Equality Impact Assessments
Equality
Impact Assessment
Recruitment & Selection
(System, processes and procedures)
North Norfolk District Council
Page 1
Directorate
Service
Resources
Human Resources/Organisational Development
Person responsible for Date assessment completed
the assessment
HR Advisor
October 2009
Performance and Risk
Assistant
HR Assistant
HR Advisor
Title of the policy Recruitment and Selection systems, processes and procedures.
being assessed
The status of the
policy
Existing
1. What are the
aims, objectives
and purposes
of the policy?
The recruitment and selection process and procedure is designed to help select all employees in an equitable, effective
and efficient manner ensuring a consistent process is followed for each vacancy, from the advert to the job description and
person specification through to the short-listing, interview and appointment of a candidate. In this way the process is
designed to be free from bias enabling the best candidate to be selected ensuring the Council has the best personnel
possible to meet service requirements.
The recruitment and selection process is designed to ensure that recruitment is carried out in a fair and equitable manner
and without discrimination.
The process provides information and guidance to all Managers and members of the HR service at each stage of the
recruitment process and ensures that consistent records are kept in order to justify any recruitment decisions made.
Yes - The Council’s Corporate Plan explicitly recognises that the recruitment of high calibre staff is especially important to
achieve all of its corporate goals. Several of the other values identified in the corporate plan also link to Recruitment and
Selection, such as “Equality and Diversity” – to recruit the best person for the job regardless of background; “Continuous
improvement” – through recruiting the right people with the right skills to help us improve;” Valuing staff” – by treating
employees and potential employees in a consistent and respectful manner; ”sustainability” – through succession planning
and recruiting those with the potential to grow with the organisation.
2. Does the policy
support other
objectives of
the council?
People Strategy & Development plan – People Management aim 4 (see page 5) is to resource North Norfolk District
Council; priority 19 is to attract young people to train in hard to fill vacancies (see page 17).
It is believed that current processes, systems and practices underpin all current Council objectives however this review
2
may identify opportunities to further stimulate greater interest in the Council, as a prospective employer, from high calibre
staff from equality target groups.
The Council’s vision for North Norfolk is “a place where people have diverse career opportunities, and jobs which add
value.” (Source: ‘Changing Gear’, the Council’s Corporate Plan 2008 – 2011).
3. Who is intended
to benefit from
the policy, and
in what way?
4. What outcomes
are anticipated
from the policy
being in place?
All employees - prospective employees and internal candidates will benefit from a fair and consistent process and equal
opportunity for all, regardless of sex, age, race, disability or sexual orientation.
All recruiting managers – by having a clear process to follow, supported by written guidance with the aim of ensuring that
all managers act fairly and consistently when recruiting.
HR Department – To support the service when giving advice, support and guidance to Managers and helping to ensure
that all members of the team are giving consistent advice.
The Council and its members –a) By ensuring the “best candidate” is chosen, b) NNDC is seen as an “employer of choice”
c) Avoidance of costly litigation claims.
All Customers and Service users - By allowing a wide pool of potential applicants, ensuring the right staff in the right job
giving the best service possible.




5. Identify and
select your
assessment
team.
Equality of access for all regardless of sex, age, race, disability or sexual orientation.
A recruitment system and process that is fair, consistent and anti-discriminatory.
By ensuring the selection of the best candidate for the job this not only ensures the best service but also reduces staff
turnover through the selection of the right staff at the beginning
Procedures act as a source of reference and guidance for all staff and Managers
Name
Role
HR Advisor
Performance and Risk Assistant
HR Assistant
HR Advisor
3
Responsibilities
Lead on assessment.
6. What data have
you gathered
for this
assessment?
How have you
analysed this
data?
6.1 The following data sources, documents and recruitment and selection documentation has been used for analysis. This
is not an exhaustive list and other documents have been reviewed during the process but have not been used.
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North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) Performance Management System
NNDC Human Resources database
NNDC Staff Survey 2008
Norfolk Ambition Community Strategy (NACS)analysis of the National Census (2001)
Office of National Statistics (ONS) 2008 Mid Term population estimates and analysis
(ONS) Quarterly Public Sector Employees Survey (June 2007) published by the Local Government Association
(LGA)
Local Government Association - Labour Force Survey (LGA - LFS) October – December 2008
(ONS) Economic & Labour Market Review (May 2007)
All current NNDC recruitment documents (see Schedule 1 attached –Key documents referred to in this assessment
are highlighted).
Service Level agreement for the Norfolk Recruitment partnership (Sept 07)
NNDC Investors in people review report . 7th August 2009
NNDC Inbucon job evaluation questionnaire
NNDC People strategy and development plan 2006-2009
NNDC Recruitment and selection training records
NNDC Complaints received in relation to recruitment and selection process
Equality impact assessment for NNDC ( draft communications strategy – March 2008)
Equality impact assessment – guidelines for Managers – the recruitment procedure
6.2 Full details of data gathered, data analysis, document reviews, findings and data gaps is given in each section 8 – 13.
The following data provides some background about the extent of the Council’s activity in this area of its operations.
Source and
Age of Data
NNDC Human Resources
database as at 31st March
2009
Owner
Findings
Organisational
Development
Manager
(ODM)
The total Council workforce was 348 people.
(311 permanent, 37 fixed term).
4
Data Gaps
None
From HR database - to year
ended 31st March 2009
(ODM)
47 vacancies arose during the year for which
35 people were actually recruited.
None
(ODM)
8 staff were appointed from the temporary
register.
None
From HR database – to year
ended
7. Who are the
main
stakeholders of
this policy?
Community

Customers
Service Users
8. Are there any
concerns that
the policy could
have a negative
impact with
regard to race
and ethnicity?
Staff/Members
and




All Employees
Recruiting Managers
Members
Trade Union Representatives
Partners
Norfolk County Council
and the other Norfolk
Districts. (Through the
strategic
recruitment
partnership group).
What evidence (actual data or assumptions) do you have to support this?
SUMMARY –
NO
8.1 A consistent process is followed in all recruitment. The Council has and operates an equal
opportunities policy to ensure all staff are treated fairly regardless of their background. Between October
2009 and January 2010 all Elected Members, Senior and middle Managers and all employees are to
attend a one day Equality and Diversity training programme to ensure that NNDC puts equality and
diversity and the forefront of our everyday work practices.
Recruitment is carried out within services by relevant Managers with support from the HR Function. HR
provide initial advice to managers on the recruitment and selection process, check all adverts, job
descriptions and person specifications to ensure no discriminatory terminology is being used and to
ensure layout and formatting is consistent for each vacancy. HR organise the advertising of the job. All
external advertising is carried out on behalf of North Norfolk District Council by “Riley’s” advertising
agency. (See information on service level agreement below). Adverts are also placed internally as hard
copies on our notice boards and on our website, as well as through job centre plus and other Local
Authority sites, such as LGJobs.com. HR collates all received applications and forwards these to the
appropriate service manager for short listing. Once the manager has completed the short listing process a
member of the HR service will double check the shortlist and discuss this with the Manager where
5
appropriate. HR support service managers at all stages of the process and further advice and guidance is
contained in “Guidelines for Managers on the Recruitment Procedure” (A separate Equality Impact
assessment has been conducted on this guidance – See Appendix 2). At the interview stage NNDC
require that at least one of the Officers has been trained in Interview and Selection and further guidance
is contained in “interview guidelines and tips”. It is a requirement that there are at least two Officers on
every interview panel; it is therefore possible for one to challenge another’s reasoning if it is felt to be
discriminatory. HR is involved in all interviews for local grade 5 posts and above. The same recruitment
processes are followed for internal as well as external vacancies.
8.2 There is currently no ‘Live’ recruitment policy however current recruitment documentation is
comprehensive and detailed. Documents are regularly reviewed in line with legislative changes. There is
however, no general equalities statement on any of the documentation reviewed.
8.3 At the application, short-listing and recruitment stages this body of statistical evidence does not show
that current processes, systems and practices deliver a negative impact with regard to this group.
8.4 The ethnic minority employee representation in the Council’s workforce is consistent with that of the
six other local authorities within the county. This body of statistical evidence does not show that current
processes, systems and practices deliver a negative impact with regard to this group. To 31/08/09, NNDC
received 380 (89%) applications for employment at NNDC for people describing themselves as “white”
and ten applications (2.3%) from people from an ethnic minority group. 128 ( 34%) of all “white”
applicants were shortlisted, six (60%) of all “ethnic applicants” were shortlisted.(Please note that “white”
includes “white british” and “white other”).
Of all persons employed during the period, x (x%) were x and x (x%) were from an ethnic minority. It is
worth noting that some applicants decide to withdraw their application – this may be because they are
unable to make the interview, get another job, or simply change their mind. Of the people that were
shortlisted that were not from “White British” or “White other groups”, a third withdrew leaving x who
attended for interview. Of these half were successful.
8.5 NNDC operates a temporary register from which Managers can select temporary staff to fill temporary
vacancies within their section. These are advertised on our website. Our temporary register has also
been advertised in the quarterly community publication “Outlook”. Numbers recruited from the temporary
register are small and it is therefore difficult to say whether this process has a negative impact with regard
to ethnicity. All staff recruited from the temporary register are informally interviewed by an experienced
manager and all other document checks are carried out e.g. pre-employment checks, references. There
is no equalities statement on any of the temporary register recruitment documents.
