Managing Attendance Policy | Students' Union Team Intranet
Good attendance in the workplace is important to the Union as we endeavour to provide excellent service to our customers. This policy outlines what staff can expect from the Union and what the Union expects from staff regarding attendance. It is guidance to the procedures operated by the Union but is not part of your contracted terms & conditions. This does not affect holiday or sick pay entitlement (see terms & conditions), other than to clarify the procedures you must follow to become entitled to them.
For ease of reference the policy is in the following sections:
The Union operates a system of annualised hours to give the Union and you flexibility to provide the best experience for students. Your annualised hours of work are outlined in your terms and conditions of employment and are defined on a weekly, monthly or annual basis. Your hours of work are agreed individually with your line manager to meet the needs of your department. The practice of regular overtime working is not encouraged as a condition of your employment. However it is recognised that there are occasions where you may be requested to undertake overtime by your Manager. As much advance warning as possible will be given, but it is unavoidable that some working outside established hours may occur at short notice due to sickness and other emergencies. Where overtime is worked it shall normally be compensated by flexible working (annualised hours). Overtime worked must be authorised in advance by your line manager. Some staff, mainly managers, are expected to work the hours necessary to fulfil your jobs.
The organisation may ask you to attend meetings or training events. On those occasions the organisation will apply the following hours of work:-
-
1 day off-site meeting or training event within the County of Staffordshire, you should insert the hours worked
-
1 day off-site meeting or training event outside the County of Staffordshire, you should insert the departure time from home and your return time to home on your timesheet as hours worked
-
Residential training events, you should insert a standard 10 hour day into your timesheet. For any days you stay overnight and then refer to the guidelines for 1 day of off site meeting or training event indicated above.
There is an expectation that all staff are required to travel intersite during their employment with the union, when you are travelling to your alternative site of work for the whole day, the union will allow one of the intersite journeys to be calculated within your hours of work, to a maximum of 45 minutes. If you are working on your alternative site of work, the organisation has an expectation that you plan and prepare in advance your working day. Therefore you need to ensure that you have all the necessary resources prepared the day before to enable you to travel directly to your alternative site of work the following day.
It will state in your terms & conditions what your actual holiday entitlement is in hours. In order to request holiday then you need to fill a holiday entitlement form. This needs to be authorised by your line manager and then forwarded to the development department (DD) to record. DD will let you know if your request has been approved. If a holiday request is ever refused you can expect a full explanation from your line manager. Ideally you need to put the request in at least 1 month prior to your wanting to take the time off, however this can be at the discretion of your line manager.
The annual leave year shall run from 1 August to the next succeeding 31 July. You are allowed to carry leave over until the start of the next academic term. If you wish to carry leave entitlement over beyond that date this must first be approved by the Chief Executive Officer and may only be deferred until December 31. Normally no more than five days will be authorised as carry over.
If you are unable to come into work then you must ring the Development Dept or your line manager by 10am or at least 2 hours before the start of your shift. You must inform the Union
-
Why you are absent
-
An indication of how long you expect to be away
-
If you have any appointments that need to be cancelled or tasks reallocated
-
Contact details in case your line manager needs to clarify anything with you
You must repeat the above process for every day that you are absent.
Upon your return to work, whether you have been away for 1 day or 1 month you will be expected to attend a ‘return to work’ interview with your line manager. The interview is
-
to establish the reason for the absence
-
see if the absence is likely to recur
-
if there are any underlying causes to the absenteeism
-
what, if any, further support you need from the Union
To be considered eligible for sick pay you must follow the absence procedure.
On your 4th day away from work you must self certify by filling in an ‘Employees Statement of Sickness’ (SC2). This needs to be brought into the Union immediately. Copies are available from your line manager or your doctors surgery.
If you have been away from work for more than 7 days you will need to forward a medical certificate to the Development dept to enable the Union to decide if you are eligible for sick pay.
