Item 6av GLASGOW KELVIN COLLEGE HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE MINUTES Minute of the meeting held on Wednesday, at 5.00pm in the Second Floor Boardroom at Springburn Campus. 1. Sederunt Ian Patrick, (Chair); Margaret Forsyth; Irving Hodgson; Alexander McCulla; Elizabeth Robertson; and Alan Sherry, Principal. In attendance: Doreen Shiels, Director of HR; Lynne Porter, for recording purposes; and Deborah Friel, for recording purposes 2. Apologies Maureen Burke; and Audrey Miller, Vice Principal HR and Organisational Development 3. Terms of Reference It was confirmed that the meeting was quorate with six members in attendance. 4. Declaration of Interest There were no declarations of interest noted. 5. Minutes of Previous Meeting held on 25 November 2014 The minutes of the previous meeting were taken as read and an accurate account of the meeting held on 25 November 2014. 6. Matters Arising from Minutes of Previous Meeting held on 25 November 2014 Item 7- Policies and Procedures The Director of Human Resources informed members that a summary of the Lone Working Policy had been drafted, was available on the College website and had been circulated to staff. There were no other matters arising. Human Resources Committee - 1 - Glasgow Kelvin College
7. Policies and Procedures The Director of Human Resources provided members with an update on the progress made with regard to the following policies: Attendance Management Policy D Shiels reported that consultation with staff, managers and Trade Unions had been undertaken on this policy and advice had been sought from the College s legal advisors and comments incorporated. The Chair commented on the Human Resources-centric nature of the policy and queried whether this represented an onerous task in terms of resources for Human Resources staff. The Chair also emphasised the need for the policy to be strictly and consistently adhered and queried whether the requirements would place undue pressure on the Human Resources team. The Chair also queried whether attendance of Human Resources staff at the various interviews outlined in the policy was an efficient use of staff time. D Shiels advised that the presence of HR was to support managers and staff through the process to ensure consistency of application and in the longer term this would not be necessary. She confirmed that the impact of the policy on HR operations would be monitored. The Chair welcomed the proposal to review the policy after one year in light of this. The Chair voiced concerns that eleven days may be too short a timescale in terms of the period to trigger a long-term absence meeting. D Shiels explained that the earlier the intervention stage, the better the chance of providing a member of staff with the support they required to enable them to return to work. After some discussion it was agreed that the College would apply the 11 day trigger in relation to long-term absence. D Shiels informed members that the HR Team issue a support letter to absent staff after eleven days continuous absence. The Director of Human Resources intimated that the policy contained triggers for the formal process to be instigated following four separate incidents of absenteeism in a year. M Forsyth queried whether the trigger points for the formal interview process were too low. It was agreed after discussion that the trigger points were appropriate. D Shiels emphasised the important aspect was how the message about the new policy was conveyed to staff which should be in terms of the supportive and positive nature of the process. D Shiels intimated that Human Resources would carry out briefings with staff to highlight the positive aspects of the policy and training for managers in its operation and the Trade Unions had agreed to participate in this process. Members agreed to recommend approval of the policy to the Board and acknowledged there would be a review of the impact of the policy after one year. The Director of Human resources informed members that Human Resources would also provide a quarterly update to the Human Resources Committee following the implementation of the policy across the College; and Human Resources Committee - 2 - Glasgow Kelvin College
Family Friendly and Flexible Working Policy The Director of Human Resources reported that Human Resources had worked closely with the trade unions during the development of this policy. D Shiels reported that the policy covered a wide range of leave to support staff achieve a work-life balance, including paid leave for fertility treatment and an acknowledgement of kinship caring. Some of the leave contained within the policy reflected the terms and conditions agreed with trade unions as well as containing the required legal aspects. D Shiels informed members that Human Resources will develop more detailed procedures to accompany the policy and that these were currently being drafted. E Robertson stated that the policy was very comprehensive and she was encouraged to see kinship caring included therein. i) recommend the approval of the Attendance Management Policy to the Board of Management; and recommend the approval of the Family Friendly and Flexible Working Policy to the Board of Management. 8. Organisational Development Update The Organisational Development Manager spoke to the contents of his report which sought to update members on the CPD activities for staff within the College. J Gallagher discussed the development of the Professional Development Review (PDR) process and drew members attention to the PDR paperwork appended to the report. J Gallagher confirmed that College teams were being trained on the new review process and that sessions would also be available for staff at the forthcoming CPD event on 11 February 2015. J Gallagher informed members that the CPD event which took place on 18 December 2014 was well attended and that the event on 11 February 2015 would partly focus on learning and teaching for new lecturers. J Gallagher also intimated that A Sherry would provide short briefings to staff on the recent Education Scotland review during the event. He also informed members of the health and wellbeing sessions taking place throughout the day. The Principal informed members that the CPD event on 11 February was taking place on an in-service day and that staff who were unable to attend on that day due to delivering day release classes would have something else planned for them at a later date in the year. A Sherry also informed members that a number of conflict resolution courses were being run with three sessions being delivered to two groups of staff including Curriculum Managers. He explained it was hoped that these sessions would equip line managers with the appropriate skills and tools to avoid conflict or to deal effectively with it to resolve issues when they arise. The Organisational Development Manager confirmed that five cohorts of staff were due to undertake these sessions. Human Resources Committee - 3 - Glasgow Kelvin College
