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COVID-19 (Coronavirus): Guidance and Information for Managers and Employees
Content (Please click on the headings below to take you to each relevant section)
Health & Wellbeing ............................................................................ 2 Preventing the Spread of Infection .................................................. 3
Face Coverings ......................................................................... 3 PPE ............................................................................................ 4 Testing for Keyworkers ............................................................ 6 Test and Protect ....................................................................... 9 Local Restrictions .................................................................... 10
Isolation and Quarantine .................................................................. 11
Vulnerable Groups/Shielding .................................................. 12 Pregnant Employees ................................................................ 14
Pay & Conditions ............................................................................... 15
Recording of Reason .............................................................. 15 Bodet/Toil/Overtime & Flexi ..................................................... 16 Enhancements – Night and Weekend Working ...................... 16 Timesheet, Travel & Expenses Claims ................................... 17 Annual Leave ........................................................................... 18
Service Continuity ............................................................................. 19
School/Facility Closure ............................................................ 19 Working from a different location ........................................... 20 Working in a different role/capacity ........................................ 20 Working at Home ………………………………………………… 20 Office Opening ………………………………………………………21 Relief/Supply Staff .................................................................... 22 Mobilisation of Staff ................................................................. 23 Recruitment .............................................................................. 23
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Health & Wellbeing A Coronavirus is a type of virus. Generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease. COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan city, China. This is a rapidly changing situation which is being affecting Countries Worldwide and has been classed as a Pandemic. The UK was placed on a lockdown to control the spread of COVID -19 and is now working through a phased approach to come out of lockdown. The Scottish Government has its own specific Coronavirus (COVID-19) route map which details indicative dates within Scotland. Further information can be found at https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/ Common symptoms include:
• high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
To reduce the risk of catching or spreading any virus, good practice is to follow simple hygiene rules, such as:
• avoid direct hand contact with your eyes, nose and mouth
• wash hands thoroughly with hot water and soap
• use hand sanitisers where washing facilities are not readily available
• use tissues when sneezing or coughing then throw them away in a bin and
wash your hands/use Alcohol Based Hand Rub.
• avoid direct contact with people that have a respiratory illness and avoid using their personal items, e.g. mobile phone
• practice good hygiene standards, i.e. dispose of your rubbish, put away personal items, don’t leave dirty cutlery or mugs lying about, wipe down desks keyboard, etc.
Latest coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance from NHS Scotland and the Scottish
Government, including physical distancing measures and advice for infected
households can be found at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/coronavirus
More detailed information and guidance, including self-isolation or quarantine, can be
found on Arcadia
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Periods of sickness absence/special leave due to confirmed self-isolation or quarantine as detailed by Public Health Scotland will not be reckoned against the employee’s sickness/absence entitlement. The current times are anxious ones for many both within the council and beyond. Wellbeing newsletters include information and advice available to get through these challenging times as well as signposts to organisations both within and outside the council that can offer assistance. It is also packed full of useful information including advice about how to support children and young people with managing their anxieties, five ways to better wellbeing and a guide to the Employee Assistance Program. Link to Wellbeing Information
Preventing the Spread of Infection Wearing of Face Coverings Scottish Government has made it mandatory for face coverings to be worn in all shops and on public transport in Scotland, and from 8 August this includes libraries and museums. Each of us has a personal responsibility to ensure we are using a suitable covering when entering a shop or using public transport for any reason, whether at work or in our own time, to protect ourselves and those around us from the transmission of COVID-19. There is an acknowledgement that some roles within Aberdeenshire Council will require employees to use public transport or to enter a shop. Examples of this include, but are not limited to:
• Where a mobile worker has to refuel their vehicle at a filling station and enter the shop area to provide payment
• Where an employee is required to travel on public transport as part of their work activities
• Where an employee has to undertake shopping for a client as part of their work duties
For the safety of yourself and others, there is an expectation that all council employees will follow this requirement at all times. Failure to do so will be investigated by your line manager and appropriate corrective action taken. Guidance on the mandatory requirements is available on Arcadia. Advice on suitable face coverings and suppliers can be sought from the Health, Safety & Wellbeing Team [email protected] or Procurement [email protected]
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Working Safely: PPE Guidance
The Scottish Government has issued an update to guidance on the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). You can read the full guidance on the Health Protection Scotland website: https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/a-to-z-of-topics/wuhan-novel-coronavirus
As your employer, we will do all we can to ensure you can carry out your duties safely, taking steps to redesign the way jobs are done to protect you, providing guidance on how we expect you to carry out your duties safely, and taking responsibility for our own individual actions to protect ourselves and others.
The most effective means of doing this continues to be regular and thorough hand washing, cleaning equipment and surfaces, and avoiding, where possible, coming into close contact with other people.
However, some services require staff to come into close contact with people, and in these circumstances, services’ will undertake risk assessments to cover different job roles.
