Types of Flexible Working
NON-CONTRACTUAL FLEXIBLE WORKING OPTIONS
The flexible working options covered in this section would normally be undertaken on an informal basis, with team agreement and would not normally require an amendment to contract.
It is important to note that non-contractual flexible working options are a benefit and, as such, flexible working may be withdrawn at management discretion. Appropriate notice will be given.
1. Flexi-Time
Flexi-Time is an individual and team approach to scheduling work, giving people more control over the patterns of their working week.
Hours of Work
QMU employees can work on campus within the following times:
Office Wing:
Term Time: 7.30am – 9.15pm, Monday – Friday.
Summer: 7.30am – 7pm, Monday – Friday.
Teaching Wing:
Term Time: 9am – 9.15pm, Monday to Friday.
Summer: 9am – 7pm, Monday to Friday.
If wishing to work on campus on Saturday and Sunday then employees should use the LRC. Attendance should be approved by the line manager and Facilities Services.
Times may vary to suit specific events.
It is possible for employees to make a request to work at their desk outwith the hours stipulated above. Please contact your line manager and Facilities Services for further information.
Core times
Some Schools/Departments might pre-determine “core times” for their employees. Team core times are determined by the line manager. Core hours are times when, except authorised absence, including leave and sickness, all employees must be present at work. Core times may only be relevant at certain times in the month or year.
An example of core times is 10am – 12pm and 2pm – 4pm.
Whether core time is required or not, it is essential that adequate cover is provided within the workplace and that services are carried out, effectively and efficiently, to meet customer and service needs.
Lunch
It is recommended that employees take a minimum break of 30 minutes at lunchtime.
Under the Working Time Directive legislation, employees must take a rest break of at least 20 minutes after they have completed 6 hours of work.
Smoking breaks
Smoking breaks are unpaid and must be taken within own time in designated areas.
Recording hours
When using flexi-time, employees must record their working hours daily (recording all start and finish times, deducting any breaks taken). At the end of each day they should record the total time worked on a manual or electronic system (recording system to be agreed with the team and line manager). At the end of each flexi-time period (usually either four weeks or one calendar month) employees should submit their flexi-time record to their line manager or an agreed central contact point.
Credit hours
In addition to contracted hours employees can bank/work (credit) an additional 15 hours (within the flexi-time accounting period) which can be taken at a later time, usually by the end of the following month. Any balance in excess of 15 hours will be lost, unless previously agreed with the line manager.
Taking flexi-leave is subject to the prior approval of the line manager who normally authorises an employee’s annual leave and is subject to operational or service requirements and appropriate staffing levels being available.
Employees requesting flexi-leave should normally have a credit balance.
Flexi-time credit should be treated separately from Annual Leave, Closure Days and Public Holidays.
Should an employee choose to leave the organisation or transfer to another school or department any outstanding flexi-leave must be taken prior to leaving/transferring. Time owed to any employee cannot be converted into cash payment.
Debit hours
Subject to agreement with their line manager, employees can go into debit of up to 7.5 hours less than their contracted hours (within the flexi-time period) which can be made up a later time.
Although the flexi-time system makes allowance for a debit scenario, several consistent periods of debit should not become the norm.
If, at the end of the accounting period, an employee has a debit balance over the debit limit of 7.5 hours, and this excess has not been agreed with their line manager in advance, then the manager should raise ways to reduce the debit balance with the employee.
Options may include using:
Annual leave.
Allowing the debit balance to carry forward providing the deficit is cleared in the next accounting period.
Reduction in pay.
Should the employee choose to leave the organisation or transfer to another department or school the debit hours must be “made up” before the leaving date in order to avoid a salary adjustment being required.
Time Off In Lieu
The introduction of the flexi-time system should supersede any previous time off in lieu systems that have existed. Where individuals or teams identify a clear need for time off in lieu (TOIL) this must be considered separately from the Flexi-Time System.
Overtime
There may be occasions where employees agree to work additional hours in return for overtime payment (please refer to terms and conditions of employment for information on overtime rates etc). Overtime must be agreed in advance with the line manager. Only staff in Grade 5 and under are eligible for overtime.
