PP(99)091: TERM TIME WORKING POLICY Issue Date: November 1999

1. INTRODUCTION

West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust is committed to developing flexible working patterns that allow staff to achieve a balance between working life and family responsibilities.   This forms part of the continuing strategy to aid the recruitment and retention of staff.

Term-time work arrangements are those which enable staff on permanent contracts with school age children to arrange their working pattern so that their work is primarily limited to school terms.   Part-time and term-time staff will have the same access to training, development, and career opportunities as full-time staff.

2. SCOPE

Term-time contracts will be available to those posts which can be satisfactorily performed within term-time hours.   Some posts may not lend themselves to term-time working, and this will be at the discretion of the management although he/she will need to put forward reasonable justification if they are unable to accommodate such a contract.

3. ESTABLISHING A TERM TIME CONTRACT

The establishment of a term-time contract can be achieved in one of two ways:

[i]         by a manager identifying a vacancy that would be suitable for term-time working and advertising this;

[ii]        by a member of staff requesting to change to term-time working.

    TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF TERM TIME WORKING

[i]          Pay:The pay of employees working on a term-time contract will have their annual hours calculated at the beginning of the contract and will be paid on the basis of 12 equal monthly payments.

[ii]         Overtime will not normally be paid to term-time working staff until they have worked more than the normal full-time hours.

[iii]        Hours of Work: The terms and conditions of employment will state the number of hours to be worked each week and the number of weeks to be worked during the year.

Example: 20 hours per week during school term times (38 weeks during any financial year commencing 1 April).

10 hours per week during school holidays (14 weeks during any financial year commencing 1 April).

[iv]        Annual Leave: Annual leave and statutory holiday entitlements will be on a pro rata basis.

This example is based on a working week of 20 hours per week during school term times (38 weeks) and 10 hours per week during school holidays (14 weeks) for a member of staff covered by Administrative and Clerical Staff Group with no long service leave.

                 80 hours     x    38 weeks    =    58.5 hours

                 52 (weeks)

                 40 hours      x    14 weeks    =    10.5 hours

                 52 (weeks)                              _________

                                                               69 hours

5. REVIEW AND MONITORING

Managers who wish to establish a term-time post should liaise with the Personnel and Corporate Resources Directorate.