6
8.6 It is not felt that the recruitment system, process and procedure will have a negative impact on any
particular racial/ethnic group. Whilst the large majority of all applicants at all stages are of “white British”
or “white other” origin but this does reflect the ethnic make up of the North Norfolk population. It is true to
say that the workforce profile does not exactly mirror the profile of the district, however with many of the
percentages for ethnic minorities in the population lower than 0.15% (according to the 2001 census), it
may not always be possible to reflect this in a workforce of our size
8.7 Whilst not directly related to the Recruitment and Selection process, evidence from the staff survey
completed in June/July 2008 would suggest that when in employment, a small percentage of staff report
feeling disadvantaged, by reason of race or ethnicity at NNDC. It is not clear from the survey in what
ways they feel disadvantaged and this should be an area for further exploration.
DOCUMENT/SYSTEM REVIEW:
Source
Age
Owner
Findings
NNDC key
recruitment
documents
Current
(ODM)
There is no general equalities statement None
on any of our recruitment literature, with known
the exception of the Equal opportunities
monitoring form which states, “It is the
Council’s policy to recruit the most
suitable candidate for the job. Selection
for recruitment and training will only be
made on merit. The Council will not
discriminate
against
any
person
because of age; disability; health;
language; marital, family or personal
circumstance; material status; nationality
or citizenship; political opinion; religion
or belief; race or ethnic origin; sex or
gender; sexual orientation; social class;
unrelated criminal conviction; or any
other condition or requirement which
cannot be shown to be justifiable.’
7
Data Gaps
This commitment to equality should be
advertised more widely to current or
prospective employees from ethnic
minority backgrounds by ensuring an
equalities statement is included on all
recruitment literature.
A review of the recruitment
documentation reveals that the
recruitment process is designed to be
fair and equitable. To ensure fairness
during the short-listing process,
Managers and recruiters do not have
access to the information provided on
the equal opportunities monitoring form
which provides information on ethnic
origin.
Pre- employment checks made at
interview stage will provide Managers
with information regarding race/ethnicity
of candidates, however, this is a legal
requirement and a review of the “preemployment checks – guidance for
Managers” document shows that to
avoid claims under the Race relations
Act, document checks are undertaken
on every prospective employee, with the
sole purpose of checking eligibility to
work in the UK. There is also a section
within this guidance on “how to avoid
racial discrimination”.
In the Short listing Guidelines document
Managers are advised under the,
“Points to bear in mind section” that they
must, “take a fair and consistent
approach”, and to ensure that their
“comments are fair and relevant”.
8
Service Level
agreement for
the Norfolk
Recruitment
partnership
Sept
2007
Investors in
people review
report.
7th
August
2009
Inbucon job
evaluation
questionnaire
March
2007
The Council can provide a foreign
language interpretation service through
INTRAN when required.
The invite to interview letter states, “you
may also wish to inform us if there are
any special arrangements the council
will need to make in connection with
your interview”. This may include
translation if appropriate.
Riley’s
advertising The document contains the following No Gaps
agency/ODM
contractual obligations :
 “we will check all copy for
compliance with current legislation”
 “Our staff include specialists in
diversity” (Page 25)
Quarterly meetings are held between
Norfolk County Council and the other
Norfolk Districts and Rileys to review
the level of service and any complaints
received. Any Equality and Diversity
issues would be raised at this meeting.
Caroline
A key finding of this report was as
No gaps
Wormleighton
for follows: “Whilst the recruitment process
NNDC
is regarded as fair, it has not been
designed to encourage equality and
diversity (although this is changing), it is
not linked to the core values of the
organisation and people are not widely
involved in the recruitment process
within their teams”. (Page 15)
Inbucon/ODM
One of the key outcomes of job
No gaps
evaluation is the provision of equal pay
for equal value. The salary level for each
vacant post is determined in the initial
stages via this analytical job evaluation
scheme and therefore is an objective
9
process unrelated to and prior to
knowing any of the characteristics of a
successful applicant.
NNDC
Recruitment and
selection
training records
Current
ODM
NNDC
Complaints
Last 2
years
ODM
Equality impact
assessment for
NNDC (draft
communications
)
Human
Resource
Database
system
March
2008
NNDC
Communcations team
Current
ODM
18 NNDC staff completed the Certificate
in Management programme in
2007/2008. Recruitment and selection is
included as an element of this
programme (External training course). In
house recruitment and selection training
was last provided in 2006.
No complaints have been received in
relation to the NNDC recruitment &
selection process and procedure in
regard to discrimination.
All NNDC web development is to W3C
(world wide web consortium) WAI ( web
accessibility guidelines) standard.
No gaps
A review of current employees shows
that two male staff require a work
permit, one American and one Filipino
No gaps
No gaps
No gaps
KEY DATA:
Source
Age
Owner
10
Findings
Data Gaps
Cognos
reports from
HR system
(period 12
months to
31/08/09)
2009
(ODM)
For the 12 months to 31/08/09 NNDC received
380 (89%) applications for employment at NNDC
from people describing themselves as ‘White’
(white British and white other) and ten applications
(2.3%) from people describing themselves as
‘Ethnic’.
8.67% (37)
applicants did not
disclose details of
race or ethnicity
128 (34%) of all ‘White’ (white British and white
other) applicants were shortlisted, six (60%) of all
‘Ethnic’ applicants were shortlisted.
Of all persons employed during the period, x
(93%) were ‘White’ and x (7%) ‘Ethnic’.
Cognos
reports from
HR system (
period 12
months to
31/08/09) –
Temporary
Register
Local
Government
Association Labour Force
Survey
NNDC ‘TEN’
Performance
Management
System
(Financial
year ended
31/03/09)
2009
(ODM)
x people appointed from temporary register, x
describing themselves as “white” and x as
“ethnic”.
Decem
ber
2008
(LGA)
92% of the local government labour force in
England & Wales was white and 8% ethnic
No known gaps in
data
2009
(ODM)
As at 31st March 2009, the ethnic minority
employee representation in the NNDC workforce
was x persons or 2.01% of the workforce, an
increase of x person over the previous year. For
the previous year ended 31st March 2008, the
representation was 1.78%, the second highest of
the seven Norfolk local authorities.
Unable to find
comparison data
from other
Norfolk district
authorities for the
year ended
31/03/2009
11
9. Are there any
concerns that the
policy could have a
negative impact
NNDC ‘TEN’
2009
Performance
Management
System
(Financial
year ended
31/03/09)
Office
of 2007
national
statistics
(ONS)
(ODM)
As at 31st March 2009, the ethnic minority
employee representation in the NNDC top 5% of
workers was nil persons or 0.00%. For the
previous year ended 31st March 2008, the
representation was 0.00%, equivalent to that of
four of the seven Norfolk local authorities.
HM
Government
through the
(ONS)
The experimental Population Estimates by Ethnic
Group for Local Authority districts record a 4%
ethnic population for all Norfolk Local Authority
areas and a 2.5% ethnic population for North
Norfolk.
NNDC Staff 2008
Survey
(ODM)
87% (330) of staff completed the survey. x% (x)
staff reported as belonging to this group felt
disadvantaged ‘A fair amount’ at NNDC on
account of Race/ethnicity. NNDC records show
ethnic minority employee representation in its
workforce was x persons at this time. The report
stated that was lower than Public Sector and
Local Authority norms.
What evidence (actual data or assumptions) do you have to support this?
12
Unable to find
comparison data
from other
Norfolk district
authorities for the
year ended
31/03/2009
Note that this is a
full population
statistic and is
not confined to
people who are
able to work.
1. Response may
include an
incidence of
reverse
discrimination.
2. Some may
consider that they
are of ethnic
minority origin but
may not have
been identified as
such in NNDC
staff records.
with regard to
gender?
NO
SUMMARY:
9.1 A consistent process is followed in all recruitment. The Council has and operates an equal
opportunities policy to ensure all staff re treated fairly regardless of their background. Between October
2009 and January 2010 all Elected Members, Senior and middle Managers and all employees are to
attend a one day Equality and Diversity training programme to ensure that NNDC puts equality and
diversity and the forefront of our everyday work practices.
Recruitment is carried out within services by relevant Managers with support from the HR Function. HR
provide initial advice to managers on the recruitment and selection process, HR check all adverts, job
descriptions and person specifications to ensure no discriminatory terminology is being used and to
ensure layout and formatting is consistent for each vacancy. HR organise the advertising of the job. All
external advertising is carried out on behalf of North Norfolk District Council by “Riley’s” advertising
agency. (See information on service level agreement below). Adverts are also placed internally (as a hard
copy and on our website), through job centre plus and on other local government websites such as
LGjobs.com. HR collates all received applications and forwards these to the selection panel for short
listing. Once the Manager has completed the short listing process a member of the HR Department will
double check the shortlist and discuss this with the Manager where appropriate. HR support service
managers at all stages of the process and further advice and guidance is contained in “Guidelines for
Managers on the Recruitment Procedure” (A separate Equality Impact Assessment has been conducted
on this guidance – See Appendix 2). At the interview stage NNDC require that at least one of the Officers
has been trained in Interview and Selection and further guidance is contained in “interview guidelines and
tips”. It is a requirement that there are at least two Officers on every interview panel; it is therefore
possible for one to challenge another’s reasoning if it is felt to be discriminatory. HR are involved in all
interviews for local grade 5 posts and above. The same recruitment processes are followed for internal as
well as external vacancies.
