Manager's Handbook

HR Changes Team

• changes to terms and conditions
• assistance with updating records in PiP
• cessation of employment
• absence queries
• expression of interest

Payroll Team

• all payroll related queries

Recruitment Team

• administrative services for recruitment

Business Partner and HR Adviser Teams

• terms and conditions of service
• employee relations such as sickness absence, capability, discipline, grievances, fairness at work
• HR policies and procedures

Learning Education and Development (LEaD)

• training and development courses, both digital and trainer led
• mediation services
• coaching and mentoring services

People Information Programme (PiP) Team

• PiP login support (system access, password resets)
• building of PiP admin roles
• maintenance of the organisation structure (reporting line changes or restructures)
• technical support, troubleshooting issues and system errors
• working with Government Technology Services (GTS) and our system supplier, MHR to ensure the system runs smoothly and is updated regularly
• working with Departments, Boards and Offices to support the delivery of new system functionality

Occupational Health

• Specialist medical advice to help managers and employees understand how health issues affect work.
• Pre-placement screening.
• Occupational immunisations. 
• Health surveillance.
• Periodic medicals. 
• Management / self-referrals. 

All employees are supplied with a Written Statement of Particulars of Terms and Conditions of Employment within 4 weeks of commencing employment, which together with the relevant terms and conditions of service document referred to in the Written Statement of Particulars, forms their contract of employment.

• PSC Civil Service Regulations (CS)
• PSC Manual and Craft Workers (M&CW)
• PSC New Terms for New Starters and Promotions (NTNSP)
• DHSC Manx Pay Terms and Conditions (MPTC)
• National Joint Council Terms and Conditions (NJC) (The Green Book)

For any terms and conditions not listed, such as Education Support Staff, Teachers, Lecturers, Bus Vannin or HMD please contact HR advisory team who will be able to provide further information.

What is PiP?

PiP is the database used by the Isle of Man Government for HR management and payroll functions, including personnel records and organisational structures. When changes are to be made to your organisational structure or your employee’s terms of employment, these will need to be reflected on PiP. To do this, you will need to access the Manager Self Service function within PiP.

Functions of PiP

Managers can use PiP to run select reports, for instance on an employee’s absence, however it is also used by employees to book annual leave, record sickness absences, apply for special leave and to notify of resignation.

PiP user guides for employees 

PiP user guides for managers  

For more information, the PiP Customer Support Team can be contacted on 685999 or by email at pipsupport@gov.im.

Prior to the launch of PiP, OHR required managers to complete a number of physical forms. Most of these forms are no longer in use as the required information is now entered directly, by the manager into PiP using Manager Self Service.

OHR 1 – Form no longer in use

• Please use PiP Manager Self Service to create or amend positions
• If you need any assistance please contact the HR Changes team at Pipchanges@gov.im

OHR 3 – Form no longer in use

• Please use PiP Manager Self Service to make any amendments to employment details
• If you need any assistance please contact the HR Changes team at Pipchanges@gov.im

OHR 4 – Form no longer in use.

• Employees wishing to change address details should use PiP Employee Self-Service
• To change your name please contact the HR Changes Team at Pipchanges@gov.im

OHR 5 – Leavers form

OHR 6 – Form no longer in use

• Employees wishing to apply for special leave should use PiP Employee Self-Service

OHR 8 – Trade union facility time request

OHR 9 – Application to the Cycle to Work Scheme

Please see the Forms section of the OHR Website for a full listing of HR forms and guidance.

Wellbeing is

• feeling good, functioning well
• work life balance
• feeling motivated and able
• good physical, psychological and emotional health

Why it is important

• employee engagement
• positive work culture
• improved performance
• reduced sickness absence
• improved emotional wellbeing
• empowered employee
• reduced turnover

Support wellbeing

Take ownership of your own health and wellbeing by:

• making healthy choices
• getting motivated
• getting involved
• be informed

How we support your wellbeing

We provide resources and services for staff and managers such as:

• learning and development opportunities
• wellbeing and personal development courses for employees
• training and guidance for managers
• staff welfare services
• occupational health services
• health and safety advice
• policies and procedures
• workplace coaching

How supervisors and managers can support workplace wellbeing

• effective performance management
• proactive and supportive management of absence
• people focused management style
• early intervention
• stress risk assessment
• open, two-way communication with members of staff
• training and tools for supervisors and managers

Visit the Sound Advice Podcast Series from Scott Bradbury. (Please note that this link will direct you to an external website which is not administered by the Isle of Man Government).

