People Strategy

People Strategy

14/05/2024

Catherine Cunningham (Head of Organisational Development)

Kirsty Paterson (Chief Officer People, Workspaces & Development)

Yes, all other impacts considered however, the strategy doesn't contain any personal data or have any impacts for other areas.

The People Strategy is linked to our Corporate Plan and Annual Operating Plan.

It will:

• Focus on our people currently employed within the organisation and any potential new employees.
• It sets out how the Strategy is underpinned by our values and creates a safe, inclusive working environment.
• Clearly set out the expectations from the organisation, managers and employees to ensure a safe and inclusive working environment.
• Identify and describe our ‘four pillars’: how we work, engaging and empowering teams, personal and organisational development and employee support framework.
• Show the areas of work for 2024-2026 which will help us achieve the Strategy and the measures which will show when we are successful.

Our People Strategy will bring clarity to employees and managers, building a framework to actively build on performance, capability and wellbeing.

Our aim is to create a safe, welcoming and high performing environment, where SEPA employees belong and feel valued. By delivering on our commitments in the people strategy, we will support our teams to deliver on their outcomes and make a difference to the future of our environment.

SEPA has developed an ambitious Corporate Plan which delivers against our statutory purpose.

Our Annual Operating Plan details our priorities for each year of the corporate plan and how we will measure our success.

Our People Strategy details how we will support our people to deliver against this plan.

SEPA’s Equality Outcomes 2022-2026

• Outcome 1 – We have increased the number of people from currently underrepresented groups in our applicants, our staff and those who progress within the organisation.
• Outcome 2 – People with lived experience of inequality, related to a protected characteristic or socioeconomic status, access and use SEPA’s services without barriers.
• Outcome 3 – Staff with lived experience of inequality and barriers, and with a wide variety of needs, feel listened to and respected as SEPA meets those needs.
• Outcome 4 – We have decreased our gender pay gap and occupational segregation related to gender, disability, and ethnicity.

The People Strategy will deliver on the Equality Outcomes by creating a safe and inclusive working environment where open communication is championed, and everyone will feel listened to and respected.

A key pillar of the People Strategy is to enhance our recruitment, learning and support to increase our ability to attract and retain talent. This will continue to ensure our processes are fair for all groups and also attract people who may not have applied to work for SEPA in the past.

It will create a structure to help staff unlock their potential through opportunities for learning and career progression.

All staff will be supported to live by our values and lead by example. We will involve and inform all staff when setting Strategy, goals and objectives.

We will acknowledge and recognise achievements across the organisation and provide constructive and effective performance development frameworks.

We will also actively design, refresh and promote safety, health and wellbeing policies and procedures, which will include a refresh of the Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessments for each of our policies.

Yes, this is the overarching strategy on how SEPA will support our staff to deliver on our statutory purpose.

The People Strategy will not affect the work of teams and functions however, it will influence how we interact and support each other.

The key drivers behind the People Strategy are our values: Passionate, Purposeful and Professional. We will use these values to create an inclusive environment where people are valued, are supported, have development opportunities and their personal safety and wellbeing are prioritised.

This Strategy will affect functions by:

• Ensuring all leaders have the tools they need to support employees in areas such as development, health and safety, performance reviews and hybrid working.
• Introducing new recruitment tools which help attract and retain the talent we need to achieve our corporate priorities ensuring that diversity is enhanced.
• Providing clarity on our values and behaviours to ensure an open and inclusive working environment.
• Clarifying the role and responsibilities of the organisation, leaders and employees to embed our values and behaviours.

The People Strategy is a strategic document for the Corporate Leadership Team to input to, discuss and approve.

The main stakeholders for the Strategy are all existing employees in SEPA. These can be split into the following groups where there are varying levels of impact and engagement.

Agency Board and People Committee

The vision and work delivered as part of the Strategy, the measures of success and updates on progress.

Following approval of the Strategy by CLT, it will be presented to the Board and People Committee. The Board and People Committee will also provide input and direction to the Strategy.

Corporate Leadership Team (CLT)

Input, discussion and approval of the strategy, leading the work of the strategy and ensuring this is embedded throughout the organisation.

Following the creation of a draft strategy, it will be presented to CLT for comment and approval.

Senior Leadership Team (SLT)

The role of a leader in embedding the strategy, the responsibilities leaders have and the priority areas of work.

Following approval by CLT, the strategy will be communicated to SLT for action.

Managers of 1 or more employees

The role of a manager in embedding the strategy, the responsibilities managers have and the priority areas of work.

Following approval by CLT, the strategy will be communicated to managers for action.

UNISON

The strategy is fair to all employees and promotes an open working environment with opportunities for development.

Following the creation of a draft strategy, it will be presented to unison for comment and input.

Internal Equality Lived experience groups

How the strategy will affect their group and its members.

Following the creation of a draft strategy, it will be presented to relevant groups for comment and input.

All employees

What the strategy means for them, their roles and responsibilities, the vision for our people and what the organisation is focussing on.

Following approval by CLT, the strategy will be communicated to all employees in the organisation. A communications plan will be developed to launch the strategy and gain buy-in.

External Customers (including Scottish Government and members of the public)

Knowing that a People Strategy has been developed and is in use.

Publication of the People Strategy for external viewing.

This decision was made using several routes including:

• Initial discussions with CLT to agree a people strategy was required, the level of focus and the agreed approval route.
• The Corporate Plan and AOP to ensure the People Strategy will help deliver agreed priorities.
• Discussions with the Governance function to develop the equalities and human rights impact assessment.
• Research of other organisational people strategies.

Table 1 - Public Sector Equality Duty - Screening tool

Will the policy or practice engage or restrict a right or freedom under the Convention?

Look at each Article in turn and record your answer in Table 2.

