HR Business Partner update - March 2020

As a precautionary measure and to protect the health and safety of all involved, it has been decided to postpone the SO, DP, and AO external competitions and the Grade 7 promotion Board.   All candidates with scheduled interviews/assessments dates will be notified. 

The position will be kept under review as the situation evolves and NICS HR is exploring alternative arrangements where possible.  There is potential for supply at certain grades to be delayed as a result.

NICS HR is liaising with relevant Business Areas in relation to any on-going Departmental Competitions, Trawls and Elective Transfers. Affected candidates will be notified of any changes. 

Queries regarding individual cases should be directed to the DfE Vacancy Management Team. Names and contact details can be found at DfE HR Business Partner updates. Queries regarding merit position or interview dates should be directed to HRConnect.  

NICS HR is liaising with TUS in relation to the 2019 Pay Award. Staff will be updated in due course.

COVID-19 Guidance and Advice for Staff and Managers 

You will be aware of David Sterling’s recent notes in relation to COVID-19 and the advice to follow. All staff are asked to follow this advice and consult the Public Health Agency (PHA) website for further information in relation to COVID-19.

A COVID-19 staff information hub with advice and guidance can be accessed at COVID-19 staff information hub. This contains guidance on what to do if a member of staff has or thinks they have COVID -19 infection or has been exposed to the virus and advice for those staff with underlying health conditions. The guidance also explains how to manage the absence, working from home, flexible working and leave arrangements during the COVID-19 outbreak, and the recording processes.  Both HRConnect and Employee Relations should be updated with any sickness absences relating to COVID-19 as soon as notified.  Please note the different categories for recording purposes and ensure these are used.  The guidance outlines the process for recording absences and special leave on HRConnect.

The information hub is being updated daily to reflect the changing position. While the guidance should cover the majority of queries, NICS HR is gathering common queries received and the FAQs and guidance are being updated accordingly. It is vital that you regularly consult the guidance as the position evolves to ensure you have the most up to date advice. 

If you have any concerns you should speak to your line manager in the first instance.  If a matter is not covered in the guidance, you can also email the Employee Relations team at NICS.HREconomy@finance-ni/gov.uk  or contact the HR Business Partner Team. Contact details can be found at DfE HR Business Partner updates

Health and Wellbeing

At this time many of us may be experiencing stress and anxiety as a result of the COVID-19 virus and surrounding news. We are all facing challenges both inside and outside the workplace. It is therefore important that we recognise signs of stress in ourselves and in others, and take action to try to manage any feelings of anxiety. The COVID-19 staff information hub has useful information for staff on NICS services and wider advice on health and wellbeing from the World Health Organisation. This can be accessed at Health and Wellbeing.

Welfare Services

• Welfare has currently suspended face to face meetings but remains available for advice and support by phone/email. They can be contacted on 028 902 51771 or via confidential mailbox welfare@finance-ni.gov.uk

Employee Assistance Programme - Inspire

• Inspire can offer confidential counselling services to staff experiencing difficulty.  While face to face counseling is suspended they continue to provide 24/7 helpline and counseling can be provided via telephone or online video. 
• They can be contacted on 0808 800 0002.
• You can also access support information on the Inspire hub Inspire Support Hub to log on use Company PIN which is NICSHUB!
• The Inspire website also contains some useful information and practical support Inspire Wellbeing website. This can be accessed remotely.

Charity for Civil Servants

• The Charity for Civil Servants can assist all civil servants whether current, former or retired.  
• They can be contacted by accessing For You By You website or by free phone 0800 0562424.
• You can apply for financial help online and also access number of options for support such as Sleepstation and Mindful.

The WELL website is available to staff and is also accessible outside of work at NICS Well website and there is also a Facebook page which can be found by searching “the WELL Programme” on Facebook.

Mental Health Awareness Sessions

The HRBP team in liaison with Employee Relations colleagues arranged two “Inform You” sessions on 20 and 27 March, which were to be delivered by Occupational health Services (OHS).

These sessions aimed to increase mental health awareness and provide practical support for staff and managers. Unfortunately due to current events, these had to be postponed. This was disappointing as there was a high level of interest in the sessions.

As an interim measure until the sessions can be run, and to ensure staff have access to this important information and signposting at this difficult time, the slides have been published on the Intranet page. The slides contain information on recognising mental health problems and how to seek to address them. All staff are encouraged to read the slides. If you cannot access these, please let us know and we will send them to you by email.

With the COVID -19 outbreak many of us will have found ourselves working remotely when we do not normally do so or for more prolonged periods than we are used to. Without the normal contact and support from colleagues, there is a risk that we feel isolated when working alone for long periods.

During this time it is extremely important that we all maintain both our physical and mental health and wellbeing, as well as being mindful of adhering to NICS guidance on matters such IT security and GDPR.  The COVID-19 Information hub contains some useful information in relation to remote working and guidance on IT issues at  Remote working during COVID-19.  

We have prepared some hints and tips for DfE staff working remotely to help you as an individual and when managing a team. These can be accessed in attached document.

Employee Relations Services

As part of business continuity planning, NICS HR is considering key services to be maintained over the coming period. NICS HR Employee Relations has suspended all face to face meetings in relation to matters such as absence, discipline and grievance.  The Employee Relations team remain available to discuss any employee relations matter with staff either by phone or email. 

Contact details can be found here DfE HR Business Partner Information .   For COVID-19 Related queries please use the generic mailbox address (NICS.HREconomy@finance-ni/gov.uk

Normally at this point managers would be scheduling End Year reviews to meet the target of End 30 April 2020.  It is recognised that at this time not all staff will be able to carry out an End Year review and certainly face to face meetings are suspended until further notice.  Where managers and staff are willing to carry out the review by alternative means they should try to do so. Please refer to the COVID-19 FAQs for further updates.

NICSHR Learning and Development has taken the decision to cancel all upcoming non-essential training from the afternoon of the 18 March 2020. Anyone who has enrolled on classroom training that is cancelled will receive an email confirmation. Certain training interventions have been considered essential, and therefore will not be cancelled.

You are reminded that all e- learning and training resources are available through the LInKS system and can still be accessed remotely from any PC, laptop or mobile device.    There are a number of e-learning and resources that staff may find useful at this time such as Positive Mental Health Tool Kits for staff, managing personal stress and resilience training.

It is important to update HRConnect to ensure staffing records are accurate at all times.  This is even more important given the on-going situation. 

Staff are reminded that they should ensure that their personal details and contact information is up to date on HRConnect and available to their manager.  

Staff and managers should keep HRConnect updated in relation to absences and special leave in line with the guidance issued on the portal regarding reporting absences relating to COVID-19. .  Please note the different categories that for recording purposes and ensure these are used.