Isle of Man Public Service Healthy and Well Site

In addition to the above, the Isle of Man Government’s dedicated Healthy and Well site offers a comprehensive guide for employees and contains useful advice, resources, contacts and support relating to health and wellbeing.

The Fairness at Work Policy supports the Isle of Man Government’s commitment to promoting a working climate in which all members of staff are treated fairly and consistently and with dignity and respect.

The responsibility for creating a culture of Fairness at Work is shared by all and everyone has a role to play by:

• being proactive and intervening early when problems arise
• understanding and adhering to acceptable standards of conduct
• taking responsibility for their own behaviour

The policy also aims to promote management styles which are effective and fair and there is a large section of the policy dedicated to providing support and guidance for supervisors/managers.

As a supervisor/manager you may at some point have to have a difficult or challenging conversation with a member of staff. No one enjoys having these conversations but they shouldn’t be avoided as getting them right can help to improve levels of performance, attendance and employee engagement.

There are various tools and practical steps you can take to assist you with structuring these conversations and where possible, get the right outcome for you and your member of staff.

Examples of tools that Learning, Education and Development (LEaD) deliver through some of their training programmes are:

CEDAR Model

CEDAR is a tool that can be used to structure a difficult conversation that you need to have. Having a structure to follow gives you confidence in saying what you need to say.

CEDAR is broken down into 5 stages:

• Clarify
• Explain
• Discuss
• Agree
• Review

BEEF Feedback Model

This model focuses on effective ways of providing feedback to your member of staff using the following structure:

• Behaviour
• Example(s)
• Effect(s)
• Future

For further information, please see the BEEF Feedback Model Guide

Additional resources and training

Watch the Management Skills Video – Fixing performance problems

LEaD offer various training courses which may help you learn the skills to have these difficult conversations:

• Skills for Making Tough Decisions
• Skills for Challenging Positively
• The Value of Feedback and Reflection
• First line management development programme
• The Value of Feedback and Reflection
• Grievance handling

A range of courses relating to management and supervisory skills are available in the HR Essentials for Managers group within eLearn Vannin.

ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Services) provide a service to workplaces in the UK and have produced a guide 'Challenging conversations and how to manage them' written for line managers to give practical tips, scenarios and steps of how to handle these difficult conversations better.

And remember, your HR advisors are here to support you.

Additional Support Videos for Managers and Employees

Videos offering additional support for managers and employees can be accessed on this website.

Guidance and support

Capability Procedures

The aim of capability procedures is to bring about the improvement necessary in order for a member of staff to meet the required standards, by ensuring a fair, efficient, consistent and constructive approach to dealing with capability issues such as performance or attendance, with clear outcomes at all stages.

Disciplinary Procedures

The aim of disciplinary procedures is to ensure that the standards of conduct expected of the member of staff are observed by providing a method of dealing with alleged breaches and deficiencies in a manner which is consistent and fair.

Grievance Procedures

All members of staff should have access to a fair and effective procedure for the resolution of grievances. The aim of the grievance procedures is to settle any grievance as near to its point of origin as possible and without unreasonable delay.

The Learning Education and Development Division of the Office of Human Resources offer training courses in High Performance Essentials: People and High Performance Essentials: Process.

More information

It is important that members of staff know what standards of conduct are expected of them, and that they are made aware of any relevant policies or procedures by their supervisor/manager.

The Code of Conduct for Public Servants defines the minimum standards of conduct that members of staff are expected to observe when carrying out their official duties.

Procedures are included within the member of staff's terms and conditions of service.

Advice and direct assistance with these procedures is available from your Business partner or HR advisor.

Policies and Procedures can also be accessed by employees on the Policies, Procedures, Codes, Guidance and Forms page of the OHR Website.

The Isle of Man Government is committed to establishing a culture that supports a safe, healthy and productive workforce. As a supervisor / manager, your role is key to the effective management of sickness absence.

It is vital that absence is continuously monitored not only for the safety and wellbeing of our staff but also due to its high cost to the organisation. To assist in monitoring of absence, all Government departments receive absence reports on a monthly basis and termly for the Department of Education and Children.

