Employee Handbook
Your hours of work and working arrangements
The Parliament is a unique working environment and there are several different working arrangements in place. Your hours of work are in your Contract. If you need a copy of this, please contact the People and Culture office on 86500.
To meet business and personal needs, we have a progressive Flexible Working Hours arrangement in place. This arrangement is highly valued by colleagues and is based on mutual trust and confidence. This means that we all have a shared responsibility for making sure it operates successfully. To do your bit, you should enter the time you start and finish work and how long you take for lunch accurately and honestly. And if you’re a manager, you must also monitor working time recorded and be alert to working times that appear to have been recorded incorrectly.
Further information is available on hours of work. There is also information in the flexible working policy and procedure, and in the breaks policy.
Just so it’s clear, the misuse of the Flexible Working Hours arrangement will be treated very seriously as it is potentially gross misconduct and may result in the consideration of disciplinary action including dismissal. In addition, some incidents of misuse of the Flexible Working Hours arrangement may constitute fraud. If you’re unsure about any matter relating to our Flexible Working Hours arrangement, talk to your manager at the earliest opportunity. And if you’re a manager and need advice, contact your People Officer (intranet link).
Top tip!
You’ll record your working hours on TRS (Time Recording System) and guidance can be found via the 'help' menu on TRS.
Your pay
Your salary and associated terms and conditions, including how to claim back expenses, are detailed in your Contract. If you need a copy of this, contact the People and Culture Office on 86500.
We’re an equal pay employer and our negotiated grading structure is clear and transparent and includes analytical job evaluation of all roles on the pay spine to ensure pay equality. We publish equal pay audits which compare the pay of women and men doing jobs of equal value. Take a look at our latest Gender Pay Gap Report and Action Plan.
We’re proud to be a Living Wage employer and through our no compulsory redundancy arrangements we provide job security and employment protection for our staff. These commitments are reflected in our pay policy arrangements. Further details about our pay arrangements, including information on our pay allowances and overtime can be found here.
Pay supplements may be awarded in respect of posts that are affected by recruitment retention difficulties and you can find full details of the rules in the pay supplement scheme.
Your pension
Your pension arrangements are detailed in your Contract. If you need a copy of this, contact the Pay and Pensions Office.
A range of alternatives is available as you approach retirement. Stopping work entirely and drawing a pension when you retire is not the only option. Very often as colleagues move towards retirement they may think that a move to part-time of more flexible working would help with the transition; we will always be keen to listen to proposals. For more information about partial retirement, talk to your manager or contact the People and Culture Office on 86500.
Your Holidays
Your annual holiday leave entitlement is in your Contract.
If you need a copy of this contact the People and Culture Office on 86500.
We recognise the importance that annual leave plays in helping colleagues to achieve a healthy work-life balance. To achieve this, you should always aim to take your full entitlement during the holiday year. But we recognise that this is not always possible or what you want to do, so you can carry over one third of your annual holiday leave entitlement from one holiday year to the next, without prior approval. And if you wish to carry over more than one third your Head Office/Team Leader can approve this for you. They can also approve your request to anticipate up to one third annual holiday leave.
Leave requests are normally agreed on a first come, first served basis with fair consideration over previous authorised holidays. The decision will be based on business needs and when the request has been made. To avoid disappointment, make sure you give as much notice as you can. You can book your leave using the TRS (Time Recording System). Flexibility will be provided to enable colleagues to take annual leave at a particular time so that they may celebrate and/or comply with their religious or belief-related obligations.
There may be restrictions on annual leave when Parliament is sitting and you will normally be expected to take annual leave during recess periods. In any event you may not take annual leave unless it has been agreed, normally in advance, with your line manager.
If you’re unable to take your annual leave or public/privilege days within your leave year because of long term illness, maternity, shared parental or adoption leave, you may carry forward the entitlement you would otherwise have lost to the next holiday year. And if you become ill during a period of annual leave or when a public/privilege holiday falls, you should let you manager know using the normal absence reporting procedures as you may be able to request these holidays back if your absence is covered by a GP fit note.
Full details of the public and privilege holidays can be found on our intranet.
Need to know!
Annual Leave is authorised in advance by your manager and requests are be made through TRS (Time Recording System).