Fairness, Inclusion and Equality - About Our Employees March 2021 - About Our Employees 2021
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Fairness, Inclusion and Equality
About Our Employees
1
March 2021Introduction: we were able to disaggregate the findings from questions to see how
different groups of staff were
The Council recognises that our workforce is our biggest asset and affected in the workplace. The benefits of working from home are
we continue to listen to ideas from, or on behalf of our employees, to many: less commuting, reduced carbon footprint, greater flexibility,
improve our role as an employer and make the Council a great and relaxed working environment, more time with the family and greater
inclusive place to work. autonomy. Many staff felt they have been more productive, with
increased output.
The Council Plan sets out the overall strategic direction for the
Council. In particular it sets our strategy and our contribution to the Learning from our experiences we have developed our approach to
delivery of Our Vision - Solihull: where everyone has an equal Smarter Ways of Working as part of the Council’s Recovery and
chance to be healthier, happier, safer, and more prosperous. One of Reset Plan.
the key priorities in the Plan is making the best use of our people
(employees) and physical assets so that the Council has a workforce Coupled with the challenge of the pandemic in early 2020, was the
that has the right skills, knowledge and behaviours that reflects the tragic death of George Floyd, the protests that followed and the rising
Council’s brand and customer experience we want our employees to challenges around the world against systematic racism and the racial
deliver. inequalities faced by the Black community. In the UK workplace,
issues brought to the forefront included the low representation of
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been challenging and Black people in leadership roles and the barriers to career
unprecedented. The Council made rapid changes to how we progression and how organisations operated on embracing,
operated in the delivery of public services as part of our response to mainstreaming and managing equality, diversity and inclusion. As we
the COVID 19 pandemic including the how and where our employees emerge from the pandemic, the Council is engaged on a number of
worked. Since the first lockdown back in March 2020, working from equality actions through a Corporate Equality and Diversity Plan
home has become the most significant change we have seen in how (link) to ensure that we do all that we can to address these
we deliver many of our services. Many of our employees have inequalities including engaging with employees and creating a great
encountered challenging circumstances in their personal life in areas place to work. The Council is developing an Equality and Diversity
such as their parental or caring responsibilities, home schooling, Strategy in 2021/22 that will set out our ambitions on equality,
isolation and stress or bereavement. diversity and inclusion for the next 3-4 years.
A large number of our employees have also continued to work
normally throughout the pandemic supporting children and their Our wellbeing approach has been designed to help employees
families and vulnerable adults. maintain good health and wellbeing as part of an effective work life
balance. This focuses on ensuring Council policies support
Our workforce survey carried out last year which revealed that many the improvement of employee’s wellbeing and that managers have
employees adapted well to working from home. The survey the appropriate knowledge and skills to support their staff. We will
questionnaire also included diversity monitoring information so that continue to develop and promote the wellbeing offer to our
staff, in particular support to maintain good mental health.
2One of our main priorities as a Council is to reduce inequalities. In
terms of employment, we are an equal opportunities employer so we
Background understand that simply having diversity in our workforce is not
enough; We must create an inclusive environment where staff feel
This report provides equality information on the diverse make up of valued and respected regardless of who they are and what
the Council’s workforce and other key employment areas such as background they come from.
starters and leavers, training etc. in line with the requirements of the
Equality Act 2010. We assess our employment policies to ensure that they are fair and
undertake Fair Treatment Assessments (FTA’s) to analyse their
The Equality Act 2010 identifies the grounds upon which impact to ensure we are delivering on our role as an employer in a
discrimination is unlawful, and provides the legal framework that fair and equal way. Examples of policies revised or introduced in the
protects people from discrimination based on a number of past year include
characteristics. These are referred to as ‘protected characteristics’
and are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil We refer to ‘fair treatment’, because our level of equality analysis
partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex when taking ‘due regard’ goes beyond the provisions of the Equality
and sexual orientation. Act in the FTA and considers fairness in a wider sense, including
aspects such as human rights and safeguarding.
