What is the application process?
Employees need to complete the Request to work flexibly form and send it to their manager.
Are there any limits on the type of arrangements that can be requested?
Not all types of flexible working arrangement will be suitable to all roles However, employees should talk to their manager about the type of arrangement that would suit them best. Flexible working may help the person / team provide a better service to others. E.g. compressed working hours may mean that you can offer longer opening hours and/ or produce a better rate and/or quality of output.
Does a disability need to be taken into consideration?
If the application is part of a request to make a reasonable adjustment, it may be more appropriately dealt with under the Capability Health procedure.
Is information available on how a flexible option will affect salary, pension, tax, National Insurance, holiday?
The Holiday Calculator, which you can find on the HR website, can be used to calculate leave entitlement using the annual leave calculators. If the request is agreed HR will include details of any changes to salary and benefits in the contract amendment letter.
Is it possible to change the arrangement or revert to the original arrangement in the future?
If the flexible working request is agreed it will be permanent change to contract (unless otherwise agreed) and there is no automatic right to return to previous working pattern, unless it has been agreed for a specified period only or it was on the basis of a trial period. An application for flexible working, including changing a flexible working arrangement, can only be submitted once in a twelve month period.
Will training and development opportunities be affected by flexible working arrangements?
Eligibility for such opportunities remains unchanged. Employees may need to develop skills that are particularly useful to flexible working, e.g. time management skills. The School also runs sessions on balancing work with being a dad, mum or carer of an adult, see online training booking system.
Can a flexible working request be turned down or withdrawn if it has a negative impact on service?
Detrimental impact on quality, performance and ability to meet customer demand are included in the business reasons that can be used to refuse a request. However, managers should consider whether there are any alternative working option before turning down the request. If there is a drop in service or concerns are raised during the trial period managers should talk to the employee as soon as possible. This discussion may need to include amending and/or ending the flexible working arrangement.
What happens if there are competing applications in a team?
The ACAS Code of Practice ‘Handing in a reasonable manner requests to work flexibly’ provides good practice guidance for such situations. http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/f/e/Code-of-Practice-on-handling-in-a-reasonable-manner-requests-to-work-flexibly.pdf
How to manage an employee working from home?
It is important to agree what the employee will do when they are working from home and target outputs or objectives as well as how performance will be monitored. It may be helpful to measure effectiveness in terms of outputs rather than hours worked. It is important that feedback is given promptly and sensitively if problems arise.
The Health and Safety Unit has produced Guidance on Working from Home it is important that the assessments are completed on a regular basis.
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