The Commission is an equal opportunity employer, which means that in filling any post or assessing performance it takes account only of individual's suitability for the work to be done and not, for example, of sex or race. All appointments are offered subject to the satisfactory completion of a probation period. The probation period for staff on or below scale point 30 is three months. The probation period for other staff is six months.

The salary scale applicable to any post is stated in the individual's letter of appointment and is normally derived from the National Agreement for Local Government Services. Changes made to the salary scales in that Agreement are normally applied but the Commission reserves discretion to depart from the scales in individual cases.

Those working in the London office receive the NJC pay scale for inner London.

Salaries are paid monthly in arrear on the last work day of the month, normally by credit transfer to the individual's bank account. New staff may opt to receive part of their salary in the middle of the month during their first three months' service.

To qualify for an increment, a member of staff must have been in post for three months prior to 1 April. One increment will be awarded each year until the top point of the scale is reached unless the Commission has decided on the recommendation of a Deputy Ombudsman or the Deputy Chief Executive & Secretary that it should be withheld. If so, the circumstances will be fully discussed with the member of staff concerned. Staff joining the Commission between 1 January and 31 March in any year will qualify for an increment after three months service subject to completing the probation period satisfactorily. Increments thereafter will be awarded on 1 April each year.

Payment of overtime working is only made to staff graded on scale points 1 - 29 and will be in accordance with the National Agreement. Overtime working is not encouraged and should except in emergencies, be approved in advance by the Deputy Ombudsman or Deputy Chief Executive & Secretary. Staff who have returned from a period of absence of at least one full day due to sickness, will not be eligible for paid overtime until they have completed five full consecutive days from the date of their return to work.

Membership of the London Pension Funds Authority Scheme is available for all full-time staff and part-time staff working at least 35 weeks a year, except those seconded to work for the Commission and retaining membership of another approved scheme. Employee contributions are deducted from salary. Full details of the Scheme and its benefits can be obtained from the Human Resources department.

A lunch allowance is paid monthly and pro rata to the hours worked. The allowance is pensionable. It is not paid for complete weeks of absence due to sickness. [Since this document was last updated, the lunch allowance has been consolidated into normal pay.]

The Commission will make loans, free of interest, to staff to buy season tickets for their journey to work. Applications should be made to the Finance department. Repayment of the loan will be made, under an agreement, by monthly deductions from salary. The outstanding balance of any loan must be repaid before the individual leaves the Commission's service.

The Commission will help:

The working week is 35 hours for full-time staff, unless exceptional arrangements have been agreed by the Commission. Normal daily working hours are from 9.00am to 5.00pm. The daily lunch-break is one hour, organised to ensure that essential services operate throughout office hours.

Staff who for good reason wish regularly to work daily hours different from the office opening hours may do so by agreement with the Deputy Ombudsman or Deputy Chief Executive & Secretary.

Staff should take their full holiday entitlement in each holiday year. Staff are required to obtain permission for leave from their line manager. At least two weeks notice should normally be given for absences of five days or more and at least three days notice for shorter absences; line managers have discretion to permit leave with shorter notice. Holiday arrangements already firmly made by newly appointed staff are normally honoured.

The leave year begins on the first working day of January. Annual entitlements to paid leave are related to the grading of posts:

Staff are entitled to the bank holidays in England. At present there are eight bank holidays each year. Three days holiday in addition to statutory holidays are fixed by the Commission in each year and at least one of them is attached to the Christmas holiday. The annual entitlement of staff contracted to work other than 35 hours each week is calculated pro rata to the hours worked.

Staff become entitled to holiday on the basis of earning one-twelfth of their holiday entitlement for each completed month of service with the Commission during the holiday year. Staff are not entitled to any balance of annual holiday entitlement not taken with a former employer.

Extra leave to recognise years of service with the Commission is given as follows:

Special leave with pay other than for public duties and in addition to entitlement may be granted for up to five days in any year, on application to the Deputy Ombudsman or Deputy Chief Executive & Secretary. The Commission's policy on special leave is on the intranet.

Staff leaving the Commission's service with holidays untaken are paid for those days. Staff leaving having taken more holidays than their entitlement during the expired period of the holiday year are required to repay the salary paid for those excess holidays.

Under the Working Time Regulations, staff must take a minimum of 24 days leave in each year, pro rata to the hours worked. Statutory leave for staff in the Commission, will be the first 24 days taken in the year including extra statutory days and bank holidays.