Where you have been involved in an incident that means you are unable to contact the Union immediately then you must make the Union aware of this ASAP
Persistent short-term absence would be triggered where you have been absent from work on 8 occasions. Once you hit 8 occasions in any 24 months or if you are considered to have a history of persistent short-term absence then a Deputy Chief Executive will attend the return to work interview with your line manager. You will be asked to explain your absences. Where you have offered no medical evidence you may be asked to consult your doctor or the Union doctor to establish whether medical treatment is necessary or whether the underlying reason for absence is work related. If, after investigation, it appears that there were no good reasons for absence, the matter will be dealt with under the Union disciplinary procedure.
However, the Union reserves the right in cases of persistent short-term absence to review your continuous employment after due warning and consultation, even where there are good medical or other good reasons for absence.
Where such absence is the result of a temporary domestic situation then the Union will consider what flexibility, if any, can be offered.
In all cases you will be told, in writing, what improvements are required and warned of the likely consequences if this does not happen.
Longer-term absence is an absence that has or is likely to last more than 4 weeks. What is set out below is Union policy that allows your line manager to take into consideration your individual circumstances.
Where it is likely that you will be unable to work for some time due to illness then the Union will maintain regular contact with both you and, with your consent, your GP. The level of contact will be negotiated between you and your line manager but will usually be at least fortnightly. Your GP will be asked when a return to work is expected and of what type of work you are capable of doing. Where alternative work is available the Union will suggest it.
At any stage the Union may ask you to visit a Union appointed doctor to undergo an independent medical examination.
The Union reserves the right to review your continued employment in cases of long term absence.
Long Term Return to Work Interview
Upon your return to work, you will be expected to attend a ‘return to work’ interview with your line manager and a Deputy Chief Executive. The interview is
-
to begin an induction programme back into work
-
to inform you of any changes that have occurred whilst you have been absent
-
familiarise you with any new procedures, colleagues, tools
-
agree a work plan to enable you to manage a successful return to work
-
see if you need any further support from your line manager/Union
Any female member of staff shall be entitled to 52 weeks maternity leave and to return to work in the Union.
The maternity leave can start any time from the 11th week before the baby is due. You must give the Union at least 21 days written notice of when the baby is due and when you intend to start maternity leave.
Maternity Pay
Any female member of staff will be eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and will be eligible to take up to 1 year off work.
The following will apply;
-
You will be entitled to full pay, reduced by the amount of SMP you receive from the state, for up to 14 weeks from the start of your maternity leave
-
Then a further 12 weeks at half pay, again reduced by the amount of SMP you receive from the State.
-
This will then be followed by a further 13 weeks SMP you receive from the state
-
You will be entitled to take a further 13 weeks unpaid leave.
Returning to Work
Whilst you are away on maternity leave the Union will, where possible, keep your position open for your return. Where we are unable to do so we will offer a suitable alternative.
Employees who wish to return to work either earlier or later than agreed with the employer should provide 8 weeks’ notice to the employer. This needs to be attached to a medical certificate that states you are fit to return to work, plus a written statement from you of your intention to stay in work with the Union for at least 3 months after your return. If you do not stay in work for at least 3 months after your return to work the Union may be entitled to recoup all or part of the maternity pay you will have received.
If you are asked by your doctor to pay for a medical certificate the organisation will be happy to refund any costs incurred.
Employees may be asked to undertake up to ten paid ‘Keeping in Touch Days’ during their maternity leave, allowing work under their contract of employment by agreement with the Union, which will not affect your right to continue your paid maternity leaver or interrupt SMP or adoption pay.
Upon your return to work, you will be expected to attend a ‘return to work’ interview with your line manager and a Deputy Chief Executive as above.
Where your partner is pregnant or has had a baby you will be entitled to 2 weeks paid partners leave. You can choose to take one week or two weeks as a block.
You may also negotiate further holiday with your line manager or unpaid leave with the Chief Executive Officer.
If you have worked for the Union continuously for 26 weeks and have been notified of being matched with a child for adoption by an approved adoption agency then you may be entitled to adoption leave and Statutory Adoptive Pay(SAP).