i) note the contents of this report and its appendix; i note the range of CPD activities which have taken place to date in support of the Board s strategic priorities; and request the Organisational Development Manager bring forward an update report to future meeting. 9. Draft Equality Outcomes and Draft Mainstreaming Report The Director of Human Resources reported that the draft Equality Outcomes had been amended in light of feedback received through various surveys and evaluations undertaken. In addition, details of methods for how outcomes would be measured and the ways to evidence had been incorporated. D Shiels confirmed that an action plan would now be developed to progress desired outcomes and that the final version would be published in April 2015. The Chair invited members to comment and members agreed that they were satisfied with the content of draft Equalities Outcomes paper. The Director of Human Resources informed members that the draft Mainstreaming Report was being developed and reflected how the College is complying with the three general duties within the Equalities Act. D Shiels intimated that evidence of how the College is complying with the duties is being collected and that the key areas of impact would be identified and placed in a summary extract in due course. D Shiels also informed members that a number of case studies had been obtained from staff and students evidencing how the College had advanced in the area of equalities. The Director of Human Resources intimated that the draft report had been sent to operational managers and team briefing sessions were being undertaken focusing on examining how approaches have been changed to help progress the three duties under the Equalities Act. The Director of Human Resources confirmed that a replacement for the Equalities Diversity and Inclusion Manager had recently been appointed. A McCulla queried whether any other method of communicating progress made on the three duties could be used in conjunction with case study reporting. D Shiels responded that hard copies of the mainstreaming report would be available as well as online and also suggested the use of promotional campaigns, links through the College prospectus for students and on recruitment communications for staff. The Chair highlighted the need to recognise that the full report was aimed at an external audience and suggested that it would be useful to have a shorter report for audiences. i) note the draft Equality Outcomes and acknowledged this would be presented at a future meeting of the Board of Management; and note the ongoing development of the draft Mainstreaming Report and acknowledged this would be presented at a future meeting of the Board of Management. Human Resources Committee - 4 - Glasgow Kelvin College
10. HSE Survey Results The Director of Human Resources confirmed that there had been a 59% response rate to the HSE Survey and that the main areas where issues arose were around change, control and demand. D Shiels intimated that the survey only allowed for the identification of areas of concern and did not provide information on the actual issues arising therein. In response to this, a number of focus groups were planned, however D Shiels confirmed there was a very low response to requests to participate in these groups. The Principal stated that the response in relation to change was not unexpected and that overall the College was in a reasonable position given the merger process that staff had gone through. M Forsyth agreed, but questioned whether staff had been overloaded with surveys or would not complete the survey if their feelings on certain issues were not strong. E Robertson stated that the College could only provide staff with the opportunity to participate. The Chair noted that the low take up of the offer to participate in the focus group was the more pertinent issue, but recognised that there may not have been much more the College could have done to encourage participation. The Director of Human Resources informed members that various approaches were being undertaken to seek the views of staff and involve them improving perceptions of control and demand these included process mapping and activity on Curriculum Manager workload review. D Shiels also reported that the Health and Wellbeing Working Group was now meeting on a regular basis to progress matters around policy and strategy and would be reported to the Human Resources Committee in the future. i) note the next steps in creating a health and wellbeing strategy; i iv) note that an action plan will be produced to inform the development of a health and wellbeing strategy; note that the results of the survey and the information gathered through focus groups will assist inform the development of the College Health and Wellbeing Policy; note that an annual HSE Stress Survey will be conducted; and v) note that the Health and Wellbeing Policy for Glasgow Kelvin College will be presented at a future meeting of the Human Resources Committee. 11. Curriculum Manager Working Group Outcomes The Principal spoke to this paper which highlighted various recommendations which had arisen from the Curriculum Manager Review meetings. The Principal noted the implementation of process mapping in order to assist a number of managers who were unfamiliar to new procedures. A Sherry informed members that the main issue arising was the impact of multi-campus working on organisational activity such as planning team meetings. A Sherry informed members that staff were also concerned about lack of storage facilities. Human Resources Committee - 5 - Glasgow Kelvin College
A Sherry highlighted that every operational manager now had access to mobile technology either in the form of a laptop or mobile telephone in order to provide them with connectivity across the multi-campus environment. A Sherry noted that the issues around what constituted the role of the Class Tutor continued and that discussions were ongoing with trade unions on this matter. The Principal advised that class contact time for Curriculum Managers had been reduced from 15 to 12 hours. i) note the contents of this report and its appendices; i iv) note the positive responses to the reduction in the class contact of the CM role and recognise the permanence of this; note the CPD arrangements, and the planned developments; note the process mapping of Key College Processes; v) note the conduct of the HSE survey and the development of an action plan; vi) note that as part of the staff conference on the 18th December 2014 support staff stalls formed part of the day allowing staff to mingle between stands asking questions, meeting faces and understanding how the support staff departments support the