Further advice on appropriate standard and type of PPE can be sought from the Health, Safety & Wellbeing Team [email protected]
Specific advice for staff in the Aberdeenshire Health & Social Care Partnership
National guidance has meant a number of changes which particularly impact on our services.
This means that all of our teams must wear PPE when working with anyone who is in the Shielded or self-isolating category as well as those who are symptomatic or who have a diagnosis of COVID-19.
Please refer to table 2 in this link for what PPE you should wear and when: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control
Further updated guidance on the extended use of face mask in hospitals and care homes can be found here.
Ordering PPE for all AHSCP services
All PPE orders for all AHSCP services (Care at Home, Community Hospitals, AHPs etc.) and commissioned services are being collated through the Joint Equipment Centre (JEC). To place an order a Manager must complete a PPE order form which has been sent to them. Once completed the form should be emailed to [email protected] From there, the JEC will order the required PPE and will take delivery of PPE stock which will then be distributed to one of nine local
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hubs. The Manager who placed the order will be notified and asked to arrange collection from the nearest hub.
Local Distribution Hubs:
• Peterhead Community Hospital
• Fraserburgh Community Hospital
• Chalmers Hospital, Banff
• The Bothy at Ythanvale Care Home, Ellon
• Turriff Community Hospital
• Jubilee Hospital, Huntly
• Inverurie Community Hospital
• Glen O Dee Hospital, Banchory
• Kincardine Community Hospital, Stonehaven
Ordering PPE for Schools
All schools have now been issued with an initial stock of appropriate PPE, which should be used only as directed by your risk assessment. Replenishment stock will be managed at each cluster Academy and your local Support Services Coordinator will have advised each school of the process for requesting additional supplies. Any queries from schools should be directed to your local Support Services Coordinator in the first instance. Anything that requires escalation should be directed to Kenny Gunnyeon ([email protected]; 01467539121)
Ordering PPE (all other services)
It is important services manage demand for PPE and allow at least one week for new orders to arrive, after carefully considering service requirements based on risk assessment.
If you have a source for the supply of this equipment, you can continue to order through iProc and there is no need to contact the procurement team directly. Please only get in touch via [email protected] if you are struggling to source the items you need and please be ready to raise a purchase order. What can be done in a non-healthcare workplace to prevent the spread of respiratory infections? Promote good hand hygiene by making sure that staff, contractor, service users and visitors have access to hand washing facilities or request people to use hand
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sanitisers where available. Services and Facilities which remain open during the lockdown should follow Health & Safety Advice in line with Government Guidance.
Specific advice for Roads, Landscape, Waste and Housing Services
Risk assessments and safe systems of work are in place to ensure the Scottish Government and Health Protection Scotland guidance is complied with.
PPE is supplied, appropriate for the task at hand, and distributed to those that require it.
Social distancing can be harder to achieve where close contact or working in close proximity with other staff members is unavoidable. Appropriate measures have been taken to mitigate any potential risks and staff are reminded to follow good hand and respiratory hygiene.
Housing service is providing essential services only at the moment, including emergency response and work to turn around empty properties for those who are presenting as homeless and others who urgently require accommodation.
Where staff are needed to work in a property, please maintain social distancing at all times, use the hygiene products provided and raise any concerns immediately.
Teams should not respond to any non-urgent requests at this time and should not enter a property if anybody inside is self-isolating or displaying symptoms of coronavirus.
Covid-19 Testing for Keyworkers
Testing is now available via NHS Grampian at 4 sites for those identified by Aberdeenshire Council as a Key Worker (list below, being expanded regularly). The testing will take place in a drive-thru format at Aberdeen Airport, ARI, Jubilee Hospital in Huntly and Linkswood Medical Practice in Elgin. If a key worker has symptoms of fever (above 37.8°C) or a new persistent cough and has to self-isolate for 10 days, then they can request to be tested. A negative test result for a key worker will allow them to return to work once they are well enough even if that is before 10 days If a key worker is in household isolation for 14 days because they live with someone who has symptoms of fever (above 37.8°C) or a new persistent cough, then they can request a test be offered to their household member(s) with symptoms. A negative test result for a household member of a key worker will mean the 14-day household isolation period is lifted immediately and the employee can return to work.