Paid overtime will not be available at times when the employee has a debit hours balance in their flexible working plan.
Any paid overtime worked should not be recorded/credited as hours worked for flexi-time purposes. QMU overtime forms should be used.
When paid overtime is used regularly within a team the line manager should consider the working pattern of the team to determine if the hours could be better distributed via a flexible working plan.
Travelling time
Employees are entitled to record time taken to travel to meetings or attend training courses, etc, which require an early start and/or late finish (less the normal travel time to and from work).
For example, if it normally takes you 20 minutes to travel to work each day (40 minutes round trip) however because you had to attend a meeting off site that journey extended to a 1 hour round trip – you would credit yourself with an additional 20 minutes travelling time.
Where an employee is required to travel over a weekend or stay overnight to attend an event, this time should be recorded separately as time off in lieu and not as flexi-time.
Ante-Natal appointments
Employees attending Ante Natal appointments will not be debited time to do so.
Appointments with QMU Occupational Health
Employees attending QMU Occupational Health appointments will not be debited time to do so.
Medical Appointments (Doctors and Hospital)
Where absence is required to attend a GP or hospital appointment, line managers may grant absence and the time will not be debited from the flexible working hours. A hospital appointment should be one where a referral to the hospital by the employee’s GP has been made.
Where possible, appointments should be made at the start or end of the working day or on days when the employee is not at work.
Dentist and Optician Appointments
Employees should attempt to schedule appointments at their Dentist and Optician outwith their normal working hours. Time used to attend the Dentist or Optician during working hours will be debited from the employee’s flexible working hours.
Where emergency dental or eye treatment is required then this time will not be debited from the flexible working hours.
Trade Union duties
Employees undertaking Trade Union duties will not be debited time to carry out these duties.
Jury and Civic duties
Reasonable attendance for jury service or civic duties (such as being witness to a crime) will not result in working hours being debited from an employee’s balance. Please refer to the Special Leave Policy for further information.
2. Working from Home
Please refer to the University Hybrid Working Statement for further information.
CONTRACTUAL FLEXIBLE WORKING OPTIONS
The following flexible working options normally constitute a contractual change, staff members wishing to request a contractual change should follow the procedure set out in section 11 of this policy.
1. Job Share
A Job Share is a formal agreement whereby the duties and responsibilities of one full-time post is shared by two, or more, employees. A job share could be divided on the basis of:
• the number of hours worked,
• the number of days worked,
• the tasks covered, or,
• any combination of above.
In principle, all posts are open to job sharing. Managers who consider a post unsuitable for job sharing must be able to demonstrate that the condition or requirement for work full-time, is justifiable. It is advisable for Managers to contact HR for advice.
Requests for job sharing can arise in different ways. These include:
• As a proposal from an existing employee/s.
• From job applicants (internal and external) in response to a vacancy.
Job Share Agreement
The job share agreement is negotiated between the line manager and the job sharers. This agreement will be agreed by all parties and will be put into writing.
When negotiating a job share agreement, and in particular, the division of duties and sharing of responsibilities, the primary aims are to determine the best approach that will ensure consistent effective service delivery as well as compatibility of the job share partners’ needs.
Under a job share arrangement the actual working hours/responsibilities may be divided in a number of ways. For example, split days/weeks, alternate days/weeks. The actual divide will be dependent on a number of factors that are relevant to role.
These include:
• Does the job need to be covered every day and to set time limits?
• Is the creation of an overlap desirable?
• What are the most effective handover and overlap arrangements?
• Is there sufficient office space/desk space for all partners to work together?
• Will job share partners all need to attend certain meetings?
Communication
Excellent communication and co-operation skills are required by job sharers. Each job sharer is responsible for communicating effectively with their job share partner/s.
To help ensure effective communication an overlap period between job sharers is recommended. The purpose of this is to create the opportunity to disseminate information and update each other on key events/issues.
In addition to an overlap period, other mechanisms to ensure effective communication must be considered and established where possible. Examples of these include:
• Electronic diaries
• Centralised electronic filing system
• Written notes of all meetings (stored on a network or a centralised location)
It is worth taking time at the start of the arrangement to consider what forms of communication will be most effective and feasible.
