Organisational Culture in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

35. The Service has a Recruitment and Selection (All Staff) Policy, which was first published in February 2015 and was due for review in February 2017. We were unable to find any evidence that such a review had taken place and as such the 2017 version of the policy is still extant. The policy commits the People Directorate to monitor and evaluate the recruitment and selection processes, by selecting data at random from recruitment and selection campaigns.

36. There is also a Recruitment and Selection Guidance Handbook, dated April 2015 which can be read in conjunction with the policy. The handbook is designed to give managers and other employees clarity around their respective roles and responsibilities in the recruitment process.

37. The Service states that its recruitment and selection policy has been designed to be objective, impartial and applied consistently. There is a commitment to undertake a random audit of shortlisted applications to check quality control. The policy also states that the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 should be considered at all times throughout the recruitment and selection process, including the advertising of posts, the assessment of applicants, and consideration of whether any reasonable adjustments should be made to a selection process. The policy also states that each panel member will be appropriately trained to adequately carry out their role within the process.

38. We did not carry out an in-depth examination of promotions or temporary promotions within the Service as it was beyond the scope of this inspection. However, we make the following observations. The SFRS has a centrally managed, and established, promotion, selection and development programme. The central management of the process means that the Service will run substantive promotion campaigns when it is identified that there are posts to fill. These vacancies are often due to the impact of turnover elsewhere in the hierarchy, causing a chain reaction of posts to fill. The Service also has a Temporary Promotion policy, dating from 2025, due for review in April 2029. If it is known, when the vacancy first arises, that a temporary replacement will be required for longer than six months then the recruiting manager must initiate a substantive recruitment process. Otherwise the temporary promotions process can be followed, which allows the post to be filled for up to an initial six months. The policy does however, allow for an extension after six months, up to a period of 12 months.

39. In order to temporarily fill the vacancy the recruiting manager is required to consult holding pools of successful candidates from previous substantive recruitment campaigns; the short term promotion list; and the transfer request list to identify if there is a suitable candidate available. We were aware of officers who had been on temporary promotion for extended periods, which may contravene the policy, sometimes in different roles. We made observations in our East Service Delivery Area inspection⁽⁴⁾ regarding officers who had been on temporary promotion for lengthy periods and then not being successful in a substantive promotion process. We were of the view that there may be other ways to manage the temporary promotion process.

40. At the time of our fieldwork a process had been run for the role of crew commanders. Candidates for promotion, and the Service, invest a lot of time and effort in the promotion process and there can often be a long lead-in time. Personnel raised with us their dissatisfaction with the process following its conclusion. We were advised that staff were told there was to be no holding pool after the successful candidates were appointed. This would mean that those that were unsuccessful would have to re-apply for the next vacancy. Further, it transpired that there were only two posts to be filled, but we understand that more than twenty staff were interviewed. We don’t consider that this is an efficient way for SFRS to manage promotion for either the candidates or the Service.

41. Whilst the SFRS has a guide for reasonable adjustments, during our fieldwork we were told by some managers that they felt inadequately trained regarding the assessment and implementation of reasonable adjustments. We were also advised by training instructors that information relating to a uniformed trainee’s or potential trainee’s reasonable adjustment requirements were not being made available to instructors. This was then having a negative impact on their ability to adequately support individuals, either through the initial assessment process or their initial training. We would encourage the Service to ensure that when reasonable adjustments are required to support individual needs, this information is passed on where appropriate.

Area for consideration 1: We would encourage the Service to ensure that when reasonable adjustments are required to support individual needs, this information is passed on where appropriate.

42. SFRS vacancies are predominantly advertised externally using the myjobscotland public and third sector recruitment portal. The policy requires that prior to advertising a post, reference should be made to the redeployment register, displaced and transfer staff list, to see if there is a suitable person for the role internally. The policy states that ‘In accordance with our commitment to provide career development opportunities to SFRS employees, all posts will normally be advertised internally in the first instance’. National recruitment campaigns can receive a high volume of applications resulting in significant administration.