learner. This could be considered for future events; and 12. Internal Communications The Marketing Manager, D Robertson discussed the contents of the paper which sought to apprise members with an update on a number of initiatives undertaken from the start of the session to date. D Robertson explained that some initiatives had been more successful than others. He informed members that the initiatives used were monitored and reviewed or adapted depending on the success rate. He advised that a survey would be undertaken to ascertain staff s views on their preferred method of communication. The Chair queried whether staff may be in danger of receiving of too many questionnaires. E Robertson stated that for staff to feel motivated to participate further, it was important for them to see that completing previous questionnaires had been of value with clear evidence to show that their views had been listened to and responsive action taken. Members noted the importance of finding the right balance when communicating with staff and the innovative approaches used by the Marketing team to date. i) note the contents of this report; review the draft Internal Communications survey; and i request the Marketing Manager to bring a further report on progress to the next Human Resources Committee meeting. Human Resources Committee - 6 - Glasgow Kelvin College
13. Teachers Superannuation Scheme The Director of Human Resources spoke to the contents of the report and noted that the changes were related to the employee s contribution rates. D Shiels explained that employees had two options to consider and that feedback on the consultation was awaited. i) note the contents of this report; i note that the outcome of the SPPA consultations are not yet available; and request that the Director of Human Resources bring a further progress report to a future meeting of the Human Resources Committee. 14. An Annual Review and Self-Evaluation Report of Support Services and Functions The Director of Human Resources discussed the contents of the report which sought to apprise members of the first self-evaluative report for the Human Resources Department. D Shiels informed members that the content of the paper detailed progress made during 2013/14 and that the report attached was presented for information. The Chair acknowledged the effort undertaken by Human Resources Staff in developing the report, but emphasised the importance of timeous presentation of the next selfevaluative report. D Shiels acknowledged this and explained the self-evaluative report would be presented at an early meeting of the HR Committee each academic year. i) note the contents of this report and its appendix; i note the contents of the Human Resources Team self-evaluation report; and note the progress made by the Human Resources Team during session 2013/14. 15. Human Resources Committee Self-Evaluation Members discussed the findings of the self-evaluation conducted for the Human Resources Committee at length. M Forsyth queried what members had gained by undertaking the evaluation. E Robertson stated she had welcomed the opportunity to raise issues including one around a recent press article about the College. The Principal re-assured members that although some issues had been raised and discussed during the Board of Management meeting in June 2014 Board, the Senior Management Team had fully informed the members of these. The Chair acknowledged that members were aware Human Resources Committee - 7 - Glasgow Kelvin College
of the challenges faced by an organisation during mergers particularly in an educational environment and confirmed that he was comfortable that all required issues had been notified to the Committee members by the Senior Management. Following further discussion, the Chair informed members that the evaluation appeared to evidence that the Human Resources Committee was fulfilling its role in a satisfactory manner in line with the agreed Terms of Reference. M Forsyth agreed that the evaluation had confirmed there did not appear to be any major issues, which was a positive outcome. The Chair noted that to date the Human Resources Committee had been more reactive than proactive in dealing with topics and issues that have arisen and suggested it may valuable to look at forward planning and strive to be more proactive in the future. The Principal agreed and suggested Committee members might wish to bring forward any items about which they would like to find out more. The Chair suggested that perhaps a section could be included following conclusion of the formal agenda at meetings to allow for a discussion on any items or ideas members wished to explore further. i) note the responses and feedback to the self-evaluation; i consider whether there is any further follow up or actions the Committee would wish to see as a consequence of the self-evaluation; and note that a report on the responses, feedback and any actions arising from the Board s self-evaluation will be presented for consideration to the next meeting of the Board of Management on 9 March 2015. 16. Human Resources, Organisational Development and Equalities Operational Plan Update The Director of Human Resources discussed the contents of the report which sought to apprise members of progress to date during 2013/14 and 2014/15. D Shiels informed members that the January 2015 update was highlighted in red on the document. D Shiels noted that progress on the majority of objectives was on target with good progress having been made in various areas of CPD, policies and procedures and in equalities and mainstreaming. D Shiels confirmed there were no major concerns in relation to timescales for the achievement of objectives. i) note the contents pf this report and its appendix; note the targets achieved and progress to date made for session 2013/14; and i request that the Director of Human Resources bring a further progress report to the next meeting of the Human Resources Committee. Human Resources Committee - 8 - Glasgow Kelvin College
17. Risk Management Risk issues to be considered as a consequence of the consideration of the above agenda items Members agreed that no new risk related issues had arisen as a consequence of the business conducted at the meeting held on. 18. Equality Management Equality Issues to be considered as a consequence of the consideration of the above agenda items Members agreed that Item 9 Equalities Report and Equalities Mainstreaming had covered this aspect in detail. Members agreed that no new equality related issues had arisen as a consequence of the business conducted at the meeting held on 4 February 2015. 17. Closure The Chair thanked members for their attendance and contribution. The meeting closed at 6.35pm. 18. Date of Next Meeting Wednesday, 20 May 2015 at the College s Easterhouse Campus. Human Resources Committee - 9 - Glasgow Kelvin College