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Tests can be requested by completing the on line form available through the NHS website or a word version can be downloaded, completed and returned to [email protected]. Please follow the link below to access the forms and information on the NHS website. Staff COVID -19 Testing If employees require assistance accessing the form they can contact Aberdeenshire Council’s Occupational Health Nurse [email protected] or on 01467 533223 who can complete the form with them over the phone and submit on their behalf. Results will be provided to the individual who has had the test via telephone call or text message. After submitting the form you should be contacted within 24 hours by NHS Grampian and should receive your test results 24 hours after having the test. Employees must inform their line manager that they have requested a test and notify them of the outcome. Line Managers must update the employees record of absence immediately when they are notified of the result by the employee by recording the appropriate Covid -19 paid special leave process detailed below. Key Workers Key worker posts are defined as posts providing essential services to support the vulnerable and aid community resilience, and who are required to be on the front line in order to perform their role. Other roles are essential, valued and important. The below provides clarity on testing for a number of roles that cannot be performed in other ways. This includes employees who have been mobilised into one of the posts or service areas outlined below. Category 1: Health and Care workers supporting critical primary and community care provision as well as staff providing childcare/learning for Category 1 staff. Home Care Care Home Staff: Managers, Assistant Managers, Social Care Officers, Care Assistants, Domestic Assistants Teachers, PSAs (for Hubs) Residential Child Care Officers (Children’s Homes) Very Sheltered Housing: VSH Officers Sheltered Housing provision of support Cleansing Services staff supporting ECS and Category 1 establishments Drivers supporting H&SCP and NHS Homelessness: Hostel Assistants, Housing Officers Category 2: Wider public service workers providing critical welfare services. Social Workers Family support Workers Local Area Co-ordinators in Children’s Services Social Care Officers Respite Workers Care Managers for Older People
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Joint Equipment Centre (for equipment and support for elderly discharged from hospital) Environmental Health Housing staff providing essential visits and repairs Category 3: All workers in the public sector where there would be a significant impact on Scotland if the work is not undertaken. Waste Collection and Disposal: Technical, Supervisory and Operational personnel involved in Waste Collection and Waste Transfer activities Street Cleansing: Supervisory and Operational Personnel involved in Litter Bin emptying Winter Maintenance: Technical, Supervisory and Operational personnel involved in Winter Maintenance Operations Emergency Road and Bridge Repairs: Technical, Supervisory and Operational personnel involved in the management and delivery of response to emergency defects across the road, bridge and lighting network Quarry Service: Technical, Supervisory and Operational personnel involved in the production of road maintenance materials necessary for the response to emergency defects across the road and bridge network. Burial Bookings: Personnel involved in the administrative booking of interments and lair sales Interment Service: Technical personnel involved in lair identification. Supervisory and Operational personnel involved in lair opening and closing. Operational personnel involved in interment assistance to Funeral Directors. Excess Death Management: Technical, Supervisory and Operational personnel involved in additional duties associated with the delivery of the Excess Death Operational Plan. School Catering: Cooks, Assistant Cooks Vehicle Maintenance including Vehicle/Fleet Management e.g. licence obligations, insurance, RFL Property Maintenance: Engineering Team (Engineers dealing with reactive heating (failures, gas safety) and Energy Engineers dealing with building controls and financial payments to suppliers (energy suppliers), Cleaners (key properties) Payroll: Payroll Supervisors, Payroll Assistants Health & Wellbeing: Procurement: Supplies critical to ongoing incident Finance: Payments – to suppliers, pensions, adoption, fostering and kinship for children ICT: Network connectivity and unified communications Trading Standards Animal Welfare Teachers (not in Hubs) Gypsy/Traveller Liaison Officer Tenancy Services Housing Officers (essential support for vulnerable individuals, in rent arrears) Registrars Solicitors Estates Manager and Area Teams - Making space available to critical services (e.g. PPE storage) and the voluntary sector (e.g. emergency foodbanks). Estates Manager and other Estates officers (going forward) - Supporting tenants affected by the impact of COVID-19 to aid their survival.
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Asset Management Team Leader - Managing the Council’s property resources to support critical services. Test and Protect Test and Protect is NHS Scotland’s approach to controlling the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the community. Everyone aged five and over who has Coronavirus symptoms of a new continuous cough, temperature or loss or change in sense of taste or smell should go to NHS Inform online or call 0800 028 2816 to book a test. Under the system, people will need to isolate with their household as soon as they have symptoms and, if they have a positive test result, they will be asked to provide details of all recent close contacts to NHS contact tracers. Those people will be contacted and asked to isolate for 14 days. What to do if you have symptoms? You and your household should not leave home, will need to request a test and, if the result is positive, help NHS Scotland to identify who you’ve had contact with. (This will be done confidentially.) What happens when you are phoned by the Test & Protect service? If you are told you have been in close contact with someone with Coronavirus, do not leave home for 14-days. A test will be arranged if appropriate. Also, the other members of your household do not need to isolate unless they have also been contacted by Test and Protect service or you start to develop symptoms. Here are link to short video offering additional guidance:
• Test and Protect (60 seconds)