In the event that one job sharer, for whatever reason, leaves the job share partnership, the hours of work previously undertaken by that person will be advertised to employees on the QMU Redeployment Register. If there is interest shown by more than one suitable individual on the Redeployment Register then a recruitment and selection process will apply in accordance with the Organisational Change Procedure.
If there is no interest shown from employees on the Redeployment Register then the vacant hours will be offered to the existing job share partner/s.
If there is no interest received in the remaining hours then the line manager will either:
• Recruit another job sharer/s.
• Amend the post to be a part-time post.
There will be no obligation on a job share partner/s to cover for a partner’s short term absence, for example, due to sickness leave.
If an employee agrees to work such additional hours, then any additional hours worked above and beyond those specified in the individual’s employment contract will be paid at basic rate up to the standard university-wide contracted hours for full-time work for that post. Time off in lieu may also be considered as an alternative.
2. QMU Semester Working, Term Time Working and School Time Working
QMU Semester Working
Semester Working allows QMU employees to work during QMU semester time only. This usually equates to 36 weeks per year.
Salaries are pro-rated accordingly and are normally paid throughout the year in twelve equal instalments via an Annualised Hours Contract.
Term Time Working
Term Time Working is mostly used by parents or carers whose children attend school. Term Time Working provides employees with unpaid leave during the school holiday periods. The periods of unpaid leave should coincide with when the employee’s child is on holiday from their school.
Salaries are pro-rated accordingly and are normally paid throughout the year in twelve equal instalments via an Annualised Hours Contract.
School Time Working
School Time Working is mostly used by parents or carers whose children attend school. “School Time” refers to the start and finish times of the school and may be used in addition to Term Time flexible working option or as an alternative. For School Time Working an employee may commence work early or just after they take their child to school and finish work in time to collect their child from school. The ability to access this facility will depend on the type of job undertaken by the employee and the impact this working pattern would have on the team and service provided.
Where employees are using a flexi-time option which gives them an extended break consideration should be given to their re-adjustment back into the working environment. A phased approach or mini induction may be required to support the employee back into work.
There may be a need to cover posts throughout the year. Consideration needs to be given to how such jobs will be covered.
Unpaid Leave
Upon entering into a QMU Semester Time Working or Term Time Working agreement, the employee and their line manager should agree how much unpaid leave is required to cover the holiday period and when exactly the paid leave will be taken. These arrangements should be made as much as a year in advance if possible.
For example:
Mr X desires to be at home with his children during the school holidays as follows:
2 weeks at spring
9 weeks in summer
2 weeks in winter
= Total 13 weeks
Mr X has an annual leave entitlement of 6 weeks. This leaves an additional 7 weeks which he agrees to take as unpaid leave. Mr X’s salary is therefore made up to 52 weeks less 7 weeks unpaid leave to a total of 45 weeks. This is then paid in equal instalments over 12 months or fewer months (must be discussed with Payroll/Finance and HR in advance).
Annual Leave
Employees who are using QMU Semester Working, Term Time Working or School Time Working should request annual leave via the normal process. Authorisation of annual leave will be granted by the line manager in the normal way, giving consideration to the operational running of the School/Department.
Annualised Hours
Annualised hours provides a way of organising working time by agreeing with employees to work an arranged number of hours per year rather than a standard number each week.
The actual number of hours worked by an employee during the week will then be “flexed” to match workload requirements. As well as hours being varied week to week, they may also be varied seasonally and/or according to fluctuation of service demands.
Annualised hours are most likely to be successful in departments where there are peaks and troughs in workload throughout the year or where the work is seasonal, for example, Gardeners.
Calculating Annualised Hours
Professional Services Staff Example:
Full-time Professional Services staff work 35.75 hours per week.
Full-time Professional Services staff are entitled to 6.2 weeks of annual leave (31 days divided by 5 working days in a week).
Annualised hours are calculated as follows:
No of weeks in the year – No of weeks annual leave x working hours per week
= 52 – 6.2 x 35.75
= 1637.5 hours per year
Academic Staff Example:
Full-time academic staff work 35 hours per week.