The Commission aims to offer a range of pay and benefits to support staff achieve a work life balance. The policy is a separate document on the intranet;

Please refer to the Commission's policy for sickness payments.

All appointments to the Commission's staff are subject to completion of a satisfactory medical questionnaire. The Commission may, at its expense, require an individual to have a medical examination before confirming an appointment, or at any time during service with the Commission if it feels that the individual's performance is being impaired by ill-health.

The Commission's medical adviser can be consulted, by appointment, by any member of staff who has a medical problem on which he or she would value advice in addition to that of their General Practitioner. There is no charge but appointments must be arranged (in confidence) through the Human Resources.

The Code of Conduct applies to all employees. The Code has the following provisions to deal with conflicts of interest. Membership by certain post holders of an authority subject to investigation by the Commission is inappropriate. Accordingly, staff in posts on the `restricted' list must resign from their posts if they become a member of a body which falls within jurisdiction. This restriction does not apply to membership of school governing bodies which are admission authorities.

The Commission does not wish to prevent staff from taking work - paid or voluntary - outside their duties with the Commission, provided that the outside work does not harm their work for the Commission. Staff must tell the Deputy Ombudsman or Deputy Chief Executive & Secretary in confidence, and before making any commitment, of any outside work (excluding purely temporary work but including public service, eg as a JP or a school governor) in which they wish to engage. The Commission reserves the right to instruct any member of staff not to do outside work which it considers harmful to its interests. `Harmful' in this context includes outside work which could give the appearance of a conflict of interest in the investigation of a complaint.

Staff are required to make known to their line manager any personal interest which may affect their ability to deal with a particular complaint.

As citizens, staff have every right to make a complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman if they feel they have suffered injustice through the maladministration of an authority. However, certain obvious difficulties arise if they do. The Commission, therefore, expects members of staff only to complain if no-one else can make the complaint.

Each year an interview is arranged between each member of staff and his or her line manager to review performance and to discuss the possibilities for development. A note of the interview is agreed between them and sent to the Human Resources department.

Any requests for help in terms of time and money to secure expertise or qualifications relevant to the Commission's work should be made to the Deputy Ombudsman or Deputy Chief Executive & Secretary.

(i) In the interests of economy, the Commission expects staff to travel by the cheapest possible means, where the Commission is satisfied that this is also the most efficient means of transport. Generally staff should travel by public transport (plus hire car if necessary). Some work can be undertaken on the train so that the journey is not entirely wasted time. Staff on scale point 29 and above are entitled, if they wish, to first class rail travel while on the Commission's business. The Commission expects staff to economise by travelling second class whenever reasonable. Rail warrants are provided for rail journeys. The cost of taxis is only reimbursed if the Commission is satisfied that circumstances made the use of a taxi reasonable.

(i) Subsistence, etc, expenses must be claimed on the standard form as quickly as possible. Meal costs may be claimed for any meal actually taken during absence from home on the Commission's business. Except when they cannot be easily obtained, eg for snacks, receipted bills must be attached to the claim form.

There is a procedure for any member of staff to have a grievance considered, including a final right to meet the Commission on the matter. A copy of the procedure document is on the intranet.

The Commission has a disciplinary procedure.

Appeals against salary grading will be heard in the first instance by the Commission, following the procedure for dealing with grievances.

The Employments Rights Act 1996, sets minimum periods of notice related to length of continuous service with the employer. Subject to those minima, the periods of notice to be given by the Commission or by the employee are:

Staff will normally retire on reaching age 65. The Commission may, with the employee's consent, extend his or her service for one year, or any shorter period, and from time to time thereafter, subject to any extension never being for longer than one year without review by the Commission. The extension of service will be dependent on the employee passing a medical examination to be repeated every 12 months if further extensions are contemplated. The medical examination will be carried out by the Commission's doctor, or if the employee wishes, by his or her own doctor. The costs of the medical examination will be met by the Commission.

Commission staff may be asked to give presentations about the work of the Commission at training courses, conferences, meetings or at other events. Any fee received must be paid to the Commission through the Finance department. This applies even if the presentation is given outside working hours. The Commission recognises that, in certain circumstances, staff may be asked to give such talks after 7.30 pm in the evening which is outside the flexi-time period. The Commission has agreed to give time off in lieu for such talks, subject to the member of staff obtaining his or her line manager's approval in advance to give the talk. Also the travel costs incurred to and from the venue will be reimbursed.