The Management of Sickness Absence Policy and Guidance provides robust arrangements for the management of attendance which are fair, equal and consistently applied across the Public Service.

Who does the policy apply to?

The policy applies to all staff employed by the Isle of Man Government, whether full-time, part-time or limited term, with the exception of bank, relief and supply staff.

Your responsibilities as a supervisor/manager 

It is the responsibility of supervisors/managers to monitor the attendance of their staff and to effectively deal with any absence issues in accordance with the Managing Sickness Absence Policy and Guidance.

The HR Essentials Managing Sickness Absence course is run by Learning Education and Development and can be booked via eLearn Vannin. It aims to give an understanding of the Managing Sickness Absence Policy and to explain the procedures and good practice which should be adopted to ensure the effectiveness of this policy.

What to do when your staff member reports sick

The HR Website provides an easy to follow guide to the Sickness Absence Procedures and outlines the responsibilities of both employees and managers in the event that a staff member is absent from work due to sickness.

The Sick Pay provisions are determined by the staff member’s employment group terms and conditions.

When your staff member returns to work

All members of staff should have a return to work meeting with the supervisor/manager on their return to work. This is a crucial part in managing sickness absence, confirms they are fit to be at work and helps to support their wellbeing.

You can contact your HR Advisory Team or the Occupational Health Service in confidence.

Occupational Health Service

Occupational Health is a confidential, impartial, medical advisory service. Their role is to advise about the health of employees in order to help supervisors/managers prevent or reduce work related health problems and manage the impact of health problems at work.

Staff Welfare Service

Staff Welfare offers information, help, support and counselling on a wide range of issues which can affect attendance at work. Staff can self-refer to this service.

Annual leave

The number of days of annual leave a member of staff is entitled to is set out in their Statement of Written Particulars and Terms and Conditions.

It is a supervisor/manager’s responsibility to ensure that annual leave records are kept up to date.

Annual leave entitlements for different terms and conditions:

• PSC Civil Service
• PSC M&CW
• PSC NTNSP
• MPTC

For Department of Education and Children staff employed on a term time only basis, annual leave is not permitted during term time. On this basis, annual leave entitlement is rolled up and paid within the member of staff’s monthly salary.

For any terms and conditions not listed above, such as Bus Vannin or HMD please contact the relevant HR advisory team who will be able to provide further information.

Annual leave for part-time staff

Part time staff are entitled to the same allowances proportionate to their working pattern as full time staff.

Example:

Full time annual leave allowance x part time member of staff’s FTE* = annual leave allowance for part time member of staff

25 x 0.60 = 15 days annual leave

*FTE = number of part time hours per week / full time weekly hours of post

Annual leave carryover

Check your staff member's relevant terms and conditions to find out how much leave they can carry forward.

Staff commencing employment after the start of an annual leave year

A member of staff who commences employment part way through a leave year will be eligible for a proportionate amount of annual leave for the remaining part of the leave year.

Example:

A member of staff with an allocation of 21 days per annum who commences employment on 1st October but with the annual leave year commencing on 1 April.

Annual leave allowance / weeks in year x number of weeks worked = member of staffs annual leave allowance.

21 / 52.2 x 26 = 10.5 days annual leave (proportionate allowances for days are always round up to the nearest half hour),

Staff leaving employment part way through an annual leave year

A member of staff who leaves employment part way through a leave year will be eligible for a proportionate amount of annual leave for the leave year whilst employed.

Example:

A member of staff with an allowance of 24 days per annum leaves employment on the 31 December (no of completed weeks service in relevant leave year up to 31 December = 39 weeks).

Annual leave allowance / weeks in year x number of weeks worked = pro rata leave allowance*

24 / 52.2 x 39 = 17.93 rounded up to nearest half hour = 18 days annual leave

*Once this has been calculated remember to add any leave carried over from the previous leave year and/or deduct any leave already taken by the member of staff, in the current leave year

If a member of staff has exceeded their annual leave allowance prior to leaving they may be required to refund from their salary an amount equivalent to the number of days overtaken.

If a member of staff has any annual leave outstanding before they leave wherever possible this should be taken prior to them leaving.

