Flexible Working Policy

Table of contents

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1.0 Introduction

Clinical Partners seeks to encourage a working environment where everybody is able to contribute as fully as possible. Our purpose is to improve the lives of our patients, their families and those who care about them, and to be a trusted provider of mental health and medical services. We aim to do the right thing, be positive, compassionate, and ambitious.

This policy does not form part of any employee's contract of employment, and it may be amended at any time.

Clinical Partners recognises that a better work-life balance can improve employee motivation, performance and productivity, and reduce stress. Therefore, the organisation wants to support its employees achieve a better balance between work and their other priorities, such as caring responsibilities, leisure activities, further learning and other interests.

 The options available in this policy aim to assist with achieving this goal. These options should help employees in situations where conflict between work and home life creates difficulties and where temporary or permanent changes to working arrangements can enable them to re-establish a balance. An employee that thinks they may benefit from flexible working is encouraged to contact their Line Manager to arrange an informal discussion to talk about the options.

Definitions of each are described in section 4.

2.0 Purpose

2.1 The purpose of this document is to outline what constitutes Flexible working and the circumstances under which flexible working may occur.

2.2 The policy outlines the factors that need to be considered by Clinical Partners and their employees prior to approving Flexible Working applications and sets out the requirement and processes that need to be followed before commencing Flexible working.

2.3 It is the aim of Clinical Partners that effective management of Flexible Working will ensure that individuals work in a safe environment and are able to voice their concerns, leading to an improvement in working environment and raised staff morale indicated by rises in staff retention.

3.0 Scope

3.1 All employees are entitled to submit a request for flexible working regardless of their length of service.

3.2 Clinical Partners is committed to agreeing most flexible working arrangements, provided that the needs and objectives of both the organisation and the employee can be met.

3.3 Employees will be permitted to make two requests within a 12-month period [KF1].

3.4 Clinical Partners will respond to flexible working requests within two months.

3.5 Clinical Partners will discuss with the employee alternative forms of flexible working that are available if we intend to reject the employee’s request.

3.6 There is no automatic right for employees to work flexibly as there may be circumstances when Clinical Partners may not be able to accommodate this.

4.0 Definitions

Flexible working is any type of working arrangement that gives some degree of flexibility on how long, where and when an employee works.

The following flexible working options are the typical arrangements that employees may request, but Clinical Partners recognises that there may be alternatives or a combination of options which are suitable to both Clinical Partners and the employee

• Part-time working

• Compressed hours

• Flexitime

• Job-sharing

• Annualised hours

• Home-working – Separate Policy

 4.1 Part-time working covers any arrangement where an employee is contracted to work anything less than typical full-time hours for the type of work in question. For example, an employee who only works Monday to Wednesday. Clinical Partners believes that most posts will be available on a part-time basis, except where a critical examination by line management proves this to be impracticable. The suitability of posts for part-time working will be stated in any internal or external advertisements.

4.2 Compressed hours is where an employee works their usual full time hours in fewer days by working longer blocks meaning that there is no reduction in their pay. For example, a 5-day week is compressed into four days, or a 10-day fortnight into 9 days.

4.3 Flexitime allows an employee to choose, within certain limits, when to begin and end work. An employee is required to work during a core time and must work an agreed number of hours during the accounting period of one month Their hours of attendance will be recorded and added up at the end of each accounting period.

4.4 Job-sharing is an arrangement where a full-time post is divided into two part-time roles. The two job holders then share the overall duties and responsibilities. Their skills and the hours each employee wishes to work must be compatible, and meet the needs of the organisation. Pay and benefits are shared in proportion to the hours each works. Job sharing can be considered where the creation of a single part-time post is difficult, or where two individuals wish to work part-time. The suitability of posts for job-sharing will be stated in any internal or external advertisements.

