CITY OF WAKEFIELD METROPOLITAN DISTRICT COUNCIL

CITY OF WAKEFIELD METROPOLITAN DISTRICT COUNCIL

Pay and Grading Appeals Procedure

Guidance for Employees

1. INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the appeal process is to:

Ensure that the job specification is a true reflection of the job role
Enable employees to appeal against the outcome of their evaluated job role should they believe that the job overview and factors are not a true reflection of tasks undertaken
Provide a framework for employees to appeal that is fair, consistent and transparent in the application of the job evaluation scheme to Council positions.

This Job Evaluation Appeals Procedure is separate from all other grievance or appeal procedures.

2. THE APPEAL PROCESS

All employees will have received a Job Overview for their current role if they were occupying the position at the time the overviews were sent out for that service. Overviews regularly change due to amended job specifications or further information being provided to the job evaluation moderation panels. Employees who wish to appeal must ensure that they request the latest overview from the Pay and Reward Team.

Group Appeals

In the case of a large group of employees all sharing the same job evaluation code, then the group of employees should nominate no more than three employees to represent the group as a whole. If you are unsure as to whether your job evaluation code is applied to a number of other employees, please e-mail jobevaluation for clarification.
Please ensure all members of the group are aware of who is representing them.
All employees within the group are advised to meet with the jobholder representatives who will attend the Appeal on their behalf. Where it is not practical for the whole group to convene, it is suggested that the jobholder representatives should attend a series of smaller meetings in order to establish a general consensus on the information that will be presented to the Appeals Panel.
In cases where there are career graded jobs, with individuals at each stage of the career grade, each level of the career grade will be classed as a separate group.
If employees have multiple employments with the Council then a separate form should be completed for each appeal made.
Where a job is shared by two post holders, both job sharers will normally attend the Appeal, subject to the overall numbers limitation outlined above.

2.1. Grounds of Appeal

An appeal will only be accepted where the employee can demonstrate that the latest job overview did not accurately reflect the job role carried out or where the employee can show that the job evaluation scheme has been applied incorrectly. Supporting information must be provided (examples, evidence) to substantiate the appeal. An appeal may be initiated because it is believed that:

The job has significantly changed since the job evaluation was undertaken
An incorrect, incomplete job specification has been used in the process
The evaluation failed to take into account/place sufficient weight upon a significant element of the job as per the job overview
A generic job has been used for the evaluation and the employee's job does not closely match the job specification with which it has been grouped
The evaluation code assigned is not appropriate to the job
The job information supplied during the evaluation process was not complete

The following are not grounds for appeal:

Comparability with other jobs outside of the Council, and/or
Seeking to restore previous differentials, and/or
Dissatisfaction with the pay level as a result of job evaluation (as a sole reason - evidence would be required)
Any grounds not related to the job, for example personal performance

There are two steps to the Appeal Process:

Step One - Meeting with Line Manager
Step Two - Formal Appeal Process

2.2. Step One - Meeting with Line Manager

Employees should:

1. Obtain a copy of the Pay and Grading Appeals Form from:

(i) Non-school employees - The Council's Intranet site, New Pay and Grading Exercise, Job Evaluation: http://webintranet2/Resources/HumanResources/Advisory/Pay/JobEvaluation/default.htm

(ii) Schools - VLE - under Human Resources - as a relevant download document

Or[Author ID1: at Mon Jan 18 14:13:00 2010 ]

(iii) Where an employee does not have access to the Council's intranet site - their Line Manager should be contacted

2. Obtain a copy of the job specification which was used for the job evaluation exercise. Employees and managers should already have a copy. However, if employees and managers are unsure of which job specification was used for the evaluation then a copy can be obtained by e-mailing jobevaluation.

3. Request, a copy of the latest job overview by e-mailing jobevaluation. Where employees do not have access to a computer, they should speak to their Line Manager.

4. Request a meeting with their Line Manager to discuss the appeal as outlined in the Appeal Policy and to complete the Appeal Form Step One - Part `A', including Grounds of Appeal.

5. Ensure that, if employees have been nominated as a Group Representative appealing on behalf of a group of employees, all members of the group have agreed and that all names are included in the Group Section of the form. If you are unsure as to whether your job evaluation code has been applied to other employees, e-mail jobevaluation for clarification.

6. Agree the outcomes of the meeting with your Line Manager. Agreement needs to be reached by both the Line Manager and employee(s), where a revised job specification or evaluation code is submitted. Agreement does not need to be reached where the employee wishes to progress to Step 2.

7. Sign and Date the appeal form at the end of the meeting. The Line Manager will also sign and date the form. The signing of the form is confirmation that the meeting and relevant discussions have taken place.

