and review an individual’s use of workstations without the additional consent being required from any employee. Surveillance may be undertaken for the purposes of audit, security or where there is reason to believe that a breach of this policy has occurred. Every workstation has a designated person responsible for its use, for the software resident in the machine and for compliance of this policy. This person will be one of the following:

• the occupant of the desk on which the machine resides;

• the manager of an area where workstations are a shared resource for a group of users;

• a user allocated a portable workstation on a temporary or permanent basis.

Line managers must retrieve hardware, software and equipment from employees, contractors and temporary staff leaving the Council.


Private use Workstations must be used only for Council business, unless express permission has been obtained from the line manager. Any private use must be undertaken outside of work hours and must not include:

• processing relating to commercial activities;

• importing or downloading of documents, data or software from other devices or sites;

• any activities that could potentially reduce the security of Council systems and data;

• creation of private intellectual property;

• saving of any data to a network drive. Off-site use The following procedures apply where an individual requests the use of ICT hardware off-site:

• the individual must seek authorisation from their line manager stating the nature and duration of use;

• the employee and their line manager must sign a document stating the item of equipment, serial number or other relevant identification, the date that the equipment was taken from the Council’s premises and the duration that it will be off-site;

• the employee and their line manager must sign a document stating the date that an item of equipment is returned to the Council’s premises;

• the employee accepts responsibility for the equipment once it has been signed for;

• ICT team must be informed on the first occasion that an item of hardware is used off-site and the documents referred to above must be made available for their inspection as required.

Software The software installed onto workstations is very tightly controlled and this may be done by the use of automatic control software installed on the workstation. The following restrictions apply to all software:

• all software installed must be properly licensed;

• the use of all software must comply with the conditions of the relevant licence agreement;

• all software installed must be relevant to the work of the operator of that workstation or the team, section or department in which it is based;

• any installation of software must only be done with the permission of ICT;


• free, public domain or shareware software is subject to the same restrictions on use as all other software and must only be installed in compliance with this policy;

• employees must not attempt to circumvent any security system installed on a workstation by management or ICT, this includes, but is not limited to, remote control software, automatic control software, lockdown software and anti-virus software.

Telephones/Fax Policy The telephone and fax facilities are designed for business use only. Personal use is only permitted in the following circumstances:

• authorisation has been sought from the employee’s line manager, and

• the call is urgent and could not wait until an appropriate work break;

• the call is connected with the employee having to work later than expected;

• the call is a very brief internal call;

• the employee reimburses the cost of the call, other than calls in connection with the employee working late.

Employees must not use the Council’s telephone system or their own personal mobile phones to receive private calls whilst working unless the call is urgent.

The Council reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend or terminate any person’s use of any telephone or fax equipment at any time for any reason. In addition the Council may take disciplinary action against any person who misuses the telephony system.

Telephone lines must not be connected to any equipment, other than to a fax machine, without the permission of the Head of ICT or one of his/her nominated officers.

Line managers should ensure that all Council fax machines are registered with the appropriate service to avoid receiving ‘Junk’ faxes.

Home working

When working from home only approved methods must be used to avoid ICT & Information Security Risks The approved and secure method to work from home is by using a remote CITRIX account. This is where you connect to the Council systems from either your own home PC or Council provided PC using your own broadband connection. This is done via a secure website address which will take you to a secure logon and once logged on you can have access to your folders, e-mail, office applications such as word,


excel etc and some other applications if available When using CITRIX from home no data ever leaves Council systems instead you work on your documents directly on Council systems where they are secure and backed up for you, it is not possible to save documents back to your local PC. Because data never leaves the Council systems you are permitted to use your own home PC without security risk. This is the only use of your personally owned PC that is permitted. An alternative method for access to work from home is by allowing access via a Laptop. Requests for this option must be made as per above. However, wireless connection must not be used unless Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) encryption solution is in place. Full information is available on the Council’s intranet (the Wave) within the “Working at Home ICT Security Policy” on the ICT pages.

3 Social Networking Policy

This Policy aims to ensure that staff are aware of their responsibility to comply with good practice and the law (e.g. data protection, confidentiality, libel, harassment/discrimination) so that the council’s image and reputation is not damaged and that it is not exposed to legal and governance risks. Breaches of the policy will be viewed as a disciplinary matter. You are therefore advised to familiarise yourself with the policy which can be accessed on the council’s intranet (the Wave).


Section C: Council’s Rules and Information Part III: Health, Safety & Welfare

1 Accidents at Work

You must report to your supervisor/manager any injury, damage incident or near miss which occurs at work so that the appropriate “Health & Safety Incident/Abuse/Violence Report” form can be completed.

2 Abuse/Violence at Work

The Council considers incidents of violence towards its employees, from whatever source, to be unacceptable. However, regrettably, it is not possible to eradicate violent/abusive incidents completely from the workplace. It is therefore essential, that all such incidents are recorded so that preventative measures can be implemented and training needs identified. Any employee who experiences a violent or abusive incident whilst carrying out their official duties must report the fact to their manager as soon as possible and complete the appropriate “Health & Safety Incident/Abuse/Violence Report” form.

3 Evacuation Procedures

Notices regarding action to be taken and the procedure to be followed in the event of a fire or bomb alert are posted at key points around Council premises. It is most important that you should familiarise yourself with these instructions as soon as possible.