9.2 There is currently no ‘Live’ recruitment policy, however current recruitment documentation is
comprehensive and detailed. Documents are regularly reviewed in line with legislative changes. There is
however, no general equalities statement on any of the documentation reviewed.
9.3 In respect of the total workforce, although statistically disproportionate in favour of Females, the
approximate two thirds ratio of Female to one third Male employees at all levels in NNDC is less
disproportionate than in local Government for the Country as a whole. In the latter, three quarters of all
employees are Female. This data does not show that current processes, systems and practices deliver a
negative impact with regard to either group when considering the total workforce at NNDC. For the 12
13
months to 31/08/09 there were more applications from males than females, but more female applicants
were shortlisted and then successful in their applications. There were two more females shortlisted and
five more females were successful in their applications. Due to the small numbers it is felt that this is not
currently of concern but this will continue to be monitored to see if this is a prevailing trend.
9.4 In respect of part time staff, the ratio of Male to Female staff working less than 31 hours a week ( less
than 31 hours per week is used by the Office of National statistics to define part time working) at NNDC is
roughly in accordance with the ratio for all local authorities nationally and the data does not show that
current processes, systems and practices deliver a negative impact with regard to either group when
considering the total workforce of part time employees at NNDC. NNDC operates a flexi-time scheme and
the council will endeavour to support employees who wish to work flexibly wherever possible e.g. we
have a number of staff who job share.
9.5 In respect of the top earners at NNDC 32% (8) are female and 68% (15) are male.
9.6 NNDC operates a temporary register from which Managers can select temporary staff to fill temporary
vacancies within their section. These are advertised on our website. Our temporary register has also
been advertised in the quarterly community publication “Outlook”. Numbers recruited from the temporary
register are small and it is therefore difficult to say whether this process has a negative impact with regard
to gender. All staff recruited from the temporary register are informally interviewed by an experienced
manager and all other document checks are carried out e.g. pre-employment checks, references. There
is no equalities statement on any of the temporary register recruitment documents.
9.7 Whilst not directly related to the Recruitment and Selection process, evidence from the staff survey
completed in June/July 2008 does record a small minority of staff 3% feel disadvantaged a “great
deal”/”fair amount” in their employment with NNDC. It is not clear from the survey in what ways they feel
disadvantaged and this should be an area for further exploration.
DOCUMENT/SYSTEM REVIEW:
14
Source
Age
Owner
Findings
NNDC key
recruitment
documents
Current
(ODM)
There is no general equalities None
statement on any of our recruitment known
literature, with the exception of the
Equal opportunities monitoring form
which states, “It is the Council’s policy
to recruit the most suitable candidate
for the job. Selection for recruitment
and training will only be made on
merit.
The
Council
will
not
discriminate against any person
because of age; disability; health;
language; marital, family or personal
circumstance;
material
status;
nationality or citizenship; political
opinion; religion or belief; race or
ethnic origin; sex or gender; sexual
orientation; social class; unrelated
criminal conviction; or any other
condition or requirement which cannot
be shown to be justifiable.’
Our commitment to equality should
be advertised to current or
prospective employees of different
genders by including an equalities
statement on all of our recruitment
literature.
A review of the recruitment
documentation reveals that the
recruitment process is designed to be
fair and equitable. To ensure fairness
during the short-listing process,
Managers and recruiters do not have
access to the information provided on
15
Data Gaps
the equal opportunities monitoring
form which provides information on
gender. (However applicants’ gender
will be apparent from the application
form which asks the applicant to state,
Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms etc.) In the Short
listing Guidelines document Managers
are advised under the, “Points to bear
in mind section” that they must, “take
a fair and consistent approach”, and
to ensure that their “comments are fair
and relevant”.
NNDC offers a range of job
opportunities, full time, part time, job
share and flexi time. No evidence
could be found that our recruitment
systems and processes would have a
negative impact in regard to gender.
In the Interview Guidelines and tips for
Managers examples of questions that
could discriminate against women are
provided e.g. “Who is going to look
after your child whilst you are at
work?”.
The Recruitment pro-forma currently
ask Managers “What are the hours of
the post?”, “Have they changed since
the last post holder”, to further
encourage flexible working practices
we could include, “If post currently full
time, has part time, flexible working
( such as job share) been
considered”.
Service Level
agreement for
Riley’s
advertising The document contains the following No Gaps
agency/ODM
contractual obligations :
Sept
2007
16

the Norfolk
Recruitment
partnership

“we will check all copy for
compliance with current
legislation”
“Our staff include specialists in
diversity” (Page 25)
Quarterly meetings are held with
Norfolk County Council and the other
Norfolk Districts and Rileys to review
the level of service and any
complaints received any equality and
Diversity issues would be raised at
this meeting.
Investors in
people review
report.
7th
August
2009
Caroline
Wormleighton
NNDC
Inbucon job
evaluation
questionnaire,
scoring guide
and training
programme.
March
2007
Inbucon/ODM
17
A key finding of this report was as
for follows: “Whilst the recruitment
process is regarded as fair, it has not
been designed to encourage equality
and diversity (although this is
changing), it is not linked to the core
values of the organisation and people
are not widely involved in the
recruitment process within their
teams”. (Page 15)
One of the key outcomes of job
evaluation is the provision of equal
pay for equal value. Salary level for a
vacant post is determined in the initial
stages via an analytical job evaluation
scheme and therefore it is an
objective process unrelated to and
No gaps
No gaps
NNDC
Recruitment and
selection training
records
Current
NNDC
Complaints
Last 2
years
prior to knowing any of the
characteristics of a successful
applicant. An analytical job evaluation
scheme is the only type considered as
a defence in terms of equal pay
claims – see Bromley and others V
quick ( 1988 IRLR 249). The job
evaluation training programme
delivered to Managers in March 2007
covered equal pay, sex discrimination
and age discrimination.
ODM
18 NNDC staff completed the
Certificate in Management
programme in 2007/2008.
Recruitment and Selection is included
as an element of this programme
(External training course). In house
recruitment and selection training was
last provided in 2006.
ODM
No complaints have been received in
relation to discrimination and the
NNDC recruitment & selection
process and procedure.
NNDCCommuncations All NNDC web development is to
team
W3C (world wide web consortium)
WAI ( web accessibility guidelines)
standard.
Equality impact
March
assessment for
2008
NNDC ( draft
communications)
KEY DATA:
18
No gaps
No Gaps
No gaps
known
Cognos reports
from HR
system (period
12 months to
31/08/09)
Cognos reports
from HR
system ( period
12 months to
31/08/2009).
Temporary
register
Local
Government
Association
(LGA) - Labour
Force Survey
2009
For the 12 months to 31/08/09 NNDC received
253 (59%) applications for employment at NNDC
from males and 174 applications (41%) females.
68 (49%) of all Male applicants were shortlisted.
70 (51%) of all Female applicants were
shortlisted.
2009
(ODM)
December (LGA)
2008
NNDC Human 31st
Resources
March
database
2009
NNDC Human
Resources
database
ONS 2008 Mid
Term
population
(ODM)
24th
Septembe
r 2009
Mid 2008
Of all persons employed during the period, 11
(41%) were male and 16 (59%) female. i.e.
although more men applied more women were
successful.
For the 12 months to 31/08/2009 8 staff were
recruited from the temporary register. 5 female
and 3 male.
No gaps in
data but
the period
measured
differs from
that given
in section
6 of this
document.
71% of the whole local government labour force
in England & Wales was female and 29% male
No known
gaps
(ODM)
38% of the NNDC workforce (133) were male and
62% (215) were female
No gaps in
data
(ODM)
32%, 8 of the Top NNDC Earners were female
and 68%, 15 were male.
No gaps in
data
HM
Government
through the
51% (433,000) of the Norfolk population is female
and 49% (417,000) male.
No known
gaps
in
data
19
estimates and
analysis
(ONS)
(NACS)analysis 2001
of the National
Census (2001)
HM
Government
through the
(ONS)
HM
Government
through the
(ONS)
(NACS)analysis 2001
of the National
Census (2001)
45% (162,000) of the people in the seven local
authority areas in any employment and aged
between 16 years and 74 years were female and
55% (197,000) were male.
48% (78,000) of the female people in the seven
local authority areas in any employment and
aged between 16 years and 74 years were
working less than 31 hours per week and 10%
(19,000) male.
23% (80) of the NNDC workforce were working
less than 31 hours per week and 77% (268) more
than 31 hours per week
60% (603,000) of FULL Time, Local Government
employees in England were female and 40%
(399,000) were male
Data is old
No known
gaps in
data
No known
gaps in
data
Anomaly of
NNDC Human
Resources
database
(ONS)
Quarterly
Public Sector
Employees
Survey (June
2007)
31st
March
2009
June
2007
(ODM)
NNDC Human
Resources
database
(ONS)
Quarterly
Public Sector
Employees
Survey (June
2007)
NNDC Human
31st
March
2009
June
2007
(ODM)
(LGA)
82% (67) of NNDC employees working less than
31 hours per week were female and 18% (15)
male.
