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Who is eligible to request flexible working at the University?
All staff have the right to request a change to their working arrangements through the Work-Life Balance Policy and are recommended to consider this in the first instance.
This is a right to request flexible working but not a right to flexible working. Full consideration should be made of all such requests and decisions should be based on balancing the individual's needs with the interests of the team, the department and the wider University.
However, there may be circumstances where the request cannot be met, either in part or in full, because it conflicts with meeting the interests of the University. In some instances it may be possible to reach a compromise, and where necessary, advice should be sought from the Department of Human Resources.
In order to be eligible for the Flexible Working for Working Parents and Carers of Adults Procedure a member of staff must:
- have 26 weeks' continuous service with the University;
- be the parent, adoptive parent, foster parent or guardian of a child aged 16 or under (18 in the case of a disabled child) or the spouse or partner of such a person; OR have caring responsibility for an adult and have or expect to have responsibility for the upbringing of that child or adult. |
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What flexible working are staff entitled to request if they aren't the carer of an adult and don't have a dependent child?
| The University is fully committed to providing, wherever possible, flexible working arrangements in order to assist all staff to achieve a satisfactory balance between work and personal life. This includes staff who have other responsibilities outside work, such as caring for an elderly relative. The University will make every effort to agree requests for flexible working, on either a permanent or temporary basis, where possible, taking into account the needs of the individual, their department and the wider University. |
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Do staff have an automatic right to change to a more flexible working pattern?
Consideration and approval of flexible working arrangements is always dependent on meeting both the needs of the member of staff and the University and staff therefore have a right to request flexible working but not a right to flexible working.
Under the Flexible Working for Working Parents and Carers of Adults Procedure eligible staff have the right to apply for a more flexible pattern of working hours or for more flexible working arrangements. The University is obliged to give careful consideration to any such application and to give specific business reasons if it is unable to accommodate the request for flexible working. |
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What type of different working arrangements can staff ask for?
| Flexible working could involve a change to working pattern, relating to the times staff are required to work, the number of hours they are required to work or where they are required to work, for example between home and the University. The University will make every effort to consider and agree requests for flexible working, on either a permanent or temporary basis, where possible, taking into account the needs of the individual, their department and the wider University. |
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| Staff should discuss any proposed flexible working arrangement with their Head of Department in the first instance, who shall seek advice from the Department of Human Resources as appropriate. |
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Where can staff and managers get advice on making an application or handling a request for flexible working?
| The Work-Life Balance Policy and the Flexible Working for Working Parents and Carers of Adults Procedure are available on the Department of Human Resources web pages and advice is available on how to operate these from Human Resources. |
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How will the University handle requests for flexible working?
| The University encourages all staff to use the Work-Life Balance Policy, in the first instance, to put forward requests for flexible working. Staff who meet the eligibility criteria above can also use the Flexible Working for Working Parents and Carers of Adults Procedure. |
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Can staff take someone along to meetings held in relation to a request for flexible working?
| Under the Flexible Working for Working Parents and Carers of Adults Procedure staff have a right to be accompanied to any such meetings by a work colleague. This companion is permitted to address the meeting (but not to answer questions on behalf of the member of staff) and to confer with the member of staff during the meeting. The companion is permitted to take time off during working hours for the purpose of accompanying a member of staff to a meeting convened under this Procedure. |
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Can staff try out a new arrangement on a trial basis?
| Yes, it is recommended that, where a change is agreed, implementation is considered on a trial basis to ensure that all parties are satisfied with the new arrangement before the change is made permanent. Agreement can also be reached between members of staff and the University for temporary arrangements where these are considered to be suitable. |
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Where staff have chosen to use the Flexible Working for Working Parents and Carers of Adults Procedure is the University bound by the prescribed timescales?
Timescales can be extended with agreement of the University and the individual, for example to allow for planned leave arrangements or to check the arrangement with other staff not currently available.
Timescales under the Procedure for considering the application can be extended for up to 28 days where the manager who needs to consider the claim is absent on leave or due to illness. |
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What should happen if the change can be agreed to but may be delayed due to putting in place steps such as recruitment of other staff?
| Where the Flexible Working for Working Parents and Carers of Adults Procedure is being used, the procedure and timescales set out should be followed. During this process, discussion should take place and agreement should be sought, between the member of staff and the manager, on the date when it will be possible for the change to take effect. The change and the date that it will take place should then be confirmed in writing by the manager to the member of staff. |
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In what circumstances can the University reject a request for flexible working?
The University will always try and accommodate requests made for flexible working. However, there may be circumstances where the arrangement sought is not possible because it does not also meet the needs of the University. Here, effort will be made to arrive at a alternative, mutually beneficial, arrangement.
Where an application has been made under the Flexible Working for Working Parents and Carers of Adults Procedure a refusal to accept an eligible member of staff's application for flexible working must be based on one or more specific grounds. These are:
- the burden of additional costs;
- a detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand;
- an inability to reorganise work among existing staff or recruit additional staff;
- a detrimental impact on quality or performance;
- insufficiency of work during the periods the employee proposes to work; and
- planned structural changes. |
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What can a member of staff do if the University rejects their application for flexible working and they do not agree with the decision?
Where a member of staff and the Head of Department / line manager are unable to reach agreement on the change requested, the Head of Department must consult with the Department of Human Resources on how to proceed.
If the application is made under the Flexible Working for Working Parents and Carers of Adults Procedure and the member of staff is unhappy with the University's decision he or she has a right of appeal which is set out in the Procedure. |
Content last reviewed by the Department of Human Resources April 2009.
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