4 First Aid

First Aid boxes are available and certain individual members of staff are able to give first aid. A list of those employees are posted at key points in Council premises and it is important that you ascertain who they are and where the boxes are kept.

5 Hazard Reporting Procedure

If you should find a hazard to safety you should report the fact to your immediate line manager in order that the hazard may be eliminated swiftly.

6 Personal Protective Clothing & Footwear

If the Council has provided you with special clothing or footwear to wear when carrying out your duties, you must wear it and maintain it in good condition. Failure to wear the protective clothing and/or footwear provided to you may result in disciplinary action being taken against you. If your


protective clothing becomes damaged you must report this fact to your manager immediately.

If you leave the Council’s employment, you will be required to return any clothing or footwear provided to you.

7 Display Screen Equipment

The Council has adopted guidelines governing the use of display screen equipment (DSE) to ensure that it meets its obligations under the Display Screen Equipment Regulations. New employees, or employees whose workstation has changed, should undertake a DSE self-assessment. This is then reviewed by a DSE Assessor who can recommend to the employee and their line manager what changes may be necessary to improve their workstation.

8 Security

On your appointment you will have been issued with an Identity Card. You must wear this card visibly at all times when carrying out your official duties. (Certain employees will have alternative identification procedures to comply with operational risk assessments but must produce it for inspection if asked to do so. You will be advised by your manager when you take up your appointment if these alternative arrangements apply to you.)

You must not, under any circumstances, lend your Identity Card to any unauthorised person. It is your personal responsibility to look after it and keep the card secure at all times. Should you lose it, it is your personal responsibility to report its loss immediately to the Premises Manager so that appropriate action can be taken. When entering/leaving a secure, staff-only area, you must ensure that you do not let in any unauthorised person. If you are not sure of the individual’s identity you must ask them to show you their identity card. As an employee, you have statutory health and safety responsibilities and you must comply with these arrangements which are put in place to ensure the safety of the Council’s staff. You should be aware that any breach of these rules will be viewed as a serious matter and may result in disciplinary action being taken against you. Employees must surrender their I.D. card to their line manager on the termination of their employment.


9 Smoking at Work

The council has a specific legal duty to protect staff, contractors, visitors, residents and the general public from the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke (breathing smoke from other people’s cigarettes).

As a result, smoking is not permitted on any council premises or in council owned/leased vehicles. Nor is smoking permitted in private cars on council business where other passengers are in the car. The only exception is residents in their own living space.

Smoking areas may be provided in areas that are not enclosed or substantially enclosed. Employees who wish to smoke may, with the agreement of their manager, leave their workstation to do so in these permitted areas. Smoking is not permitted directly outside entrances to council premises.

The frequency and duration of “smoking breaks” must be kept to a minimum and must not have an adverse effect on the employee’s personal productivity at work or the ability of the office/section to provide an effective service. Employees taking an unreasonable amount of time for such breaks may be subject to disciplinary action.

Refusal to observe the policy by smoking in what is considered to be unauthorised or inappropriate areas will be considered a disciplinary matter and could result in dismissal.

For full details see the Smoking Policy on the Health, Safety & Wellbeing site on the council’s intranet.

10 Lone Working

The Council is committed to reducing the risks of harm to its employees during periods of lone working and fully accepts its responsibility in reducing risks to staff by carrying out risk assessments and introducing appropriate control measures to reduce those risks so far as is reasonably practicable. The Council will provide appropriate training, including training in personal safety, for employees who work alone in the community to enable them to carry out their work safely. If you are a lone worker and your manager issues instructions or supplies you with equipment designed to reduce the risks associated with you working alone, then you must ensure that you comply with the instructions and use the equipment. You should be aware that failure of staff to follow instructions or to use safety equipment issued to ensure their health and safety will be viewed as a disciplinary matter. You must ensure that you familiarise yourself with the Council’s Lone Working Procedures which can be found in the HR section (sub-section Health & Safety) on the Council’s intranet.


Lone workers include:

• one person remaining alone in an office or one person in an office which is isolated from the main work area

• people who work separately from others e.g. community visits, employees working from home, hospital visits, hostel visits

• people operating outside normal working hours

• mobile workers working away from their base e.g. people travelling, taking clients on an outing

• people responding to an emergency situation such as a security alarm sounding in a building for which they are a keyholder.


Section C: Council’s Rules and Information Part IV: Employee Relations

1 Trade Union Recognition

The Council is committed to fostering good employee relations and recognises that such a climate will have a positive impact on the achievement of the Council’s objectives. The Council has therefore adopted a policy of seeking mutually acceptable solutions to employee relations problems by discussion and agreement and recognises that effective collective bargaining, negotiation, consultation and communication can be best achieved at a local level between union representatives, union members and management. The Council recognises the following trades unions:

• Unison

• GMB/APEX

Both of these trade unions sit on the National Joint Council (NJC). This body negotiates the national terms and conditions of service for employees working in Local Government and which have been adopted by Brighton & Hove City Council.

2 Trade Union Membership

The Council will provide names and job titles of new starters and leavers to the recognised trade unions complying with its role as data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998 and in accordance with your contract of employment. As an employee, you have the right to join a recognised trade union or not to do so.