The form will then be passed to your Service Manager/Headteacher for signature. The Service Manager/Headteacher will then submit the completed form Part `A' to the Pay and Reward Team, Room 75, County Hall, Wakefield, WF1 2QW before 30 April, 2010.

8. Await the evaluation outcome of any revised job specification which has been attached to the Appeal Form and forwarded to the Pay and Reward Team.

9. Retain a copy of the completed Part `A' for record purposes, particularly if employees choose to progress to Step 2 of the Appeal Process.

Where as a result of the meeting with the Line Manager/Headteacher a revised job specification is sent for evaluation, then the employee will be given 20 working days from the date of notification of the re-evaluation outcome or by 30 April, 2010, whichever is the latest, to notify us that they wish to progress to a Formal Appeal.

2.3. Step Two - Formal Appeal Stage

An employee cannot progress to Step Two - Formal Appeal unless they have first been through Step One of the process.

If, following the meeting with their Line Manager, an employee(s) is still not satisfied with the outcome of their pay/grade and they wish to progress to Step Two - Formal Appeal stage, then they must ensure that they have:

1. Informed the Pay and Reward Team that they intend to either attend the appeal hearing, or choose to have their case heard in their absence. The Pay and Reward Team will organise and notify the employee(s) and the Line Manager of the scheduled appeal hearing date. It is the responsibility of the employee to notify their representative of the date of the appeal.

2. Complete the next section of the Pay and Grading Appeals Form Step 2 -Part `B' - Formal Appeal as follows:

Tick the relevant boxes that they believe are not accurately reflected in their job overview.
Provide documentary evidence to support the appeal in relation to the factors being disputed and/or be able to demonstrate that existing evidence is incomplete or inaccurate in relation to the Job Overview. Attach additional sheets, as required. The appeal should be based on the actual requirements of the job.

Further information to support employees is available on:

Non-school Employees - the Pay and Grading web pages in the frequently asked questions regarding job overviews and appeals at: http://webintranet2/Resources/HumanResources/Advisory/Pay/JobEvaluation/default.htm
Schools - VLE - under Human Resources - as a relevant document

A brief description of each factor is also contained within the Appeals Form - Step Two - Part `B'.

3. Pass the completed form to your Line Manager for their comments on the factual content of the appeal and the accuracy of the case.

4. Send the completed Appeals Form Step Two Part `B' to the Pay and Reward Team 14 days before the scheduled appeal hearing date. Failure to meet this requirement may result in your appeal being postponed.

5. Attend the Formal Appeal Hearing, if chosen to do so. The employee(s) who attended the original evaluation interview (if applicable) should attend the appeal hearing. However, employee(s) can choose to have the appeal heard in their absence. Employee(s) must ensure that the Appeals Panel is provided with all relevant background documents.

School appeals will be heard after 4.00pm to limit the disruption to the normal school day.

If an employee(s) is unable to attend the appeal hearing on the arranged date, they must inform the Pay and Reward Team, as soon as possible to enable an alternative date to be arranged.

Where an alternative date has been arranged and the employee(s) do not turn up, without informing the Pay and Reward Team, then the Appeal Panel will consider the case in their absence.

6. Arrange for Trade Union/Employee Representative to attend the Formal Appeal Hearing, if required.

3. TIMESCALES

Part `A' of the Appeal Form must be received by the Pay and Reward Team by 30 April 2010. Employees must also inform the Pay and Reward Team whether it is their intention to attend the Appeal Hearing, or whether they chose the Appeal Panel to hear the case in their absence.
Formal Appeal Hearings will be arranged by Human Resources as soon as it is reasonably practical. The timescale will be dependent upon the number of appeals received.
Part `B' of the Appeal Form should be received by the Pay and Reward Team 14 days before the scheduled appeal hearing date. Failure to meet this requirement may result in an appeal being postponed.
Employees who have chosen to attend the Appeal Hearing will be notified of the date when the Appeal Hearing will take place.
Line Managers will also be notified of the date of the Appeal Hearing.
The result of the Step Two Appeal Hearing will be communicated to employee(s) and their Line Manager in writing within 20 working days of the completion of the Appeal Hearing.

4. FORMAL APPEAL OUTCOME

The appeal process will have one of following outcomes:

Appeal upheld with a higher revised job evaluation score but the same grade
Appeal upheld with a higher revised job evaluation score and a higher grade
Appeal dismissed with the evaluation result unchanged
Appeal resulting in a lower revised job evaluation score but the same grade
Appeal resulting in a lower revised job evaluation score and a lower grade

The decision of the Formal Appeal Panel will exhaust the Council's Appeal Process.