Test and Protect guidance is also available for all employees. If you have tested positive for Covid-19, please discuss with your line manager and arrange for this to be recorded as Diagnosed with Covid-19 via this notification process. Likewise, if you are contacted by the Tracing Team, again please discuss this with your line manager but instead use the Self-Isolation (14 days) reason. What if an employee becomes unwell in the workplace? If someone becomes unwell in the workplace with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature, they should leave work to self‑isolate straight away and, if possible, wear a face covering on route home and avoid public transport. They should not return to work until they have been tested and told if it is safe to leave home. Only the employee who is unwell should be sent home, should the employee test positive for Covid -19 they will be told to self -isolate for a minimum of 10 days, all close contacts of the employee will be contacted by Health Protection Scotland and may be told to self – isolate for 14 days as per Test & Protect Guidance
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Stay Safe, Protect Others and Save lives Scotland moved to Phase 3 of the route map for coming out of lockdown on the 10
July 2020. During this time, you should:
• wear a face covering where required
• avoid crowded places
• clean hands and surfaces regularly
• stay 2m away from other people
• self-isolate and book a test if you have COVID-19 symptoms
Further detailed information and support on staying safe can be found on the Scottish Government website Local Restrictions On Wednesday 5th August 2020, the Scottish government announced that a local lockdown had been agreed for Aberdeen following a spike in coronavirus cases. The decision had been made by the Scottish Government in discussion with Police Scotland, NHS Grampian and Aberdeen City Council. The lockdown affects all locations with the Aberdeen City boundary only. While there are currently no restrictions for Aberdeenshire, the Scottish Government is asking people not to travel into the city until further notice. The following guidance takes immediate effect:
• Aberdeen residents should not travel more than five miles for leisure or recreation, but may continue to travel for work or education
• Aberdeen residents should not go into each other’s homes, although extended household groups can continue
• Those who are currently visiting Aberdeen can stay in the city but should follow the guidance and take extra care
Those who are not in Aberdeen should not travel into the city
Frequently Asked Questions What does this mean for Aberdeenshire Council employees? In accordance with Scottish Government guidance, travel for work and education is still possible. Safe measures must continue to be followed. If you have any concerns regarding travel or work location due to this development, please discuss with your Line Manager.
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Everybody in Scotland is asked to follow the FACTS: • Face coverings in enclosed spaces • Avoid crowded places indoors and outdoors • Clean your hands and hard surfaces • Two metre distancing • Self-isolate and book a test if you have symptoms
What happens if Test and Protect contact me? Test and Protect teams are continuing to trace close contacts of individuals associated with the spike in figures. Anybody who is contacted must comply with the advice given:
• If you are advised to self isolate you must do so for 14 days
• If you show symptoms within those 14 days, you should book a test
• If you do not show symptoms you must still isolate for the 14 days, but you do not require to book a test
I’ve booked a test within the 14 days isolation, can I return to work before the end of this time period? No. You must stay off for the 14 days isolation as you may still be incubating the virus. An employee has informed me that they were in one of the affected locations. What should I do? If they have given their accurate details to the premises affected and have not been contacted by Test and Protect they should remain working adhering to the safe working guidelines and remaining vigilant. Should they become symptomatic they should immediately self isolate. If they have not given their details to the premises they should contact Test and Protect and advise them of the location, date and time they were at these premises. Test and Protect will then advise them accordingly. The employee should make you aware of the outcome of this discussion.
If you have any questions or concerns please speak to your line manager or use the free confidential employee assistance programme ‘time for talking.’ Further information about the Aberdeen lockdown and related advice is available via https://www.gov.scot/ Information about Test and Protect can be found via NHS Inform.
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Isolation and Quarantine The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of a new continuous cough and/or high temperature and loss of taste and smell. If you have these symptoms, however mild, stay at home and do not leave your house for 10 days from when your symptoms started and book a test . If your symptoms worsen during isolation or are no better after 10 days, contact NHS 24 (111) online. If you have no internet access, you should call NHS 24 (111). For a medical emergency dial 999.
If you have symptoms and live with others:
• You should stay at home for 10 days from the start of your symptoms • They should stay at home for 14 days from the start of your symptoms even if they
don’t have symptoms themselves
If they develop symptoms within the 14 days, they need to stay at home for 10 days from the day their symptoms began. They should do this even if it takes them over the 14-day isolation period. Employees who are self-isolating, should arrange with their manager to work from home if this is practical.
• Where the employee’s job role allows them to work from home, this can be agreed and communication between manager and employee should be maintained. The employee will receive their normal pay.
• Where the employee’s role is such that they are unable to work from home, the manager should discuss with the employee possible tasks or activities that are paper based and can be done at home, e.g. undertake training, reviewing coursework, etc as an alternative. The employee will receive their normal pay.
• Where it is not possible for an employee to undertake any work activity, tasks or training. The employee will receive their normal pay.
In all cases, employees should remain in contact with their line manager during any period away from work. Employees who wish to self-isolate out with Government guidance
You should discuss the situation and concerns with the employee. Advise the employee to discuss with the Council’s EAP provider, Time for Talking, contact details telephone no 0800 970 3980 or online www.timefortalking.co.uk or encourage them to discuss with their own GP or counsellor.
An employee may choose to request annual leave however this would need to be approved by the appropriate line manager taking into account the needs of the service.