88% (961,000) of PART Time, (the definition of
part time from the ONS is less than 31 hours)
Local Government employees in England were
female and 12% (130,000) were male
31st
(ODM)
56% (149) of NNDC employees working more
(LGA)
20
Data is old
No known
gaps
in
data
No known
gaps in
data
Resources
database
March
2009
(ONS)
Quarterly
Public Sector
Employees
Survey (June
2007)
June
2007
NNDC
Survey
10. Are there any
YES - % of
Staff 2008
than 31 hours per week were female and 44%
(119) male.
1.5% of
data not
considered
material
(LGA)
75% of ALL, Local Government employees in
England were female and 25% were male
No known
gaps in
data
(ODM)
87% (330) of staff completed the survey. 4% (13)
staff reported as belonging to this group felt
disadvantaged ’A great deal’ or ‘A fair amount’ at
NNDC on account of Sex. The report stated that
this was lower than Public Sector and Local
Authority norms
No known
gaps in
data
Humsan
Resources
database
up
to ODM
31/08/200
9
8 Job Shares, 6 female and 2 male staff.( one No gaps
member of staff doing 2 halves of different jobs
and is therefore working full time).
Human
Resources
database
Period
ODM
01/09/200
8
–
31/08/200
9
One local grade 9 job advertised internally
(October 2008) after the post had been
advertised on two occasions externally (May and
July 2008) with no suitable applicants. x
applicants applied internally, x female and x
male. A x candidate was successful.
What evidence (actual data or assumptions) do you have to support this?
21
No gaps
concerns that the
policy could have a
negative impact
with regard to
disability?
disabled
employees
disproportion
ate to % of
disabled
employees in
the
community.
SUMMARY:
10.1 A consistent process is followed in all recruitment. The Council has and operates an equal
opportunities policy to ensure all staff are treated fairly regardless of their background. Between October
2009 and January 2010 all Elected Members, Senior and middle Managers and all employees are to
attend a one day Equality and Diversity training programme to ensure that NNDC puts equality and
diversity and the forefront of our everyday work practices.
Recruitment is carried out within services by relevant Managers with support from the HR Function. HR
provide initial advice to managers on the recruitment and selection process, HR check all adverts, job
descriptions and person specifications to ensure no discriminatory terminology is being used and to
ensure layout and formatting is consistent for each vacancy. HR organise the advertising of the job. All
external advertising is carried out on behalf of North Norfolk District Council by “Riley’s” advertising
agency. (See information on service level agreement below). Adverts are also placed internally, through
job centre plus and on other local authority websites such as LGjobs.com. HR collates all received
applications and forwards these to the appropriate service manager. Once the manager has completed
the short listing process a member of the HR Department will double check the shortlist and discuss this
with the Manager where appropriate. HR support departmental Managers at all stages of the process and
further advice and guidance is contained in “Guidelines for Managers on the Recruitment Procedure” (A
separate Equality Impact Assessment has been conducted on this guidance – See Appendix 2). At the
interview stage NNDC require that at least one of the Officers has been trained in Interview and Selection
and further guidance is contained in “interview guidelines and tips”. It is a requirement that there are at
least two Officers on every interview panel; it is therefore possible for one to challenge another’s
reasoning if it is felt to be discriminatory. HR are involved in all interviews for grade 5 posts and above.
The same recruitment processes are followed for internal as well as external vacancies.
10.2 There is currently no ‘Live’ recruitment policy, however recruitment documentation is comprehensive
and detailed. Documents are regularly reviewed in line with legislative changes. There is however, no
general equalities statement on any of the documentation reviewed.
10.3 NNDC does not employ as many disabled people as any of the other six other local authorities in
Norfolk and is significantly below the percentage rate of employment nationally. In addition the number of
disabled employees in the top 5% of earners is lower than 4 out of the 6 other Local Authorities. For the
12 months to 31/08/2009, 21 (5%) of applications for employment at NNDC were received from people
describing themselves as “disabled” 134 (97%) of all “non-disabled people” were shortlisted, four (3%) of
22
all “disabled” applicants were shortlisted. Of all persons employed during the period, x (x%) were “nondisabled” and x (x%) “disabled”. Currently 3.48% of the workforce have declared they are disabled, this is
compared to 15.63% of the community population who are “disabled and economically active” (BVPI
figures 2007/8). The data shows that current processes, systems and practices may deliver a negative
impact but it is not clear why this may be the case and further consultation with the disabled community
should be undertaken.
10.4 NNDC operates a temporary register from which Managers can select temporary staff to fill
temporary vacancies within their section. These are advertised on our website. Our temporary register
has also been advertised in the quarterly community publication “Outlook”. All staff recruited from the
temporary register are informally interviewed by an experienced manager and all other document checks
are carried out e.g. pre-employment checks, references. There is no equalities statement on any of the
temporary register recruitment documents.
Numbers recruited from the temporary register are small and it is therefore difficult to say whether this
process has a negative impact with regard to disability.
10.5 Although indirectly related to recruitment and selection process the results of the staff survey
completed in June/July 2008 would suggest that when in employment 2% (7) staff felt disadvantaged “A
great deal” or “fair amount” on account of disability. This is an area that may need further exploration.
DOCUMENT/SYSTEM REVIEW:
Source
NNDC key
recruitment
documents
Age
Owner
Current (ODM)
23
Findings
Data Gaps
There is no general equalities statement on any No gaps
of our recruitment literature, with the exception
of the Equal opportunities monitoring form
which states, “It is the Council’s policy to recruit
the most suitable candidate for the job.
Selection for recruitment and training will only
be made on merit. The Council will not
discriminate against any person because of
age; disability; health; language; marital, family
or personal circumstance; material status;
nationality or citizenship; political opinion;
religion or belief; race or ethnic origin; sex or
gender; sexual orientation; social class;
unrelated criminal conviction; or any other
condition or requirement which cannot be
shown to be justifiable.’
Our commitment to equality should be
advertised to current or prospective employees
who have a disability by including an equalities
statement on all of our recruitment literature.
a disability.
A review of the recruitment documentation
reveals that the recruitment process is
designed to be fair and equitable. To ensure
fairness during the short-listing process,
Managers and recruiters do not have access to
the information provided on the equal
opportunities monitoring form which provides
information on Disability. In the Short listing
Guidelines document Managers are advised
under the, “Points to bear in mind section” that
they must, “take a fair and consistent
approach”, and to ensure that their “comments
are fair and relevant”.
Evidence would suggest that the adverts and
job descriptions are not discriminatory in
themselves and care is taken to review this
documentation for any discrimination before
publication. However more could be done to
encourage disabled applicants to apply for our
vacancies.
For example NNDC do not
currently hold the “two ticks” disability symbol
awarded by Job centre plus (showing that an
organisation is committed to and positive about
employing disabled people) and therefore this
cannot currently be displayed on any of our
recruitment material, work has already begun
24
on obtaining “two ticks”. Consideration should
also be given to becoming a “Mindful Employer”
to increase awareness of mental health at
work.
Most of the recruitment materials are provided
in different forms - e.g. Internet, intranet and
paper copy. “INTRAN” services are also
available if there was a need to communicate
guidance in sign language or Braille for
example. There is currently no direct reference
to “INTRAN” in any of the recruitment
documentation which would be useful.
The application form is accessible from the
Councils website which is designed to national
standards and can be magnified for example
for those with sight difficulties. Alternative hard
copy formats would be made available upon
request but NNDC do not currently advertise
this service on the application form. A standard
Intran statement should be added to the
application form.
The application form is not very “user friendly”
in terms of colour and layout and should be
reviewed.
The Invite to Interview letter asks the candidate
to inform us if they require any special
arrangements to be made regarding the
interview (including testing). For example
NNDC has an induction loop facility. Should a
candidate notify Human Resources of any
adjustments they required, wherever possible
these would be made.
Testing – Where occupational tests are used,
scores are adjusted where necessary e.g. to
take account of those candidates with dyslexia.
NNDC has a occupational test use guidelines
25
Service Level
agreement for
the Norfolk
Recruitment
partnership
Sept
2007
Riley’s
advertising
agency/OD
M
26
which states, “Tests will be chosen as not to
discriminate unfairly on the basis of sex, race,
age or religion”. Only those with specific
training can administer the tests, which are
always undertaken by a member of the HR
Department. Where “in tray” exercises are
used a member of HR will review the exercise
before it is used to check for any discrimination.
Consideration should be given as to whether
the tests could be administered in different
ways ( i.e. for those with sight difficulties)
The Equal opportunities monitoring form asks
candidates if they have a disability, gives a
definition of disability as defined by the
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and provides
examples of what may constitute a disability. It
also asks if there are any special arrangements
needed at interview which provides valuable
information, however this information is
contained on the reverse of the form, whilst the
signature box is on the front. An assumption is
made that the reverse of the form maybe
missed by disabled people and therefore
NNDC would miss valuable information linked
to the disabled employee.