43. Turnover of staff within the Wholetime workforce is normally less frequent and more predictable than with staff of other duty systems. The turnover in Wholetime staff over the 12 months to March 2024 was 4. 6% (down from 9. 6% the previous year) and for On-Call staff was 8. 9% (up from 7. 9% in 2023). Under normal circumstances, the Service is able to forecast staffing changes and plan for recruitment. Workforce Planning have created a model containing trigger point to produce retirement forecasts based on factors related to age, length of service and pension scheme membership. The Service has also proactively introduced an anonymous survey to gain insight and an indication of people’s retirement intentions. The Service therefore commences recruitment campaigns when it is known that there will be a requirement for Wholetime new entrants. It is likely that the next campaign will run during the summer of 2025. This planning data is also used to forecast succession requirements and plan the necessary promotion processes.

44. The Service has created a central staffing solutions team. The purpose of the team is to maximise the attraction, recruitment, retention and development of operational personnel to maintain the respective Target Operating Model.

45. Wholetime and On-Call recruitment is broadly managed centrally. The Service provides background information on its internet site for prospective applicants on what the process entails, such as details of the medical, fitness tests, psychometric test, practical test and selection centre. There is also information on a 12-week programme in order to develop fitness. Application for vacancies can be made on-line. For the On-call workforce, the recruitment campaign is open all the time, due to the continual requirement for personnel.

46. For applicants interested in becoming On-Call firefighters there is a Pre-Recruitment Engagement Programme (PREP). Once an application has been registered, personnel from the relevant local station will support the applicant in preparations to undertake the fitness and practical selection tests for On-Call firefighters. We have commented positively on the PREP process and welcomed its introduction in other reports. However, we have also made comment in other reports on the sometimes excessive time it takes for the On-Call recruitment process to be completed in some areas. From our most recent fieldwork in the North Service Delivery Area inspection this still seems to be an issue.

47. Support staff turnover is less predictable compared to uniformed staff groups. The ability to recruit into some support functions is difficult, Digital and Technology Service ((DaTS) formerly ICT) for example has experienced significant challenges in attracting and retaining staff, leading to high vacancy rates and a reliance on, market allowances, contractors and agency staff.

48. Recruitment into the Support workforce is usually managed locally to where the vacancy arises, with the support of human resources specialists. For the Support workforce when a vacancy arises the recruiting line manager will request that the post is filled by completing a vacancy request form. The job advert will be placed by the Workforce Planning and Resourcing Team. Any proposed changes to departmental structure by creating a new post must be approved by the Strategic Leadership Team; this was perceived by some members of Support staff as not a good use of their time. The policy states that consideration is given to the use of PA events to encourage applications from particular groups with different needs, with a past track record of disadvantage or low participation, to apply for a career in the fire and rescue service, or to assist them to perform to the best of their ability. We have made comment elsewhere in this report regarding PA.

49. There are standard templates for job descriptions, adverts and information packs. Guidance suggests that the templates should be reviewed to ensure that they meet the needs of the post and are suitable to engage as many applications as possible from all sections of the community. The SFRS states it is committed to the ‘Double Tick’ disability initiative and that its imagery is included on all recruitment material.

50. Candidate selection is made on the basis of the use of assessments such as interviews, presentations, psychometric tests and practical assessments. The policy states that psychometric assessments are only to be used by trained personnel. Although we have been assured during our fieldwork that the candidate’s alignment to Service values is tested during the recruitment process, there is no mention of this within the policy. The People Directorate will ensure quality assurance by auditing a random selection of scored shortlisted applications by members of the panel.

Recommendation 4

We recommend that when the Service reviews its recruitment and selection policy, and supporting documentation, it considers explicitly incorporating the assessment of the candidate’s alignment to the Service’s values, throughout the selection and recruitment process.

Positive Action

51. The Equality Act 2010 allow employers to use Positive Action (PA) measures to help ensure that groups with a particular protected characteristic are not being excluded or disadvantaged in the workplace: employers can take PA measures to help minimise that disadvantage. These measures can be general actions aimed to help people overcome barriers and, in relation to recruitment, actions that reduce disadvantage and/or increase representation, specifically when it comes to deciding between equally qualified candidates, are also possible. The SFRS Positive Action Strategy 2019-2022 contains priorities and actions to address areas of underrepresentation within the workforce. There was previously a dedicated team leading on PA but this team is no longer in place.

