Flexible working - Our Tesco


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Flexible working December 2015

Internal, Flexible Working, Version1, Page 1 of 5 December 2015

WHERE TO FIND THINGS Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Who’s this policy for?............................................................................................................................................. 3 What’s flexible working?....................................................................................................................................... 3 Who can request to work flexibly? ....................................................................................................................... 3 How do I request to work flexibly? ...................................................................................................................... 3 How will a formal request be handled? ................................................................................................................ 4 When will I be told the outcome of my formal request? .................................................................................... 4 Can I change my mind after submitting a request? ............................................................................................ 5 If my request is agreed, will my pay change? ...................................................................................................... 5 If my request is agreed, will there be a trial period? ........................................................................................... 5

Internal, Flexible Working, Version1, Page 2 of 5 December 2015

Introduction

The appropriate flexible working solution will depend on:

There may be times when you want to change your current working pattern on a permanent basis. Common reasons for this are to fit your work around home or family commitments such as school times or caring responsibilities. Having flexible working arrangements help us attract and retain people who enjoy a wide range of activities outside of work, and it helps us to balance the needs of our customers. Also, we want to help our colleagues have a healthy balance between their work-life and their home-life and for some, this means working flexibly. This policy is subject to change from time to time so please ensure you are reading the most up-to-date version.

Who’s this policy for? This policy is to help you understand more about permanently changing your terms and conditions and:    

The potential flexible working options; How working differently may impact your benefits; How to make a request for flexible working; and How your manager will make their decision.

What’s flexible working? A flexible working request is a request from you to change your terms and conditions of employment from one working pattern to another. We have many different working patterns which are “normal” for where you work e.g. an Extra can potentially accommodate more different shift patterns than an Express, and a distribution centre can accommodate different ways of working to an office.

    

What job you carry out; The level of responsibility you have; Your location (office, store or distribution centre); Whether there are seasonal fluctuations in your workload; Whether, if you’re a manager, you’ll be able to display a degree of flexibility with your working arrangements e.g. we might need you to attend meetings or respond to urgent business via e-mail/phone on the day(s) you are not working.

We won’t let you work more than a 12 hour working day (including breaks and lunch). Examples of Flexible Working in practice: John was full time but since his back operation he has decreased his hours. He’s now on a flexible 24 hour a week contract. Pat works in the evenings on the till and has always worked Thursdays and Saturdays. She’s recently asked to increase her hours and now works on a Friday too. She works evenings as this is when her partner is home and can look after her mum who lives with them. Denzel has recently split from his partner and shares custody of their children. He works a set shift pattern as he needs a set routine. Kiran is a manager who has a long commute. She works four days a week with one day working at her home. Kiran is really flexible and is happy to change her days at work, occasionally working five days when needed.

Who can request to work flexibly? Legally you have the right to request flexible working once you have 26 weeks’ service, and you can make one formal flexible working request a year. Your manager may decide to allow you to request a change to your terms and conditions before this.

Usually the term flexible working is regarded as:     

Part-time working; Having a fixed shift pattern; Working a set number of days a week; Job sharing with a colleague; Working from home/remotely some of the time; or

In reality many of our people already work flexibly as different shift patterns and business areas mean we can accommodate a variety of requests.

How do I request to work flexibly? Informal approach - just ask your manager You can simply ask your manager to change your terms and conditions and this is the best approach if you want a change which is temporary. Many of our flexible working arrangements are agreed informally and, if your manager agrees to your request, they may confirm the changes in writing to you, so there’s no confusion.

Internal, Flexible Working, Version1, Page 3 of 5 December 2015

Formal approach

They can refuse your request for the following reasons:

Alternatively you can log onto OurTesco, complete the request form and give it to your manager. This process can take up to three months so please make sure you make your request as early as possible. Remember that any request agreed under this process will be a permanent change to your terms and conditions (unless otherwise agreed). It may not be possible for you to make another formal flexible working request for 12 months – so it is important that you are sure you’re happy with anything you agree to.

