NHS Wales Approach to Flexible Working

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“NHS Wales is committed to developing and maintaining arrangements which make it a great place to work and learn, and to the delivery of a quality service, recognising that our staff are fundamental to our success, and that we need to attract new staff from a varied range of backgrounds. NHS Wales also understands that it is vital to retain the embodied investment in knowledge, skills and experience of staff over many years, which we commit to maintain both now and in the future.

Evidence shows that flexible working (which can include the use of pension flexibilities) and the promotion, support and facilitation of it can contribute to the aims of NHS Wales in a number of ways, including:

• Recruitment & Retention and future-proofing the workforce
• Wellbeing
• Reduced sickness rates
• Improved quality and productivity
• Enabling underrepresented groups to enter and progress in the workforce

Therefore, flexible working benefits NHS Wales by allowing staff to create a better balance between their work and home life:

• Enhancing general health and wellbeing
• Job satisfaction
• Increased employee engagement and raised morale which result in a better patient experience
• Helps staff to meet the needs which may arise at different stages of their lives
• Make choices about how and when they wish to work, and to better balance their home life with their responsibilities at work

The aim of this approach is to support managers to make a cultural shift so that rather than “We can’t do this because…” the question becomes “How can we make this happen”?

This means that the default position will be that a request for flexible working will be approved, and every possible avenue explored to facilitate this, unless there are clear business reasons in policy and law to decline.

NHS Wales will not discriminate, either directly or indirectly, on the grounds of any of the characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010 or any other personal characteristic in the implementation of this policy. We aspire to a diverse workforce and recognise that compassionate leadership does not mean treating everyone the same, but treating them fairly and taking into account detailed knowledge of individual staff members’ needs, circumstances and background”.

                                                   Joint Chairs of the Welsh Partnership Forum, May 2023

Flexible Working

This approach is underpinned by evidence, FAQs and toolkits, all designed with the aim of keeping staff working in NHS Wales, and attracting them to work for us in the first place, by offering the utmost flexibility consistent with the delivery of quality services.

Please follow the link to the NHS Wales Flexible Working.

Also, the NHS Staff Council has developed guidance that details some of the ways individuals can work flexibly that have contractual implications regarding NHS terms and conditions and may also interact with specific statutory protections for workers/employees. Statutory employment rights may vary according to whether individuals are workers or employees.  In addition, further guidance has been developed to supplement this from a NHS Wales perspective.

Agile Working

An approach to agile working has also been developed in partnership and a briefing has been produced.

Use of pension flexibilities

Another aspect related to flexible working and which supports the retention of our staff is the use of pension flexibilities.  A set of minimum standards have been agreed in partnership and organisations need to adhere to these minimum standards when developing their own position.

Ymagwedd GIG Cymru at Weithio Hyblyg

“Mae GIG Cymru wedi ymrwymo i ddatblygu a chynnal trefniadau sy’n ei wneud yn lle gwych i weithio a dysgu, ac i ddarparu gwasanaeth o safon, gan gydnabod bod ein staff yn hanfodol i’n llwyddiant, a bod angen i ni ddenu staff newydd o ystod amrywiol o gefndiroedd. Mae GIG Cymru hefyd yn deall ei bod yn hanfodol cadw’r buddsoddiad sydd wedi’i ymgorffori mewn gwybodaeth, sgiliau a phrofiad staff dros nifer o flynyddoedd, yr ydym wedi ymrwymo i’w gynnal nawr ac yn y dyfodol.

