FACTORS Factor % Points
JOB REQUIREMENTS
Supervision/Management
of people
10.5
Creativity and Innovation
10.5
Contacts and Relationships
15.4
Decisions – Discretion
10.5)
) 16.8
- Consequences
6.3)
Resources
5.3
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work Demands
4.2 )
Physical Demands
2.5 ) 12.5
Working conditions
2.5 )
Work Context
3.3 )
KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS
28.9
SUPERVISION/MANAGEMENT OF PEOPLE
Introduction and Objectives
This factor measures the degree of responsibility for the supervision/management of
employees and others for whose work the post can be considered directly accountable and in
particular the qualitative aspects of supervision/management of staff.
To score Levels 3 and above the post will have full permanent accountability on all elements
of supervision/management including: accountability for quality and quantity of work; the
extent to which a range of activities requires co-ordination and the complexity of such
activities; discipline; welfare; training and development. An exception to this application of
this factor to Contract/Non-direct staff; see (iii) below.
The assessment of posts must not reflect the particular supervisory/management style of an
individual post holder, nor problems which arise form personality difficulties with or among
subordinates.
In the context of this factor “a group of employees” must consist of more than one person.
Aspects of Supervision/Management
i) Dispersal of staff
Consideration should be given in all cases to whether full accountability exists, the inherent
difficulties to the work being supervised/managed, and the level of difficulty of
supervision/management. In particular, where supervision/management is made more
difficult because of the wide physical dispersal or mobility of staff, an additional 6 points shall
be added to the factor; these additional points can only be applied up to and including Level
5.
ii) Deputising
A post with a deputising role would not automatically be assumed to have full
supervisory/managerial responsibility for posts which ti supervises/manages only as a deputy.
iii) Contract/Non-direct Staff
Where the duties and responsibilities of a post require aspects of supervision/management of
voluntary workers or contractors’ staff, including the regular monitoring and issuing of
directions and instructions, an award may be considered under this factor. Such an award
would be at least one factor less than would be awarded for full supervisory/managerial
responsibility of direct staff.
iv) Flexible or variable working arrangements
The determination of the number of staff supervised/managed shall be on the basis of the
actual numbers of staff employed. Part-time, job share and full time staff should be treated
equally on this basis. Recurring supervision/management of temporary staff or seasonal
variations should be averaged on an annual basis.
Factors Levels
1. Little or no supervisory responsibility other than assisting in work familiarisation of
peers and new recruits.
2. Some supervisory responsibility for temporarily assigned or shared employees
including on the job training or the allocation and checking of work for quality ad
quantity.
3. Direct supervision of at least one employee carrying out tasks in one identifiable area
of work or, for example, work of a project nature.
4. Supervision/management of a group of employees undertaking tasks either in the
same general area of work or, for example, work of a project nature.
5. Management of more than one group of employees carrying out diverse tasks in the
same general type of work.
6. Planning, co-ordination and management of groups of employees carrying out work
across a wide range of different activities.
7. Planning, co-ordination and management of groups of employees carrying out work
across a range of major functions.
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
Introduction and Objectives
This factor considers the extent to which the work requires innovative and imaginative
responses to issues and in the resolution of problems.
It assesses the details, implications, variety, and complexity of problems, the recognition and
interpretation of evidence, consideration of alternatives and development of solutions.
All public sector work is to greater or lesser extent carried out with regard to broad policy
objectives of the organisation concerned. The purpose of this factor is to measure the degree
of creativity required to ensure the satisfactory completion of the individual function, task, etc.
The fullest range of potentially creative work should be taken into account. This can be
exercised in a number of ways including, for example: caring and counselling; design and
application of information technology systems and programmes; creation and planning of
menus; repair and maintenance of hard and soft landscapes, buildings, plant and machinery;
cleanliness and well-being of the environment; preparation of specifications and tenders;
preparation of plans and drawings; development and implementation of policy, practice and
procedures; and in the written and spoken word.
Account should not be given under this factor to any decision-making element which may be
involved in the exercise of creativity. This is more appropriately measured under the
Decisions factor.
Factor Levels
1. Work with limited opportunity for creative or innovatory thinking.
2. Work largely regulated by laid down procedures, but needing occasional creative skills
to deal with routine problems.
3. Creativity is a feature of the job but exercised within the general framework of
recognised procedures.
4. Creativity and innovation are essential to the job and need to be regularly exercised
within general guidelines.
5. Work which requires a range of imaginative solutions or responses and involves
application of fresh and innovatory thinking.
6. Work which requires creative and innovative input in a number of diverse subjects and
range of expertise where the opportunity and need for imaginative thinking is not limited
by defined policies.