The document
contains the following No gaps
contractual obligations :
 “we will check all copy for compliance with
current legislation”
 “Our staff include specialists in diversity”
(Page 25)
 Quarterly meetings are held with Norfolk
County Council and the other Norfolk
Districts and Rileys to review the level of
service and any complaints received any
equality and Diversity issues would be
raised at this meeting.
Investors in
people review
report.
7th
August
2009
Caroline
Wormleighto
n for NNDC
A key finding of this report was as follows:
“Whilst the recruitment process is regarded as
fair, it has not been designed to encourage
equality and diversity (although this is
changing), it is not linked to the core values of
the organisation and people are not widely
involved in the recruitment process within their
teams”. (Page 15)
No gaps
Inbucon job
evaluation
questionnaire
March
2007
Inbucon/OD
M
No gaps
NNDC
Recruitment
and selection
training records
Current ODM
NNDC
Complaints
Last 2
years
ODM
Equality impact
assessment for
NNDC ( draft
communication
s
March
2008
NNDC
/Communca
tions team
One of the key outcomes of job evaluation is
the provision of equal pay for equal value. The
salary level for each vacant post is determined
in the initial stages and via an analytical job
evaluation scheme and therefore is an
objective process unrelated to and prior to
knowing any of the characterisitcs of a
successful applicant.
18 NNDC staff completed the Certificate in
Management programme in 2007/2008.
Recruitment and selection is included as an
element of this programme (External training
course). In house recruitment and selection
training was last provided in 2006. Informal
training is also conducted by HR, on an
informal/coaching basis.
No complaints have been received in relation to
discrimination and the NNDC recruitment &
selection process and procedure.
All NNDC web development is to W3C (world
wide web consortium) WAI ( web accessibility
guidelines) standard to make web assessible to
people with disabilities.
27
No known
gaps
No gaps
No gaps
KEY DATA:
Source
Cognos reports
from HR
system (period
(12 months to
31/08/09)
Age
2009
Owner
(ODM)
Findings
For the 12 months to 31/08/09, 21 (5%)
applications for employment at NNDC were
received from people describing themselves as
‘Disabled’.
Data Gaps
No gaps in
data
134 (97%) of all ‘non-disabled’ applicants were
shortlisted, four (3%) of all ‘Disabled’ applicants
were shortlisted.
Of all persons employed during the period, x
(x%) were ‘non-disabled’ and x (x%) ‘Disabled’.
Cognos reports
from HR
system (Period
12 months to
31/08/09).
Temporary
register.
Cognos report
BVPI.
(Period
12
months
to
31/08/09)
2009
(ODM)
8 staff appointed from temporary register. 0
disabled,
No known
gaps.
31ST
March
2009
(ODM)
As at 31st March 2009, NNDC’s disabled
employee representation in the workforce was
11 persons or 3.48%, with no movement over
the previous year where the Council employed
less disabled people than any of the other six
local authorities within Norfolk.
Since 31st March 2009 another disabled
employee has been recruited bringing total to
12 persons.
Unable to
find
comparison
data from
other
Norfolk
district
authorities
for the year
ended
28
31/03/2009
(ONS)
Economic &
Labour Market
Review (May
2007)
2006
(ONS)
14.2% of all persons employed in the public
sector were Long-term disabled
No known
gaps in data
but data old
NNDC
‘TEN’
Performance
Management
System
(Financial year
ended
31/03/09)
NNDC
‘TEN’
Performance
Management
System
(Financial year
ended
31/03/09)
31st
March
2009
(ODM)
As at 31st March 2009, 100% of buildings were
accessible to disabled people.
No known
gaps in data
31st
March
2009
(ODM)
0% of the Top 5% of NNDC Earners were
disabled. Four of the seven local authorities in
Norfolk exceeded this figure for the year ended
31st March 2008.
Unable to
find
comparison
data from
other
Norfolk
district
authorities
for the year
ended
31/03/2009
(NACS)
analysis of the
National
Census (2001)
2001
HM
Government
through the
(ONS)
4.96% (40,000) of the people in the seven local
authority areas and aged between 16 years
and 74 years were permanently sick or
disabled.
Data is old
29
NNDC
Survey
11. Are there any
concerns that the
policy could have a
negative impact
with regard to age?
Staff 2008
(ODM)
87% (330) of staff completed the survey. 2%
(7) staff reported as belonging to this group felt
disadvantaged ’A great Deal’ or ‘A fair amount’
at NNDC on account of Disability. The report
stated that this was in line with public Sector
and Local Authority norms
No known
gaps in data
What evidence (actual data or assumptions) do you have to support this?
SUMMARY:
NO
11.1 A consistent process is followed in all recruitment. The Council has and operates an equal
opportunities policy to ensure all staff are treated fairly regardless of their background. Between October
2009 and January 2010 all Elected Members, Senior and middle Managers and all employees are to
attend a one day Equality and Diversity training programme to ensure that NNDC puts equality and
diversity and the forefront of our everyday work practices. Recruitment is carried out within services by
relevant Managers with support from the HR Function. HR provide initial advice to managers on the
recruitment and selection process, HR check all adverts, job descriptions and person specifications to
ensure no discriminatory terminology is being used and to ensure layout and formatting is consistent for
each vacancy. HR organise the advertising of the job. All external advertising is carried out on behalf of
North Norfolk District council by “Riley’s” advertising agency. (See information on service level agreement
below). Adverts are also placed internally, through job centre plus and on other Local Authority websites
such as LGjobs.com. HR collates all received applications and forwards these to the appropriate service
manager for short listing. Since the introduction of the age discrimination regulations in 2006 applicants
date of birth is now collected separately on the Equal opportunities monitoring form. Once the manager
has completed the short listing process a member of the HR Department will double check the shortlist
and discuss this with the Manager where appropriate. HR support service Managers at all stages of the
process and further advice and guidance is contained in “Guidelines for Managers on the Recruitment
Procedure” (A separate Equality Impact assessment has been conducted on this guidance – See
Appendix 2). At the interview stage NNDC require that at least one of the Officers has been trained in
Interview and Selection and further guidance is contained in “interview guidelines and tips”. It is a
requirement that there are at least two Officers on every interview panel; it is therefore possible for one to
challenge another’s reasoning if it is felt to be discriminatory. HR are involved in all interviews for local
30
grade 5 posts and above. The same recruitment processes are followed for internal as well as external
vacancies.
11.2 There is currently no ‘Live’ recruitment policy, however current recruitment documentation is
comprehensive and detailed. Documents are regularly reviewed in line with legislative changes. There is
however, no general equalities statement on any of the documentation reviewed.
11.3 NNDC does not employ as many 16-24 or 25 -39 year olds other local authorities in England and
Wales or in the wider economy but has a significantly higher percentage of employees in the 40-49 age
range. Figures from applications, shortlists and successful applicants show that the largest number for
each stage were in the 40-49 age groups. This is also the age group where we have the most staff in our
current workforce profile. All those recruited were between the ages of 20-59. The two age groups with
the lowest proportion of applicants were under 20 and 65 and over. Although small 50% of people
employed through temporary register were in the 16-24 age group.
11.4 Whilst North Norfolk as a population had a higher percentage of people aged over 65 (13.21%
according to the 2001 census), North Norfolk also has the highest proportion or retired people in Norfolk
and the 5th highest nationally. Therefore it might be the case, that some or all of the proportion of the
population may no longer wish to be employed by reason of retirement, meaning that it may never be
possible to directly reflect the population in that respect.
11.5 It is an action in the People Strategy and Development plan to recruit more young people into the
council to train for “hard to fill” vacancies and plug the skills gap. Whether or not it would be possible to
encourage this would be discussed with the recruiting manager at the initial stages. Over the past 12
months we have had two trainee planning assistant posts and two apprenticeship Revenues and Benefits
posts. However all posts are open to all age groups, the emphasis being on recruiting the best candidate
rather than a candidate of a particular age.
11.6 NNDC operates a temporary register from which Managers can select temporary staff to fill
temporary vacancies within their section. These are advertised on our website. Our temporary register
has also been advertised in the quarterly community publication “Outlook”. All staff recruited from the
temporary register are informally interviewed by an experienced manager and all other document checks
are carried out e.g. pre-employment checks, references. There is no equalities statement on any of the
temporary register recruitment documents. Numbers recruited from the temporary register are small and
it is therefore difficult to say whether this process has a negative impact with regard to age.
31
11.7 It is not felt that the recruitment, system, process and procedure have a negative impact with regard
to age. However NNDC and Local Government as a whole have a lower representation of younger
people in the workforce (with more than 50% of the workforce aged between 40-59 in both cases), this
may be due, in part, to lower staff turnover of staff in the public sector and may need to be addressed
from a sustainability of skills point of view as well as an equality angle.
DOCUMENT/SYSTEM REVIEW:
Source
NNDC Key
recruitment
documents
Age
current
Owner
(ODM)
Findings
There is no general equalities statement on any
of our recruitment literature, with the exception
of the Equal opportunities monitoring form
which states, “It is the Council’s policy to recruit
the most suitable candidate for the job.
