Working with Relatives Policy

About this Policy

The Society recognises that occasionally we have colleagues working together who are relatives. This policy provides guidance for colleagues when employing or working alongside a relative, to ensure that working arrangements remain fair and professional.

A relative is someone who is directly related to a colleague, this could be a partner, parent, child, cousin as well as someone a colleague might be related to by marriage.

The guidance in this policy also applies to any relationships with agency workers, contractors, consultants or suppliers who work for the Society and who colleagues work closely with.

This policy does not form part of any contract of employment and the Society may amend it at any time.

Recruitment

The Society is committed to making sure that everyone has the same opportunities for recruitment or promotion. To ensure recruitment is done fairly and consistently, colleagues should not be involved in the recruitment process where the applicant is a relative.

If a colleague is aware that a relative has made an application for a position they are recruiting for, the colleague should withdraw from the selection process and be replaced by a suitable colleague. If this is not possible, the colleague should let their manager know as soon as possible to ensure arrangements are made for the recruitment process to be conducted fairly.

Managing Relatives

Ideally colleagues should not directly or indirectly manage a relative. However, we do recognise there may be occasions when a colleague is managing a relative. Where that happens, colleagues are required to make their line manager aware so that they can approve it.

Where managing a relative occurs, it may create a conflict of interest in situations like discussing performance, awarding pay rises or supervising financial transactions. In those circumstances, colleagues should speak to a more senior manager to agree appropriate ways of minimising any potential problems.

There may also be occasions where in the course of their duties a colleague has access to confidential information regarding a relative. As with any data, this information must be treated as strictly confidential in line with the Data Protection Act and our Data Protection Policy.

Relationships between Colleagues

To help avoid any problems such as conflicts of interest, we would encourage colleagues to be open with your manager if they:

• start a significant relationship with a colleague you work closely with, or you manage; or

• A relationship with a colleague changes in any way that might mean they have a conflict of interest.

If a colleague is unsure whether a new relationship or a change in an existing relationship is significant enough to tell their manager about, it is best to make them aware. The manager will treat any information confidentially. If for any reason a colleague feels unable to talk to their manager about this, please speak to a more senior manager or a HR Advisor.

If problems arise as a result of colleagues working alongside their relatives or having relationships at work, the Society will look at possible steps that could be taken to resolve the issue. This may include changing shift patterns or the structure of the team, altering the reporting line or arranging for someone to supervise the working relationship. In exceptional circumstances, where it has not been possible to resolve the problem, we may need to speak to the colleagues about the possibility of transferring to a different team, department or location.

Additional Support

If colleagues have any questions regarding this policy or require additional support, they should speak to your line manager in the first instance.