7. Work carried out in new and challenging situations frequently involving innovatory
response on diverse subjects which have extensive policy or service implications.
CONTACTS AND RELATIONSHIPS
Introduction and Objectives
This factor measures the degree of personal contact and appraises the nature of the
relationships with other people which are required to be maintained by the postholder in the
course of the job.
Relationships may involve dealing with the physical, mental, social, financial and
environmental well being of clients.
Contacts must play a significant part in the duties of the job and be frequently made. The
regular contact requirements are the level which should be assessed. Rare exceptional
levels will not normally be assessed unless they can be shown to be a significant role of the
job.
The purpose, content, potential outcome and conflict/stress of a contact are more important
factors than the status of the person with whom the contact is made. Where employees
undertake contacts in well recognised, defined terms of reference, this must be borne in mind
in making the assessment. Cognisance should be given under this factor to employees
regularly dealing with situations of rudeness and abuse in the course of their work.
Contacts may involve customer/client services; caring; assessing; supporting; evaluating;
advising: fact-finding: interviewing; developing, motivating, influencing, persuading,
negotiating, providing or obtaining information. These activities may be present at all levels in
this factor.
Account should not be given under this factor to any decision-making element which may be
involved in contacts. This is more appropriately measured under the Decisions factor.
Factor Levels
1. Routine or incidental contacts involving exchange of information on non-contentious
matters.
2. Contacts on well established matters providing readily available information or
assistance, or occasionally dealing with issues where the outcome may not be
straightforward.
3. Issues generally not contentious, but where the outcome may not be straight-forward.
Within the council, the advice and guidance would relate to issues which are less well
established. Alternatively outside contacts would involve identifying details of service
needs, assessment and initiating action to provide assistance, offering straightforward
advice or delivering more comprehensive support and/or care.
4. Situations where the content and outcome are not straightforward or well established
and could involve more detailed assessment, planning, evaluation, care and
assistance. Some authority in the provision of service is required.
5. Some matters are likely to be contentious or complex requiring support, tact,
persuasion and sensitivity, within the application of operational guidelines. The
outcome will have material effect, including care, on the person, service or organisation
contacted.
6. Dealing with a range of complex and contentious matters requiring support,
persuasion, advocacy and sensitivity, within the application of operational guidelines.
The outcome will have significant implications, including care, for the contact or the
service.
7. Regularly dealing with a range of complex and contentious matters requiring a
consistently high degree of support, persuasion and advocacy and an awareness of
the Council’s major policy objectives. The outcome will have substantial implications
for the contact or the Council. The post holder may act on behalf of the council.
8. Advising the Council on high level complex matters with major implications for
contract/s or organisation contacted, or which require a responsibility to act on behalf
of the Council and commit the authority to a course of action involving a substantial
impact on resources. It would be expected that the expert guidance would be
accepted and only overruled as a result of a change in policies.
DECISIONS
Introduction and Objectives
This factor considers both the requirement to make decisions or recommendations as a
regular feature of the work and the consequences of those decisions or recommendations.
The degree of supervision over the post holder will also need to be considered.
The Discretion Sub-Factor will assess the need to make choices, the accountability for the
outcome, the constraints upon decisions and the availability of guidelines, advice, precedents,
regulations and procedures which will determine the extent of discretion.
The Consequences Sub-Factor will assess the nature of the consequences or outcome of the
decisions which will be considered in terms of the effect upon people, property, finance,
budgets, policies, objectives, targets, etc, both inside and outside the department or the
authority.
In assessing the elements of decision-making in a job the aspects relating to the discretion
and the consequences should clearly be identified and assessed separately under the
respective sub-factors.
Direct decisions are those where action is taken without reference to a higher authority.
Recommendations are treated as decisions where action is recommended to a higher
authority within the organisation or to another department which is accountable for making the
direct decisions. Normally recommendations carry less accountability than direct decisions.
Where the job requires a regular involvement with working parties or other similar groups
making collective decisions, it is necessary to identify the actual role played by post.
It must be stressed that the decisions or recommendations must be part of the regular pattern
of the work of the post.
Factor Levels
Discretion
1. Post requires little freedom to act, work is carried out within clearly defined rules or
procedures and advice is available if required.
2. Work is carried out within clearly defined rules and procedures involving decisions
chosen from a range of established alternatives.
3. Work is carried out within programmes and objectives where there is a wide range of
choices and where advice is not normally available and/or decisions where policy,
procedures and working standards provide only general guidelines.
4. Decisions which lead to the setting of working standards in the provision of operational
services and/or decisions leading to changes in important procedures or service
practice.