Selection for recruitment and training will only
be made on merit. The Council will not
discriminate against any person because of
age; disability; health; language; marital, family
or personal circumstance; material status;
nationality or citizenship; political opinion;
religion or belief; race or ethnic origin; sex or
gender; sexual orientation; social class;
unrelated criminal conviction; or any other
condition or requirement which cannot be
shown to be justifiable.’
To ensure NNDC’s commitment to equality is
being advertised to current or prospective
employees from different age groups an
equalities statement should be added to our
recruitment literature. A review of the
recruitment documentation reveals that the
32
Data Gaps
Sept
2007
Riley’s
advertising
agency/OD
M
Investors in
people review
report
7th
August
2009
Caroline
Wormleighto
n for NNDC
Inbucon job
evaluation
questionnaire
March
2007
Inbucon/OD
M
NNDC
Current ODM
Service Level
agreement for
the Norfolk
Recruitment
partnership
33
recrutiment process is designed to be fair and
equitable. To ensure fairness during the
shortlisting process , Managers and recruiters
do not have access to the information provided
on the equal opportuntities monitoring form
which provides applicants date of birth. In the
Short listing Guidelines document Managers
are advised under the, “Points to bear in mind
section” that they must, “take a fair and
consistent approach”, and to ensure that their
“comments are fair and relevant”.
The document contains the following
contractual obligations :
 “we will check all copy for compliance with
current legislation”
 “Our staff include specialists in diversity”
(Page 25)
Quarterly meetings are held with Norfolk
County Council and the other Norfolk Districts
and Rileys to review the level of service and
any complaints received any equality and
Diversity issues would be raised at this
meeting.
A key finding of this report was as follows:
“Whilst the recruitment process is regarded as
fair, it has not been designed to encourage
equality and diversity (although this is
changing), it is not linked to the core values of
the organisation and people are not widely
involved in the recruitment process within their
teams”. (Page 15)
One of the key outcomes of job evaluation is
the provision of equal pay for equal value. The
training covered age discrimination and equal
pay.
18 NNDC staff completed the Certificate in
Service
Level
agreement
for the
Norfolk
Recruitment
partnership
Investors in
people
review
report.
Inbucon job
evaluation
questionnair
e
NNDC
Recruitment
and selection
training records
Management programme in 2007/2008.
Recruitment and selection is included as an
element of this programme (External training
course). In house recruitment and selection
training was last provided in 2006.
Recruitment
and
selection
training
records
NNDC
Complaints
Last 2
years
ODM
No complaints have been received in relation to
the NNDC recruitment & selection process and
procedure with regard to discrimination
NNDC
Complaints
Equality impact
assessment for
NNDC ( draft
communication
s)
March
2008
NNDC/Com
muncations
team
All NNDC web development is to W3C (world
wide web consortium) WAI ( web accessibility
guidelines) standard.
NNDC People
strategy and
development
plan 2006-2009
Current ODM
Equality
impact
assessment
for NNDC (
draft
communicat
ions)
Data on
numbers of
young
people
employed.
A key objective identified in this strategy is
‘Recruiting young people to train in hard to fill
vacancies’
KEY DATA:
Source
Cognos
reports from
HR system
(period (12
months to
31/08/09)
Age
2009
Cognos
reports from
2009
Owner
(ODM)
Findings
Age ranges of all
people applying for
NNDC vacancies
16-24
25-39
40-49
50-59
60+
13%
23%
29%
23%
5%
16-24
15%
Data Gaps
7% of
applicants did
not state their
age
(ODM)
Age ranges of all
34
The age of 5%
HR system
(period (12
months to
31/08/09)
Cognos
reports from
HR system
(period (12
months to
31/08/09)
2009
Local
Government
Association
(LGA) - Labour
Force Survey
December (LGA)
2008
Local
Government
Association
(LGA) - Labour
Force Survey
December (LGA)
2008
25-39
40-49
50-59
60+
25%
32%
19%
4%
of shortlisted
applicants was
unknown
Age ranges of all
successful
candidates for NNDC
vacancies
16-24
25-39
40-49
50-59
60+
19%
26%
44%
11%
0%
No known gaps
Age ranges of all
people employed in
Local Government in
England and Wales
16-24
25-39
40-49
50-59
60+
8%
29%
31%
24%
8%
Age ranges of all
people employed in
the whole economy
16-24
25-39
40-49
50-59
60+
15%
34%
25%
18%
7%
No known gaps
Age ranges of all
people employed in
NNDC
16-24
25-39
40-49
50-59
60+
1%
16%
50%
22%
10%
No known gaps
(ODM)
NNDC Human 31st
Resources
August
database
2009
(ODM)
Cognos
reports from
(ODM)
12
months to
people shortlisted for
interview for NNDC
vacancies
35
No known gaps
Age ranges of all
people employed in
16-24
25-39
4 /50%
0
HR system
Temporary
register
NNDC
Survey
12. Are there any
concerns that the
policy could have a
negative impact
with regard to
religion/belief?
31/08/09
Staff 2008
NNDC on
temporary register
(ODM)
40-49
3/37.5%
50-59
1/12.5%
60+
0
87% (330) of staff completed the survey.
7% (23) staff reported as belonging to this
group felt disadvantaged ’A great Deal’ or
‘A fair amount’ at NNDC on account of
Disability. The report stated that this was
slightly better than Public Sector and
Local Authority norms
No Known
Gaps.
No known gaps
in data
What evidence (actual data or assumptions) do you have to support this?
SUMMARY:
NO – but
insufficient
data for this
group.
12.1 A consistent process is followed in all recruitment. The Council has and operates an equal
opportunities policy to ensure all staff are treated fairly regardless of their background. Between October
2009 and January 2010 all Elected Members, Senior and middle Managers and all employees are to
attend a one day Equality and Diversity training programme to ensure that NNDC puts equality and
diversity and the forefront of our everyday work practices.
Recruitment is carried out within services by relevant Managers with support from the HR Function. HR
provide initial advice to managers on the recruitment and selection process, HR check all adverts, job
descriptions and person specifications to ensure no discriminatory terminology is being used and to
ensure layout and formatting is consistent for each vacancy. HR organise the advertising of the job. All
external advertising is carried out on behalf of North Norfolk District Council by “Riley’s” advertising
agency. (See information on service level agreement below). Adverts are also placed internally, (hard
copy and on the intranet) through job centre plus and other Local Authority websites such as LGjobs.com.
HR collates all received applications and forwards these to the appropriate service manager for short
listing. Once the manager has completed the short listing process a member of the HR Department will
double check the shortlist and discuss this with the Manager where appropriate. HR support service
managers at all stages of the process and further advice and guidance is contained in “Guidelines for
Managers on the Recruitment Procedure” (A separate Equality Impact assessment has been conducted
on this guidance – See Appendix 2). At the interview stage NNDC require that at least one of the Officers
has been trained in Interview and Selection and further guidance is contained in “interview guidelines and
tips”. It is a requirement that there are at least two Officers on every interview panel; it is therefore
36
possible for one to challenge another’s reasoning if it is felt to be discriminatory. HR are involved in all
interviews for grades 5 and above. The same recruitment processes are followed for internal as well as
external vacancies.
12.2 There is currently no ‘Live’ recruitment policy, however current recruitment documentation is
comprehensive and detailed. Documents are regularly reviewed in line with legislative changes. There is
however, no general equalities statement on any of the documentation reviewed.
12.3 NNDC operates a temporary register from which Managers can select temporary staff to fill
temporary vacancies within their section. These are advertised on our website. Our temporary register
has also been advertised in the quarterly community publication “Outlook”. All staff recruited from the
temporary register are informally interviewed by an experienced manager and all other document checks
are carried out e.g. pre-employment checks, references. There is no equalities statement on any of the
temporary register recruitment documents.
Numbers recruited from the temporary register are small
and NNDC do not currently collect data with regard to religion and belief and it is therefore not possible to
say whether this process has a negative impact with regard to religion or belief.
12.4 Religious festivals (with regard to arranging an interview date) are not considered as part of the
process/procedure, however if a candidate asked us to re-arrange an interview due to a religious festival
we would consider this. By default due to office closures interviews would not be happening on Christian
festival dates (such as Christmas day and Good Friday) but consideration could be given to festivals such
as ‘Eid’ and ‘Diwali’.
12.5 We do not currently collect data on applicants with regard to religion or belief therefore it is not
possible to analyse recruitment statistics in this way. Therefore it is not possible at this stage to conclude
whether or not there is an adverse impact on this group.
DOCUMENT/SYSTEM REVIEW:
Source
NNDC key
recruitment
documents
Age
Owner
Current (ODM)
37
Findings
Data Gaps
There is no general equalities statement on None
any of our recruitment literature, with the
exception of the Equal opportunities
monitoring form which states, “It is the
Council’s policy to recruit the most suitable
candidate for the job. Selection for
recruitment and training will only be made on
merit. The Council will not discriminate
against any person because of age; disability;
health; language; marital, family or personal
circumstance; material status; nationality or
citizenship; political opinion; religion or belief;
race or ethnic origin; sex or gender; sexual
orientation; social class; unrelated criminal
conviction; or any other condition or
requirement which cannot be shown to be
justifiable.’
Our commitment to equality is not being
advertised widely to current or prospective
employees
from
different
religious
backgrounds and therefore an equalities
statement should be added to all of our
recruitment literature.