Special leave

The Isle of Man Government attaches considerable importance to a clear policy for the consideration and approval of special leave for:

• domestic, personal and family matters
• civic and public duties
• trade union duties

The objective is to provide a policy which provides appropriate time off for these purposes whilst maintaining a high level of service to the public. In particular it wishes to help employees balance the demands of work with the demands of domestic responsibilities at times of urgent and unforeseen need by the provision of special leave, paid or unpaid according to circumstances

Full details can be found in the member of staff’s terms and conditions.

All applications must be made using the Employee Self-Service function of PiP, unless a Department has other specific arrangements in place.

Step 1: The first step is to work out what your part time team members “per day” bank holiday entitlement is. This calculation is based on the number of part time hours worked per week divided by the number of days in the working week.

For example, if your team member works 22.5 hours per week with terms and conditions that have a standard working week of 5 days you would calculate their “per day” entitlement as follows:

22.5 hours divided by 5 = 4.5 hours per day entitlement.

So for this example this person will have a 4.5 hours per bank holiday entitlement. 

Step 2: To understand whether any credit/debit is due to that team member for each bank holiday taken, the next step is to consider which days and hours the person works.

• If the person works an equal amount of hours across every day of the standard working week for their terms and conditions, then their working hours should match the per day total credit therefore no adjustment is required.
  
  
• If the person was not due to work on the bank holiday then they are entitled to their full bank holiday entitlement for that day and a credit will need to be applied.
  
  For example, based on the 22.5 hours above, their bank holiday entitlement per day is 4.5 hours and a credit totalling this should be applied.
  
  
• If the per day bank holiday entitlement is more hours than the person would have worked that day, then they have not received their full bank holiday entitlement for that day and a credit will need to be applied for the difference.
  
  For example, based on the 22.5 hours above, their bank holiday entitlement per day is 4.5 hours but if the person would only have worked 3 hours that day, then they are entitled to a credit of 1.5 hours to receive their full bank holiday entitlement.
  
  
• If the per day bank holiday entitlement is fewer hours than the person would have worked that day, then the employee has exceeded their bank holiday entitlement for that day and a debit will need to be applied for the difference.
  
  For example, based on the 22.5 hours above, their bank holiday entitlement per day is 4.5 hours but if that person would have worked 6 hours that day, then a debit of 1.5 hours should be applied to correct this.

Where bank holidays are separated from annual leave schemes (PSC terms and conditions only), credits and debits for bank holidays can be applied by the manager to leave, flexi or TOIL balances based on Departmental rules/operational preferences.

Where bank holidays are rolled up into an annual leave scheme entitlement, the credit or debit should be applied by the manager against the annual leave balance.

Our guidance on Adoption, Maternity and Paternity Leave provides helpful information regarding staff entitlements and your obligations in relation to pregnancy, maternity and adoption.

This handbook refers to PSC Civil Service, Manual and Craft and MPTC but does not affect your terms and conditions of employment which take precedence.

If you plan on recruiting to cover for maternity or adoption leave, please refer to the Jobtrain User Guide or contact the Employment Services Team.

Keep in Touch Days are a valuable way for members of staff to maintain contact with their teams whilst on maternity or adoption leave and can facilitate a smoother return to work.

Learning, Education and Development (LEaD), provide a wide range of development for supervisors/managers, both for personal and staff development.

Personal Development for Supervisors/Managers

• Chairing Meetings
• Presentation Skills
• 1st Line Management Development Programme
• Leadership Development Programme
• Senior Leadership Development Programme
• Development Centres – Open to EO, HEO and SEO (and equivalent grades)
• Aspiring Chief Executive Development Centre -  Director+ to Chief Executive
• Aspiring Executive Leaders Development Centre – SEO to Director
• Aspiring Senior Leaders Development Centre – HEO to SEO
• Aspiring Middle Managers Development Centre EO to HEO
• Aspiring First Line Leaders Development Centre – AA/AO to EO
• Managing Change

Project Management Recruitment and Selection Interviewing Panel Financial Regulations: Governance Foundation Course

Managing Staff

• Supervisory Skills
• The Coaching Approach Soft Skills for Appraisals and PDRs
• 3Cs Performance Management (Appraisal) Approach
• Managing for High Performance
• HR Essentials: Managing Sickness Absence Stress Awareness Grievance Handling

