Modern Reward Strategy

Job Evaluation - Appeals Procedures

When the outcomes of the Job Evaluation process associated with the Modern Reward Project are communicated to employees the information they will receive is as follows:

• Details of the Job Evaluation score awarded to their post by either an evaluation process, or a job matching exercise



• Details of how the Job Evaluation score translates into a new grade



• Details of the appeals process, and timescale

Further information will be available to postholders on request, however, it is inevitable that there will be a number of appeals made against the decisions taken.

When the initial proposal information is sent to individual members of staff they will have the option to lodge an appeal within a set timescale. The grounds for appeal will be specific ie:

• There has been significant change in the job since evaluation



• The job is substantially different from the benchmark job it was matched to in the evaluation process



• The Job Analysis Questionnaire was not accurate and complete



• The job was not evaluated correctly in comparison with other jobs

Whilst recognising that Governing Bodies do have the responsibility for taking decisions about the pay and grading of their staff, it is appreciated that this initial volume could prove to be a burden on schools to manage, and it is therefore being proposed that an option be made available for Governing Bodies to delegate this responsibility and to have these appeals managed and determined centrally.

Initial indications from schools consulted have shown that it would be their preferred way forward for these appeals to be managed centrally and, unless you are certain that your school has the capacity and ability to undertake this task yourself, you are strongly advised to consider and adopt this option.

Where a school chooses to delegate this responsibility, the process that will be followed will be that adopted by the County Council for dealing with appeals arising from employees covered by the Modern Reward project, and is described below.

When the appeal is received by the Modern Reward Job Evaluation Team, the appeal statement will be reviewed to check whether the matter raised by the postholder is one that can properly be dealt with under the evaluation/appeals process. If not, either:

• If the issue arises from data error or other straightforward matter which can readily be resolved, that will be put in hand by the Modern Reward Strategy Team, or



• If the issue cannot readily be resolved, the postholder will be informed by the Modern Reward Strategy Team, and advised what courses of action remain open to them, this may include referring the matter back to the Governing Body if the basis of the appeal is outside of the Modern Reward Strategy criteria.

If it is determined that the postholder's appeal should go to a panel, the panel will comprise three trained job evaluators - a senior HR manager (normally acting as Chair), another senior manager, and a trade union representative. Both genders will be represented on the panel, none of the panel will be from the same service as the appellant, nor would they have been involved in the original evaluation of the job. The panel will be assisted by a technical adviser.

Each appeal will be considered by a panel of trained evaluators who will evaluate the job in accordance with the Hay scheme. The decision of the panel will result in the evaluation line for the job being reviewed and, where necessary, amended. The job evaluation score could therefore go up or down, or stay the same.

The Headteacher, or another representative from the school will be invited to attend the panel, as will the postholder who may be accompanied by a trade union representative or work colleague.

A modified version of this process will be made available for Governors to adopt as a model to be followed should a school wish to hold their own appeals.

Governing Bodies would then have to set up a committee that would hear appeals in accordance with this policy, and will need to consider the training that would be required to enable Governors to undertake this task e.g. Job Evaluation training in the use of the HAY system.

Every Governing Body is therefore being requested to consider at the next available full meeting whether to delegate the hearing of appeals relating to the outcomes of the Modern Reward Job Evaluation process to the Local Authority and to note formally the outcome of their deliberation.

Once this meeting has taken place, schools are requested to complete the attached form indicating their decision and return as quickly as possible to Christine Shorten, Room 058, Children's Services, County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2DL.

Schools choosing not to delegate must put in place appropriate measures to consider appeals themselves.

Further details of the appeals process will be provided to schools when information about the outcomes of the job evaluation process is communicated to employees as part of the MRS consultation process.

Should you have any queries concerning these arrangements please contact Bob Hedley on (01603) 222418.

Modern Reward Strategy, Job Evaluation, Appeals Procedure Form.