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INFORMATION COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE
SUMMARY OF BASIC TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF
EMPLOYMENT
Level F
SALARY
Salary upon appointment is at present £39,137 per annum (pro-rata for part-time). It is
expected that all new entrants will start on the entry rate for the salary band in all but
the most exceptional of circumstances.
Salaries are reviewed each year on 1 July, or if you have fewer than nine months in
grade on 1 July, after you have completed nine months in your grade.
Pay increases are not automatic or guaranteed and are subject to the ICO receiving
approval to make pay awards from the Treasury or Ministry of Justice.
Where pay awards are finalised after 1 July, they will be back dated to 1 July, unless
there is agreement with the trade unions to do otherwise.
Salary is payable on or around 25th of the month into a bank or building society of your
choice.
HOURS OF WORK
A flexible working hours system operates within the Office. The contracted hours of
employment are 148 during a four week accounting period, which translates into 37
hours per week Monday to Friday (pro-rata for part-time).
The working day is divided into two parts:
a) core-time within which everyone must be at work unless absence has been
authorised in advance, and
b) flexible periods at the beginning of the morning, at lunch-time and at the end of
the afternoon, when employees may select their own times for arrival at and
departure from work, subject to prior agreement with their manager:
07:00 – 10:30 Flexible starting band
10:30 – 11:30 Core-time
11:30 – 14:00 Flexible lunch period
14:00 – 15:00 Core-time
15:00 – 19:00 Flexible finishing band
It is a requirement that the office must be staffed from 9.00am to 5.00pm. Flexibility of
start, finish and break times is subject to the fulfilment of business needs and you may
therefore be required by your manager to start or finish work at these times. There may
be occasions where for business reasons you are required to start work before 9.00am
or finish after 5.00pm.
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OVERTIME
Hours worked or spent travelling on business at the request of management at weekends or
Bank/Public holidays are treated as overtime or travelling time. Job levels A to F can claim for
business travel time or overtime hours worked on Monday to Fridays before 07.00 or after
19.00. Staff in levels A to D can also claim for time travelled or overtime worked between
07.00 to 07.55 and 17.55 to 19.00 rather than flexi credit if they choose.
There is no compensation for staff at level H.
The rates of compensation for levels A to G are outlined below:
PERIOD OPTION LEVEL A TO C LEVEL D TO F LEVEL G
Monday to
Friday
Payment
Time off in lieu
1.5 x o/time hours
1 x hours travelled
1 x o/ time hours
1 x hours travelled
1 x o/time hours
1 x hours travelled
1 x o/time hours
1 x hours travelled
No compensation
No compensation
Saturday
Payment
Time off in lieu
2 x o/time hours
1.5 x hours
travelled
1.5 x o/time hours
1.5 x hours
travelled
1 x o/time hours
1 x hours
travelled
Sunday/Public
/Bank holidays
Payment
Time off in lieu
2 x o/time hours
2 x hours travelled
2 x o/time hours
2 x hours travelled
1 x o/time hours
1 x hours
travelled
OTHER RULES
Where time off in lieu (TOIL) is claimed, no more than the equivalent of one
standard working day (i.e. 7 hours 24 minutes) may be accumulated in any single
day on which overtime and/or travelling time is claimed. Any balance of hours
must be claimed as payment.
A maximum of 14 hours 48 minutes TOIL may be carried over into the next
financial year.
Time spent travelling to and from the office for overtime on non normal working
days will not be compensated.
Overtime planned and agreed specifically for the purpose of clearing work
backlogs would normally be compensated only by payment and not through the
provision of TOIL.
The maximum time allowed to be worked without a break is 6 hours. You will not
be able to claim for more than 6 hours overtime without accounting for a
minimum 30 minute break.
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PAID HOLIDAYS
You will be entitled to a total of 25 days paid holidays per year. Your personal holiday
year runs from the first day of the month in which your birthday falls.
Your entitlement to annual leave increases with your length of service. After five years
service you will become entitled to 27 days annual leave, and after ten years your
entitlement will be 30 days annual leave.
Holiday entitlement is pro rated for part time staff.
PUBLIC AND PRIVILEGE HOLIDAYS
There are 8 public holidays each year. In addition to these days there are 3 privilege
holidays each year, which are taken between the Christmas and New Year Period. There
may be regional variations to public and privilege holidays.
The entitlement to public and privilege days is pro rated for part time staff. This is done
by giving you a flexi time credit or debit, which depends on your working pattern.
Human Resources will explain in more detail if this affects you.
FLEXI LEAVE
Under the flexible workings hours arrangements staff accrue entitlement to flexi leave at
a rate of 2 days per four week accounting period. Over 13 accounting periods in a year
they can take up to 26 days flexi leave.
Providing that they have accrued enough additional hours, above the standard
contracted hours, staff may take up to three days flexi leave in a four week accounting
period.
PENSION
Your appointment is pensionable from the outset. Although ICO staff are not Civil
Servants, they are entitled to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme. Unless you have been
a member of the Civil Service Pension Scheme before, you will be able to choose between
two Civil Service pension arrangements:
alpha. This is an occupational defined benefit pension scheme. It provides a way of
saving for your retirement. Over the years you and the ICO both make contributions
to the scheme.