Developing Staff

• Skills for Challenging Positively
• Giving Great Customer Service
• Handling Difficult Situations
• Soft Skills for Appraisal and PDRs
• Building Personal Resilience
• Managing Stress Effectively
• Using Your Time
• Retirement Preparation
• The Healthy Worker Course
• Basic IT Skills
• My Computer
• Excel for Work
• Word for Work
• PowerPoint for Work
• IOM Government Corporate Induction
• Isle of Man Government - Welcome and Induction
• Living Our Vision and Values
• Programme for Government
• Seven Principles of Public Life
• The Public Purse
• The Structure of our Government

Performance appraisal is a valuable process which provides a framework to support ongoing, effective performance management.

The most important aspect of an appraisal scheme are the scheduled meetings between the manager and member of staff to enable constructive conversations around performance, setting key objectives and exploration of development opportunities that may be needed in order to achieve objectives or desired as personal workplace development or career aspirations.

Currently the appraisal process used in your area will be dependent on the terms and conditions of your members of staff and some staff groups do not have a formal appraisal procedure at present.

A new, simplified appraisal scheme is currently being developed which is intended to be an adaptable and practical scheme which can be tailored to suit specific employee group’s needs. Once in place, the new scheme will not only replace the PSC Civil Service PDR scheme, but will be available for other staff groups who currently do not have an appraisal scheme in place.

If you have any questions regarding performance appraisal, please contact your HR Advisory Team.

People leave the organisation for all kinds of reasons, whether through retirement, taking a break from work or to move on to pastures new. A good leaving experience can have a significant impact on the leaver’s impressions of their time with the organisation.

We want all of our employees to feel valued, trusted and respected at all stages of their employment, including when they leave the organisation. As a manager, you are key to the success of this.

Some reasons for leaving need to be dealt with particularly sensitively, such as ill health retirement, redundancy or dismissal. In these cases, you will have the support of your OHR Business Partner team. Follow this link for more information about the Business Partner team and for contact details.

Using PiP

Employees now enter their resignation through PiP although some may still let you know verbally or by letter initially.

PiP will let you know that your leaver has handed in their notice, but nothing further will happen until you have confirmed your leaver’s last day of employment on the system, so make sure you talk to your leaver to agree this date.  Information regarding notice periods.

Once agreed, you will update PiP which will trigger an automatic email to them confirming the date and providing them with information they will need when leaving the organisation, including outstanding annual leave, the return of Government property and pensions information. You will also receive a confirmation email which includes a handy manager's checklist.

If you are not yet using PiP, follow this process for resignations.

OHR will close down your leaver’s Jobtrain, PiP accounts and any work permits or visas will also be cancelled.

Letting people know

Bear in mind that the leaver may want to tell close colleagues personally before letting others know.

Once close colleagues know, you might consider an email for the wider division or department and stakeholders so that everyone is aware. Avoid putting any inappropriate or personal information in the announcement, for example, excessive detail about why they are leaving.

Always take into account the morale of the team and the potential impact of the announcement when deciding on the best method of communication. When a team member leaves, it can be an unsettling time for their colleagues, especially their direct team. It is a good idea to make yourself or an appropriate manager available to answer any questions the team may have and provide assurances for any concerns that are brought up.

The perception of the colleagues who are remaining is really important.  Seeing how a colleague is treated after giving their notice will reflect on their own feelings of engagement. Team members will be reassured by a well-managed and personal approach to the employee leaving that supports the organisations values.

Handover

There are a number of benefits to a good handover, which include a smooth transition between the leaver and the new starter, meaning the new starter will settle in more easily and confidently.  It also means much less disruption to the business whilst reducing the risk of valuable knowledge and experience being lost.

Think about when would be best to ask for the handover to be prepared considering their notice period and any leave being taken. The detail and length of a handover will vary depending on the complexity and seniority of the role, however, here are some general guidelines for what should be included:

• Description of key daily tasks and processes
• Relevant files and spreadsheets
• Projects/tasks deadlines and progress updates
• Identify any training/shadowing your leaver could provide to other staff to pass on specialist knowledge
• Key contacts; customers, clients, stakeholders and managers
• Any ongoing issues
• Details of relevant logins and passwords
• Location of keys or other resources

Remember to arrange enough time to go through the handover with your leaver.