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Vulnerable Groups There are some people who are classed as “vulnerable groups” and should significantly reduce unnecessary social contact – Physical Distancing. These higher risk groups include:
• pregnant women • aged 70 or older (regardless of medical conditions) • under 70 with an underlying health condition listed below (broadly anyone
instructed to get a flu jab each year on medical grounds): • chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis • chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
• chronic kidney disease • chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis • chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone
disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral palsy • diabetes • problems with your spleen – for example, sickle cell disease or if you have had
your spleen removed • a weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS,
or medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy • being seriously overweight (a BMI of 40 or above)
There are some clinical conditions which put people at even higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Scottish Government - Change in Shielding Advice (from 1 August 2020)
Scottish Government announced from the 1 August the advice for people to shield will
be paused, this means in general people who have been shielding can now follow the
same advice as everyone else in Scotland. Employees previously shielding may
return to the workplace if their job role cannot be done from home.
Employees with specific health condition or treatments, examples include, people who:
• are waiting on a solid organ transplant
• are having treatment for cancer or have recently completed treatment
Should contact their specialist care team or GP to discuss if the Government advice is
right for them and to discuss any specific issues or concerns individually with their line
manager prior to returning to work.
Further detailed information on shielding advice can be found on the Scottish
Government Website here.
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Returning to the Workplace from Shielding From the 1 August, employees in job roles which require them to return to the workplace should discuss this with their line manager in detail, completing an individual risk assessment specific to them and their job role. This should be completed in conjunction but not replaced by the Scottish Governments workplace risk assessment tool which will determine an employees “Covid age” and associated risk level. This will help identify any specific individual risks to the staff member from Covid – 19 in the workplace. This tool is not designed to replace any of the current risk assessments which may already be in place within facilities/schools or workplaces, but instead to compliment them. Information and guidance on Aberdeenshire’s current generic Covid -19 risks assessment can be found on Arcadia within the Health, Safety & Wellbeing Page. Information as well as an overview of the risk assessment process (and when this is required) can be found on ALDO. Further advice and specific training on risk assessment can also be sought by contacting the Health, Safety & Wellbeing Team. We recognise that this period of transition will be an anxious time for our shielding colleagues and we encourage employees to access available support through our Employee Assistance Programme, their GP and the NHS Inform website. Additional information and guidance on returning to work can be found on the Scottish Government Website. Further advice on returning to work can also be sought by contacting the HR Operations Team or AskHR. Pregnant Employees and Working The guidance for pregnant workers, in particular for women in later pregnancy and the information for pregnant health care workers has been updated. If you are in your third trimester (more than 28 weeks pregnant) you should be particularly attentive to physical distancing and minimising any contact with others.
All pregnant women should follow the Public Health advice:
• Guidance on physical distancing for all vulnerable people including pregnant women
• Guidance for individuals and households with possible coronavirus infection
If you are physically attending at your workplace you must discuss your role and your individual circumstances/ requirements with your line manager taking into account the current information from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Website: Coronavirus Infection and Pregnancy
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Pay & Conditions Recording To help the Council understand how the virus is affecting the workforce, all cases relating to Covid-19, as detailed in the table below, must be recorded using the paid special leave process. Reason Scenario Affecting Employee
Diagnosed with Covid-19 Tests positive for the virus
Self-isolating (10 days) Required to self-isolate as symptomatic
Self-isolating (14 days) Required to self-isolate following notification from Test & Protect or living in a household with someone who is symptomatic
Workplace Closure Workplace closed due to outbreak of virus
Underlying Health Condition Based on medical advice, unable to return to substantive role/ workplace due to serious underlying health condition
Pregnant Based on medical advice, unable to return to substantive role/ workplace due to pregnancy
Caring for Dependents Required to care for a dependent following the temporary closure of a care establishment e.g. a school or adult day care centre due to an outbreak of the virus
Quarantined Required to quarantine following, for example, a trip abroad
The Council also has a legal duty to report any cases where an employee has been diagnosed with Covid-19 that may be work related. All such cases must be recorded within the Corporate Accident Reporting Database. In circumstances where an employee has an underlying health condition, pregnancy related concerns, required to care for dependents or is quarantining and is unable to work from home, the manager should seek advice from their HR Advisor as to other options that should be considered prior to agreeing to a period of paid leave. Managers with access to the People Manager platform are able to record these cases for staff who directly report to them using the Paid Special Leave functionality. For service areas where People Manager is not available, a Covid-19 recording form is available which managers can complete and return to HR for inputting into the HR/Payroll system. Further guidance and access to the Covid–19 recording form can be found on askHR. Employees who can submit requests for paid special leave through the ESS platform should continue to do, ensuring the relevant line manager has been notified in advance (where possible). It should be noted that employees will not be able to request paid special leave for an underlying health condition, pregnancy concerns, caring for dependents or quarantining. Such cases have to be recorded by their manager, as detailed above. As some of the previous reasons for paid leave have been removed e.g. shielding/ social distancing as they are no longer applicable, a manager may not be able to end
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an employee’s existing period of paid special leave using People Manager. In such cases, they should email the employee’s name, pay reference number and paid special leave end date to HRODReward&[email protected]. The email should be titled ‘Covid19 Paid Special Leave End Date’. Bodet Employees who are working (including those working remotely from home) should continue to record their hours through BODET to ensure that this provides line managers with the information to hand on the capacity of their teams. Please note this also applies to employees who are continuing to work even though they have recorded special leave through the Covid – 19 recording form. If an employee is not able to work at all, their BODET should be amended to reflect paid special leave.
