Request ID: FOI-0508-2122 Date published: 25 June 2021
You asked
Thank you for your response to my freedom of information request. On analysis of the information provided it would like a response to questions that have arisen.
1. Are all staff in redeployment for medical or redundancy purposes afforded the option to apply for a secondment? This question relates to the fact that redeployment normally goes beyond 13 weeks due to staff taking up secondments.
2. Are staff in redeployment facing redundancy and medical redeployment at offered secondments vacancies? or do they always have to apply for the secondment vacancies they take up?
3. Apart from taking up a secondment, what are the other reasons that would see staff facing medical or redundancy redeployment stay in redeployment 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 18 months and longer?
4. What percentage of staff in redeployment for medical and redundancy purposes, Who had their time extended to 18 months and longer are no longer employees of tfl due to not securing a permanent role?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-0508-2122
Thank you for your further request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 11th June 2021 asking for information about our redeployment process. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Your questions are answered in turn below:
Question 1. Are all staff in redeployment for medical or redundancy purposes afforded the option to apply for a secondment? This question relates to the fact that redeployment normally goes beyond 13 weeks due to staff taking up secondments.
Answer: 1) For medical redeployees an agreement to be released for a secondment lies with the substantive line manager of the employee. 2) Formally displaced employees under our RSRP/OCP policy no longer have a substantive role meaning that secondment release (upon being successful and suitable) is not necessary.
Question 2. Are staff in redeployment facing redundancy and medical redeployment at offered secondments vacancies? or do they always have to apply for the secondment vacancies they take up?
Answer: The Skills matching process matches secondments to the priority candidate pool as well as permanent roles. If the salary offered for a secondment is agreeable to a redeployee then it will proceed. Secondments are not Suitable Alternative Employment (SAE), they do not attract Protection of Earnings and it is entirely the employee’s choice if they wish to accept a secondment and its terms and conditions for that period of time which can lengthen their employment, potentially mitigate future redundancy/termination and gives a longer period of time to find a permanent role (SAE).
Question 3. Apart from taking up a secondment, what are the other reasons that would see staff facing medical or redundancy redeployment stay in redeployment 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 18 months and longer?
Answer: Secondments and illness/sickness after being referred to redeployment are the two main reason for extensions.
Question 4. What percentage of staff in redeployment for medical and redundancy purposes, Who had their time extended to 18 months and longer are no longer employees of tfl due to not securing a permanent role?
Answer: Such data has only been captured on our central reporting system since 2019 onwards. Since that time, there are 42 people who have been/are currently in redeployment for 18 months or more. Of those, 19% have left for reasons of Medical termination or voluntary severance/redundancy; 43% are currently in Redeployment; 36% are still employed by TfL; and 2% left for other reasons (numbers have been rounded up/down to the nearest whole percentage).
If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