Public authorities, including local
councils, have a general duty under Specific duties
the Equality Act 2010 to have due
regard to the need to: In order to meet the requirement of the ‘general duty’ the Equality Act
2010 require public authorities to publish specific things
Eliminate discrimination,
harassment and victimisation Annually publish equalities information on Council services
and employees in meeting the Equality Duty.
Advance equality of opportunity
Publish equality objective(s) at least every four years
Foster good relations between
Publish gender pay gap information. This information is
communities.
covered in a separate report published on the council’s
. This includes how the Council makes website.
decisions in services and as an
employer.
Equal Opportunities Policy Statement
We all have a right to be treated fairly with dignity and respect, with
Due regard to the aims of the duty an equal opportunity to fulfil our potential in our lives. The Council
takes responsibility to ensure that our own actions and behaviours of
3others who provide services on the Council’s behalf are fair and ‘self-service’ allows an employee direct access to their personal
transparent. The Policy Statement expresses our commitment to information held on the Human Resources system and view things
promote equality of opportunity and access that is free from such as absence, employment history with SMBC, pay and benefits,
discrimination, prejudice, stereotyping, harassment, victimisation. and training. Employees are responsible for keeping their own
General Information: personal details up to date however, HR will periodically request or
remind employees to review and update their personal records
There are slight variances in the total number of employees covered regularly.
in this report when compared to the total number of employees
stated in the Council’s Gender Pay Gap Report published in March Protected % of population in Employees with
2021. This is due to the statutory criteria used to calculate the Characteristic the borough known details
gender pay which only includes employees in receipt of pay on the (Equality Group) (Census 2011 data) as at 310320
snapshot date. This means for example, that a casual worker, who Age
has not been at work to receive pay for that period, will not have 16-24 12% 3.8%
been included in the gender pay gap figures as an employee. 25-44 23.7% 35.8%
45-64 27.5% 57.1%
Employee profile
65+ 19.2% 3.3%
Disability/Long
Solihull Council collects data on the make up of its diverse workforce
term illness
through the Council’s employee data system. We collect equality
data on age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual Yes 17.9% 5%
orientation. We do not currently collect data on Pregnancy/Maternity No 82.1% 79.7%
or Gender Reassignment (Transsexual) but as we continue to Ethnicity
develop the HR employee database, these are two areas that are will White 89.1% 81.2%
be considered in the future.
Ethnic minority 10.9% 13.9%
The table opposite sets out an overview of workforce data used for
Religion or Belief
this report compared to the workforce figures as at 31 March 2020
No
and that of the last Census in 2011.
Yes 72.3% 63.2%
For the purposes of this report, Ethnic Minority is defined as all those Gender
declaring any ethnic background other than White. Female 51.4% 74.5%
Male 48.6% 25.5%
Data on the system is created initially when an employee Sexual Orientation (SO)
commences work with the Council. The employee can then update Where SO is
some of their personal information through ‘self service’. Employee known Not collected 63.1%
4In 2019/20 we completed a data exercise that asked that those staff As well as consultation, unions also cover areas such as sickness
with no details on their disability status to update their HR employee absence management; mental health and wellbeing in the workplace;
record. This resulted in an increase in those staff with a disability equality issues in areas such as allegations or cases of
status. discrimination etc.
We use and analyse equality data for statistical purposes to look at
areas such as the make up of the workforce, access to training and Acknowledging and valuing the different skills and viewpoints that a
development, calculating the gender pay gap, recruitment, etc. We diverse workforce can bring to the Council is vital for a happy
also make comparisons with local, regional and national statistics to workforce and good customer service as well as providing a
measure how we are performing. workplace where we are treated fairly, with dignity and respect.
We respect that employees may find the disclosure of their equality In the past there have been staff networks in the Council for
information very private and personal, so we continue to reassure disability, BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) and LGBT (Lesbian,
employees that their personal details are strictly confidential and Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) which were established to provide
stored securely. opportunities for staff with similar identities or experiences to meet up
and discuss particular issues that affect them in the workplace.