Where applicable BODET administrators have automatically removed restrictions on schedules e.g. core hours (1000-1200 &1400-1600), start/finish times and inputting on days not normally worked. However, it is expected that any significant deviation from an employee’s normal working pattern should be discussed with the line manager in the first instance.
Manager and Employees should continue to discuss contractual hours of work, individual personal responsibilities and how these can be managed to ensure critical business requirements of the service are meet.
Care should be taken to ensure that those working additional hours do not put their
own or others’ health and safety at risk and that they get regular rest breaks.
Managers will receive 4 weekly flexi balance reports for their teams.
Where contractual hours have not been completed during the normal working week or whilst working different work patterns: In situations where employees are unable to fulfil their contractual hours either because their location is closed or their workload is less either for all or part of the working week, employees will continue to receive their normal pay. Employees with caring duties for dependents within the home and where due to disruption of care arrangements they are unable to work their contractual hours normal pay will continue. Where possible alternative arrangements should be sought/arranged. If any employee has indicated that they are struggling to maintain their contracted hours (e.g. due to childcare) then at the discretion of the line manager any negative flexi balance can be removed at the end of the flexi period.
Moving forward during the recovery period, as facilities, schools and working
arrangements start to return to normal, wherever possible any negative flexi balance
should be worked back. The general expectation being that flexi time is not utilised
during the payback period unless prior discussion and agreement has been made
between the employee and the line manager.
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In exceptional circumstances employees may be asked to work out with their normal working hours to support critical service delivery. The appropriate enhancements will apply.
Flexi/Toil/Overtime
Managers and employees should continue to discuss, agree and manage hours of work to ensure the Health, Wellbeing and Safety of the workforce is considered during this critical time to meet Business requirements.
All additional hours worked due to Covid -19 should be recorded using the appropriate financial cost code. Enhancement for Night and Weekend Working Staff will continue to receive the normal enhancement to pay for night and weekend working as detailed in their contract of employment during this period even if not all hours are worked due to Covid-19 Staff not normally in receipt of enhancements but who are requested to work in a different role or place of work to deliver critical business services will receive the enhanced payment for hours work at night and weekend as detailed in the Pay and Conditions of Service Agreement – April 2018 information on which can be found on AskHR. These hours should be claimed by timesheet. Timesheets, Travel and Subsistence Claims Timesheets/ Monthly Allowances Claim Forms All Timesheet claims must be authorised by line managers before being submitted to payroll. An approved spreadsheet (Establishment Payroll File (EPF)) has been made available to services for collation of timesheet hours. Electronic Timesheets and Allowances Forms are currently still available on askHR along with downloadable paper forms and guidance on completion is available here Managers will either have the hours added to the EPF spreadsheet or submit the timesheet to payroll but not both. All formats should have the correct full financial code appended where required. Employees should not cc in payroll if emailing the timesheets to their manager as this may create a duplicate and result in an overpayment which will require to be recovered. Claims not being added to the service EPF spreadsheet should be submitted to payroll as follows:-
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Email:- [email protected] ( subject line MUST be Timesheet <employee name & payroll number>) Post :- Aberdeenshire Council, Payroll Team, Woodhill House, Westburn Road, Aberdeen AB16 5GB. Travel and Subsistence (T&S) Claims The requirement for T&S claims to be authorised prior to payment will be temporarily removed. This will come into immediate effect for claims submitted using the paper form. In respect of online claims submitted via ESS, the system will be reconfigured as of 30th March to allow all such claims to be processed for payment without the requirement for line manager approval. Online T&S claims will also be rolled out to Education staff as of 30th March, including those within Live Life Aberdeenshire. Guidance on using the online claim form can be found here. Wherever possible, Covid-19 related expenditure should be separated from regular service expenditure. To facilitate this, four service-specific ESS claim forms have been created with the relevant Covid-19 cost centre and subjective pre-populated. The Covid-19 claim forms will be available to use as of 30th March – please refer to this guidance document for more information. If claims are being submitted using a paper form, these should be posted, or scanned and emailed, to: Address: Travel & Employee Benefits, Woodhill House, Westburn Road, Aberdeen AB16 5GB. Email: [email protected] (employee name & pay reference to be included in title of email) Only one submission should be made, either posted or scanned and emailed, in order to prevent overpayments. Managers will receive details of payments made to staff in relation to the claims submitted via the online functionality and by paper form. Annual Leave In these unprecedented and challenging times, it is vitally important we all look after ourselves to maintain our wellbeing and resilience. It is essential that we ensure that our staff have appropriate time away from work duties and that employees are encouraged to use their annual leave over the coming months. This will ensure that we all maintain our own health and wellbeing. Manager should discuss, review and agree annual leave requests, ensuring these are being staggered over the course of the year, otherwise services will operationally
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struggle to support large numbers of employees trying to use annual leave when current Covid -19 related restrictions are lifted. It is acknowledged that in critical service areas with keyworker roles it may become more challenging for requests for annual leave to be approved. In these service areas managers should be trying where operationally feasible to allow employees time off. Where this is not possible, arrangements will be made for keyworkers to carry over unused leave into future annual leave years in accordance with the latest UK Government advice. Please note this provision should be limited to our keyworker roles only and in all other service areas every effort should be made for annual leave to be taken in the normal manner, considering the business requirements of the service We will continue to review legislation and any updated amendments issued. In these exceptional circumstances it may not be possible to give employees the minimum one weeks’ notice for each week of booked annual leave. Consideration should be given to individual circumstances and any financial loss which may be incurred.
