Employee handbook

Recording your time

Please record the actual hours worked within your bandwidth on TRS (Time Recording System). You are required to update the system with your hours worked on a daily basis. Your manager will monitor working time recorded to ensure accuracy and ensure that you are working within the provisions of the Flexible Working Hours arrangements and the Working Time Regulations. Any hours worked outside the agreed bandwidth will be escalated to your manager for approval. Operational Security Staff are excluded from these provisions.

Hours

The standard number of hours worked annually by full-time staff will be 1623.6 hours per annum. This is equivalent to an average 37-hour week. How your hours are grouped will depend on the area of the Parliament in which you work and which best suits the operational needs of that business area. You will, however, be given as much advance notice as possible of your expected work pattern.

Working time

Unless you are absent on leave (including sick leave, annual leave and other types of leave) or other officially approved circumstances apply, you must be present on each day you are scheduled to work.

Core hours

Although the Flexible Working Hours scheme does not specify core hours during which all staff must attend work, you should let your manager know, in advance, if you intend to start work after 10.00am.

Monitoring and record keeping

All hours worked should be recorded for the purposes of ensuring compliance with the Working Time Regulations. Hours worked beyond the bandwidth during a working week will attract a single time flexi-adjust. Hours deemed necessary and worked at the weekend (that do not form part of your ordinary working pattern) will attract a double time flexi-adjust.

Overall bandwidths

Bandwidths are the hours within which staff may work and accrue time under the Flexible Working Hours arrangements. The bandwidth is from 7:00am to 8:00pm for the majority of work areas. Your line manager will update you if there are different arrangements local to your office. Time clocked out with your bandwidth on TRS (Time Recording System) will automatically be escalated to your manager for approval. It will not be added to your flexi-balance until the required approval has been provided by the line manager. Managers will check and authorise entries on TRS (Time Recording System).

These bandwidths will not affect services provided by the FM Helpdesk:

• 8:00 – 18:00 Monday to Thursday

• 8:00 – 17:00 Friday (8:30 – 17:00 during recess)

or the IT Helpdesk:

• 8:00 – 18:00 Monday

• 8:00 – 19:00 Tuesday

• 8:00 – 21:30 Wednesday and Thursday

• 8:00 – 17:00 Friday (8:30 – 17:00 during recess )

Rosters

A roster is a period of specific working hours that staff are required to work to cover a specific need of the Parliament. Some staff will be rostered on all working days. In other areas staff may be rostered on particular days to cover an extended service, while on most days they work under standard Flexible Working Hours arrangements. You will be given advance notice of rostered hours if this is appropriate to your working pattern. In normal circumstances a roster will be contained within the bandwidth for the area. In exceptional circumstances it may extend beyond the bandwidth. In that situation, overtime would be paid automatically for the hours worked outside the bandwith. Hours worked outwith the bandwidth where overtime is paid do not count for flexible working hours purposes.

If changing working patterns in the Parliament suggest that further groups of staff will be regularly working outside their area bandwidth, arrangements for that area will be subject to a management/TUS review.

All hours deemed necessary to be worked outside of the prepared roster as well as the rostered time itself will count for Flexible Working Hours or overtime purposes as appropriate.

Overtime

All hours worked outside the bandwidth for your area at the request of your Head of Office/Group may either be paid at the appropriate overtime rate or credited as a flexi credit.

Under certain circumstances, overtime may be paid for hours worked within a bandwidth. For example if you have already worked 9 hours in that day and your Head of Office/Group requires you to work later than this or if you have already accrued or there is the potential for you to accrue an unmanageable Flexible Working Hours credit. In any event if you wish to claim extra payment for any hours worked, you must have this authorised in advance by your manager. Hours claimed as a payment must not be recorded as time worked under the flexible working arrangements i.e. you may not claim payment for overtime and accrue flexible working hours.

Lunch breaks

Your lunch break may be up to two hours, unless a longer period has been agreed with your manager, but you must take an uninterrupted break of at least 30 minutes if you work more than six hours per day. This does not necessarily have to be over the lunch period if you are required to work over the lunch period because you are:

• required to attend formal working lunches, lunch time meetings, recruitment boards, etc; 
• prevented from taking a break in order to meet a deadline
• you are unable to take a break at another suitable time

Your manager has discretion to waive the necessity for you to deduct 30 minutes from your working hours in TRS (Time Recording System). This should only be necessary on an exceptional basis since it is important for your health and wellbeing that you take an uninterrupted break at some time during the day. Your manager will report any repeated instances of these exceptions to your Head of Group via your Head of Office if appropriate.

Other breaks

You may take breaks at times other than over the lunch period so long as they comply with our Breaks Policy, i.e. they must not be recorded as working time. You must record any breaks taken by entering these into TRS (Time Recording System), by clicking either clock now or accessing the clock card by clicking on the manual recording button, then clicking on clock card and enter the times manually. There is no limit to the number of breaks you can enter on TRS on a daily basis however, failure to comply with the Breaks Policy may result in disciplinary action.

