National Trust Rulebook

What is the Rulebook? The Rulebook is part of the Delegation Framework which sets out how the Trust works.

How to use this PDFThis PDF is to be used by managers with teams who are not able to complete the mandatory elearning using a computer.

Read the key messages to your employees and do the quiz at the end to ensure understanding. When you have done this, email the names of the people you have trained and the date this happened so it can be recorded to training.service@nationaltrust.org.uk

What you will learn from this PDF• Why we introduced the Rulebook

• How the Rulebook fits with the National Trust

• How to use the Rulebook within your job

PropertyAt the heart of the framework is the property. We start from a position of trust that all our staff act with the best intention and take good decisions.

Scheme of DelegationOn the left is the Scheme of Delegation. This is a list of the financial authority limits which people can spend up to.

RulebookOn the right is the Rulebook which is a list of things that you have to do either because they are law or because they are a National Trust Instruction that guide our work. These rules are mandatory, all instructions must be followed, and non-compliance will be a performance management issue.

Why do we have the Rulebook?The Rulebook makes it really clear to managers and staff, what is expected of them. Where there are no rules, managers have complete freedom to make decisions. This should make it quicker and easier to get things done. We want to hold people to account for their actions. In order to do this, everyone needs to understand the rules. Each rule contains a section that covers Implications – these are the consequences of not following the rule. Sticking to the Rulebook strengthens the National Trust brand, reduces risk, improves efficiency and ensures everyone is treated fairly.

Purpose, Strategy and Values & BehavioursAt the top are our Purpose, Strategy and Values and behaviours. All our staff and volunteers are part of a bigger organisation with a clear purpose, direction and way of working. We expect everybody to know what these are and to work in that way. Property Managers can take any decision, acting within our Purpose, Strategy and Values.

How do I find what I need?The Instructions can be found on the Rulebook page on the intranet and are displayed in three ways to make it as easy as possible for you to search for what you need.

1. Top Ten InstructionsYou can find the top ten instructions on the Rulebook page of the intranet. This is automatically updated based on which instructions are searched for most frequently.

2. Key InstructionsKey Instructions for Property Managers and General Managers lists the instructions that property and General Managers will find most useful.

3. Instructions by Topic

What to do next... When you have completed this with regular staff who cannot access online learning, email their names and the date so it can be recorded to training.service@nationaltrust.org.uk

Instructions: Must dosThe first thing you need to know about instructions is you MUST follow instructions.

Instructions describe actions and responsibilities that you must do in your job because:

• It is law.

• There is a significant risk to the National Trust if they are not complied with.

• There is a big benefit to the National Trust in doing things the same way.

The Instructions you find in the Rulebook are there because they present the greatest risk to the Trust if they are not complied with, whether that is in terms of physical or mental harm, financial cost or damage to our reputation.

Your responsibilities Your responsibilities are to know and follow the Instructions relevant to your job. If you are a line manager, you are responsible for ensuring that your team understand the Rulebook and they are using it in their job. This includes checking that they are doing so.

True or false – non compliance with the Rulebook could lead to financial cost for the Trust?

Which of these is not part of the Delegation Framework?

• Instructions

• Values and Behaviours

• Delegation Framework

• Guidance

• Policy and Position Statements

Who is responsible for knowing and following relevant instructions?

a) You, the employee

b) Line Manager

True or false. There are consequences for both the National Trust and its employees if Instructions are not adhered to.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Quiz Questions 1

2

3

4

Answers: 1. True 2. Guidance 3. (a) You 4. True