Service Continuity School/Facility Closure In the event that a school/facility must close, employees can be asked to work at an alternative location or in a different keyrole to support the critical business of the council, taking into account their knowledge, skills, experience and ability to travel.
Alternatively, where the employee’s job role allows them to work from home, this can be agreed and communication between manager and employee should be maintained.
Where the employee’s role is such that it is not possible to work from home, you should discuss with the employee possible tasks or activities that are paper based and can be done at home, e.g. undertake training, reviewing coursework, etc as an alternative. If considering temporary redeployment into another role, please contact the Resourcing Team. All of the above should be recorded using the Covid-19 recording form, or via askHR following the Paid Special Leave notification process.
Employee’s unable to attend work due to their child’s/dependent’s school/facility has closed
Where the employee’s job role allows them to work from home, this can be agreed, consideration should be given to service requirements, flexibility and whether the employee can work no fixed - no core hours and recorded using the Covid-19 recording form or via askHR following the paid special leave notification process.
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Communication between manager and employee should be maintained throughout. Where the employee’s role is such that they are unable to work from home, the manager should discuss with the employee possible tasks or activities that are paper based and can be done at home, e.g. undertake training, reviewing coursework, etc as an alternative and record outcome using the Covid-19 recording form, or via askHR following the paid special leave notification process
Where it is not possible for an employee to undertake any work activity, tasks or training from home please contact your HR Advisor to discuss all possible options. Annual leave must be discussed, agreed and taken as normal during period of school/facility closure. Employees are required to work at a different facility/location and not in their normal role/workplace. Aberdeenshire Council expects all employees to be as flexible as possible to meet the requirements of service delivery during critical times. In exceptional circumstances i.e. staff shortages due to coronavirus, employees can be requested to work in a different role or location to support service requirements. We will continue to work collaboratively with trade union joint secretaries and service managers to ensure that service delivery is maintained, and employees kept well informed. Working at Home The Scottish Government has confirmed the next set of dates for the reopening of venues and services in Phase 3 of the route map for moving out of lockdown in Scotland. No date has yet been set for the reopening of non-essential offices, and home-working should continue to be the default option for staff, other than for essential tasks that cannot be completed at home.
Over the past few years, the council’s Worksmart programme and improvements in technology have made it easier for employees to work from home, and the advice for now is that where you are currently working from home, you should continue to do so. This is likely to remain the case for the remainder of 2020.
Business critical activities that can’t be delivered from home will require some return to offices under strict public health guidelines. This should be discussed on a case-by-case basis between employees and managers, and subject to approval from a head of service.
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Should you have any concerns about your homeworking arrangements, please discuss these with your line manager in the first instance, or contact the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Team for advice. When working at home it is important to regularly ensure your own safety and comfort when working at home, for staff to whom that applies. There is guidance on the staff microsite to help you carry out a DSE assessment for your working circumstances. Find it at the foot of the ‘Other useful documents’ section.
Over the coming weeks, managers will work with their teams to ensure the right arrangements and equipment are available to sustain home working, and additional equipment may be provided to individuals if required. Meetings will continue to be virtual by default and there will be a focus on helping employees develop skills in using O365.