Standard hours and carry-over procedure

If you work in a fully rostered environment, the hours you are required to work are those included in the appropriate roster. Adjustments have already been made for public and privilege holidays.

However, full time staff are all contracted to work hours equivalent to an average of 37 hours per week excluding breaks. You may carry a maximum of 14 hours and 48 minutes flexi credit or deficit (equivalent of two days at 7 hours and 24 minutes if you work 37 hours) into the new leave year (1 September each year). Time beyond these boundaries should be discussed with your manager to ensure that the level carried over is manageable within your working pattern. Special arrangements (for example overtime payments or a higher level of carry-over) can be made where staff have been prevented from taking time off because of management requirements. This will be pro-rata for part-timers.

If you work in a rostered environment, such as the Security Office, and accrue Time off in Lieu (TOIL), you may carry a maximum equivalent to 2 of your working days in TOIL credit into the new leave year (1 September each year). Time beyond these boundaries should be discussed with your manager to ensure that the level carried over is manageable within your working pattern. Special arrangements can be made where staff have been prevented from taking time off because of management requirements.

Flexible working hours - time off

Flexible Working Hours credits can be used at times agreed with your manager.

Annual leave

A full shift absence attracts a credit of 7 hours 24 minutes, and a half-day a credit of 3 hours 42 minutes for staff working full time hours. If you work on a flexible working pattern your annual leave will be reflected in hours and any leave taken (shift or half shift) will be consistent with your working pattern for that day (e.g. 9hr full shift or 4.5hrs half shift). Staff who wish to book a period of annual leave should do so via TRS (Time Recording System), and must enter annual leave requests in advance of the day(s) they plan to take. Retrospective or same day annual leave requests should only be submitted in exceptional circumstances and require need to be referred to your managers.

Staff who require guidance on submitting annual leave requests can refer to 'How to' Employee Guides on the TRS (Time Recording System) Time and Attendance SharePoint site.

Sick leave

If you are sick and absent for a whole day, you will be credited with 7 hours 24 minutes. If you are sent home during the day, your actual hours of attendance will be made up to 7 hours 24 minutes and recorded as sick absence. If you work on a roster, the credit will be that equivalent to the day length shown on the roster. If you work a flexible working pattern e.g. part-time, compressed hours, etc., the credit will be for the number of hours you were due to work that day.

Hospital, medical, dental and other appointments

You are expected to make every effort to make these appointments in your own time. If this is not possible, it is expected that you will make an appointment at a time that will cause the least amount of disruption to your office – typically this would be at the start or end of the business day. Where this is not possible, you should seek the advance permission of your manager before confirming the appointment.

A credit equal to the duration of the absence will be given for the period of authorised absence. The credit will exclude normal commuting time. On days where credit has been given for appointments, the total amount of hours recorded (including credit) shall not exceed the standard number of hours (7 hours, 24 minutes in the case of full time members of staff) other than in exceptional circumstances and with the advance permission of your Office/Group Head.

The restrictions listed above do not apply in relation in to the following circumstances:

• Pregnant people attending ante-natal care appointments in accordance with the Maternity Policy
• Absences pertaining to medical appointments in connection with a member of staff’s disability
• Absences pertaining to medical appointments supported by the SPCB in accordance with the advice of Occupational Health

Staff who wish to claim back time for hospital, medical or dental appointments should do so by entering the required time in TRS (Time recording System) by clicking on "request Time Back for an External Appointment" button this request will then be escalated to the line manager for approval. Guidance for staff on submitting such a request can be found and guidance for line managers on approving such a request can be found on the TRS SharePoint site.

Employee relations

A credit equal to the duration of the absence, including those working on a part-time basis if they attend longer than their contracted hours, will be given to employees who are union members for a reasonable amount of time during working hours when the employee is:

• taking part in any activities of the union of which the employee is a member
• taking part in activities, in relation to which the employee is representing such union
• accessing the services of a trade union learning representative but excluding activities which consist of industrial action

Health & Safety at work activities

A credit equal to the duration of the absence, including those working on a part-time basis if they attend longer than their contracted hours, will be given to members of staff who are appointed as safety representatives to allow them to:

• carry out their prescribed duties
• attend appropriate necessary training courses to help them in the performance of these duties

If you are a Health & Safety representative, you should clear any such absences in advance with your manager.

Transport disruption

Information on travel disruption and attendance is available under the Special Leave section in our staff handbook.

Other authorised absence

Heads of Office/Group also have discretion to authorise absences for other purposes. A credit for the duration of any other authorised absence should be given, including to those working on a part-time basis if they attend longer than their contracted hours.

Leavers

If you leave the Parliament, you will be paid for any excess hours you have worked. For rostered staff, this payment will be calculated as a proportion of the hours you have been rostered to work over the full year. For example, if you work in a rostered environment and you leave at the start of a recess period, you may have worked half of the number of hours you are required to work over a full year. If this is the case, you will be paid for half a year’s work even if these hours have been worked over a lesser period.

If you have a deficit in your hours at the time of departure, you will have that debit offset either against any balance of annual leave due or through a reduction in final pay.