Should consist of 4 Job Evaluation panellists who must have undertaken accredited training

The panel is based on Partnership working with management and unions (Staff side) and should consist of:

• 2 management representatives
• 2 staff side representatives

In certain situations it can be 3 or 5 panellists, but they must include representation from management and staff side. 

The submission will need to provide:

• An up-to-date job description (as agreed between post-holder and manager)
• Person specification
• Organisational chart
• Effort and environment information

• There can be up to 5 variations
• The role cannot be more than 1 level away
• They cannot vary factor 2 (KTE) or factor 12 (FtA)
• They must remain within band of profile

There are three possible outcomes:

• Match
• No match - The job significantly differs from profiles
• Full evaluation required - The matching process triggers a full job evaluation by way of completing a job evaluation questionnaire.

1. Mutual respect and trust

• Both sides recognise each others legitimacy
• Union reps are treated as partners
• Commitments are honoured

2. Clear communication

• Honest, regular dialogue (not just when problems arise)
• Transparency and access to the relevant information.
• Enable unions to engage constructively rather than speculatively.

3. Early and meaningful engagement

• Consultation happens before decisions are made
• Unions input genuinely influences outcomes
• Union reps can represent and defend members’ interests
• Partnership working does not mean agreeing with everything management proposes

4. Joint problem-solving approach

• Focuses on ‘How do we fix this together?’
• Willingness to negotiate

1. Joint ownership of the scheme

• Nationally agreed between NHS Staff Council which includes unions and employers
• Locally, employers and unions are responsible for ensuring the scheme is implemented properly

2. Joint panels

• Job matching/evaluations are carried out in partnership.
• Decisions are made collectively, not solely by employer.

3. Trade union involvement

• Union reps are trained in the JES
• They partake as equal partners in all JE processes locally

4. Consistency and fairness

Partnership working helps ensure:

• Jobs are evaluated objectively using the agreed factor plan.
• Bias is reduced.
• Staff can have confidence in the outcomes.

5. Partnership handling of disputes and reviews

• If staff disagree with a banding outcome, reviews are undertake in partnership by union and employer side representatives.

Panels ensure:

• National profiles are correctly applied
• Factors are interpreted consistently
• Bias is minimised
• There is consistency checking which supports compliance with equal pay legislation.

By doing this, local panels mitigate risk of:

• Equal pay claims
• Discrimination
• Gender pay disputes

Local panels protect:

• Organisations legal position
• Staff confidence in fairness
• Assurance on equal pay

Without robust local governance, the integrity of the Job Evaluation Scheme erodes.

Local panels demonstrate strong partnership working. They are comprised of management & staff-side. The best practice is for 4 trained panel members (2 of each side). This can be adjusted to 3 panellists to accommodate absence; or 5 panellists to support development of new practitioners.

All panel members will have undertaken accredited JE training delivered by NHS Employers or their employer. As part of that training, they will develop a strong understanding of

• equal pay and identifying and addressing bias
• documentation and record keeping
• transparent communication 

Panels rely on strong sources of evidence including:

• Agreed job descriptions
• Person specifications
• Job Analysis Questionnaire (full evaluation only)
• Organisational charts
• Clarification questions

Panels assess the job as it is required to be performed – not performance, potential or individual capability.

Step 1: Job description

A new job must have a clear, accurate job and robust job description which reflects the job as required. This is the foundation of job evaluation and it is a clear and accurate job description. It must include:

• Purpose of role
• Key responsibilities
• Accountability
• Reporting structures
• Scope of responsibility

Step 2: Matching or evaluation

There are then two routes:

• Job matching - Used when the job aligns to an existing national profile
• Full job evaluation - Used when job cannot be matched to an existing profile. This should be carried out by trained panel members in partnership.

Step 3: Banding is confirmed

Step 4: Recruitment

Step 5: Bed down period

• Period of time for the job to ‘bed down’ up to 1-year.
• Once the full demands of the job are clear, the postholder and/or their manager should review the job description
• Where a job description changes, a reassessment should be conducted through the nationally agreed JE process.
• The outcome could remain the same or go up/down.
• It would be backdated to the start date of the post.
• The post holder would have a right to review.

Here are some of the common myths you might hear from your colleagues:

• My manager doesn’t support a band 6 – They’re only confirming accuracy of submission – statement of fact.
• The Health Board can’t afford increase to band 6 – Affordability is irrelevant, plus it’s a funded deal.
• I haven’t got the time to apply – You need to make time! Worth approx. £9k per year (when at top).
• I need to build a portfolio of evidence – No physical evidence is required, just a completed and agreed questionnaire.
• My employer hasn’t invited me to apply – An email should have been sent but this doesn’t stop people accessing directing.
• My job will change if I get a Band 6 – The review is assessing your role as it is NOW, any changes would be subject to further review.
• We’re just Band 5 nurses – Don’t devalue yourselves! Ask yourself whether a newly qualified nurse could do your job?

Remind the line manager of their responsibilities in the new Annex 31 of the NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook that states that line managers are expected to:

• review job descriptions annually as part of the appraisal process to ensure they are accurate and up to date
• agree your updated job description is accurate and submit to designated management job evaluation lead.

The manager's role is to agree to the job description as a statement of fact. The manager is not deciding to uplift the band.

Disputes in relation to accessing job evaluation, that cannot be resolved informally, can be resolved through local procedures such as grievance.

Job evaluation is crucial for maintaining fairness and equity in pay.It is about being properly remunerated for the role that you are required to do. As such, where it is agreed that a post-holders role has significantly changed and they are to be up banded; financial/budgetary concerns  should not impact this.

Where members are refused an uplift in banding based on financial/budgetary restraints this should be challenged through local process, e.g. grievance

The agreement of back pay is often a contentious issue in job evaluation cases. The NHS Job Evaluation Handbook is very clear that:

"If the banding outcome changes as a result of re-evaluation, that change should be backdated to when the post holder and manager agreed the job has changed."

Disputes about back-dating should be resolved through local procedures.

The use of third parties creates an inherent risk to the integrity of the Job Evaluation Scheme (JES).

• Guidance clearly states that outsourcing job matching, and job evaluation should be used as a last resort, be a temporary measure, and be a partnership decision. See Section 8.4 of the Job Evaluation Handbook
• JE must be delivered in partnership and there is no provision for staff side unions to accredit job matching or evaluation practitioners to work for private providers.
• This measure should be time limited with a plan to develop necessary capacity to maintain good job evaluation practice within the organisation.
• Where aware of outsourcing, this should be raised at local partnership forums.

Questions to ask:

• How was the decision made to outsource JE? Was it done in partnership?
• What steps have been taken to build management and staff side JE capacity?
• What is the plan for bringing JE back in house?
• How can the organisation ensure third-party panels have appropriate and up to date training?
• How will these panels be conducted in partnership?
• How will consistency checking be completed?
• Has this been added to the risk register as increases risk of equal pay claims