52. In 2019 a ‘break the mould’ campaign was launched to increase applications from women and minority ethnic groups. This direct and targeted approach to attracting applications from underrepresented groups more than doubled applications from those groups, as can be seen in Table 2. Whilst this was successful in achieving an increase of applications, the campaign has not been run again, following significant negative feedback about it. Clearly the campaign was successful in increasing applications, almost a 40% increase. Hopefully learning opportunities can be derived from the feedback received and an equally successful amended campaign could be run.

Table 2 ‘Break the mould’ statistics compared with previous year (source SFRS)

53. In the five years to 2024, the number of firefighters from one of the under-represented groups in Wholetime firefighting roles has dropped back to just below the starting point. For On-Call firefighters there has been an 8% reduction over the same period. However, as demonstrated in Table 3 below, as a percentage of the operational workforce, numbers have remained broadly the same.

Table 3 Gender breakdown of staff by year (source SFRS)

54. No data was available that could illustrate the success of attracting applications from under-represented groups outwith 2018 and 2019 figures for the Break the Mould campaign. Nor was there any available data on the reasons for staff exiting the organisation and their declared protected characteristics, which may provide further insight to the Service. We say more about exit interviews and on the Service’s access to robust data elsewhere in this report.

55. Furthermore, a change to the People Directorate priorities was brought about by the Covid pandemic, and resulted in People Directorate resources being redirected away from PA activities supporting recruitment, towards other work.

56. A proposal to review the PA strategy was prepared and presented to the SLT and the Employee Partnership forum in May 2022 which amends the delivery of PA activities to a more area-based commitment, using guidance material and a PA toolkit. The intention for Service Delivery Areas to take responsibility for PA activity using the toolkit, and therefore improve the workforce profile, is not widely understood or embedded in any policy or performance measure. Our fieldwork found little evidence to show that the strategy is embedded, communicated, is consistently applied, or that resources are known to exist to support area PA initiatives.

57. The SFRS CDG, convened in November 2023, with actions to explore its approach to attraction, recruitment, retention and development, and the reasons for staff exiting the organisation. This brief is underpinned by the analysis of recent cultural reports from UK FRS. The SFRS recognises that efforts to attract, promote and maintain a diverse workforce will require initiatives beyond PA but have provided little evidence on the progress of any actions to address this.

58. As members of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, where there is benchmarking of 246 UK employers, the SFRS commits to focussed improvement towards LGBTQ+ inclusion. The Service was recently awarded a gold award and a top 100 place (coming in at position 67). Whilst Service policies and procedures featured high in the scoring; monitoring, was cited as an area for improvement.

59. There are some active Employee Network Groups such as: Neurodiversity; LGBTQ+; and the Women’s Employee Network. There was no active network for those from Black and Ethnic Minority Groups. These groups are referenced later in the report.

60. The SFRS holds a corporate membership for Women in the Fire Service, a UK FRS network, and SFRS staff have been supported by the Service to attend and participate at a UK level for a number of years. Whilst SFRS membership is in its infancy, the Service did host a weekend workshop on behalf of the network in 2024, demonstrating a further commitment to play an active role.

61. An example of local area activity for networking for women in their role was displayed on the SFRS website: On Call Firefighters inspired by Chief Executive at network meeting | Scottish Fire and Rescue Service However, during the fieldwork, there were examples of women being less likely to express aspects of their ‘true self’ in order to conform with the group norms, this may also be equally true for male staff in predominantly female areas of the organisation, with staff stating that if there was more diversity then there would be greater awareness of individual staff needs.

62. HMFSI inspections of the East Service Delivery Area (October 2023) and the West Service Delivery Area⁽⁵⁾ (June 2024) recognise that PA remains an area for improvement to address the disproportionate workforce representation in Service Delivery staff groups. The North Service Delivery Area inspection report has yet to publish but is likely to include similar observations.

63. In any case, the PA Strategy 2019-22 remains the most recent guidance.

Recommendation 5

We recommend that the SFRS conducts a review of its Positive Action strategy and how well embedded it is within its recruitment processes. The Service should also capture and monitor data from vacancy applications, carry out, and publish, an analysis of this information to ensure that any Positive Action activity undertaken meets the needs of protected characteristic groups.

