Fill and Sign the Flexible Workplace Policy and Procedure Form

FLEXIBLE WORKPLACE POLICY AND PROCEDURE Flexible Working Flexible Working incorporates many different working patterns. It includes any or a combination of:  Reduced hours  Job sharing  Re-arranged hours  Flex-time  Home working  And others Employees on reduced hours, a job share or other flexible arrangement will receive the salary and terms and conditions of employment on a pro-rata basis, according to the contracted hours of work. Employees on reduced hours, a job share or other flexible arrangement will be treated no less favorably than full-time workers in relation to employment, training, promotion and other terms and conditions of employment. Principles All parents working for { Insert name of company } are entitled to a work pattern that balances work and family life. Having made a request, all parents, regardless of the ages of their children, are able to rely on the procedure set out in the Flexible Working Procedure of { Insert name of company }. Where the initial request is refused, all efforts will be made to find a suitable alternative solution. If after full consultation with the employee, a request cannot be granted, the employee will be given the reasons in writing. Management recognizes their responsibility under the Flexible Working Procedure to seriously consider a request to work on a flexible basis. Management will meet with and fully consult the employee over any request. The Scheme Flexible Working under this agreement is available to current and prospective employees of { Insert name of company }. Every effort will be made to accommodate employees' needs for flexible working other than for reasons of balancing parental and caring responsibilities (e.g. adult education; training courses). Management recognizes that employees may need to change their working arrangements over time. Serious consideration will be given to subsequent requests, i.e. to revert to a standard pattern of work when family responsibilities ease, in consultation with the employee, trade union representatives and personnel. Making a Request All requests from parents will be seriously considered by the employer in accordance with the procedures laid out in The Flexible Working Procedure of { Insert name of company }. Employees of { Insert name of company } wishing to work on flexible basis should write to their department manager detailing the proposed change to their normal working pattern and explain the effect that they envisage it will have on their employer, including how it might be accommodated. Employer Response The department manager will agree to this request in writing 28 days after receiving the application, specifying the change to the employee's contract and when it will begin. This change will be permanent but the department manager will seriously consider requests for a future change as per this agreement. Request Refused If this request is refused, the department manager will arrange to meet with the employee to discuss the request within 28 days of receiving the request. It will be at this meeting that both parties will explore any potential issues with the request and if appropriate consider alternative work patterns. The department manager will subsequently notify the employee of their decision in writing. When Change is Agreed When agreed, personnel will write to the employee detailing his or her new contractual arrangements and terms and conditions of work. When the department manager and employee agree a new working pattern best practice suggests that it will take around eight weeks to implement. Making a Request for a Job Share In the case of job sharing, it will not be necessary for the applicant to have identified a potential partner. The following sources may be used to generate a suitable job sharing partner:  Advertisement  Identification of a likely partner by the individual already filling the post full time job share register If it does not prove possible to identify a suitable partner, after a reasonable period of time, the proposed job share arrangements will not be allowed to proceed, but other forms of reduced hour or flexible working will be considered in consultation with the employee. Eligibility All posts within { Insert name of company } are eligible for consideration, with their suitability for flexible working determined by having regard to the requirements of the employees, the nature of the job and business circumstances. Job Sharing Arrangements A post may be shared by two employees on a split-day (morning or afternoon) or split week (2/3 days) or alternative week basis, providing each partner has a share of the full- time hours of the post. Before agreeing to a job share arrangement the department manager concerned will ensure that an agreement has been reached with the jobsharers on their working arrangements and the division of responsibilities necessary to undertake all the duties of the full time post. These agreed arrangements will be included on each sharer's contract of employment by personnel. If necessary, an overlap period between sharers will be decided by the department manager having regard to the needs of the job and the sharing arrangements. Job sharers will not be expected to cover for each other in the case of absence. Continuation of Service Continuation of service is preserved regardless of the pattern of hours and weeks worked. Length of Contractual Leave In the case of the following contractual leave  sick leave  maternity leave  parental leave  paternity leave  time-off for family and domestic problems the length of leave will be the same as for full time-employees paid on a pro-rata basis. All employees are entitled to at least 20 days annual leave paid on a pro-rata basis. Entitlement to additional annual leave is on a pro-rata basis. Salary and other Remuneration Benefits Reduced hours workers, jobsharers and employees on other flexible forms of working will be paid according to the grade of the post pro-rata to their contractual hours of work. In the case of other pay that is not dependent on hours worked (e.g., company bonuses; profit related pay; annual increment) all employees will receive the payment in accordance with their grade. Public Holidays In the case of job sharers, arrangements should be made to ensure that public holidays are split evenly between the two sharers or some other mutually agreed arrangement. Arrangements for Filling Job share Vacancies If one sharer intends to terminate the arrangement for any reason, the working requirements should be reviewed. When full cover needs to continue, the remaining partner should be consulted about converting to full time employment on a flexible basis before the job share vacancy is advertised. Grievance If at any stage of a flextime agreement, an employee believes that the agreement has not been correctly followed then they have the right to pursue this under { Insert name of company } grievance procedure. Review The flextime agreement and its operation shall be subject to an initial review six months from its date of implementation, and then on an annual basis.