We have lower disclosures rates across the Council from employees
on Religion or Belief and Sexual Orientation. This does have an Through the networks we hoped that staff felt valued as individuals,
impact on the level and quality of the monitoring data we have to gain were able to progress in the Council and helped shape policy
a better insight into the makeup of the workforce and how we can be development and plans in the Council. Discussions with staff are
more active in breaking down any barriers in developing a fully being undertaken to re-establish the networks during 21/22.
inclusive workforce.
We appreciate that some staff may find issues relating to their
disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity to be
Engagement with staff and trade unions sensitive topics and we will work with staff to build a culture of trust to
make sure that the networks are a safe environment.
The Council values the role that unions play in looking after the
interests and safeguarding of their members employment rights, pay Equality and Diversity training
and reward, wellbeing and safe working conditions.
We provide mandatory Equality and Diversity training to all staff and,
The Council meets regularly with trade unions through a number of for new starters. The new starter induction includes a session on
groups that include the Corporate Consultation and Negotiating Equality and Diversity. To ensure all employees are up to date with
Committee (CCNC) and Directorate Consultation and Negotiating their knowledge of equalities, refresher training is a mandatory
Committees (DCNCs). Membership of the groups includes trade requirement every 3 years.
union representatives, HR representatives and senior managers.
5Health and Safety Modern Slavery Statement
As part of the process of managing the health and safety of The Council is committed to preventing and taking action against
employees in the current COVID-19 situation, we developed and slavery and human trafficking in its corporate activities, supply chains
implemented an Individual Risk Assessment processes for and the wider community.
employees who are potentially at a higher risk whilst carrying out the To understand and address all potential modern slavery risks related
duties of their public role. These include all front facing employees, to our business, the Council conducts the steps established in
those in different stages of pregnancy, those with underlying health previous years from our Modern Slavery Statement to embrace our
conditions and employees from a Black Asian and Minority Ethnic responsibility on tackling modern slavery. Actions include:
(BAME) background. The take up and use of the risk assessments
has been extremely positive. robust procedures for vetting new employees so that they can
confirm their identities and qualifications, and are paid directly
Recruitment into an appropriate personal bank and
the application of our Safeguarding Policy safeguards the
The Council’s Recruitment and Selection Procedure ensures that the
welfare of vulnerable adults.
Council selects the most suitable person for the job based on merit,
regardless of characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, disability, age etc. We recognise the value and business English fluency statement
benefits of having an inclusive and diverse workforce where
employees from different backgrounds, different nationalities and We want to ensure that the quality of public services in the borough
different cultures come together and reflect the diverse community is accessible and delivered to the highest standards possible.
we serve.
Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 requires public authorities to meet
Disability Confident Employer their obligations under the Act for all employees working in public-
facing roles to communicate in English, or in Wales, English or
Disability Confident is a scheme that is designed to help employers Welsh, fluently to help ensure the safe and high quality delivery of
recruit and retain disabled people and people with health conditions public services. The Council maintains its process to ensure that all
for their skills and talent. The scheme is managed by the public facing staff meet the duty including when we are recruiting
Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). new employees.
The Council has maintained the awarded status of a Disability
Confident Employer by the DWP when this was reviewed in October
2020 which means that the Council has been recognised as going
the extra mile to make sure disabled people get fair and sustainable
opportunities in employment.
6Workforce composition equality data:
The Council’s workforce profile is set out on the following pages.
Age: Disability:
Age breakdown Disability
3% 4%
14%
5%
25%
15%
22%
80%
32%
No Not Specified Yes
16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ 6
Percentages (%) are rounded up to whole numbers in the table above.
To ensure equality of opportunity in employment, it is important that
we meet the needs of existing and prospective employees with
Age Number physical, mental, sensory or learning disabilities when designing
work environments and delivering our services.
