Guidance on other ways of working flexibly

Subject to service demands, and agreement at a departmental level, employees may vary the time they commence and finish work and the length of their lunch break. Time worked between 08.00 and 18.00 counts towards the working week and employees must be at work during the core hours subject to annual and other leave provisions.

• core time: 10:00 hours to 12:00 hours and 14:00 hours to 16:00 hours
• lunch break: the lunch break, which must be not less than 30 minutes, must be taken between 12:00 hours and 14:00 hours.

The standard accounting period for flexi-time will be four weeks (i.e. 13 accounting periods of 148 hours in each year). The University’s flexi-time scheme applies to part-time workers and job-sharers in the same way as to full-time employees, with the same conditions for taking flexi-time.

The responsibility for the efficient operation of the scheme rests primarily with line managers. The operation of the flexi-time scheme is based on the acceptance that the University’s operational needs take precedence over personal preferences. (For example, an employee required to attend a meeting which begins at 9:30 am will be expected to arrive at work in time for that meeting). Individual employees will not be permitted to work hours that impair the efficiency of their team or work group.

Management reserves the right to discontinue the operation of the flexi-time scheme in any part of the University should it become evident that the efficiency of the Faculty/Directorate concerned is being seriously affected. 

Self-rostering allows employees, in consultation with their line manager to schedule their working day to meet the requirements of service delivery in a particular department. Using agreed levels of required staffing as a guide, employees can put forward the times they would like to work. Shift patterns are then compiled, matching employee preferences as far as is possible, and ensuring that agreed staffing levels are met.

Requests to instigate a system of Self-rostering will be considered, in the first instance, by the relevant line manager in consultation with the people manager in the People Directorate. The line manager will have to be satisfied that any such request will not have a detrimental impact on service delivery or on the rest of the Directorate/Faculty. Approval of a request or an amended version of it will depend primarily on the operational demands of the service.

For a scheme of this sort to be established it is necessary for all employees within a team to agree to participate. After consultation with the line manager, if it is agreed that a trial period of self-rostering can go ahead employees will be expected, as a team to do the following on a monthly basis:

• individually state their preferred working hours
• identify hours which they specifically do not want to work – ‘veto hours’
• review the resulting draft roster to see if there are mismatches between available staff and hours which must be covered
• agree a final roster to cover all hours required
• employees who have concerns about the operation of the scheme should refer them to the line manager who has responsibility for ensuring that it operates equitably and ethically.

Subject to service demands, employees may, in consultation with their line manager swap shifts with each other, as long as they ensure that agreed staffing levels are met at all times.

Whether a request is approved or not will depend upon the circumstances of each case. The line manager will have to be satisfied that any such request will not have a detrimental impact on service delivery or on the effectiveness of the Directorate/Faculty.