How will a formal request be handled? Your manager will arrange to meet with you to fully discuss your request and the impact it may have on your team/customers. You’ve got the right to be accompanied at this meeting by a colleague or trade union representative. Your request form will be discussed during the meeting and will play an important part in deciding whether your proposed new way of working is practical. If your manager thinks that it might be difficult to agree to your request, they’ll discuss this with you to see if there are any other options which could work. Your manager will fully consider your flexible working request while taking into account the needs of the business. They may propose an alternative arrangement e.g. the best flexible working solution that they feel suits both you and the business.

When will I be told the outcome of my formal request? You manager might be able to tell you their decision during your meeting however, it’s more common that they’ll take some time to consider everything you’ve said, the business needs and the potential impact on your colleagues, before coming to their conclusion. Your manager will then write to you confirming their decision which could be:   

Refused for…

Meaning…

Detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand

Your request means that there won’t be enough colleagues to respond to customer requests/issues at certain times

Inability to reorganise work among existing colleagues

Current vacancies or flexible working arrangements within the team may mean that areas are already ‘spread thin’ and existing colleagues wouldn’t be able to pick up the work

Detrimental impact on quality

Your request means that certain accountabilities wouldn’t be picked up by anyone else and therefore quality would suffer

Inability to recruit additional colleagues

We can’t recruit the right person to fill the rota gaps or to complete a job-share

Detrimental impact on performance

You’re not given adequate support to do your job e.g. you request to work on a Sunday but your manager works Monday-Wednesday so your performance suffers

Insufficient work during the periods you propose to work

Example - you request a change to come into work early and finish earlier. If the job involves contact with key people (e.g. suppliers/customers) who are not accessible during these hours (and you don’t have other work to do in this time) then this flexible working solution would not be suitable

The burden of additional costs

If we need to spend more money to support a request, e.g. two company cars, two laptops etc.

Planned structural changes

There may be changes being made to roles and accountabilities which make this an inappropriate time to agree to a flexible working request. This can be reviewed once the structural changes have taken place

They fully agree to your request; They agree to part of your request and propose an alternative arrangement; or They don’t agree to your request and they provide you with the reasons for this and right to appeal their decision.

Internal, Flexible Working, Version1, Page 4 of 5 December 2015

Can I change my mind after submitting a request? Yes, you can withdraw your request by telling us in writing but if you do this, you won’t be able to make another formal request for a further 12 months. You can withdraw your request at any time and, if you don’t attend your flexible working meeting without a good reason, your manager might conclude that you’ve withdrawn your request. If your manager needs further information from you to help them make a decision, please supply this as soon as you can, as if you refuse to supply us with this we can treat your request as having been withdrawn.

If my request is agreed, will my pay change? It might. If, for example your request was to work less hours a week then your pay will reduce accordingly. If you want to work a different shift pattern, you may find you’re entitled to premium rates that you didn’t get before.

Related reading 

OurTesco.com

Related Policies:    

Maternity Leave Paternity Leave Shared Parental Leave Lifestyle Breaks

Policy info. Version

Date

of

No.

change

1

7th December

Summary of change New policy

2015

Policy owner: [email protected]

Any benefits related to your pay will also be impacted e.g.

Ownership and confidentiality

Benefit

Impact

Shares in Success, car allowance, bonus, pension

If your earnings reduce, anything calculated as a % of your earnings will reduce too

Paid holiday entitlement

If your flexible working arrangement is to work fewer days and/or hours then the amount of days holiday you are entitled to will reduce accordingly

This document shouldn’t be shared with anyone externally without permission from your Director. This policy and any associated documentation remains the property of Tesco and should be returned if requested.

If you change the days you work then this may impact your Bank Holiday entitlement Childcare vouchers, Cycle-to-Work

Your benefit-based deductions may need to be recalculated so we can ensure that your pay is over the National Minimum Wage

If my request is agreed, will there be a trial period? Unless agreed otherwise, any change is a permanent change to your terms and conditions, so a trial period might be suggested to ensure the new shift pattern is suitable for you, the business and your team. If a flexible working arrangement does not appear to be working successfully then your manager will discuss possible reasons for this with you, and try to find possible solutions. Internal, Flexible Working, Version1, Page 5 of 5 December 2015