London Borough of Havering

Flexible Working (Hours) Policy

Managers’ Toolkit

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Contents:

Section One: Supporting Toolkit

1. Annualised Hours 2. Compressed Hours 3. Flexitime 4. Job Sharing 5. Part Time Working 6. Term Time Working 7. Voluntary Changed Working Time

Section Two: Template Letters/Forms

1. Flexible working (hours) acknowledgement letter 2. Flexible working (hours) acceptance letter 3. Flexible working (hours) refusal letter 4. Flexible working (hours) appeal outcome letter

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Section One: Supporting Toolkit1. Annualised hours

This allows working time to be organised on the basis of the number of hours to be worked over a year rather than a week. Hours of work can be varied from week to week in line with the service needs, usually fitting in with seasonal peaks and troughs, and the employee needs, following mutual agreement. It is normal practice for the hours to be divided into rostered hours, which are set, and reserve hours, when the employee can be called into work as demand dictates (and to cover unplanned work and employee absence). The number of contracted hours is calculated for the whole working year and takes into account the length of the traditional working week and statutory and contracted holidays. Employees usually receive their salary in equal monthly instalments, irrespective of the actual number of hours worked in any particular period.

Benefits

allows for greater customer flexibility to meet business needs during “off peak” hours and can be used to meet seasonal variations and peak hours

can improve productivity and efficiency by making better use of employee resources to meet customer demands. Benefits are gained through improved understanding of workload and resource planning.

good for project type work cost reductions (can be less costly than using overtime or temporary

workers). can be a useful way for employees to build up time off in blocks which

could help if time off is needed for a particular project e.g. sporting activity, study or visits abroad.

possible savings on individual travel costs and time where employees work over a shorter number of days as well as helping to reduce traffic congestion

predictable monthly salary payments regardless of actual hours worked

Practical points to consider

Overtime is not usually paid as the distinction between the basic working week and overtime is removed. Employees who have been used to regular overtime payments may be resistant to annualised hours as potentially there could be a reduction in earnings.

Effective management is needed to ensure the scheme is implemented and operated fairly.

Can reduce the freedom of employees if they are expected to be available for work at short notice.

Depending on the nature of the service being provided, there can be very long working hours in times of peak demand and it is important to ensure that the scheme takes account of the relevant parts of the Working Time Regulations regarding breaks and the number of hours worked in any particular period.

When considering annualised hours on a service-wide basis, please contact the Internal Shared Services Centre who will provide the appropriate guidance to ensure that proper consultation takes place.

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2. Compressed hours

This allows employees to work their total number of agreed hours over a shorter number of working days. For example, an employee may work full-time but over a period of four (or four and a half) days a week instead of the usual five, or nine days over a period of ten days.

Benefits

opportunity to increase opening hours of the service to meet customer demands and/or reduce staffing levels at times when there is less demand on the service

allows for greater customer flexibility to meet business needs during “off peak” hours

can enable more effective working through providing quiet times at the beginning and end of the “normal” working day

can save costs through reducing staffing levels during quiet times or a reduction in overtime payments

provides employees with regular time off work for personal commitments without reducing full-time pay

possible savings on employee travel costs and time where employees work over a shorter number of days as well as helping to reduce traffic congestion or the need to travel during peak rush hour times

Practical points to consider

may prove complex to provide cover during the compressed period (i.e. employee’s non work day), especially for small teams – other members of the team should not be subjected to undue burden of work. A rota may be necessary to ensure fairness, as some days (usually Monday and Friday) will be more popular choices for time off.

there must be available work for employees to do outside of the service’s normal core hours.

longer daily work periods can increase employee fatigue and employees should consider the impact of increased workdays on themselves, their family, social and community life.

compressing one week into four days over a long period of time can be exhausting and detrimental to work-life balance. Experience and research indicate that generally a compressed fortnight e.g. working nine days a fortnight instead of ten days is more manageable and supportive of work-life balance

depending on the nature of the employee’s work, it may or may not be suitable to combine flexible working hours and compressed working – it is more normal for compressed hours to be fixed and agreed in advance with line managers so that work scheduling and cover can be properly planned.

the implications for taking annual and other paid leave, including bank holidays, need to be considered.

consideration should be given to practicalities such as access to buildings, availability of IT support, security and personal safety at times outside of normal core business hours.

