Equality Impact Assessment Workbook Step One Identification and scope 1.0 The title of this assessment Recruitment and Selection 1.1 Date assessment completed 1.2 Responsible Officer Paul McGaulley, Human Resources Manager, Glasgow Community and Safety Services 1.3 Contact details Westergate, 11 Hope Street, Glasgow, G2 6AB. Tel: 0141 276 7400. 1.4 This is an assessment of A new policy Glasgow Community and Safety Services Policy on Recruitment and Selection. 1.5 These are the aims and objectives of the policy/function and the scope of the assessment Glasgow Community and Safety Services (GCSS) serve all residents and visitors to Glasgow regardless of race, culture, faith, age, gender or sexual orientation. One of the key roles of the Company s HR Section is to ensure that effective Recruitment practices are being carried out fairly and consistently across the Company. As an arms length external organisation of Glasgow City Council, GCSS were initially referring to Glasgow City Council s Recruitment & Selection Policy as a guidance document, however GCSS are now implementing a new policy specific to GCSS. The outcome of this assessment will guide the creation of a Recruitment & Selection Policy, a document on the Employment of Disabled Persons and guidance material for Recruiting Managers which will ensure that a consistent approach to recruitment and selection is applied across the Company. - 1 -
The overall aim of the assessment will be to ensure that equality issues are taken into account and to eliminate discrimination within the recruitment and selection process. Step Two research and consultation These are the sources of evidence used and the key facts that informed the assessment of the policy or function Research A variety of sources were looked at whilst undertaking this assessment. These areas of research are listed below: Analysis of internal recruitment and selection statistics External research Legislation Review of guidance on recruitment and selection (ACAS Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) External recruitment policies & practices Glasgow City Council s and other ALEO s recruitment policies & practices Stakeholder consultation In conducting this assessment the following stakeholders were consulted with: Job Centre Plus GCSS Human Resources Recruitment Team Recruiting Managers within GCSS Trade Union Community Groups Following the analysis of statistics from October 2008 September 2009 and information gathered from internal and external sources, the following was identified: Black and minority ethnic people Almost 11% of applications were received from this group. Almost 20% of applicants from this group were invited to interview. 1.5% of applicants invited to interview were successful. Ethnic minority groups are under represented in Senior posts. Media used to advertise posts is not diverse. Recruitment Packs are not available in alternative formats, e.g. another language. - 2 -
Disabled people Under 2% of applications were received from disabled people. 46% of disabled applicants were invited to interview. 4% of disabled applicants invited to interview were successful. Over 40% of Recruiting Managers are unaware that the Company is accredited with using the double tick symbol, and are therefore unaware of our commitment to interview all applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for a job vacancy. The Disability Symbol logo is not displayed on all recruitment paperwork. Person specifications can be vague and do not provide clarity. Recruitment Packs are not available in alternative formats, e.g. large print. Gender 43% of applications are from women. More than 45% of applicants appointed are women. There is a higher percentage of women in Senior Management positions. There is a higher percentage of men in patrol and community reassurance roles. Recruitment adverts do not make reference to flexible working options. Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender people No monitoring data is held for LGBT people. The Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form should be amended to capture this information. Age Information on date of birth is recorded, however this information is not monitored. Review mechanisms for monitoring this information. Faith or religion No monitoring data is held for faith or religion. The Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form should be amended to capture this information. Information gathered from internal sources highlighted that almost threequarters of Recruiting Managers consider eliminating discrimination and promoting equality within the recruitment process to be the responsibility of the Human Resources Section rather than a Management responsibility. In addition, 28% of Recruiting Managers consider there to be barriers in attracting applications from under represented groups. - 3 -
Step Three assessing the impact Based on your evidence, outline the positive, negative and neutral impacts the policy/function has, or may have, on the following groups: Black and minority ethnic people Statistics illustrate that almost 11% of applications were received from this group. Almost 20% of applicants from this group were invited to interview, however under 2% of applicants invited to interview were successful. This is a negative impact, however the reasons why candidates from this group are not successful at interview are unknown, therefore further investigation is required. Disabled people Fewer than 2% of applications received were from disabled people. This may be because the Company does not display the Disability Symbol logo on recruitment paperwork. 46% of disabled applicants were invited to interview, however under 5% of disabled applicants invited to interview were successful, which is negative. Gender More than 45% of applicants appointed are women and there is a higher percentage of women in Senior Management positions, which is positive. Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender There is no evidence to indicate a positive or negative impact as monitoring data is not held for LGBT people, therefore the impact in this area is unknown. Age While information on date of birth is recorded this information is not monitored. Therefore there is no evidence to indicate a positive or negative impact. Faith or religion There is no evidence to indicate a positive or negative impact as monitoring data is not held for faith and religion, therefore the impact is unknown. - 4 -
Step Four Taking action Detail the actions you will take to remove or mitigate any actual or potential negative impacts identified, and to build on positive impacts. Include timescales and responsibilities Issue Action Timescale A proportion of Recruiting Managers are unaware of their responsibilities in elimination of discrimination Develop Recruitment & Selection Guidance for Managers incorporating equality issues. and promoting equality within the recruitment process. Liaise with the Training Section to ensure that Managers involved in the recruitment process have attended Equality & Diversity Training and Recruitment & Selection Training. Increase the number of applications received from under represented groups. Develop a Code of Practice for the employment of disabled persons. Review advertising methods, e.g. disability websites, equality bulletins, BME press. Immediately Disabled Increase the profile of the Disability Symbol by using the logo in recruitment adverts and recruitment paperwork. Immediately Application packs should display an option to request the document in another format e.g. Braille, large print. BME Promote the Company through attendance at recruitment events in BME communities. Ongoing Gender Monitoring data is not currently collected in relation to faith/religion and sexual orientation. Promote flexible working within recruitment adverts. Review the equal opportunities monitoring form to capture data on faith/religion and sexual orientation. Immediately - 5 -
Data in relation to age is not monitored. Review mechanisms for recording this information. The Company s commitment to equality of opportunity is not clear within the Recruitment & Selection procedure. There is no data available in relation to complaints received from applicants concerning an equality issue. Person specifications can be vague. Continually review the recruitment process and ensure relevant guidance and information is available for Managers in terms of equality. Make the Company s commitment to equality of opportunity prominent within the Recruitment Policy and Recruitment Charter. Display a copy of the Recruitment & Selection Policy on the Company s website. The process for applicants to make a complaint and the process for complaints to be dealt with will be detailed within Recruitment Charter which will be sent to all applicants. Improve information for candidates by reviewing forms to ensure that they are easily understood. Continue to monitor and analyse statistics. Update Policy and Procedures in line with equality legislation. Step Five Feedback on proposed actions Ongoing Ongoing Detail feedback from key stakeholders on the impacts identified and the proposed action plan Key stakeholders, as detailed in Section 2, were consulted during this process and the feedback received is reflected in the actions identified above. Detail changes proposed to your action plan in the light of this feedback N/A Step Six Monitoring and evaluation Detail the arrangements put in place to monitor and evaluate the results of action A questionnaire to be distributed to Recruiting Managers to assess their knowledge of equality issues. Continue to review in line with equality legislation. Continue to analyse statistics on a quarterly basis. - 6 -
Step Seven approval Please indicate who has approved this assessment for publication This Equality Impact Assessment was approved by the Senior Management Team at its meeting on 26 August. - 7 -