5. Posts which have a major responsibility for monitoring and evaluating important policy,
service practice and provision affecting a whole service, for making recommendations
for change and for managing their implementation.
6. Posts which have a continuing responsibility for reviewing important policy, service
practice and provision affecting the whole Council, for making recommendations for
change, managing the implementation and following up and dealing with implications
of the change.
Consequences
1. Decisions which have a limited and short-term effect on employees beyond immediate
colleagues or on the public. Effects of decisions would be quickly known and readily
amended if necessary.
2. Decisions which have a material effect on the internal operations of the post’s own or
other departments or on the individual or on the provision of services to the public.
3. Decisions which have significant implications for the service or significant effects on
employees or other individuals or other organisations.
4. Decisions which have a major impact on service provision, the public or other
organisations.
5. Decisions which have a major impact on the Council’s policies and activities across a
number of departments or on large numbers of people or on organisations in receipt of
the Council’s services.
Resources
Introduction and Objectives
This factor assesses personal and identifiable accountability for physical and financial
resources including those of clients. Account should be taken where the responsibility is less
than continuous or complete.
This accountability will involve the handling and the security, safekeeping, proper use, and/or
repair and maintenance of the resources. It will also include less than advanced tasks arising
out of the substantial use and manipulation of information technology and equipment.
The factor covers the extent of responsibility for the proper handling, care, security and
maintenance of equipment , plant, buildings, and materials, which will include data and record
systems whether manual or electronic. It also measures the direct accountability for the
security and safekeeping of cash, cheques and other securities.
These responsibilities include the physical and financial resources of clients as well as those
of the employer.
Factor Levels
1 Little or no responsibility for physical or financial resources.
2 Responsible for the proper use and safekeeping of hand tools, small items of
equipment and low cost materials or for the accurate handling and security of small
sums of cash and cheques or financial resources.
3 Responsible for the proper use and safekeeping of smaller plant, vehicles, machinery
and higher cost materials or for the accurate handling and security of larger sums of
cash and cheques or other financial resources.
3 Responsible for the proper use and safekeeping of larger vehicles and larger items of
plant and machinery or of high value stocks and supplies or for the accurate handling
and security of large sums of cash and cheques or other financial resources.
4 Responsible for the proper use and safekeeping of major physical resources or other
financial resources.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Introduction and Objectives
This factor considers four elements characterising the environment within which the work
is carried out; work demands, physical demands, working conditions and work context.
The elements are to be assessed separately.
There is always the assumption that the council’s procedures and safe working practices
under health and safety legislation have been strictly adhered to.
Work Demands
This element considers the impact of deadlines, the frequency and
suddenness of demands for changes between work,
communication problems, and the resolution of conflicting resource
needs and priorities on the work of the post holder.
Physical Demands
This element considers the amount and continuity of physical
effort required. For example bending, crouching, keyboarding,
lifting, lowering, pressing, pulling, pushing, rolling, standing,
stretching, walking, working in constrained positions. It also
covers manual dexterity where the speed and accuracy or
consistently high use of IT equipment is a valid requirement of the
job.
Working Conditions This element considers the exposure to disagreeable or
unpleasant working conditions present in the physical
environment. The frequency of the exposure and its nature need
to be evaluated. This would include for example, dirt, dust,
lighting, inclement weather, noise, ventilation, vibration and
disagreeable and unpleasant working conditions associated with
caring responsibilities. Consideration must also be given to the
possibility that the job holder may be unable to take shelter
without prejudicing operational needs.
Work Context
This element considers the potential risk to health and general
well being of illness and injury, emotional as well as physical
inherent in the job, including abuse, aggression and risk of injury
from the public.
It is assumed that boroughs have ensured that appropriate assessments of risk have
been undertaken and hazardous conditions avoided or reduced as far as practicable.
Factor Levels
Work Demands
1
Work where tasks are interchanged but the programme of tasks is not normally
interrupted.
2
Work subject to interruption to the programme of tasks but not involving any significant
change to the programme.
3
Work subject to deadlines involving changing problems, circumstances or demand.
4
Work subject to deadlines involving frequently changing circumstances and conflicting
priorities.
5
Work subject to constant change and the management of conflicting priorities and
deadlines.
Physical Demands
1
Work requiring normal physical effort.
2
Work requiring normal physical effort with periods of substantial effort; or normal
physical effort occasionally in awkward postures: or prolonged effort in a constrained
position involving considerable manual dexterity.
3
Work requiring substantial physical effort with short periods of intense physical effort; or
normal physical effort regularly in awkward postures.
