HR and Payroll Bulletin - August 2024

Working flexibly

In line with changes in legislation, the council's Working Flexibly policy was updated in April 2024 and the Flexible Working Request form on Oracle Fusion has now been updated to reflect these changes. The form can be accessed via the Document Records option on Fusion and employees can now use this to submit a flexible working request to their line manager. Employees can still use the form available via the policy on the intranet if they prefer, but only one of the forms needs to be completed.   

A new document has also been created to support managers to record the various steps needed to manage a flexible working request in a timely manner. Managers can use this to record key dates and information to help ensure that the management of the requests, including appeals, are within the 2-month timescale (reduced from 3 months to 2 months following legislation changes in April 2024). 

The document can be downloaded by clicking this link.

Managers should seek advice from their People Business Partner in relation to flexible working requests.    

Establishment queries

If you have a query about the council's establishment or your hierarchy, if you are a manager, please email the details to the Establishment Team within People Operations, hrestablishmentteam@lancashire.gov.uk rather than raise a Service Request for these types of queries. 

For further information on our processes, see our establishment operations page on the Hr, Pay and Employment section of the Intranet.

Day one Occupational Health referral for mental health-related sickness absences  

Just a reminder that managers should refer employees to Occupational Health on day one of any absence where the reason for the absence is due to mental health. This will ensure that our colleagues get access to the support they need at the earliest opportunity. 

Support with the management of short-term absence

If you are a manager who is addressing short-term absence cases that are a cause for concern, please contact your People Business Partner for support.  

Agency worker placements - extension request process

To provide more robust governance around the use of agency workers, a process has been developed to request extensions to agency worker placements.

When an agency worker is sourced via Matrix, the maximum duration that the placement can be in place is 3 months. If the placement is to be extended past the 3-month initial period, this requires both Head of service and director approval.

The Agency Team within People Operations will download an active placement list from the Matrix system each month and identify any agency workers who have placements that are due to end in the following month. The team will then send a list of these workers to the relevant head of service along with an e-form that will need to be completed and signed. Once completed, the form will automatically be sent to the relevant director for review and signing. It will be the director's signature that is the approval of the placement extension.

Heads of service can only request extensions to placements for agency workers that are currently working in their service. If they receive a placement extension request for an agency worker that is no longer in their service/team, or has moved teams within the service, the relevant box should be ticked 'No' on the form and the placement should be ended on Matrix. The new manager will then need to create a new placement on Matrix.

A detailed guide on agency worker supply and further guidance on how to complete the placement extension request e-form for Heads of Service and Directors is available on the intranet.

Useful information, support and links

Oracle Fusion – Self-service training for Managers

The Manager Self Service training course shows managers how to carry out the self-service tasks required of them as part of their manager role. Courses are running throughout the year, with the next course taking place on 21 August 2024 from 1:30pm to 5:00pm. Learn more about this course and check availability for booking on the Learning and Training area of the Intranet.

Payroll Deadlines 2024-25

Please make sure all payment claims are completed in line with our published payroll deadlines to guarantee changes are made in time for pay day.

Feedback

If you would like to give any feedback to our Payroll team, email payroll-feedback@lancashire.gov.uk