If there will be a gap between the leaver’s end date and the new starter commencing, you will need to identify what work needs to be handed over to someone else.

The purpose of undertaking an exit interview when an employee is leaving Government, is to let us explore their experience working with us. Exit interviews should be offered consistently across your area for all leavers, regardless of role, grade or length of service.

These interviews are conducted in an informal manner by the Organisational Development and Design Team (OD+D). Should an employee wish to request an exit interview, they/or their line manager are encouraged to contact the OD+D team at OD+D@gov.im.

Recognising that some employees may prefer to have their exit interviews conducted by their line manager, we kindly request that the provided set of questions, be utilised and the gathered feedback then be relayed to the OD+D team for further processing.

Alternatively, employees who opt not to have in a face-to-face exit interview are invited to complete our survey available via the Consultation hub.

There is no compulsory retirement age. However there is flexibility under the Government Unified Scheme (GUS) to retire from age 55. Please contact the Public Sector Pensions Authority (PSPA) for further information and details of other pension schemes. Additional information and related policies can be found in the Resignation and Retirement section of the OHR website.

Is a member of your team due to retire?  Remember, a good leaving experience can have a significant impact on the leaver’s impressions of their time with the organisation.

We want all of our employees to feel valued, trusted and respected at all stages of their employment, including when they leave the organisation.

As a manager, you are key to the success of this. Use the Manager’s Guide to Leavers to assist you to provide a ‘good exit’ when someone leaves your team. It includes handy checklists and ‘to do’ lists as well as tons of useful information and guidance. 

If you are not yet using PiP, follow the process below for resignations:

Procedure for managers not using PiP

If your member of staff submits their retirement date in writing to you, please follow the leaving process from Step 3 (OHR5 form completion) onwards.

If an OHR5 form isn’t submitted by you to OHR:

1. The OHR Employment Services Team (EST) will contact you if you have a member of staff who is due to reach contractual retirement age that coming quarter.
   
   
2. EST will liaise with you and confirm the member of staff’s retirement in writing.

You may be able to request a retirement certificate for your member of staff if they have been in service for a number of years. Please check the Regulations Handbook/Department Policy for further information regarding long service.

Retirement support

Learning, Education and Development (LEaD) design and deliver learning, education and development services across the Isle of Man Government.

LEaD offers a retirement preparation course to all Isle of Man Government employees who are within two years of retirement.

We all want to ensure that we get the right person for the job and the Isle of Man Government Recruitment and Selection Policy is designed to ensure that, subject to the requirements of the Control of Employment legislation, the Government attracts and appoints the right people for vacant public sector posts:

• on the basis of fair and open competition
• on the basis of merit
• without discrimination

Vacancies arise in a number of different ways, for example, a member of your team leaves or you have received authorisation to create a new post. There is plenty of information, support and guidance available to help you with the recruitment process.

Find further detailed information in our Recruitment Policy and the Promoting Equal Opportunities Handbook.

Employees can also visit our Recruitment Intranet page where you can find lots of useful recruitment guidance documents and templates.

Training

LEaD provide a one day Recruitment and Selection Workshop for anyone involved in the recruitment of staff which takes you through the full process, from a vacancy arising, compiling an effective job description and person specification and interviewing skills.

Re-grades

Over time, the role and responsibilities of a job may change so substantially that the weight of the job changes significantly (either an increase or decrease), to warrant a review of the grading of the post. There are job evaluation grading processes in place for different terms and conditions. For further information, contact your appropriate Business Partner Team.

Jobtrain

Once you are ready to raise your vacancy on Jobtrain, you will need to ensure you have a position for the post on PiP. To fill an existing post you will need to obtain the PiP details by contacting the OHR Employment Services team.

JobTrain is the e-Recruitment system used for Isle of Man Government recruitment. The system is used for the whole recruitment process from approval to recruit and advertising to confirming individuals in post.

Jobtrain is used to:

• create and approve vacancies
• review, assess and shortlist applicants
• schedule interviews
• complete interview assessments and new appointment details
• monitor progress of pre-employment checks
• confirm start date

All supervisors/managers with responsibility for recruitment should have access to JobTrain.

To obtain log-in details and a guide for supervisors/managers, please contact the OHR Employment Services Team.

You will be provided with:

• log-in details
• user guide
• ongoing system support