There has been some success in this area and the chart below shows the steady increase in applications from young people from 2012-2016. SEPA’s culture has always been quite traditional with professional experience and academic achievements held in high esteem. Part of our work to achieve this outcome involves changing the culture and the frameworks and processes that support that culture. Currently the majority of the posts in SEPA still require degree level qualifications or equivalent experience and this can be challenging when trying to recruit those in this age bracket. Since April 2016, vacancies have been scrutinised to identify those where the role can accommodate either a modern apprentice or an individual with other relevant skills that will bring value to the post, with the necessary development being provided in house. Transformational change in this area requires job descriptions to be changed and “entry level” roles to be designed. These changes need to be underpinned by Job Evaluation (JE). Discussions on the future of SEPA’s JE Scheme are ongoing between management and UNISON and it is hoped that new job descriptions can start to be developed during 2017-18. The future This outcome is aspirational; change takes time, however we have been successful in both areas, with increases in the women in leadership roles and of young people applying for posts and being employed by us. Those increases have been small and to be able to properly evaluate this outcome, we would like to see sustained improvements over time. In order to do that, the focus of women into leadership and increasing young people will become key deliverables in our new internal organisation focused outcome. Outcome 2 The public, including ‘hard to reach’ and minority communities, will have a better knowledge and understanding of SEPA and our role in protecting the environment. We will deliver this by improving our communications, including our website, making them more accessible, particularly to those with the protected characteristics of race, age and disability, and engaging better with the third sector and communities.
applications for posts, appointments Identifying other valid evidence to inform our work e.g. through relationships with groups representing those with protected characteristics Our recruitment and selection processes are transformed and enable us to appoint the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. Examples of how we will deliver this include; Targeted outreach to underrepresented groups, i.e. young people and minority ethnic groups Positive promoting of SEPA as an employer Selection panels are diverse and members have received relevant training, including unconscious bias awareness training Selection panels use a range of selection tools to inform decision-making Feedback from targeted outreach Increase in the diversity of job candidates Increase in success rates amongst candidates from groups Range of selection tools used regularly by SEPA Regular spot checks, by HR, on the make-up of selection panels and selection tools used Increased diversity will enhance creativity and performance across SEPA We have ongoing and meaningful relationships with groups representing those with protected characteristics to help promote SEPA as an employer of choice and encourage greater diversity of applicants. Regular and constructive meetings with groups Feedback from groups has resulted in SEPA will be able to select the best talent from a more diverse pool of candidates
which support the creation of entry level roles and clearer career paths Equipping our managers with the skills to have quality conversations with staff members over performance and development Implementing new lateral development initiatives such as job shadowing Ensuring all members of staff receive equality and unconscious bias awareness training SEPA’s workplaces and work policies and practices are accessible for all and enable SEPA, where possible, to exceed its statutory obligations Examples of how we will achieve this are: Identifying priority areas for improvement in relation to physical accessibility Provide assistive technology to staff requiring it regardless of where they’re normally based Line managers are trained on their responsibilities to make “Reasonable Adjustments” Policies are reviewed and take account of matters specific to the protected characteristics, including gender re-assignment, sexual orientation, religion and Accessibility issues prioritised Budget allocated on an priority needs basis Feedback from HR on staff whose requirements for assistive technology have been met/not met Number of managers attending training on reasonable adjustments Grievances & Employment Tribunal claims relating to reasonable This carries on and extends the reach of our 2013-2017 Equality Outcome to improve access to SEPA premises for staff and service users. In this case accessibility is wider that physical accessibility and includes inclusive work policies and practices, as well as specific tools required to support staff with disabilities.
All our key services will be subject to appropriate user testing Number of times user testing is carried out and by which group User testing will help us to identify any difficulties with accessibility, either in terms of the message given or the methods used to deliver that message. We will offer additional support for service users where required. Examples of this will be; Providing reasonable assistance to complete application forms and support understanding of enforcement notices etc. Carry out service user monitoring/ satisfaction surveys to identify gaps in current level of performance Result of service user monitoring/satisfaction surveys. Number of requests for support Evidence from individuals and protected groups indicates that at present SEPA documentation is very technical and can be difficult to understand. Providing support to understand alongside a move to clearer information helps achieve the outcome. Satisfaction surveys provide a good indicator of success We will carry out targeted activity where evidence shows vulnerability or high levels on non–compliance, making use of good community engagement to support that work Increase in sign up to Flooding and improved compliance amongst targeted groups Greater knowledge and compliance will benefit the environment and will reduce the impact of non-compliance action on targeted groups
Appendix C Employee information/workforce composition The information provided in this Appendix is taken from our HR Management Information System and is valid as at 31 December 2016. * Indicates numbers less than 10 to protect individual confidentiality Information not provided denotes that a member of staff has not supplied the information. Table 1: Gender breakdown of all staff in SEPA Table 2: This table below provides a brief explanation of our current grade structure Grade Description Y Members of Agency Management Team: Executive Directors / Chief Officers A Members of Senior Management Teams B Managers of Managers or National Experts with Management responsibility C Core Manager roles or Technical Specialists D Manager/Supervisor roles or Technical roles
E Core Officer roles F Support Officer roles G Administrative roles H Office/building support roles T Trainee Grade Table 3: Gender by Grade Table 4: Equality information response rate Protected characteristic Responses expected Responses received Not provided Disability 1242 1191 51 (4.11%) Marital status 1242 1176 66 (5.31%) Sexual preference 1242 1024 218 (17.55%) Religion 1242 988 254 (20.45%) Ethnicity 1242 1158 84 (6.76%) Table 5: Full time versus part time by gender split Gender Full time Part time % Full time % Part time Total Male 555 21 96.35 3.65 576 Female 477 189 71.62 28.38 666 Table 6: Staff profile by age by gender Age Female Male Total 16 - 24 * * 13 25 - 34 112 96 208 35 - 44 278 174 452 45 - 54 203 180 383 55 - 64 61 115 176 65 and over * * 10 Totals 666 576 1242 Table 7: Staff profile by marital or civil partnership
Age band 16-19 20 - 29 30 - 39 40 - 49 50 – 59 60 - 69 Not provided Total Total applicants for vacancy * 695 672 471 286 32 28 2192 Total applicants shortlisted * 70 108 96 40 * 16 335 Total successful * 34 78 48 23 * * 190 Staff promotions From 01 January 2016 to 31 December 2017 there were 73 internal promotions (32 male and 41 female). Of those, 35 were temporary and 38 permanent. The following tables represent promotions by protected characteristic. Table 20: Staff promotions by Grade and gender Grade Female Male A * * B * * C * * D 14 13 E 13 17 F * * T * * Total 42 46 Table 21: Promotions by disability Disability Not Disabled Disabled Not provided Total 71 0 * Table 22: Promotion by ethnic origin Ethnic origin Black/Asian/Mixed/ other White Scottish White British White other Not provided Total * 45 22 * * Table 23: Promotion by sexual orientation Sexual orientation Gay, lesbian, or other Heterosexual Not provided Total * 68 *