A review of the recruitment documentation
reveals that the recruitment process is
designed to be fair and equitable.
In the Short listing Guidelines document
Managers are advised under the “Points to
bear in mind section” that they must, “take a
fair and consistent approach”, and to ensure
that their “comments are fair and relevant”.
However a review of the Equal opportunities
monitoring form shows that NNDC do not
currently monitor Religion/Belief.
Service Level
agreement for
the Norfolk
Recruitment
Sept
2007
Riley’s
advertising
agency/OD
M
38
The document contains the following
contractual obligations :
 “we will check all copy for compliance
with current legislation”
No gaps

partnership
“Our staff include specialists in diversity”
(Page 25)
Quarterly meetings are held with Norfolk
County Council and the other Norfolk Districts
and Rileys to review the level of service and
any complaints received any equality and
Diversity issues would be raised at this
meeting.
Investors in
people review
report.
7th
August
2009
Caroline
Wormleighto
n for NNDC
A key finding of this report was as follows:
“Whilst the recruitment process is regarded as
fair, it has not been designed to encourage
equality and diversity (although this is
changing), it is not linked to the core values of
the organisation and people are not widely
involved in the recruitment process within
their teams”. (Page 15)
No gaps
Inbucon job
evaluation
questionnaire
March
2007
Inbucon/OD
M
One of the key outcomes of job evaluation is
the provision of equal pay for equal value.
The training covered age discrimination and
equal pay.
No gaps
NNDC
Recruitment
and selection
training records
Current ODM
18 NNDC staff completed the Certificate in
Management programme in 2007/2008.
Recruitment and selection is included as an
element of this programme (External training
course). In house recruitment and selection
training was last provided in 2006.
No gaps
NNDC
Complaints
Last 2
years
No complaints have been received in relation
to the NNDC recruitment & selection process
and procedure.
No gaps
ODM
39
Equality impact
assessment for
NNDC ( draft
communication
s)
March
2008
NNDCCom
muncations
team
No gaps
KEY DATA:
Source
NNDC
Survey
13. Are there any
concerns that the
policy could have a
negative impact
with regard to
sexual orientation?
Age
Staff 2008
Owner
(ODM)
Findings
87% (330) of staff completed the survey. 0%
(0) staff reported as belonging to this group felt
disadvantaged ’A great Deal’ or ‘A fair amount’
at NNDC on account of Religion. The report
stated that this was better than public Sector
and Local Authority norms
What evidence (actual data or assumptions) do you have to support this?
Data Gaps
This data
only
covers
religion
and not
belief.
SUMMARY:
No – but
insufficient
data for this
group.
13.1 A consistent process is followed in all recruitment. The Council has and operates an equal
opportunities policy to ensure all staff are treated fairly regardless of their background. Between October
2009 and January 2010 all Elected Members, Senior and middle Managers and all employees are to
attend a one day Equality and Diversity training programme to ensure that NNDC puts equality and
diversity and the forefront of our everyday work practices.
Recruitment is carried out within services by relevant Managers with support from the HR Function. HR
provide initial advice to managers on the recruitment and selection process, HR check all adverts, job
descriptions and person specifications to ensure no discriminatory terminology is being used and to
ensure layout and formatting is consistent for each vacancy. HR organise the advertising of the job. All
external advertising is carried out on behalf of North Norfolk District Council by “Riley’s” advertising
agency. (See information on service level agreement below). Adverts are also placed internally (on notice
40
boards and the intranet) through job centre plus and on other local authority websites such as
LGjobs.com. HR collates all received applications and forwards these to the appropriate service manager
for shortlisting. Once the Manager has completed the shortlisting process a member of the HR
Department will double check the shortlist and discuss this with the Manager where appropriate. HR
supports service managers at all stages of the process and further advice and guidance is contained in
“Guidelines for Managers on the Recruitment Procedure” (A separate Equality Impact Assessment has
been conducted on this guidance – See Appendix 2). At the interview stage NNDC require that at least
one of the Officers has been trained in Interview and Selection and further guidance is contained in
“interview guidelines and tips”. It is a requirement that there are at least two Officers on every interview
panel; it is therefore possible for one to challenge another’s reasoning if it is felt to be discriminatory. HR
is involved in all interviews for local grade 5 and above. The same recruitment processes are followed for
internal as well as external vacancies.
13.2 There is currently no ‘Live’ recruitment policy, however current recruitment documentation is
comprehensive and detailed. Documents are regularly reviewed in line with legislative changes. There is
however, no general equalities statement on any of the documentation reviewed.
13.3 NNDC operates a temporary register from which Managers can select temporary staff to fill
temporary vacancies within their section. These are advertised on our website. Our temporary register
has also been advertised in the quarterly community publication “Outlook”. All staff recruited from the
temporary register are informally interviewed by an experienced manager and all other document checks
are carried out e.g. pre-employment checks, references. There is no equalities statement on any of the
temporary register recruitment documents.
Numbers recruited from the temporary register are small and NNDC do not currently collect data with
regard to sexual orientation and it is therefore not possible to say whether this process has a negative
impact with regard to sexual orientation.
13.4 We do not currently collect data on applicants or employees with regard to sexual orientation
therefore it is not possible to analyse recruitment statistics in this way. Therefore it is not possible at this
stage to conclude whether or not there is a negative impact on this group.
DOCUMENT/SYSTEM REVIEW:
Source
NNDC key
recruitment
documents
Age
Owner
Current (ODM)
41
Findings
Data Gaps
There is no general equalities statement on any None
of our recruitment literature, with the exception
of the Equal opportunities monitoring form
Service Level
agreement for
the Norfolk
Recruitment
partnership
Sept
2007
Riley’s
advertising
agency/OD
M
which states, “It is the Council’s policy to recruit
the most suitable candidate for the job.
Selection for recruitment and training will only
be made on merit. The Council will not
discriminate against any person because of
age; disability; health; language; marital, family
or personal circumstance; material status;
nationality or citizenship; political opinion;
religion or belief; race or ethnic origin; sex or
gender; sexual orientation; social class;
unrelated criminal conviction; or any other
condition or requirement which cannot be
shown to be justifiable.’
Our commitment to equality should be added to
all of our recruitment literature in the form of an
equalities statement to ensure this is being
advertised to current or prospective employees
in regard to sexual orientation. A review of the
recruitment documentation reveals that the
recruitment process is designed to be fair and
equitable. In the Shortlisting Guidelines
document Managers are advised under the,
“Points to bear in mind section” that they must,
“take a fair and consistent approach”, and that
there “comments are fair and relevant”.
However a review of the Equal opportunities
monitoring form shows that NNDC do not
currently monitor sexual orientation.
The document contains the following
No gaps
contractual obligations :
 “we will check all copy for compliance with
current legislation”
 “Our staff include specialists in diversity”
(Page 25)
Quarterly meetings are held with Norfolk
42
County Council and the other Norfolk Districts
and Rileys to review the level of service and
any complaints received any equality and
Diversity issues would be raised at this
meeting.
A key finding of this report was as follows:
“Whilst the recruitment process is regarded as
fair, it has not been designed to encourage
equality and diversity (although this is
changing), it is not linked to the core values of
the organisation and people are not widely
involved in the recruitment process within their
teams”. (Page 15)
One of the key outcomes of job evaluation is
the provision of equal pay for equal value. The
training covered age discrimination and equal
pay.
18 NNDC staff completed the Certificate in
Management programme in 2007/2008.
Recruitment and selection is included as an
element of this programme (External training
course). In house recruitment and selection
training was last provided in 2006.
No complaints have been received in relation to
the NNDC recruitment & selection process and
procedure with regard to discrimination.
Investors in
people review
report.
7th
August
2009
Caroline
Wormleighto
n for NNDC
Inbucon job
evaluation
questionnaire
March
2007
Inbucon/OD
M
NNDC
Recruitment
and selection
training records
Current ODM
NNDC
Complaints
Last 2
years
ODM
Equality impact
assessment for
NNDC ( draft
communication
s)
Service Level
agreement for
the Norfolk
March
2008
NNDCCom
muncations
team
All NNDC web development is to AA national
standard.
Sept
2007
Riley’s
advertising
agency/
The document
contains the following No gaps
contractual obligations :
 “we will check all copy for compliance with
43
No gaps
No gaps
No gaps
No gaps
No gaps
Recruitment
partnership
Investors in
people review
report.
ODM
7th
August
2009
Caroline
Wormleighto
n for NNDC

current legislation”
“Our staff include specialists in diversity”
(Page 25)
Quarterly meetings are held with Norfolk
County Council and the other Norfolk Districts
and Rileys to review the level of service and
any complaints received any equality and
Diversity issues would be raised at this
meeting.
A key finding of this report was as follows:
“Whilst the recruitment process is regarded as
fair, it has not been designed to encourage
equality and diversity (although this is
changing), it is not linked to the core values of
the organisation and people are not widely
involved in the recruitment process within their
teams”. (Page 15)
No gaps
KEY DATA:
Source
Age
NNDC Staff 2008
Survey
Owner
(ODM)
44
Findings
87% (330) of staff completed the
survey. 0% (0) staff reported as
belonging to this group felt
disadvantaged ’A great deal’ or ‘A
fair amount’ at NNDC on account of
Sexuality. The report stated that
this was better than Public Sector
and Local Authority norms
Data Gaps
No known gaps in data
14. Could the
negative impact
you have identified
in questions 8 – 13
lead to the
potential for
adverse impact if
the policy is
implemented?
