Flexible working. December 2015

Transcription

1 Flexible working December 2015 Internal, Flexible Working, Version1, Page 1 of 5 December 2015

2 Internal, Flexible Working, Version1, Page 2 of 5 December 2015

3 The appropriate flexible working solution will depend on: There may be times when you want to change your current working pattern on a permanent basis. Common reasons for this are to fit your work around home or family commitments such as school times or caring responsibilities. Having flexible working arrangements help us attract and retain people who enjoy a wide range of activities outside of work, and it helps us to balance the needs of our customers. Also, we want to help our colleagues have a healthy balance between their work-life and their home-life and for some, this means working flexibly. This policy is subject to change from time to time so please ensure you are reading the most up-to-date version. This policy is to help you understand more about permanently changing your terms and conditions and: The potential flexible working options; How working differently may impact your benefits; How to make a request for flexible working; and How your manager will make their decision. A flexible working request is a request from you to change your terms and conditions of employment from one working pattern to another. We have many different working patterns which are normal for where you work e.g. an Extra can potentially accommodate more different shift patterns than an Express, and a distribution centre can accommodate different ways of working to an office. Usually the term flexible working is regarded as: Part-time working; Having a fixed shift pattern; Working a set number of days a week; Job sharing with a colleague; Working from home/remotely some of the time; or In reality many of our people already work flexibly as different shift patterns and business areas mean we can accommodate a variety of requests. What job you carry out; The level of responsibility you have; Your location (office, store or distribution centre); Whether there are seasonal fluctuations in your workload; Whether, if you re a manager, you ll be able to display a degree of flexibility with your working arrangements e.g. we might need you to attend meetings or respond to urgent business via /phone on the day(s) you are not working. We won t let you work more than a 12 hour working day (including breaks and lunch). Examples of Flexible Working in practice: John was full time but since his back operation he has decreased his hours. He s now on a flexible 24 hour a week contract. Pat works in the evenings on the till and has always worked Thursdays and Saturdays. She s recently asked to increase her hours and now works on a Friday too. She works evenings as this is when her partner is home and can look after her mum who lives with them. Denzel has recently split from his partner and shares custody of their children. He works a set shift pattern as he needs a set routine. Kiran is a manager who has a long commute. She works four days a week with one day working at her home. Kiran is really flexible and is happy to change her days at work, occasionally working five days when needed. Legally you have the right to request flexible working once you have 26 weeks service, and you can make one formal flexible working request a year. Your manager may decide to allow you to request a change to your terms and conditions before this. Informal approach - just ask your manager You can simply ask your manager to change your terms and conditions and this is the best approach if you want a change which is temporary. Many of our flexible working arrangements are agreed informally and, if your manager agrees to your request, they may confirm the changes in writing to you, so there s no confusion. Internal, Flexible Working, Version1, Page 3 of 5 December 2015

4 Formal approach They can refuse your request for the following reasons: Alternatively you can log onto OurTesco, complete the request form and give it to your manager. This process can take up to three months so please make sure you make your request as early as possible. Remember that any request agreed under this process will be a permanent change to your terms and conditions (unless otherwise agreed). It may not be possible for you to make another formal flexible working request for 12 months so it is important that you are sure you re happy with anything you agree to. Your manager will arrange to meet with you to fully discuss your request and the impact it may have on your team/customers. You ve got the right to be accompanied at this meeting by a colleague or trade union representative. Your request form will be discussed during the meeting and will play an important part in deciding whether your proposed new way of working is practical. If your manager thinks that it might be difficult to agree to your request, they ll discuss this with you to see if there are any other options which could work. Your manager will fully consider your flexible working request while taking into account the needs of the business. They may propose an alternative arrangement e.g. the best flexible working solution that they feel suits both you and the business. You manager might be able to tell you their decision during your meeting however, it s more common that they ll take some time to consider everything you ve said, the business needs and the potential impact on your colleagues, before coming to their conclusion. Your manager will then write to you confirming their decision which could be: Detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand Inability to reorganise work among existing colleagues Detrimental impact on quality Inability to recruit additional colleagues Detrimental impact on performance Insufficient work during the periods you propose to work The burden of additional costs Planned structural changes Your request means that there won t be enough colleagues to respond to customer requests/issues at certain times Current vacancies or flexible working arrangements within the team may mean that areas are already spread thin and existing colleagues wouldn t be able to pick up the work Your request means that certain accountabilities wouldn t be picked up by anyone else and therefore quality would suffer We can t recruit the right person to fill the rota gaps or to complete a job-share You re not given adequate support to do your job e.g. you request to work on a Sunday but your manager works Monday-Wednesday so your performance suffers Example - you request a change to come into work early and finish earlier. If the job involves contact with key people (e.g. suppliers/customers) who are not accessible during these hours (and you don t have other work to do in this time) then this flexible working solution would not be suitable If we need to spend more money to support a request, e.g. two company cars, two laptops etc. There may be changes being made to roles and accountabilities which make this an inappropriate time to agree to a flexible working request. This can be reviewed once the structural changes have taken place They fully agree to your request; They agree to part of your request and propose an alternative arrangement; or They don t agree to your request and they provide you with the reasons for this and right to appeal their decision. Internal, Flexible Working, Version1, Page 4 of 5 December 2015

5 Yes, you can withdraw your request by telling us in writing but if you do this, you won t be able to make another formal request for a further 12 months. You can withdraw your request at any time and, if you don t attend your flexible working meeting without a good reason, your manager might conclude that you ve withdrawn your request. Maternity Leave Paternity Leave Shared Parental Leave Lifestyle Breaks If your manager needs further information from you to help them make a decision, please supply this as soon as you can, as if you refuse to supply us with this we can treat your request as having been withdrawn. 1 7 th December 2015 New policy It might. If, for example your request was to work less hours a week then your pay will reduce accordingly. If you want to work a different shift pattern, you may find you re entitled to premium rates that you didn t get before. Any benefits related to your pay will also be impacted e.g. Shares in Success, car allowance, bonus, pension Paid holiday entitlement Childcare vouchers, Cycle-to-Work If your earnings reduce, anything calculated as a % of your earnings will reduce too If your flexible working arrangement is to work fewer days and/or hours then the amount of days holiday you are entitled to will reduce accordingly If you change the days you work then this may impact your Bank Holiday entitlement Your benefit-based deductions may need to be recalculated so we can ensure that your pay is over the National Minimum Wage This document shouldn t be shared with anyone externally without permission from your Director. This policy and any associated documentation remains the property of Tesco and should be returned if requested. Unless agreed otherwise, any change is a permanent change to your terms and conditions, so a trial period might be suggested to ensure the new shift pattern is suitable for you, the business and your team. If a flexible working arrangement does not appear to be working successfully then your manager will discuss possible reasons for this with you, and try to find possible solutions. Internal, Flexible Working, Version1, Page 5 of 5 December 2015