4
Work regularly requiring intense physical effort; or lengthy periods of substantial
physical effort in awkward postures.
Working Conditions
1
Work normally performed in a heated, lit and ventilated indoor environment; may be
exposed to occasional noise or outside conditions.
2
Work includes significant elements of inside or outside work involving some exposure to
moderate noise, heat, cold, disagreeable or difficult surroundings/conditions.
3
Majority of work performed outside involving exposure to all weather conditions or
exposure inside or outside to considerable noise or dirty or difficult or disagreeable and
unpleasant surroundings/conditions.
4
Working continuously outside involving exposure to all weather conditions or exposure
inside or outside to continuous noise or work in dirty or very disagreeable and
unpleasant surroundings/conditions.
Work Context
1
Work involves minimal risk to personal safety of injury, illness or heath problems arising
from the environment or the public/clients.
2
Work potentially involves some risk to personal safety of injury, illness or health
problems arising from the environment or the public/clients.
3
Work potentially involves moderate risk to personal safety of injury, illness or health
problems arising from the environment or the public/clients.
4
Work potentially involves a substantial risk to personal safety of injury, illness or health
problems arising from the environment or the public/clients.
KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS
Introduction and Objectives
This factor measures knowledge and skills, in their broadest sense, in relation to the work or
discipline required by any job covered by the Scheme, and which are necessary for the
competent performance of the full duties and responsibilities of the job.
These may include technical, professional, operational or specialist disciplines as well as
caring, interpersonal, literacy and linguistic skills, diplomacy, sensitivity, tact, dexterity,
numeracy, knowledge of equipment and machinery, operational techniques, concepts,
theories, procedures, and communications and management skills. These considerations will
apply at all levels of this factor.
In the context of this factor a function is defined as a work area and a specialist discipline as a
discrete body of knowledge or skills.
While the cumulative knowledge and skills of a particular job holder are not especially
relevant to the evaluation of a post, it may be a useful guide in demonstrating that at every
level knowledge and skills can be acquired in different ways, through formal
education/training; informal education/training; socially acquired skills; practical experience
within a similar job or work area; and/or practical experience in a dissimilar but relevant work
area.
This factor recognises an initial, introductory level of practical understanding of the immediate
work environment, systems and procedures, together with a continuing updating of the
relevant level of knowledge and skills.
Factor Levels
1
Ability to undertake work consistent with a basic knowledge and skills requirement,
which involves a limited range of tasks that can be carried out after initial induction.
2
Ability to undertake work consistent with a comparatively basic knowledge and skills
requirement, which encompasses a range of tasks involving application of readily
understood rules, procedures or techniques.
3
Ability to undertake work concerning more involved tasks confined to one function or
area of activity, which requires a good standard of practical knowledge and skills in that
area of activity.
4
Ability to undertake work of a variety of advanced tasks, confined to one function or
area of activity, which requires detailed knowledge and skills in a specialist discipline.
5
Ability to undertake work of a range of advanced activities:
EITHER
Applying to more than one function which requires detailed knowledge and skills in a
specialist discipline;
OR
Applying to one function which requires detailed knowledge and skills in more than one
specialist discipline.
6
Ability to undertake work of a complex nature which requires:
EITHER
Detailed knowledge and skills in a diverse range of specialist disciplines;
OR
advanced/high level knowledge and skills in a specialist discipline.
7
Ability to undertake work of a more complex nature, which requires advanced/high
level knowledge and skill across a range of specialist disciplines.
8
Ability to undertake work of a highly complex and diverse nature, which requires
advanced/high level knowledge and skills in a range of specialist disciplines.
ALLOCATION OF POINTS
Level
FACTOR
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Supervision/Management of people
See matrix
Creativity and Innovation
28
40
52
64
76
88
100
Contacts & Relationships
20
38
56
74
92
110
128
146
Decisions – Discretion
20
36
52
68
84
100
Consequences
12
24
36
48
60
Resources
10
20
30
40
50
Work Environment – Work Demands
8
16
24
32
40
Physical Demands
6
12
18
24
Working Conditions
6
12
18
24
Work Context
8
16
24
32
Knowledge & Skills
48
80
112
144
176
208
240
272
SUPERVISION/MANAGEMENT OF PEOPLE:
FACTOR LEVEL
. 1
. 2
. 3
. 4
up to 5 staff
6-15 staff
16-49 staff
50+ staff
1*
16
-
-
-
2*
28
34
-
-
3*
46
52
58
-
4*
58
64
70
76
5*
64
70
76
82
6
-
82
88
94
7
-
-
94
100
*
An additional six points for ‘dispersal’ may be awarded where applicable.