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WQ.255/2018
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE STATES EMPLOYMENT BOARD BY DEPUTY R.J. WARD OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 20th NOVEMBER 2018
Question
Further to the response to Written Question 202/2018, will the Chairman advise –
- what changes, if any, have been made this year (ahead of the measures due to commence in January 2019) to protect staff employed by the States of Jersey following The HR Lounge report on bullying and harassment;
- how the States Employment Board itself, as the employer, will monitor the situation to ensure that the failings identified do not continue; and
- what action, if any, is being taken to review previous and current disciplinary cases to ensure that any poor outcomes are either corrected or avoided?
Answer
- A number of changes have already taken effect ahead of the launch in January 2019 of the two newly re-written policies; namely Bullying and Harassment and Whistleblowing. These include;
- A change in practice to accept anonymous concerns.
- The introduction of additional supportive measures; access to 1:1 (face to face) counselling sessions for any individual who raises a bullying and harassment concern and ensuring provision is in place for all parties involved, including witness so that they have a point of contact for support if needed
- Greater emphasis on resolution through informal measures and the use of mediation where appropriate, using impartial 3rd party mediators.
- The two newly re-written policies to be launched in January 2019, will be supported with a series of management briefings covering all managers. The roll out of the Team Jersey culture workshops will further support the values and behaviour change which will mitigate the risk of Bullying and harassment concerns.
- Policy effectiveness and the wider cultural changes will be monitored through quarterly reporting to the States Employment Board to ensure and assure that these issues remain visible at the highest level
- There are no plans to retrospectively review previous disciplinary cases .Current cases will reflect our learning from the HR Lounge report and their outcomes will be determined by the panels based on the investigatory outcomes