Diocese of Lincoln
Employing Lay Staff in Deaneries or Parishes
Many deaneries are now considering employing lay staff as part of their Mission Area Plans – for example as administrators or youth workers.
There are many statutory, contractual and practical issues which need to be considered before employing anyone. Employment legislation is complex and changes frequently, but advice and guidance are available from a variety of free sources and the Diocesan Office can point you in the right direction for further information.
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Most employment problems arise when all the issues have not been properly considered before an employee starts, so it is really important to think through the process in advance.
Deaneries cannot employ people directly as they are not legal entities, so it has been agreed that the Diocese will act as the legal Employer for all lay staff in Deaneries. Apart from providing the legal employment framework, the Diocesan Office can provide you with examples of some of the key documents that you will need, such as contracts, discipline & grievance procedures, etc, and help you through the process.
A Contract/Terms of Employment document will be produced by the Diocesan Office from core information provided from the Deanery. For guidance of the matters to consider, see Useful Links and Resources, below. However, it will be the responsibility of a deanery to ensure that proper funding is available, and for organising, recruiting, and managing employees.
The Diocese will also provide a payroll service. Again please contact Jennie Kuhnel at the Diocesan Office by clicking on her name or phoning 01522 504030 for further information.
Parishes are legal entities and can, and do, employ staff. However the statutory, contractual and practical issues are the same. If you are considering employing someone in a parish, or want to check the current legislation, please use any of the links indicated.
The employment process falls into a number of stages and the links below should help to provide some of the information you will need.
Useful Links and Resources
- Preparing job descriptions and person specifications
- Recruitment
- Offer of Employment – contracts
- Employment rights and entitlements
- Disciplinary rules and grievance procedures
- Managing performance – sickness absence
- Ending the employment relationship
Remember – help is available and it’s much better to seek help at an early stage, rather than waiting until there are problems.