16-24 98
25-34 351 Disability Number
35-44 567
45-54 825 No 2047
55-64 643
Not Specified 394
65+ 84
7Yes 127
8Race (or Ethnicity/Ethnic Origin): Religion or Belief:
In the table below, employee is expressed as a % as some groups of
employees were below 10.
Ethnicity
Religion or belief
81.2%
35.5%
31.3%
19.8%
5.5%
7.4% 4.4% 0.2% 1.8% 1.2% 3.7% 0.2% 1.2% 0.1% 2.6% 2.1% 1.7%
Religion or belief Number
Ethnicity Number
Buddhist 0.2%
Asian 191
Christian 35.5%
Black 114
Hindu 1.2%
Chinese/Other minority ethnic
group 6 Jewish 0.1%
Mixed 47 Muslim 2.6%
White 2085 No religion or belief 19.8%
Do not wish to specify 31 Other 2.1%
Unknown 94 Sikh 1.7%
Unknown 31.3%
Do not wish to specify 5.5%
9Sex (or Gender) Sexual Orientation:
In the table below, employee are expressed as a % as some groups of
employees were below 10.
Sex
Sexual orientation
61.57%
24% 31.85%
Female 5.02%
0.51% 0.51% 0.31% 0.23%
Male
76%
Percentages (%) are rounded up to whole numbers in the table above.
Sexual Orientation %
Sex Number
Bisexual 0.51%
Female 1975 Gay Man 0.51%
Male 629 Gay Women/Lesbian 0.31%
Heterosexual/Straight 61.57%
Other 0.23%
Do not wish to specify 5.02%
Unknown 31.85%
10Starters Starters - Disability
9
Starters - Age 305
94 91
74
49
25
13 17
2
No Not Specified Yes
Age 16 to 24 Age 25 to 34 Age 35 to 44 Age 45 to 54 Age 55 to 64 Age 65+
Starters - Ethnicity Starters -Gender
248 251
46 84
22
1 9 6 3
Asian Black Do Not Wish Mixed Not Chinese or White
To Specify Specified other ethnic
group Female Male
11Leavers Leavers - Disability
In total there were 356 employees who left the council in the year
ending 31 March 2018. 246
Leavers - Age
89
79 76
65 65
21
No Not Specified Yes
25
20
Age 16 to 24 Age 25 to 34 Age 35 to 44 Age 45 to 54 Age 55 to 64 Age 65+
Leavers - Gender
Leavers - Ethnicity
271
272
72
28
11 11 16
1 4
Asian Black Do not wish Mixed Not known Chinese or White
Female Male
to specify other
12‘Top 5’ reasons for leaving Leavers by Age:
The ‘Top 5’ reasons for leaving are given in the tables below for age,
disability, ethnicity and sex/gender. The top five reasons, regardless
of the protected characteristic, were the same.
Top 5 reasons breakdown by Age
60
The top 5 reasons identified accounted for 310 (86.2%) employees
out of 343 employees who left the Council during year ending 31 50
March 2020. The top reasons were identified using the highest total
number of employees for each leaving reason. Resignations 40
accounted for the highest reason for staff leaving the Council
(55.7%). The take up by employees using exit interviews or 30
feedback remains low but we will be reviewing the process to see if it
can be undertaken in a different way in addition to the work we will 20
be doing to maximise employee equality data for analysis.
10
Information on sexual orientation and religion or belief was excluded
from the analysis below due to the low declaration rates within those
0
groups.
Resignation TUPE Retirement Employee Redundancy -
Transfer Transfer Compulsory
Age 16 to 24 Age 25 to 34 Age 35 to 44
Age 45 to 54 Age 55 to 64 Age 65+
.
