Coronavirus (COVID-19) - prolonged home working for Scottish Government staff: equality impact assessment

Key Findings

The safe and secure measures Scottish Government has put in place for its staff, which includes the decision to work from home wherever possible and new safe and secure building protocols for buildings that are open, are designed to reduce the public health risks posed by Covid-19 by limiting the spread of the disease, and are therefore designed to prevent harm to individuals in Scotland.

This impact assessment has identified some potential positive impacts on one or more of the protected characteristics. In general, reductions in the spread of Covid-19 are designed to reduce risk of health harm to the whole population, with a particular focus on the health of those people who are most at risk of serious harm from Covid-19.

We recognise that there may be some potential indirect and disproportionate negative impacts of the measures we have taken on one or more of the protected characteristic groups within SG staff. These are set out and explored further in this impact assessment.

Whilst the view of the Scottish Government is that these measures are justified and a proportionate means for limiting the spread of the disease amongst our workforce, we have also sought to mitigate the negative effects identified.

Insofar as these mitigating actions may not be able to mitigate all of the potential impacts, the Scottish Government considers the potential impacts justified, a proportionate means of achieving the legitimate aim of reducing the public health risks posed by Covid-19, and the prevention of harm to individuals living in Scotland.

What might prevent the desired outcomes being achieved?

There are a wide range of issues that may prevent staff returning to the workplace with the continued prevalence of Covid-19. Further outbreaks of Covid-19, either locally and/or nationally, and lack of sufficient suppression of the virus mean we cannot be certain that the conditions to allow the wider re-opening of buildings are met.

If the measures deployed do not adequately address the negative impacts of working from home or a return to buildings then the desired outcomes are at risk of not being fully achieved. For example, we must consider the impact a prolonged period of working from home is having on physical and mental health, on colleagues’ learning and development, and the overall experience of work. We must also carefully consider the changes to the physical design of the workplace and support that are introduced to ensure these support our aim of an inclusive and accessible workplace.