If service cover has been extended by longer hours, consideration needs to be given to what will happen if the employee no longer wants to continue with the arrangement.

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3. Flexi-time

The Council has a Flexitime Scheme (Link to Scheme) which enables employees to vary their hours, outside any specified core hours, subject to service requirements, and within a particular time band, usually four weeks. The arrangement allows employees to carry over a specified number of debit and credit hours from one period to the next and employees can take any additional flexi hours accrued as leave in chunks of a day, half days or hours. Benefits

an effective recruitment and retention tool. offers greater choice of hours to work to existing and potential

employee provides the opportunity to take additional time off promotes equal opportunity for those employees unable to work the

standard hours provides better flexibility to manage workloads and reduce the need for

overtime enables services to extend opening /customer contact times can provide quiet work time periods enabling employees to do their

work free of interruptions helps employees to organise work and home more easily, helping to

reduce stress levels can make effective, possibly better and greater use of work

accommodation enables employees to travel outside of peak rush hour traffic and helps

to reduce traffic congestion Lower absenteeism as employees arrange medical and similar

appointments around their work pattern

Practical points to consider

carefully consider what the core hours need to be and required cover so that you can assess what flexible working hours scheme would be best for your service group.

ensure that there is available work outside of core/service opening times.

flexi leave should be requested and agreed in advance between employee and line manager.

consideration should be given to practicalities such as access to buildings, availability of IT support, security and personal safety at times outside of normal core business hours.

there may be additional running costs if working hours are extended. heavy workloads or seasonal peaks/troughs may inhibit access to

flexibility or flexi leave during four week blocks – managers may need to consider a time off in lieu arrangement as an alternative at such times.

an accurate system of recording the hours worked is advisable . The Council's flexi recording spreadsheet should be used for this.

consider the need for supervision, especially outside of core times.

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4. Job sharing

Job sharing is a way of working where, traditionally two (but more than two is possible) or more people share one full-time employee/position, each working part-time. There are two types:

shared responsibility – two or more employees share all the responsibilities of the full-time job, each performing the full range of duties picking up where the other left off. This is most suited to ongoing work rather than project based work.

divided responsibility – the responsibilities of one full-time position are divided between two or more employees, although they may also provide back up for each other as required. This is most suited to work which can be easily divided up, such as project work.

With the increase in extended service provision, job share takes on new possibilities. For example, if a particular function is required 50 hours a week, this could be achieved by one employee working 20 hours, one working 30 or three employees dividing up the hours amongst them.

Benefits

part or possibly all of the function can be covered during sick and annual leave or other absences, providing service continuity.

job sharers can bring greater flexibility than a single post holder e.g. by working peak periods together.

more people to do the job brings an increase in skills, competency level, experience, views and ideas.

helps to retain employees who might otherwise choose to leave or not return from maternity leave.

provides employees with more time for caring responsibilities or other commitments.

may allow an employee to become more accustomed to increased leisure time in the run-up to retirement whilst providing the organisation with sufficient handover time for training of the replacement employee.

Practical points to consider

involves higher costs for induction, training, administration and potentially recruitment as well as additional line management time.

it might be helpful to provide greater overlap time in the induction period to enable job sharers to get to know each other and develop effective joint working practice.

when recruiting, consider how compatible sharers are in skills, competencies, experience and working together this way – consider the most appropriate selection process to ensure that the sharers will “get on”.

it is wise to have an agreed time schedule and a division of responsibilities by task and time between sharers, including a hand-over period.

an essential part of successful job share is to ensure effective communication between all parties and the line manager.

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job share in supervisory roles may lead to difficulty for staff working with two managers; and

sharing the responsibilities of the job can mean no-one takes responsibility so there is a need to reach agreements on joint and individual responsibility.

if one job sharer leaves it may be difficult to find a suitable replacement to complement the hours of the remaining sharer.

experience demonstrates that job shares work well with partners who know/have already worked with each other or have initiated the job share.

consider working accommodation, technology requirements. the implications for the entitlement and taking of annual and other paid

leave, including bank holidays, need to be considered.

