Very few sports clubs will have sufficient resources to be able to employ full-time staff, though an increasing number are in a position to consider the part-time employment of, for example, a groundsman, coach or administrator. This page gives some general guidance on employing staff.
Recruitment
It is important that your club establishes a set of formal procedures for recruiting or employing its staff. You will need to have in place both
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Management recruitment procedures – to provide a straight forward process for managing club volunteers, whilst ensuring that both the club and the volunteer has a clear understanding of what is expected of them, and
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Child & Vulnerable Adult Protection recruitment procedures – to ensure that all the necessary precautions are taken to reduce the risk of recruiting someone who may not be suitable for working with children or vulnerable people. See the Child Protection pages (linked in side panel) for more information.
Recruitment procedure checklist:
There are links in the Resources and Articles side panel to relevant templates for each itme in this checklist
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Job description for the post.
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Application Form.
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Interviewing arrangements: Interviews should be attended by at least two members of the executive committee. The interview or meeting can be as formal or informal as the club wishes, it simply provides the opportunity to meet and talk with the applicants.
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Obtaining two References from unrelated people.
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Criminal Record Bureau check. See the pages on child protection procedures for more information.
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An induction pack for the successful applicant, which should include:
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Job description (see template for a coach)
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Criminal record declaration
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Recruitment terms and conditions (see template)
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Code of ethics and conduct for staff (see template)
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List of main duties and responsibilities (see template)
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Copies of all relevant club policies and procedures (e.g. Constitution, Fair Play Policy, Health & Safety Policy, Equal Opportunities Policy, Child & Vulnerable Adult Protection Policy, Club Welcome Leaflet.)
Job description
All staff should have a comprehensive job description describing their their main duties and setting out their lines of accountability and reporting. Some organisations also provide a more extended version listing all the postholder's roles and responsibilities. Again, there are templates in the Resources side panel for you to use.
Terms and conditions
All employees should receive a statement of the terms and conditions (see Resources side panel) for their employment. This may set out their hours of work, place of work, payment rate, and arrangements for sickness, training, expenses, etc.
Legal issues for employers
- When your club begins to employ someone, there are over thirty different employment laws which come into operation. These relate to a wide range of issues including for example, health and safety, minimum wage, equal opportunities, premises, discrimination, maternity and paternity leave. It's not possible to provide guidance on the implications of all these laws here. You are refered to the General Legal Guidance page for further sources of assistance.