4.5 Annualised hours where an employee's contractual working hours are calculated as the total number of hours to be worked over the year, allowing flexible working patterns to be worked throughout the year.  Usually the hours will be divided into rostered hours, which are set, and unallocated hours, when an employee can be called into work as demand dictates (and to cover unplanned work and employee absence). Payment will usually be in 12 equal instalments.

5.0 Requests for flexible working

5.1 All requests for Flexible working must be made by the employee, in writing, using the Flexible Working Application Form.

5.2 All requests must include:

• the date of the application.

• the changes that the employee is seeking to their terms and conditions.

• the date from when the employee would like the proposed change to come into effect.

• what effect the employee thinks the requested change would have on the organisation.

• how, in their view, any such effect could be dealt with.

• whether this is a statutory or non-statutory request.

• whether a previous application for flexible working has been made.

• the dates of any previous applications.

5.3 If the employee is making the request in relation to the Equality Act, i.e., as a reasonable adjustment relating to a disability, this should be made clear in the application.

5.4 If an application does not contain all of the required information, the HR department or line manager will explain to the employee what additional or amended information they need to provide and ask the employee to resubmit the request.

6.0 Responding to a flexible working request

6.1 Upon receiving a written request, the line manager will arrange a meeting with the employee as soon as possible, but not later than 28 days of receiving the request to:

• discuss the request.

• find out more about the proposed working arrangements.

• how it could be of benefit to both the employee and organisation.

6.2 The employee should be invited to the meeting at least 5 days before the date and should be provided with all details of date, time, and place.

6.3 Employees may be accompanied to the meeting by a work colleague or registered trade union representative.

6.4 If the employee fails to attend a meeting and then fails to attend a rearranged meeting without good reason, their application will be deemed to have been withdrawn.

6.5 Where a request can, without further discussion, be approved as stated in the employee's written application a meeting to discuss the request may not be necessary. The employee will be informed of the agreement to the request by a confirmation letter within 28 days of the organisation receiving the request. This time limit may be extended with the agreement of both the employee and line manager.

6.6 The request may be granted in full, in part or refused. The organisation may propose a modified version of the request, the request may be granted on a temporary basis, or the employee may be asked to try the flexible working arrangement for a trial period.

 6.7 If the request is agreed, then the employee will be sent a confirmation letter which will include details of the new arrangements. The employee should contact the People Operations team within 5 days if they wish to discuss the new arrangements further or have any concerns.

7.0 Right to appeal decision

7.1 The employee has the right to appeal the decision if their request is refused or is only agreed in part.

7.2 The employee may lodge an appeal within 5 working days of being notified of a decision on their application. This should be done in writing and clearly state the grounds on which they are appealing and sent to their line manager or the HR department.

7.3 The appeal will be heard within 14 days. The employee will then be informed of the outcome to their appeal within 14 days of the appeal meeting. These time limits may be extended with the agreement of both the employee and line manager.

8.0 Trialing new working arrangements

8.1 Where there is some uncertainty about whether the flexible working arrangement is practicable for an employee and/or the organisation a trial period may be agreed.

8.2 If a trial period is arranged the organisation will allow sufficient time for an employee and their manager to implement and become used to the new working practices before taking any decisions on the viability of a new arrangement.

9.0 Varying an employee’s contract

9.1 Where a trial period has been arranged the organisation will provide the employee with a document that details their new working pattern and makes clear that it is only a temporary variation to the terms of the employee's contract.

9.2 The employee will be informed in writing of the start and end dates of the trial period (although Clinical Partners may reduce or lengthen the trial period where necessary with the agreement of the employee). Clinical Partners will reserve the right, at the end of the agreed trial period, to require the employee to revert to their previous working arrangement.

9.3 Where flexible working practices are agreed as a permanent change, a variation will need to be made to the employee’s contract of employment. A letter outlining the will be sent to the employee within 14 days of the change to the employee’s working pattern being agreed. This will be saved as an addendum to the existing contract.

10.0 Review of policy

This Policy will be reviewed every 3 years or upon a change in approach /legislation / regulation – whichever is sooner.