Country FAQs - TIME MANAGEMENT - Work schedules and Substitutions
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I want to continue breastfeeding after returning to work, what should I do?
You should let Syensqo Interox know in writing if you are planning to breastfeed when you return to work. Ideally, you should do this before you return so that your employer has time to plan.Your employer must carry out a risk assessment to identify risks to you as a breastfeeding mother or to your baby. If there are risks, they must do all that is reasonable to remove them or make alternative arrangements for you. Your employer must also provide suitable rest facilities. Although there is no legal requirement, employers are encouraged to provide a private, healthy and safe environment for nursing mothers to express and store milk.
- Returning to work after Maternity Leave.
If you return to work immediately after a period of Ordinary Maternity Leave, you will return to work in the same job that you left before you started your Maternity Leave. If for health and safety reason you were doing a different job from your usual one while you were pregnant, you may be required to return to that different job for a short time if you are still at risk when you return to work.If you return to work from a period of Additional Maternity leave you will be entitled to return to the job in which you were employed before you absence or, if that is not reasonable practicable for the company, the return to another job which is both suitable and appropriate in the circumstances.Your right to return means that you return on terms and conditions no less favourable than those that would have been applied if you had not been absent and with the same level of seniority, pension rights and other similar rights.If annual salary reviews occur during your period of absence, you will be notified of your reviewed salary at this time. You will receive your reviewed salary upon your return to work.If you decide not to return to work, then we would ask you to notify the HR Department of your decision immediately. You must give notice in accordance with the terms and condition of your contract. If you have received contractual Maternity Pay in excess of your statutory entitlement, you will have to repay this amount to the company upon termination of your contract.If you cannot return to work because you are ill, you should notify the HR Department, who will advise you how much, if any, sick leave you are entitled to.
- What is the responsibility of the employee, manager and HR department in the Flexible Working Policy? What are the objectives of the policy?
Employee: It is the responsibility of the employee to respond to any documentation and communication within the time periods specified.
Manager: It is the responsibility of all managers to ensure that this policy is available and communicated to all employees, as well as understood by all.
HR Department: It is the responsibility of the HR Department to ensure that the procedure is updated in accordance with changing legislation, to provide consistent advice to line managers and employees in order to maintain fairness, and guarantee that all relevant documentation and communication is issued.
The objective of this policy is to ensure that all expectant mothers and fathers are aware of their rights and rules relating to Flexible Working.
- Am I eligible to Flexible Working?
To be eligible to make a request relating to child care, you must: Have worked for the company continuously for 26 weeks at the date the application is made; Make the application no later than two weeks before the child's sixth birthday, or 18th birthday in the case of a disabled child; Have or expect to have responsibility for the child's upbringing; Be make the application to enable you to care for the child; Not have made another application to work flexibly under the right during the previous 12 months. To be elIgible to make a request relating to caring for an adult, you must: Have worked for the company continuously for 26weeks at the date the application is made; Be married to, or be the partner/civil partner of the individual requiring care OR Be a near relative of the individual requiring car OR be living at the same address as the person requiring care. (NOTE: near relative: includes parent, parent-in-law, adult child, adopted adult child, sibling, uncle, aunt, grandparents and step-relatives); Not have made another application to work flexibly under the right during the pervious 12 months. If you are eligible you will be able to request: A change to the hours you work; A change to the time when you are required to work; To work from home. Application for a change in working pattern will not always require significant alteration. For example, you may simply wish to start to work half an hour later and make up the time later in the day.
- If my Flexible Working request is rejected, what can I do? How will I be informed?