5. Part-time Working

These are employees who are contracted to work for fewer hours than full-time contractual hours. The number of hours can vary enormously and can take various patterns, including part-day/week/year. Working fewer hours can be very important for many employees to achieve a better work-life balance, in particular for parents, carers, students, some disabled employees and older employees wanting to taper into retirement, or supplement a retirement pension from a different employer.

Benefits

reduced employee turnover, as it provides opportunities for staff to stay employed when full-time work is no longer an option to them.

increased efficiency and productivity as employees working shorter hours are likely to have higher energy levels.

part-time employees can be employed to specifically extend service availability.

lower absenteeism as employees arrange medical and similar appointments around their work pattern.

a more skilled and diverse workforce, increased maternity leave returners and a wider choice of applicants for jobs.

recruitment of specialist skills for specific tasks that don’t require full-time attendance.

can save costs through reduced staffing levels during quiet times. enabling employees to cope with their non-work life helps to ensure a

greater commitment to work. provides employees with regular time off work for personal commitments provides employees with more opportunities for career planning, with

increased numbers of professional and skilled jobs being available on a part-time basis.

Points to consider

part-time employees must not be treated less favourably than a comparable full-time employee.

where part-time contracts are used to extend service hours, the management requirements during these hours needs to be considered.

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part-time employees may be happy to work more than their contractual hours and it may be helpful to check this out in times of high service demand, peak periods of leave or when services are being reviewed.

may lead to higher costs for training, administration and recruitment. consider whether the job can realistically be done in less than full-time

hours and if not, consider how adequate cover will be provided to ensure service delivery– is job share a feasible option?

consider the impact on the wider team of working with part-time colleague(s).

consider the communication issues, management of team meetings, and training for employees not present throughout the working day or specific days of the week.

the implications for employee benefits as well as annual and other paid leave entitlement, including bank holidays, need to be considered.

if part-time working is agreed this will be a permanent change to the employee’s contract. If at a future date the employee decided that they would like to increase his/her hours, a separate request would need to be placed and considered but the employee would not automatically return to his/her substantive contractual working arrangement.

6. Term-time working This enables employees (full-time and part-time) to work a reduced number of weeks in a year allowing for time off during all or some of the school holidays and therefore, allows employees to work during school term-times only. A term-time working agreement allows an employee to remain on a permanent contract as either a full or part-time employee. Salary payments can be made on a twelve monthly, equalised basis.

Benefits

can enable better tailoring of resources in services that are term-time led helps recruitment and retention of employees in skills shortage areas supports employees who have child care responsibilities cost effective arrangement for project work.

Practical points to consider

impact on the service of long absences during peak holiday times, especially if this coincides with peak service demands.

consider suitability of role for term-time work. replacement cover will need to be planned well ahead. consider leave needs of wider team during peak holiday times. term-time working is not exclusive to parents of school age children – this

arrangement may be equally beneficial to other employees. line manager and employee will need to agree working hours and pattern,

the number of unpaid weeks required and arrangements for any time off that might be required during term-times – for example, for non-pupil days. Contract usually specifies that annual leave cannot be taken during term time.

annual leave and statutory holiday entitlements will be pro-rated to the weeks worked.

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final pay will be adjusted accordingly for any hours not worked /paid for if an employee leaves.

7. Voluntary Changed Working Time (V Time)

V-time enables employees to reduce their normal working hours, usually full-time employees, for a specified and planned short period of time with the agreement of the line manager. The employee is contracted to return to their normal working hours on an agreed date, usually fixed in advance at the time of request. The arrangement allows employees to change their hours to match changes in their lives, to accommodate events such as: a partner or close relative’s illness; employees who have an impairment requiring time away from work

and to return on a phased basis; and attending a further education or training course for one day a week as part

of an employee’s life-long learning strategy.

Benefits retains employees who might otherwise leave in order to cope with what

might be short-term additional responsibilities, retaining valuable skills and knowledge.

provides employees, not just those who are parents or carers, with greater freedom to respond to domestic responsibilities.

some cost savings due to salary reductions in absence.

Practical points to consider may prove difficult for scheduling work within shorter periods. consider any additional cover requirements – cover could be achieved by

agreeing increased hours for a part-time employee or providing acting up opportunities for another member of the team or using a temporary employee.

consider any effect on salary budget – if this is reduced, salary budget for next year may be cut to reflect this but output would still need to be consistent.

pay and benefits will be pro-rated and reduced accordingly.