If you have worked for the Union for one year you would be entitled to
-
full pay, reduced by the amount of SAP you receive from the state, for up to 14 weeks from the start of your adoptive leave
-
Then a further 12 weeks at half pay, again reduced by the amount of SAP you receive from the State.
-
This will then be followed by a further 13 weeks SAP you receive from the state
-
You will be entitled to take a further 13 weeks unpaid leave.
If you have a child born or adopted up to 5 years old or the 5th anniversary of the adoption you are entitled to take up to 13 weeks leave. If you are the parent of a disabled child you are able to take leave up to the child’s 18th birthday.
-
The first 10 days of which will be paid at full pay. Any further parental leave will be unpaid.
-
No more than 4 weeks may be taken in one year.
-
You must give 21 days notice using the Union’s annual leave procedure
If you are unable to come into work then please follow the absence procedure.
Upon your return you will need to complete a return to work interview with your line manager.
The Union expects you to attend medical and dental appointments outside of your normal working time. However we appreciate that that may not always be possible and will therefore seek to allow flexible working, at your line manager’s discretion, in consultation with a Deputy Chief Executive. Emergency medical and dental appointments will need to be recorded on your timesheet as sick leave after discussion with your line manager.
The Union recognises that you may have to attend Court as a member of a jury, witness, etc. If you are to be a member of a jury this will be unpaid, as the Court will repay your expenses.
If you are a witness then you will be expected to take leave/lieu authorised by your line manager.
If you are a defendant you need to be aware that the Union reserves the right to consider disciplinary action if appropriate. The Union will need to consider what implications your situation has, whether there is a conflict of interest or if the Union may be being brought into disrepute.
As the Union recognises its employees may have commitments outside of the Union we seek to be flexible and may allow employees to take holiday to cover a domestic crisis or can agree compassionate leave that may be paid or unpaid. This will be at the discretion of your line manager, in consultation with the Central Services or Chief Executive Officer (see table).
Domestic issues may include
The organisation will consider requests to work flexibly from employees who are careers of adults, please discuss any request of this nature with a Deputy Chief Executive.
If you are unable to come into work then please follow the process in the absence procedure.
If you have to leave work in the event of an emergency then you should;
-
Contact your line manager or the Development department to inform them of the situation
-
Arrange temporary cover for your service – where this is not possible you may in severe circumstances, with your line managers or A Deputy Chief Executives authorisation, close your service until alternative arrangements can be organised by your line manager or Development department.
-
If you still need to be absent the following day then follow the above procedure.
Upon your return you will need to complete a return to work interview with your line manager.
If you have any queries about this policy please direct them to your line manager or the Development dept.
|
Circumstances
|
Conditions
|
Type of Leave
|
Length
|
Paid or Unpaid
|
Authorised by:
|
|
Bereavement or Critical Illness
|
Death or critical illness of:
-
Husband/Wife/Partner
-
Immediate blood relative ( I.e. Parent, sibling, child, grandparent, etc)
-
Partners parents
-
A 'dependant' who relies on employee to deal with administrative matters relating to the death
-
More distant relative if constitutes a 'special relationship' (E.g. Someone who acted as a guardian or performed the role of one of the relatives above)
|
Compassionate Leave
|
|
|
|
|
Other Bereavement
|
Death of:
-
Distant relative
-
Friend or acquaintance
|
Annual Leave/Lieu
|
|
|
|
|
Time off for dependants
|
Leave can be taken in the following circumstances:
-
If a dependant falls ill or has been injured or assaulted
-
When a dependant is having a baby
-
To make longer term care arrangements for a dependant who is ill or injured
-
To deal with an unexpected disruption or breakdown of care arrangements for a dependant
|
Emergency Leave
|
|
|
|
|
Domestic Incident
|
The following circumstances give an indication of when emergency leave will be granted:
-
Fire, flood, theft or any other crisis at home that requires your immediate attention
-
Emergencies which could effect the safety or security of the employee, their family, property or assets
|
Emergency Leave
|
|
|
|