Mae tystiolaeth yn dangos y gall gweithio hyblyg (a all gynnwys defnyddio hyblygrwydd pensiwn) a’i hyrwyddo, ei gefnogi a’i hwyluso gyfrannu at nodau GIG Cymru mewn nifer o ffyrdd, gan gynnwys:

• Recriwtio a Chadw a diogelu'r gweithlu at y dyfodol
• Llesiant
• Cyfraddau salwch is
• Gwell ansawdd a chynhyrchiant
• Galluogi grwpiau heb gynrychiolaeth ddigonol i ymuno â'r gweithlu a gwneud cynnydd ynddo

Felly, mae gweithio hyblyg o fudd i GIG Cymru drwy ganiatáu i staff greu cydbwysedd gwell rhwng eu bywydau gwaith a’u bywydau cartref:

• Gwella iechyd a llesiant cyffredinol
• Boddhad mewn swydd
• Mwy o ymgysylltu â gweithwyr a chodi morâl sy'n arwain at brofiad gwell i gleifion
• Mae'n helpu staff i ddiwallu'r anghenion a all godi ar wahanol adegau yn eu bywydau
• Gwneud dewisiadau ynglŷn â sut a phryd y dymunant weithio, a sicrhau cydbwysedd gwell rhwng eu bywydau cartref a’u cyfrifoldebau yn y gwaith

Nod y dull hwn yw cefnogi rheolwyr i wneud newid diwylliannol fel bod y cwestiwn yn mynd yn “Sut gallwn ni wneud i hyn ddigwydd” yn hytrach na “Ni allwn wneud hyn oherwydd…”?

Mae hyn yn golygu mai’r sefyllfa ddiofyn fydd y bydd cais am weithio hyblyg yn cael ei gymeradwyo, a phob llwybr posibl yn cael ei archwilio i hwyluso hyn, oni bai bod rhesymau busnes clir mewn polisi a chyfraith dros wrthod.

Ni fydd GIG Cymru yn gwahaniaethu, naill ai’n uniongyrchol nac yn anuniongyrchol, ar sail unrhyw un o’r nodweddion a warchodir gan Ddeddf Cydraddoldeb 2010 neu unrhyw nodwedd bersonol arall wrth weithredu’r polisi hwn. Rydym yn anelu at weithlu amrywiol ac yn cydnabod nad yw arweinyddiaeth dosturiol yn golygu trin pawb yr un fath, ond yn hytrach eu trin yn deg ac ystyried gwybodaeth fanwl am anghenion, amgylchiadau a chefndir aelodau staff unigol”.

Cyd-Gadeiryddion Fforwm Partneriaeth Cymru, Mai 2023

Gweithio Hyblyg

Ategir y dull hwn gan dystiolaeth, Cwestiynau Cyffredin a phecynnau cymorth, i gyd wedi’u cynllunio gyda’r nod o gadw staff i weithio yn GIG Cymru, a’u denu i weithio i ni yn y lle cyntaf, drwy gynnig yr hyblygrwydd mwyaf sy’n gyson â darparu gwasanaethau o safon.

Dilynwch y ddolen i Ganllawiau Gweithio Hyblyg GIG Cymru

Hefyd, mae Cyngor Staff y GIG wedi datblygu canllawiau (https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/guidance-contractual-issues-arising-certain-forms-flexible-working(Saesneg yn unig)) sy’n manylu ar rai o’r ffyrdd y gall unigolion weithio’n hyblyg sydd â goblygiadau contractiol o ran telerau ac amodau’r GIG a gall hefyd ryngweithio ag amddiffyniadau statudol penodol i weithwyr/gweithwyr. Gall hawliau cyflogaeth statudol amrywio yn dibynnu a yw unigolion yn weithwyr neu'n gyflogeion.  Yn ogystal, mae canllawiau pellach wedi'u datblygu i ategu hyn o safbwynt GIG Cymru.

Gweithio Ystwyth

Mae ymagwedd at weithio ystwyth hefyd wedi'i datblygu mewn partneriaeth a chynhyrchwyd papur briffio.

Defnyddio hyblygrwydd Pensiwn

Agwedd arall sy'n ymwneud â gweithio hyblyg ac sy'n cefnogi cadw ein staff yw'r defnydd o hyblygrwydd pensiwn.  Cytunwyd ar set o safonau gofynnol mewn partneriaeth ac mae angen i sefydliadau gadw at y safonau gofynnol hyn wrth ddatblygu eu sefyllfa eu hunain.