Human Resources Division

Flexible working policy

Covering flexible working arrangements for periods of more than three months

This policy on flexible working arrangements for University staff has been developed bearing in mind the University's commitment to equality of opportunity (in particular that of appointment on the basis of merit) and with the intention of helping members of staff to balance their commitments and interests outside work with their contractual duties and responsibilities. It is recognized that being able to offer flexibility in working arrangements may assist members of staff to return to work after a period of absence or to continue in work or to adjust to retirement.

This policy complies with national legislation, including the Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000, the Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002, and the Flexible Working Regulations 2002. Staff working flexibly will be valued and respected in the same way as full-time staff. In addition, their contractual benefits will be the same, on a pro-rata basis if working less than full-time, as full-time staff engaged on the same type of contract and performing the same or similar work, unless objectively justifiable.

Flexible arrangements offered to members of staff under this policy cover a wide range of different arrangements including part-time or term-time working, job share, compressed or annual hours, staggered hours or flexitime. At all times, the arrangements that are agreed will attempt to balance the needs of the member of staff with the work to be carried out and should be in the interests of the institution concerned. Some of these arrangements will be of a permanent nature and, where appropriate, will fulfil the University's obligations under the Flexible Working Regulations. Others will be of a temporary nature, to accommodate a member of staff's need for an adjustment of their working arrangements to balance commitments outside work. However, flexible working arrangements will not be agreed where a member of staff wishes to ‘try out’ employment offers outside the University. In addition, applications to work flexibly will not normally be considered where the member of staff would be undertaking other remunerative employment outside the University.

This policy also applies to staff wishing to apply to work flexibly for a limited period in certain circumstances such as:

  • career break (for officers and comparable appointments)
  • family leave (for assistant staff)
  • graduated return from maternity
  • sick leave

(Study and research leave are covered by separate arrangements outside the scope of this policy.)

Details of these schemes are given in the Staff Guide for Academic and Academic-Related Staff and the Assistant Staff Handbook, which can be found, together with more detailed procedural information on these schemes, on the Human Resources Division website. In all cases, the temporary arrangements must be to the institution's as well as the individual's benefit and the timescales must be clearly defined.

Statutory rights to temporary leave, such as maternity, parental, emergency, paternity, and adoption are covered by separate arrangements outside the scope of this policy. Details of relevant policies, notes of guidance, and forms are available on the Human Resources Division website.

In addition to giving serious consideration to any request to work flexibly, Heads of institutions and all those responsible for appointing staff are encouraged to consider routinely how certain duties in their department could be covered on a part-time basis, or divided up in different ways when reviewing a job vacancy or assessing the workload of the department or of an individual job.

The effectiveness of this policy will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Human Resources Division by monitoring the number of staff who have taken up a flexible working arrangement over the 12-month period, comparing the number of staff who are working under a flexible working arrangement year on year, and reviewing any difficulties that have arisen in the operation of this Scheme. A full review of this policy will be conducted five years after implementation, in consultation with the Assistant Staff Unions and other interested groups, as appropriate.

Where it would prove useful, detailed guidance on specific flexible working arrangements and patterns will be issued in due course.