13Leavers by Disability: Leavers by Ethnicity:
Leavers were broadly proportionate in line with the Council’s
As the declaration rates for disability are low across the workforce, workforce profile although it was noted during the analysis that there
meaningful analysis on leavers for this group was limited. was noticeably a higher % of Asian employees (41.2%), leaving due
to the end of temporary/fixed contracts. This is quite high when
We are a Disability Confident Employer that support employees compared to a workforce profile of 6.5% for Asian employees of
with a disability to be and remain in work as much as possible. This temporary contracts is high for this group. We need an explanation –
includes making reasonable adjustments such as specialist computer can you look at where they worked? Is it that the numbers are very
software, suitable desks and chairs, good working environments, low but impacts when shown as a percentage?
flexible or reduced working hours etc.
** Not knowns are employees where their ethnicity is unknown or not specified
Leavers breakdown by disability
Leavers breakdown by ethnicity
75.4% 78.0%
65.0%
96.7%
56.7%
46.4% 80.1% 80.0%
46.4% 75.0%
68.3%
35.0%
30.0%
19.4%
14.6% 13.3%
5.2% 7.3% 7.1% 22.0%
0.0% 15.2% 17.9%
9.8% 7.1% 10.0% 10.0%
3.3% 4.7%
Resignation TUPE Retirement Employee Redundancy - 0.0%
Transfer Transfer Compulsory
Retirement TUPE Transfer Resignation Employee Redundancy -
No Not specified Yes Transfer Compulsory
Ethnic Minority White Not knowns
14Leavers by Gender:
Leavers breakdown by gender
100.0%
96.4%
77.0%
73.3% 70.0%
26.7% 30.0%
23.0%
3.6%
Resignation TUPE Transfer Retirement Employee Transfer Redundancy -
Compulsory
Female Male
Looking at the representation of the workforce, the number of staff
leaving the council by resignation was 72% female and 28% male.
This is close to the representation of the workforce where women
make up 76% of the workforce. As part of the gender pay gap work
that we are doing in the Council, more evaluation on the reasons why
staff are leaving will be undertaken.
15Employee relations This approach is supported through the creation of a new volunteer
network of Resolution Contacts, made up of employees from across
The Council is one of the largest employers in the borough. Our different grades and diversity of the workforce. The Network
services are about people and communities. Our vision and values complements the support available through a line manager, HR and
underpin every aspect of work in the Council including our role as an the trade unions.
employer that sets the standards on how we also treat each other as
colleagues. The tables below provide the data on HR caseloads in relation to a
number of employee relation issues for the year to 31 March 2020.
The Council recognises that good working environments and working
relationships have a positive impact on employee wellbeing and As the numbers of caseloads are small or limited, the figures
engagement. A positive working environment can also lead to better can distort the activity across the protected equality
performance, improved staff retention and reduced stress related characteristics.
sickness absence.
For ease of calculations we have grouped Not specified/Not
It is also recognised that conflict in the workplace may occur. When it known/Do not wish to specify under one category ‘Not specified’
does, we support colleagues and managers to work together to
resolve any disagreements and conflicts constructively and speedily
and where appropriate through our newly introduced Resolutions
Policy.
Data is gathered with regard to formal issues on disciplinaries,
grievances, etc from the HR employee database and manual
records, where complaints of harassment or bullying are made, the
Council take these complaints very seriously and investigate.
In December last year the Council launched the aforementioned
Resolution Policy to replace the Dignity at Work Policy and
Grievance Procedure. The new policy encourages staff to access the
appropriate sources of support available and to seek early resolution
through a collaborative approach to resolving the dispute. The policy
brings the core principles of mediation to the forefront of dispute
resolution and encourages constructive resolution at every stage with
a focus on keeping potential conflict informal, wherever possible, and
drive ownership and autonomy for resolution at a local level.
16 From all the cases above, there was 1 dismissal from a
disciplinary.
Disciplinary: Fewer than 15 cases reported
Capability (Performance): Fewer than 10 cases reported.