If you answer ‘Yes’ for any of them, go to Section 3.

This guidance outlines where your work may impact on human rights - Human Rights human lives a guide for public authorities.

Table 2 - Human Rights consideration

If you answer ‘Negative’ in Table 1 or ‘Yes’ in Table 2 for any of the questions, please go to Section 3 Full Assessment.

If you answer 'Positive' or ‘Neutral’ in Table 1 or ‘No’ in Table 2 for all of the questions you may not need to carry out a full assessment. You should discuss this decision with the senior leader responsible for the work.

If you are content you have completed Section 2 with no negative equality or human rights impacts, please complete Section 5.

• Eliminate unlawful conduct
• Advance equality of opportunity
• Foster good relations

Age

In the 2023 Equality and Mainstreaming Report, we reported that of the 1210 employees the majority of our people (439) were in the 45-54 age bracket. A further 298 were aged 55 and above.

The values and behaviours which the strategy is built on will help to build a good working environment for all.

Our recruitment process are monitored to ensure there is no discrimination however, the people strategy will enhance these processes.

Learning and Development opportunities are open to all staff and further work will take place as part of the Strategy to address differing needs and learning styles.

Disability

As of 2023, SEPA recorded that 2.48% of staff recorded a disability.

The values and behaviours which the strategy is built on will help to build a good working environment for all.

Our recruitment process are already monitored to ensure there is no discrimination however, the people strategy will enhance these processes.

Further work will take place as part of the Strategy to address differing needs and learning styles.

We need to improve the accessibility of our recruitment system to ensure that we can recruit in a more inclusive way. The percentage of our staff declaring a disability is low compared to the 2017 Scottish Health Survey estimated that 32% of adults and 10% of children were disabled.

Gender

As reported in 2023, SEPA has 519 male employees and 691 female employees. Of these, 5.01% of males are part time and 25.90% of females are part time.

The People Strategy will have a positive impact in this area. The values and behaviours which the strategy is built on will help to build a good working environment for all.

Our progressing hybrid working policy offers more opportunities. Combined with the flexibility schemes we offer, and will continue to research and implement, we will ensure the Strategy has a positive impact in this area.

Marriage / civil partnership

As of 2023, 48.35% of SEPA staff are married or in a civil partnership.

Race

In 2023, we reported that of 1210 employees, 30 are black, Asian, mixed, other. 589 are white Scottish, 324 are white British, 99 are white other with 168 employees where information was not provided.

There were an estimated 184,000 working-age (16-64) people from a minority ethnic background in Scotland in 2021 – around 5% of the overall working-age population, SEPA has 2.5 % of our employees reporting as BAME. Focus on our Equality Outcome 1 in our recruitment aims to improve this statistic.

The values and behaviours which the strategy is built on will help to build a good working environment for all.

Our recruitment process are already monitored to ensure there is no discrimination however, the people strategy will enhance these processes.

Religion / belief

In 2023, of 1210 employees 91 are Roman Catholic, 207 Church of Scotland, 70 are other, 528 are none and 314 prefer not to say.

For the first time in Scotland’s Census, the majority of people said they had no religion. In 2022 51.1% of people had no religion, up from 36.7% in 2011.

The values and behaviours which the strategy is built on will help to build a good working environment for all.

Our recruitment process are already monitored to ensure there is no discrimination however, the people strategy will enhance these processes.

Pregnancy and maternity

Our existing policies support this area in a number of ways including leave, risk assessments and flexitime/ hybrid working policies. Support is also available for individuals who are adopting or fostering children or undergoing fertility treatment.

Our recruitment policies are monitored to ensure no discrimination takes place. The people strategy will help build on these policies.

Gender reassignment

Policies to support in this area are available and is supported by training for all employees.

Recruitment processes are monitored to ensure no discrimination takes place. The people strategy and values will ensure that we build on this support by providing a supportive culture.

Sexual orientation

Policies to support in this area are available to all employees.

Recruitment processes are monitored to ensure no discrimination takes place. The people strategy and values will ensure that we build on this support by providing a supportive culture.

The people strategy will not directly affect the policies for protected characteristics, however, will influence any development in these areas. The people strategy will ensure that any future policy development or amendments are carried out according to our values.

UNISON, SEPA’s lived experience groups and all staff members.

The people strategy will not directly affect the outcomes, however, will influence any development in these areas. The people strategy will ensure that any future policy development or amendments are carried out according to our values thereby providing positive outcomes in several areas.

No negative outcomes are expected from the creation of the people strategy.

N/A

This is an early stage of this document, it will be reviewed and added to as the process of engagement moved forward.

• Scotland's Wellbeing: national outcomes for disabled people
• Analysis of Labour Market Outcomes of Scotland’s Minority Ethnic Population

Option 1: No major change

Your assessment demonstrates that the policy or practice is robust. The evidence shows no potential for:

• less favourable treatment of particular groups, indirect discrimination, victimisation, harassment, and that you have taken all opportunities to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations; nor
• restriction of Convention rights or freedoms.

The policy or practice builds in reasonable adjustments where these may be needed. In reaching this conclusion, you should document the reasons why and the evidence used to support your decision.

Option 1 has been chosen as the people strategy will not treat particular groups less favourably and will not restrict freedoms. The strategy is an overarching view of our direction to ensure that our values are embedded in all that we do from culture to processes. This will help guide us when creating or amending policies and processes to help all groups.

The EqHRIA is a living document and should be reviewed and updated to ensure you have captured the changes that have been made because of the implementation of your policy or practice. Set a realistic goal for you to check back in with your assessment, to see if things are going the way you expected.

31 August 2025

19 August 2024

• Catherine Cunningham - Head of Organisational Development 19/08/2024
• Kirsty Patterson - Chief Officer People, Workspaces and Development 20/08/2024