Security vetting

64. The Service has a policy for the vetting of current and prospective employees. Linked to this policy there is a further Employment And Criminal Convictions Policy which was due for review in November 2024. All candidates applying for roles within SFRS are asked to provide details of previous criminal convictions within their application form. The Service does commit to consider applications for employment from candidates with criminal convictions, based on their merits, and will not necessarily refuse employment on the basis of criminal convictions, unless materially justified by the requirements of the role applied for. Where a candidate does not disclose criminal conviction information when requested, and is subsequently found to have criminal convictions before appointment, the candidate may be withdrawn from the recruitment or selection process. Where a candidate has been issued with a contract of employment prior to the failure to disclose being recognised, this will be addressed through the SFRS Disciplinary Policy and Procedure. There may also be circumstances where external agency and contractor staff will be required to be vetted. This is also defined within policy.

65. The Service maintains a register of posts that require either a Disclosure or PVG (Protection of Vulnerable Groups) check. Policy requires managers to have an appreciation of the principles of Disclosure and the PVG scheme. Managers are also required to consider the responsibilities of any new posts created within their area in question, and assess whether the post should be subject to either Disclosure or PVG scheme membership.

66. In addition to the register of posts, the Service maintains a spreadsheet to track the applications of those who are required to have a PVG check. The individual staff member’s personal record is annotated with a successful application to the PVG scheme when the Service is advised by Disclosure Scotland. This information is retained by the Service until the date the employee leaves the Service plus a further six years. This is in line with the Service’s record retention policy.

67. In some circumstances, the SFRS has a duty to ensure that a referral is made to Disclosure Scotland regarding a disciplinary outcome. Discipline is covered in further detail later.

68. Under the Employee Code of Conduct, staff have a responsibility to advise their line manager in the event that they are charged with a criminal offence and thereafter the outcome of any trial. Line managers have a responsibility to advise the Local Senior Officer or Department Head of any offences reported to them.

69. A more in-depth review of vetting will be undertaken in our next inspection relating to conduct.

Induction

70. The Service has an induction policy which passes responsibility to manage the induction process to the employee’s line manager, though elements of the induction itself may be carried out by other colleagues. There is an induction check-list to help guide the process and ensure completion, including reference to subjects such as expected behaviours. There is also a manager guidance note. The process should be completed within two weeks of the employee’s start date and both the manager and employee are expected to sign-off the check-list to confirm that the process has been concluded. The policy also covers internal staff transfers between functions and departments. Following our fieldwork some staff felt that the induction process was inadequate on promotion.

71. The process also makes reference to ensuring that, where an employee has declared a disability, reasonable adjustments are in place. The supplementary manager guidance note states that: All SFRS personnel require to have an awareness of the following key SFRS policies;

• SFRS Code of Conduct (issued with new entrant contracts)
• Dignity and Integrity at Work Policy (renamed Dignity and Respect Policy in 2022)
• Disciplinary Policy & Procedure
• Grievance Policy & Procedure
• Managing Attendance Policy
• Appraisal Policy & Procedure
• Anti-Fraud Policy
• SFRS Acceptable Use Policy

We cover the majority of these policies elsewhere in this report.

72. A module within the on-line Learning Content Management System (LCMS), has a copy of induction material, with the exception of the Code of Conduct. LCMS is predominantly used by uniformed staff. New entrants are expected to access and read thoroughly each key policy. There is a process at the end for the employee to confirm that they have read them. The Code of Conduct forms part of the documentation new entrants receive with their contract of employment. There is a further LCMS package which must be completed covering Professional Behaviours and Equality. The module retains a three-year currency for personnel. It highlights the expectations and legal requirements of employees, relating to fulfilling their obligations for equality and diversity, along with what employees can expect from the SFRS in how it meets its obligations. The module also explains to employees, concepts of equality, diversity, inclusion and human rights and why these are relevant to their job.

73. Whilst we are aware that there is a Flexi Duty Officer (FDO) induction pack on LCMS, anecdotally in our fieldwork interviews we were told that there was either limited or no induction process before taking on the role. This was being addressed by some LSO areas running their own bespoke induction process.