Disclosure Scotland hybrid working and call management policy: FOI release

Information requested

1) What proportion of staff within Disclosure Scotland are working from home or as part of a hybrid scheme of working.

2) How was that decision arrived at.

3) What, 'prior decision' performance management assessment was made before and after the introduction of working from home/hybrid to ensure there was no depletion in standards.

4) What is the call management policy for Disclosure Scotland.

5) How are abandoned/unanswered calls measured.

6) What % in Q5 is deemed unacceptable and how is this managed.

Response

1) What proportion of staff within Disclosure Scotland are working from home or as part of a hybrid scheme of working.

100% of our workforce have access to hybrid working, whereby they spend a proportion of their time working in the office and a proportion working at home. Office presence is expected each week.

2) How was that decision arrived at.

Our hybrid working approach was agreed following a 12-month trial and included consultation with staff, our trade unions and we carried out an equality impact assessment. This was then agreed by our Leadership Team through our normal governance process.

3) What, 'prior decision' performance management assessment was made before and after the introduction of working from home/hybrid to ensure there was no depletion in standards.

A trial was carried out before implementing our hybrid working approach in Disclosure Scotland. During the trial period we collated evidence from across the organisation which was then considered and used to inform our decision to implement hybrid working within Disclosure Scotland. We also introduced team plans, which outlined specific business requirements in each area and the hybrid working expectations for staff working in these teams. As well as performance monitoring at an organisation and team level, employee performance is managed through established performance management and appraisal processes.

4) What is the call management policy for Disclosure Scotland.

To ensure the expected standards in call handling are met we have a range of resources, training and assessments in place. This includes Standard Operating Procedures for all operators and compliance with all Data Protection procedures when receiving calls, initial and refresher training for operators, call monitoring and quality assessments carried out by team leaders and AV/Call recording is advised on our welcome messages.

5) How are abandoned/unanswered calls measured.

Management Information reports and data measure the volume of abandoned and unanswered calls.

This allows team leaders/performance managers to monitor performance against our key performance indicators and report to senior management monthly.

6) What % in Q5 is deemed unacceptable and how is this managed.

Anything above 10% would be considered unacceptable. To manage and address this, we regularly analyse call enquiry types and inbound call volumes to identify trends or issues. Based on these insights, management decisions are taken.

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