If you are not happy with the outcome of the meeting, then you can make an appeal to the HR Manager within 14 days of being notified. The appeal process is designed to be in keeping with the overall aim of reaching a satisfactory outcome at the workplace. If we cannot accommodate the request, we will explain why in writing you, relying on one or more of the following reasons: the burden of additional costs, a detrimental effect on our ability to meet customer demand, inability to reorganise work among existing staff or to recruit additional staff, a detrimental impact on performance, insufficiency of working during the periods the employee propose to work, or planned structural changes. Should more time be required to make a decision, then we will give a timescale which we think is reasonable. You will be entitled to bring a work colleague to the appeal meeting. Within 14 days of the appeal, we will inform you in writing of our final decision.
- What are the responsibilities of the employee, manager and HR Department in the Absence Management Policy? What are the objectives?
Employee: It is the responsibility of the employee to ensure that they return to work promptly in good health, or if not yet in full health under guidance, on restricted duties. All sickness absence should be reported and recorded, and the employee must maintain contact with their manager and inform likely return to work date. This way, the necessary forms are completed and sent to HR Department.
Manager: It is the responsibility of the line Manager to ensure that regular contact is maintained with the employee and Occupational Health, and that this is recorded. Appropriate absence information should becommunicated to the payroll, Return To Work Interviews are conducted when required and overall HR procedures are followed.
HR Department: It is the responsibility of the HR Department to ensure that the Absence Policy is communicated to all employees and updated as necessary, the process is understood and followed, and that Line Management is informed when trigger values are reached.
This procedure is to enable the Company and its managers to monitor and control sickness absence from work for all employees. Its objective is to provide clear guidelines for behaviours during sickness and to record the company policies and standards.
- How can I change my contract to Flexible Working? What is the procedure to apply for Flexible Working and what happens after I apply?
If you have 26 weeks service you are entitled to request a change to your contract terms during the first five years of your child's life (or first 18 if your child is disabled). In addition, you are entitled to request a change to your contract terms if you are a carer of an adult. If you wish to request flexible working you should follow this policy.The opportunities of flexible working will depend on the needs of the business, but we recognise that you may be interested in reducing working hours, working at home or changing your working pattern owing to family commitment. We will make every effort to accommodate requests for flexible working, provided that your duties can still be effectively carried out on such basis.
The procedure you need to adopt is as follows: You must make an initial application in writing stating:
- Whether a previous application has been made and, if so, when
- That it is an application under Section 80F Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA)
- The change applied for and the date it is proposed the change should become effective
- The effect you think the change will have on the company and how any such effect might be dealt with
- How you meet the conditions as to the relationship of the child/adult requiring care that are required
- The date
On receipt of the application, a meeting will be arranged with you and the HR Manager within 28 days to discuss the request. This will provide both you and the company with the opportunity to explore the desired work pattern in depth, and to discuss how best it might be accommodated. It will also provide an opportunity to consider alternative working patterns should there be problems in accommodating the desired work pattern outlined in your application. You will, if you so wish, be able to bring a work colleague to the meeting.
Syensqo Interox Ltd policy is to ensure that as far as possible you are able to combine your career and family responsibilities. We recognise that parenthood brings additional responsibilities. As a result, the company has set out our policies for compliance with this and allowing you your full rights.
- I need to change to Flexible Working but my post requires full time cover, what should I do?
Where the demand of the post require full time cover, then it may still be possible for two suitable matched and qualified people to carry out the duties on a job-share basis. We will not reject any requests for flexible working without first considering whether arrangement can be made to accommodate them. If you change to working on a part-time or job-share basis or change your work location to working at home, you will be offered appropriately adjusted contracts of employment containing your new terms and conditions. Your continuity of employment and all related rights will be preserved.Where a job-share arrangement which is acceptable to the job-shares manager cannot immediately be identified, you will nevertheless be encouraged to return to work full-time and will be offered a job-share in a suitable post as soon as one becomes available.
- What are our contractual working hours?
All full time employees are contracted to work a minimum of 1956.6 hours per annum. Standard week for day workers is Mon-Fri, 8.30am-4.30pm with 30 minutes for lunch. Daily working hours and shift working patterns vary for shift workers and are available from departmental managers.
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