Section Two: Template Letters

1. Flexible working (hours) acknowledgement letter 2. Flexible working (hours) acceptance letter 3. Flexible working (hours) refusal letter 4. Flexible working (hours) appeal letter

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1. Flexible working (hours) acknowledgement letter

Dear      

I confirm that I have received your request to change your work pattern on      .

I would like to meet with you to discuss your application on Date at Time at Venue. (The meeting needs to be held within 28 days of receiving the request).

You are entitled to be accompanied to the meeting by a work colleague or your Trade Union representative.

I would be grateful if you would confirm that you are able to attend the meeting and whether you will be accompanied or not.

Signed: _____________________________________________

Print name: _____________________________________________

Date: ________________________

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2. Flexible working (hours) acceptance letter

Dear      

Following receipt of your application and our meeting on      , I have considered your request for a new flexible working arrangement.

I am pleased to confirm that I am able to agree to your application

I am unable to agree to your original request. However, I am able to offer the alternative pattern which we have discussed and you agreed would be suitable to you.

Your new working pattern will be as follows:

     

Your new working arrangements will begin from:      .

The change in your working pattern will be a permanent change to your terms and conditions of employment and you have no right in law to revert back to your previous working pattern.

If a temporary contract variation has been agreed details are shown below:     

NB Your contractual variation letter will be sent to you by the Internal Shared Services Centre,If you have any questions on the information provided on this form please contact me to discuss them as soon as possible.

Signed: _____________________________________________

Print name: _____________________________________________

Date: ________________________

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Notes for Line Manager:

1. This written notification needs to be sent to the employee within 14 days of your meeting to discuss the application.

2. When agreeing an effective start date for new working arrangements please be aware of any possible pay adjustments which may be necessary linked to payroll closure deadlines.

3. A copy of this form should be sent by the line manager to the Internal Shared Services Centre together with a copy of all other paperwork connected with the application so that contractual change can be actioned and correspondence retained on the employee personal file.

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3. Flexible working (hours) refusal letter

Dear      

Following receipt of your application and our meeting on      , I have considered your request for a new flexible working arrangement.

After careful consideration, I am sorry to advise you that I am unable to accommodate your request for the following business ground(s):

     

The grounds apply in your circumstances because:

     

If you wish to appeal against this decision you must do so within 14 days of the date of this notice (i.e. 14 days from      ). Your appeal should be in writing, by letter, to your Head of Service and must clearly set out your grounds of appeal.

NB You may wish to consider whether you wish to be accompanied at your Appeal meeting by a Havering employee or by a trade union representative employed by Havering.

Signed: _____________________________________________

Print name: _____________________________________________

Date: ________________________

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Notes for Line Manager:

1. This written notification needs to be sent to the employee within 14 days of your meeting to discuss the application.

2. Further information on appropriate grounds for being unable to approve a request are contained in the council’s policy “Flexible Working” policy and procedure.

3. Advice and support on the completion of the reasons for refusing a request at this stage can be obtained from the Internal Shared Services Centre..

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4. Flexible working (hours) appeal outcome letter

To be completed by Head of Service or senior nominee.

Dear      

Following our meeting on      , I have considered your appeal against the decision to refuse a flexible working pattern

Either: I accept your appeal again the decision. Your request to change your working pattern has been agreed as follows:

     

Your new working arrangements will begin from      .

The change in your working pattern will be a permanent change to your terms and conditions of employment and you have no right in law to revert back to your previous working pattern.

If a temporary contract variation has been agreed details are shown below:

     

NB: Your contractual variation letter will be sent to you by the Internal Shared Services Centre.

Or:After careful consideration I am sorry to advise you that I am unable to allow your appeal for the following ground(s):

     

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The ground(s) apply because:

     

To be signed by Head of Service or senior nominee

Signed: _____________________________________________

Print name: _____________________________________________

Date: ________________________

NB: Notes of Head of Service/senior nominee:

1. This written notification needs to be sent to the employee within 14 days of your meeting to discuss the application.

2. The Internal Shared Services Centre can be consulted for advice during the appeal process and prior to any written notification being issued.

3. Further information on appropriate grounds for being unable to approve a request are contained in the Council’s policy on flexible working.

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