Full-time HE2000 academic staff are entitled to 7.6 weeks of annual leave (38 days divided by 5 working days in a week).
Annualised hours are calculated as follows:
No of weeks in the year – No of weeks annual leave x working hours per week
= 52 – 7.6 x 35
= 1554 hours per year
Planning hours worked
Periods of peak demands may be identified by analysing when non core staff have been used over the past year or where overtime payments were made.
If possible, analysis of customer requests would also be advantageous.
A trial period should be undertaken to help weigh up the advantages and disadvantages to their particular department. Consultation with customers internal to QMU would provide good feedback.
Recording hours worked
A yearly employee plan is drawn up in advance so that employees know when they are expected to work on a regular basis. This forms the bulk of their agreed hours.
A proportion of the annual hours are kept in reserve to be committed at short notice. Accurate records are essential to identify overspend or underspend of hours worked. Employees must record their working hours daily (recording all start and finish times, deducting any breaks taken). At the end of each day they should record total time worked on a manual or electronic system (recording system to be agreed). Time worked will be verified by the line manager.
Reviewing hours worked
Employees and line managers should review the working hours on a monthly basis and discuss any shortfall or excess hours that have been worked to ensure these do not become significant at the end of the year.
Shortfall in hours worked can be recouped either by the employee working additional hours for a short period or by an agreed deduction to their salary.
Hours worked which are in excess of agreed annualised contract hours can be rectified by the employee working fewer hours for a short period of time. Should the number of excess hours become significant and it is not feasible for the employee to work fewer hours then the line manager may decide to authorise payment of these into the employee’s salary in accordance with normal QMU procedure for overtime payments.
Where there is consistently either a shortfall or excess of hours worked then a review of the annualised hours arrangement should be undertaken by the employee and the line manager to determine if there is a better way of distributing the working pattern. A zero hours contract could be a suitable alternative to annualised hours.
Salary
Employees working annualised hours are normally paid in twelve equal instalments throughout the year regardless of the exact number of hours they work each month.
Part Time Working
Part time working allows employees to contractually reduce the numbers of hours they work. There are a variety of options including working half-days, shorter days, a reduced number of full days or an agreed number of hours in an arranged pattern/period of time.
For the purpose of this document a part time post is defined as one which includes fewer hours than the full time weekly hours as defined by QMU in its staff terms and conditions documents.
Part time posts should be created when there is an appropriate quantity of work to justify the creation of such a post. Part time working should not be confused with a full time post which is worked on a job share basis.
Voluntary Reduced Hours
Voluntary reduced working hours (VRH) often enables employees to manage other personal or caring commitments by reducing their work commitment.
The two variables to consider are the period over which a VRH arrangement can run and the level of reduction in working hours. The form in which an employee takes the reduced time is a matter for negotiation with the line manager and the employee.
The options are:
• To work a shorter day, week, month
• To take a half-day or day off a week or fortnight
• To take short blocks of time of at regular intervals
On a 6 month or one year VRH agreement, return to full-time work or to the same position is usually guaranteed for the employee. If the agreement is longer than this or it is renewed, the reduced hours may be reassigned on a permanent basis. At the end of the extended period the employee will have prior consideration but no guarantee of return to full-time employment or to the same position.
Occasionally, QMU offer enhanced VRH terms to employees as part of a collective consultation process.
Compressed Working Time
Compressed Working allows employees to ‘compress’ their working time into longer but fewer working days, without reducing the total number of hours they work.
For example, a full-time employee may compress their hours into four long days rather than five average days per week; or into nine days out of ten. The employee can opt to take one full day or half day off each week, or sometimes one full day per fortnight is preferred.
Occasionally, employees will reduce their total number of working hours and also compress the remaining hours into fewer days.
Agreement on a working pattern will be agreed by the employee and their line manager.
The advantages of compressed working for employees include:
• Longer weekends off.
• Larger blocks of family time, leisure time or for other commitments.
• Avoidance of commuter traffic if not travelling at peak times.
• Less travelling costs of employees are travelling at off-peak times and for fewer days.
• Less childcare costs as this may be required for fewer days per week
