Job evaluation and terms and conditions
About job evaluation and new posts
We are committed to the principle of equal pay for all employees and believe that in eliminating bias in our pay systems, it is sending a positive message to our employees and the Highland community. We have put in place:
- A single job evaluation scheme that analyses the jobs carried out by all employees covered by the national agreement
- A single pay structure for all single status employees that rewards them appropriately for the jobs that they do
- Harmonised and non-discriminatory terms and conditions of service
We use the job evaluation scheme, which was developed by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) for all posts covered by the Scottish Joint Council pay and grading structure (administrative, professional, manual, craft). The scheme reflects the jobs in Scottish authorities and is based on the work carried out in England and Wales by the National Joint Council for Local Government.
The job evaluation scheme considers jobs against 13 factors. For Teachers and Educational Psychologists a job sizing exercise determines the placing on the salary spine for promoted posts.
The Scottish Joint Councils’ job evaluation scheme has 13 factors against which jobs are evaluated. What follows are descriptions and definitions of each of the 13 factors and the different levels of demand which apply in each factor. All the factors are used when evaluating a job. The definitions are particularly useful to explain some of the terms which are used in job evaluation and which will be new to you.
Evaluation of new posts
The evaluation of a new post begins with the completion of an evaluation of new job form by the appropriate line manager. The line manager should have discussed the proposal for a new post, for example, arising from a restructuring, with a personnel adviser before completing the form.
It is the facts of the post which are evaluated, so evidence by way of descriptions and examples are important. Please do not copy in sections from the job evaluation manual as an alternative to providing examples or descriptions. The narrative boxes on the form will expand automatically as information is entered.
Completed forms, either electronic or manual, are to be sent to the Personnel Manager (Operations) at HQ who will arrange for the evaluation to be carried out. The line manager may be asked for supplementary information to aid the evaluation.
When the evaluation has been undertaken, the line manager will be contacted with a job evaluation description of the demands of the post, the provisional grade and a description of the process to final sign off for the grade.