The amount you contribute will depend on your salary. From 01 April 2015 the
contribution rates are:
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Salary band Contribution rate from
1.4.15 for members
Up to £15,000 4.6%
£15,001 - £21,000 4.6%
£21,001 - £47,000 5.45%
£47,001 - £50,000 7.35%
£50,001 - £60,000 7.35%
£60,001 - £150,000 8.05%
Employee contribution rates are assessed periodically and may be subject to change.
As your employer the ICO also makes contributions, the rate of which is reviewed
periodically.
partnership pension account. This is a stakeholder pension with a contribution from
the ICO. How much we pay is based on your age. We pay this regardless of whether you
choose to contribute anything. You do not have to contribute but, if you do, we will also
match your contributions up to 3% of your pensionable earnings. The contributions are
in addition to the age-related contribution mentioned above.
You may also choose not to enter either of the pension schemes.
N.B If you have been a member of the Civil Service Pension scheme in the past you may
be able to re-join one of the older scheme arrangements. You should speak with Human
Resources if you have any queries.
RETIREMENT
There is no normal or maximum retirement age. You may continue to work as long as
you wish and decide when you want to retire. You must, however, continue to meet the
normal standards of health, efficiency, conduct, performance and attendance.
You can retire and draw your pension in line with the Pension Age applicable to your civil
service pension scheme arrangements. Pension Age is usually 60 for members of
Classic, Classic Plus or Premium, 65 for members of NUVOS, and is matched to the state
pension age for members of alpha. It is possible to retire and draw a pension earlier
than these ages, though your pension will be reduced.
Please note that the age at which you may retire and draw an unreduced pension may
change as a result of the April 2015 changes to the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
If you are planning to retire you should inform HR and your line manager of your
proposed retirement date at your earliest opportunity, giving at least 4 months notice.
EVIDENCE OF HEALTH
Offers of appointment are made subject to a satisfactory declaration of health.
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Before appointment is confirmed you will be asked to complete an on-line Medical
Questionnaire from our Occupational Health provider. Occupational Health will either
confirm your fitness to work or may require a further assessment by an Occupational
Health physician.
SECURITY CHECKS
The Information Commissioner is under a duty to protect the information and material
he holds. This obligation extends to his employees and agents, therefore, prior to
confirmation of any provisional offer of employment you will be asked to complete a
criminal declaration form.
Your criminal record declaration may be subject to verification. If you are discovered to
have lied or withheld information regarding unspent criminal convictions you may be
debarred from the recruitment process, have your offer of employment withdrawn or
you may be dismissed. The action taken will depend on the stage at which the
verification process is completed.
In addition to this all new staff are required to provide proof of identity and nationality
on or before their first day of employment. If acceptable evidence is not provided then
you will not be allowed access to the premises and so the appointment cannot
commence.
Some positions within ICO may involve access to protectively marked information up to
the classification of ‘Top Secret’. Depending on the level of access to protectively
marked material, and the classification of such material, some positions may require the
post holder to obtain a Counter-Terrorist Check, Security Check or Developed Vetting.
Such checks will be carried out by the Ministry of Justice in accordance with HM
Government’s Vetting Policy and could include a check against the National Collection of
Criminal Records, credit reference checks and/or an interview with the person being
vetted.
EVIDENCE OF QUALIFICATIONS
Offers of appointment are made on the basis of information provided in your written
application and at interview. If offered an appointment you will be asked to provide
evidence of all relevant qualifications and grades attained as indicated in your
application.
If you are unable to provide satisfactory evidence (either original certificates or written
confirmation from The Assessments and Qualifications Alliance) the offer of appointment
will be withdrawn. Please note that if you do not have all your certificates listed on your
application form you will be unable to start with the office until you are able to produce
them. The Assessments & Qualifications Alliance (AQA) can be contacted on 0161 953
1180 or alternatively their website is www.aqa.org.uk Please note that AQA charge for
duplicating certificates, this will need to be met by the individual and not the
Information Commissioner’s Office.
EVIDENCE OF IDENTITY
All newly appointed staff are required to provide proof of their identity before they can
start work with the ICO. Documents for successful candidates will be checked and
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copies taken before employment begins, these documents will be kept on your
employment file.
EVIDENCE OF RIGHT TO WORK IN THE UK
The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 requires every employer to check
that an employee has the right to work in the UK before their employment begins. Offers
of employment will be made subject to you providing satisfactory evidence of this.
Employment will not be confirmed until this has been provided. Documents for
successful candidates will be checked and copies taken before employment begins, these
documents will be kept on your employment file.
REFERENCES
All appointments are subject to the receipt of satisfactory references. Successful
candidates who are offered an appointment will be required to provide two referees.
These may be from a combination of employer and academic referees and must cover a
period of at least 1 year. At least one reference must be from your current or most
recent employer or an academic referee where there has not been any recent
employment. Personal references are not acceptable. The ICO reserves the right to
request additional references.
PROBATIONARY PERIOD
You will have a six month probationary period, in which you will receive reviews at six
weeks, 12 weeks and six months. Your continued employment at the ICO is subject to
the satisfactory completion of your probationary period, which may be extended if your
performance has not been satisfactory, or if the key competencies required for the job
have not been fully assessed in the initial six month period.