YES
The recruitment system, process and procedure is comprehensive and detailed and is designed to ensure
consistency and fairness and to combat any discrimination.
In regard to ethnicity and race, gender and age it is not felt that the recruitment system, processes and
practices will have an adverse impact. However, in regard to age, a review of the People Strategy and
Development plan, in relation to recruiting young people into the council to train for “hard to fill” vacancies
and plug the skills gap identifies an age bias towards the young, but this is done for a positive action
reason – to improve representation of younger people at NNDC and is countered by actions for older
employees, such as flexible retirement and the fact that there is no default retirement age at NNDC.
Evidence suggests that the percentage of disabled people employed at the council is low in comparison
with other Local Authorities. Whilst it would appear that NNDC practices are designed to combat
discrimination this group maybe adversely affected by the fact that there is no “equalities” statement on
our recruitment documentation and NNDC does not currently hold the “two ticks” disability symbol and
therefore maybe discouraged from applying to us. Consultation with the disabled community about
perceptions of NNDC as an employer and their views in relation to accessibility of jobs with us will allow
us to ensure that our systems, processes and practices are not doing anything to discourage disabled
applicants from applying. (See Action plan attached).
In regard to religion/belief and sexual orientation as NNDC do not currently collect data in relation to
these to groups it is not possible to conclude at this stage whether or not there is an adverse impact on
45
these groups.
Can this adverse
impact be justified
on the grounds of
promoting equality
of opportunity for
one group?
N/A but changes regarding positive action for younger people and disabled people would be justified and
legitimate in terms of law. Further investigation and discussion would be necessary before being put in
place.
Or any other
reason?
NA
Can the impact be
mitigated by
existing means?
NA
If yes, what actions
will you undertake
to mitigate these
impacts and revise
the policy?
15. Describe the
arrangements for
reporting and
publishing this
assessment.
Has this
assessment been
undertaken by a
minimum of two
staff?
To improve the system, process and procedure from a best practice point of view an action plan has been
developed. (See appendix A).
This assessment will be reported to the Equality and Diversity Board and will be published on the NNDC external website
(www.northnorfolk.org
Has this assessment been scrutinised by your Directorate
Steering Group?
Yes
If the policy is new, or requires a decision by Councillors to revise, has this Equality Impact Assessment
been included with the report?
46
This has been scrutinised by
Organisational Development
Equality Impact Assessment
team
Yes
Have any actions identified in this assessment been included in your service equality and diversity action
plan?
Completed by:
HR officer
Signed off
by:
47
Organisational Development Manager
See Appendix B
Recruitment Documents
List for EQIA
Appendix A
Document
Date
Recruitment Procedure
July 2009
Job Evaluation Questionnaire
July 2009
Recruitment Pro-forma
July 2009
Advert (examples of 6 posts)
2009
Job Description and Person Specification (example of 6 2008
posts)
Car allowance scheme assessment form
Dec 2009
Car cash equivalent authorisation form
July 2009
CRB Assessment form
August 2009
Application Form
Sept 2008
Equal Opportunities monitoring form
Under review (2006)
Application Pack Letter
1990’s
Shortlisting Grids
July 2009
Shortlisting Guidelines
2008
Rejection on application Letter
No date
Invite for Interview Letter (with tests)
2008
Invite for Interview Letter (without tests)
2008
Interview Expenses claim form
August 2009
Pre-employment checklist
July 2009
Pre-employment guidelines
July 2009
Interview Guidelines
July 2009
Testing documentation – Process, Policy, Instructions
2007
Rejection Letter on Interview
June 2008
Offer of Employment Letter
2008
Reference Form
Nov 1994
Medical Questionnaire
No date
CRB: Applying for a disclosure
Sept 2009
CRB: Risk Assessment form
Sept 2009
48
Temporary Documents
Temporary Register and applying for jobs at NNDC leaflet
Temporary employment enquiry letter
Information on the internet for the temporary register
Guidelines for Managers on employing a temp
Offer Letter for Temporary employment
Date
March 2008
September 2009
February 2009
No date
2008
Intranet Page content
Information for Managers on Recruitment process
Internal job vacancy
Date
August 2009
N/A
49
Equality Impact Assessments
Appendix A – Action Plans
Action
Add equalities statement to all
relevant recruitment literature e.g.
adverts,
recruitment
pro-forma,
application form, job description,
invite to interview letters, shortlisting
guidelines,
pre-employment
document checklist, pre-employment
document checks guidance for
Managers, regret letters, interview
guidelines and tips, Managers
guides, web based recruitment
pages, including internal vacancies
page.
Report Reference
Expected Outcome
Person
responsible
8.2, 9.2, 10.2, 11.2, 12.2.
To link recruitment process HR Officer
to one of the core values of
organisation (equality and
diversity). To ensure that all
sections of the community
know that NNDC is an equal
opportunities employer thus
ensuring that no sections of
the
community
are
dissuaded from applying for
jobs with us. To ensure that
Managers are reminded of
the Councils commitment to
equality and diversity.
document system review,8,9,10,11,12 To ensure that Equality and
and 13.
Diversity message is reenforced and that a fair and
consistent process is
followed.
In “shortlisting Guidelines” document
under, “points to bear in mind”, add a
paragraph
in
relation
to
discrimination
on
grounds
of
ethnicity/race, gender, disability,
age, age, religion, sexual orientation.
Also add reminder that selection
must be made on pre-specified job
related criteria only. Make reference
to Managers guide on recruitment
procedure i.e. this document should
be read in conjunction with the
Managers guide.
INTRAN – on recruitment page of document system review section 8 and To ensure that prospective
website and in Interview guidelines 10.
employees and Managers
and tips make reference to the
are aware of what is
availability of this service.
available
should
they
North Norfolk District Council
Page 50
Target
date
ASAP
ASAP
ASAP

require
assistance
translation.
in
In “invite to interview” letter add
“adjustments” before, “special
arrangements the council will need
to make in connection with your
interview”.
Consult with disabled
community/Shaw Trust about
perceptions of NNDC as an
employer and their feelings in regard
to accessibility of applying for jobs
with us.
document system review section 10.
To ensure that this relates
to the terminology within the
DDA (Disability
Discrimination Act).
10.3
Work towards gaining the “two ticks”,
positive about disability symbol.
document system review (section 10)
Application Form – review
application form to ensure font size
and layout and colour is “user
friendly” and assessable.
Occupational Test use Guidelines –
Under Choice of Tests point 1 add
disability, belief and sexual
orientation as these areas are not
currently included. Review
terminology used in guidelines.
document system review (section 10)
To ensure that we are not
doing anything to
discourage disabled people
from applying for jobs with
us and to ensure that we
are selecting from the
widest pool available to us.
To demonstrate a
commitment to meeting the
needs of disabled
employees, to support the
Councils commitment to
equality and diversity.
To ensure the application
form is not a “barrier” for
potential applicants and that
it is assessable to all.
To ensure document
supports all groups covered
by discrimination law.
sections 10,12 and 13.
51
HR Office
ASAP
TBC
HR
Officer/Communitie
s team
HR
Officers/Advisors
Ongoing
HR admin/officers
ASAP
HR Assistant
ASAP
Equal opportunities monitoring form
– Revise form so that it is clear to
disabled applicants and so that
signature box is at the bottom, when
all other questions have been asked.
Add religion/belief and sexual
orientation to the equal opportunities
monitoring form.
document system review (section 10)
To ensure that all significant
data is captured and so that
NNDC can make
reasonable adjustments for
disabled employees where
necessary.
To allow analysis of
recruitment and selection
figures to ensure that there
is no cause for concern with
regard to equal
opportunities for those
groups covered in 8-13
above.
To encourage flexible
working and ensuring the
widest possible applicant
pool.
To ensure a fair and
consistent process is always
followed and that the staff
involved in recruitment are
equipped with the
necessary skills.
HR officers
Ready to
report on
March
2010.
Recruitment Pro-forma – add in
Section B consideration of part time,
flexible working when considering
hours of the post.
Ensure Recruitment and Selection
training is regularly provided for all
recruiting Managers and staff and
Members (where appropriate). This
training should include a section on
equal opportunities and awareness
of current employment legislation
e.g. Disability Discrimination Act.
Consider “positive action” to target
younger workers and encourage
them to apply for available positions,
include reference to
trainees/apprentices.
Review EQIA on an annual basis
and a full review every three years,
or at the point which the policy is
document system review section 9.
HR Officer
ASAP
HR Advisor
TBC
11.5, document system review section 11
and 14.
To help with succession
planning and skills
shortages and to redress
the age balance.
HR Officers
TBC
NA
Continuing commitment to
equality where changes
have been made, or new
HR Officers
document system review sections 8, 9
10,11,12 and 13.
52
reviewed whichever is the sooner.
evidence is available./
53
Equality Impact Assessments
North Norfolk District Council
Page 54