Case Full workforce
split representation Full workforce
Protected characteristic Protected characteristic Case split representation of
of that group
that group
Gender Male 54.5% 25.5% Gender Male 25.0% 25.5%
Female 45.5% 74.5% Female 75.0% 74.5%
Disability No 63.6% 79.9% Disability No 87.5% 79.9%
Not specified 36.4% 15.3% Not specified 12.5% 15.3%
Ethnic origin White 72.7% 81.2% Ethnicity White 75.0% 81.2%
Ethnic minority 27.3% 13.9% Ethnic Minority 25.0% 13.9%
Age 25 – 34 years 9.1% 13.7% Age 16 – 24 years 12.5% 12.9%
35 – 44 years 27.3% 22.1% 25 – 34 years 12.5% 13.7%
45 – 54 years 45.5% 32.1% 35 – 44 years 25.0% 22.1%
55 – 64 years 9.1% 25.0% 45 – 54 years 37.5% 31.2%
65+ 9.1% 3.3% 55 – 64 years 12.5% 25.0%
Sexual Orientation Heterosexual/ 72.7% 61.6% Sexual orientation Heterosexual/ 75.0% 61.6%
Straight Straight
Not specified 27.3% 36.9% Not specified 25.0% 36.9%
Religion or Belief Christian 45.5% 35.5% Religion or Belief Christian 62.5% 35.5%
No religion or 27.3% 19.8% Not specified 25.0% 36.8%
belief No religion 12.5% 19.8%
Not Specified 27.3% 36.8%
Headlines:
Headlines: 3 cases were resolved at the informal stage, with 1 employee
There was a disproportion representation of men and ethnic leaving before the end of the process.
minority employees although it is noted the numbers are There was a disproportionate number of cases amongst
extremely low. ethnic minority employees although it is noted that the
numbers are extremely low.
17Grievances: Dismissals
Fewer than 10 cases reported.
Fewer than 20 cases reported
Full workforce Case Full workforce
representation Protected characteristic split representation
Protected characteristic Case split of that group of that group
Male 42.9% 25.5% Gender Male 46.7% 25.5%
Gender
Female 57.1% 74.5% Female 53.3% 74.5%
Disability No 100.0% 79.9% Disability No 73.3% 79.9%
Ethnicity White 42.9% 81.2% Not specified 20.0% 15.3%
Ethnic minority 57.1% 13.9% Yes 6.7% 5.0%
45 – 54 years 71.4% 31.2% Ethnicity White 80.0% 81.2%
Age
55 – 64 years 28.6% 23.6% Ethnic Minority 20.0% 13.9%
Not specified 28.6% 36.9% Age 16 – 24 years 6.7% 12.9%
Sexual orientation Heterosexual/ 25 – 34 years 20.0% 13.7%
61.6%
Straight 71.4% 35 – 44 years 13.3% 22.1%
Religion or Belief Christian 28.6% 35.5% 45 – 54 years 20.0% 31.2%
Not specified 28.6% 36.8% 55 – 64 years 33.3% 25.0%
Other religion 42.9% 7.9% 65+ 6.7% 3.3%
Sexual Heterosexual/ 66.7% 61.6%
Headlines: orientation Straight
Not specified 33.3% 36.9%
Most cases the complaints were not upheld with 2 going to Religion or Christian 33.3% 35.5%
appeal. Belief Not specified 33.3% 36.8%
There was a disproportionate number of cases amongst ethnic Other 6.7% 7.9%
minority employees and those between the ages of 45-54. No religion or 26.7% 19.8%
belief
Headlines:
There was a disproportionate number of cases amongst male
employees
18Dignity at work: Fewer than 5 cases reported.
Due to the very low number of cases, we have decided not to provide
an equality profile of those cases to maintain anonymity to those staff
involved.
Headlines:
All complaints were raised formally and investigated.
Disciplinary cases resulting in dismissal:
Fewer than 5 cases reported.
Due to the very low number of cases, we have decided not to provide
an equality profile of those cases to maintain anonymity to those staff
involved.
Further information
If you require this report in large print or any other
format due to your needs, please can you contact the
Equalities Team at equalities@solihull.gov.uk or
telephone 0121-704-6119.
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