CURRENT/FUTURE EMPLOYMENT OF LAY PEOPLE
There has been some confusion about the recent decision of Conference relating to the employment of lay people. Presented below is a brief outline of how the decisions may affect churches and circuits.
The main issues are:
Ensuring a persons Job description is up to date:
If you have been employing someone in any capacity for a long period of time, what they are now doing may be slightly or very different from that stated in the original job description. It is important that this is therefore reviewed and if there are any changes, these must be agreed with the employee. Any changes must also be put in writing and signed by both parties. You should also note that the term 'Lay Worker' can no longer be used - a title describing the actual work they do is now required, i.e. pastoral visitor, families worker etc.
Person specification:
The job description will determine what skills etc. you are looking for in a person and therefore if the job has changed, you should also adjust the person specification which lists what qualification / skills / experience etc. the person needs to have.
Salary:
When employing a youth worker, pastoral worker, children's worker etc. it is appropriate and advisable to base their salary on a national salary scale linked to that profession, i.e. youth and community workers to JNC.
If employing 'local' people, i.e. secretaries, cleaners etc. it is acceptable to pay them on what the local rate is for such posts in your area as long as the rate is at least the minimum national rate as, set out by the government. Local rate means what is generally paid by local employers and not what a particular church may say their own 'local' rate is. However, Conference encourages churches and circuits to consider paying such employees on the 'living wage' (recommended by the Church Action on Poverty) which is currently £7.07 for those working outside London.
If you are still employing someone as a 'Lay Worker' on the old pay scale then this has now changed quite considerably. As well as paying a basic hourly rate, say the £7.07 'living wage', you then need to award points, each worth £475, for the person meeting specific areas of the person specification, i.e. 3 points for a relevant qualification, 2 points if they bring the appropriate experience etc. etc. (a maximum of 9 points can be rewarded).
Housing:
It should be noted that it is no longer a mandatory requirement for new employees, when paying them on the scale referred to above, or a salary based on a 'national' scale, to offer housing or a housing allowance. Please note this does not affect current housing arrangements/allowances for existing employees.
Travel Allowance:
This currently remains at 40p per mile for the first 10,000 miles and then 25p for each mile over 10,000 in any one year.
If you require any further help or information please contact our Training and Development Officer Keith Elliott.
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