Please speak to your line manager should you want to access office-based equipment such as screens/risers/likewise to help make you comfortable. Further advice can be sought by contacting the Health, Safety & Wellbeing Team. Staff maybe able to claim tax relief from HMRC for working from home on a regular basis, you can claim this if you choose to work from home. Further information and guidance on how to claim can be found on the government website here. Opening of Corporate Offices The Scottish Government will decide when non-essential offices will reopen, but not before September 14. What will working in offices look like? An office re-entry plan has been developed by the council’s cross-service Office Reopening and Homeworking Group. While it is not yet possible to confirm a date for offices reopening, we do know what arrangements will need to be in place to ensure safe working:
• Desks will be allocated, in support of Test and Protect arrangements, and guidance provided for safe working practice to minimise virus transmission
• 2-metre physical distancing measures will be in place in all council offices
• Virtual meetings will continue to be the default position
• New procedures will be put in place specific to individual offices, including one-way systems, signage, sanitising points, temporary screens, and new cleaning and catering arrangements
• Some offices may need to be reconfigured e.g. with screens at reception desks and service points
The new requirements will mean capacity within offices will be significantly reduced, so the focus will be on employees who need to return to offices for business critical and welfare reasons in the first instance.
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The council’s Office Space Strategy is being reviewed to take account of the challenges and the updated document will be brought before a meeting of the Full Council in September. Relief/Supply Staff Services should continue to use relief and supply members of staff appropriately as per the individual contracts/ agreed terms. Relief staff will continue to be a valuable resource providing flexibility and continuity of service during demanding and uncertain times. Managers should continue to regularly review service requirements and the use of relief hours appropriately to meet the requirement of service delivery. National agreements were reached under which supply teachers and relief workers received a monthly compensatory payment for loss of expected earnings. The payment was based on the average hours worked during the previous three months i.e. January to March inclusive.
The agreement solely relates to hours worked under a relief or supply contract and excludes additional hours, overtime or any ‘acting up’ arrangements. Ending of Compensatory and Job Retention Payments The Council is moving into the recovery phase from the impact of Covid-19, with schools aiming to open fully in August and Services in general working towards a return to more ‘normal’ working practices. As a result of this, and following discussions with the Trade Unions, the Council’s Strategic Leadership Team has taken the decision that the compensatory payments that have been made to relief staff during the initial stages of Covid-19 lockdown will come to an end. The final compensatory payments, which are paid one month in arrears, will be made to recipients in July, which will cover the period to the end of June. In line with SNCT Circular JS/20/78, the Supply Teachers Job Retention Payment will also end as of 30th June with a final payment being made in July. There are currently no plans for the relief compensatory payments or Supply Teachers Job Retention Payment to be reinstated after the school holidays. If you have any queries in relation to the discontinuing of the above payments please email [email protected]
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Moblisation of Staff A mobilisation platform has been developed to support services in the deployment of staff to critical roles by identifying potential matches based on an employee’s relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The Platform, comprises of two databases:
• Employee Availability Database, which is primarily used for accessing information on employees and updating their status in respect of their availability to be mobilised.
• Employee Search Database, which allows managers, or staffing teams, to identify those employees available for mobilisation who possess some, or all, of the required essential competencies to undertake a Key Worker role.
Guidance on the mobilisation process and information can be found here. Information how to access the above databases can be found here. Employees will be able to record any relevant skills, training and experience they may have, outwith their current role, using their ESS account. This functionality will be made available during the first week of June and further communication will be issued at that time. Information on staff mobilisation and using the platform can be found on Arcadia , or contact [email protected]
Recruitment
Recruitment continues, with priority given to key worker roles and revised processes are in place to ensure pre-employment checks are carried out whilst allowing for rapid deployment.Guidance for Managers who wish to recruit at this time is available here http://jobs.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/recruitment-guidance-covid-pandemic/. This includes additional guidance for interviewing remotely. To discuss any options and for additional guidance or advice, please do contact the Resourcing Team on [email protected] or your HR Assistant working on your vacancy.
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Current Updates:
Daily Bulletin Key Updates 14 August Working from Home & Returning to Offices
6 August Update to Shielding Update for pregnant employees Insert Local Restrictions Update to Recording of Reason
31 July Wearing of Face Coverings Update to Shielding
03 July Update to compensatory payment for Supply Teachers and Relief Staff Update to Bodet/Flexi Recording
25 June Updated links to NHS Inform and Scottish Government Websites. Wellbeing Information Updated
28 May Test & Protect
25 May Update to Staff Mobilisation Database
14 May Update to recording employees diagnosed with COVID -19
07 May Updated link to Staff COVID -19 Testing for Keyworkers
24 April Employees Living with people shielding, Payment information for Relief Staff
15 April Testing of Keyworkers, Updated Information on Pregnant Employees
09 April Information on PPE, Recruitment and update to Relief/Supply Teacher Information, Staff Moblisation
02 April Update to Bodet and Annual Leave Guidance
27 March Changes to Recording Reasons
26 March Changes to Travel & Subsistence and Timesheets
25 March Bodet/ Toil/Overtime & Flexi
20 March Isolation/Quarantine Government Guidelines
Recording of Reasons
Covid – 19 Recording Form
17 March Social Distancing
Vulnerable Groups Categorised
