Policy and Key Information
Atrium Holiday Procedure for Employed Staff
You must notify your Manager as soon as possible and preferably at least 8 weeks in advance of your intention to take annual leave. Upon employment commencement you will be issued with a holiday form, see Annual Leave. This form collates your cumulative leave record and should be signed off by your Line Manager once agreement has been made. The original is kept within your personnel file and you are encouraged to take a copy for reference. Counselling staff need to attach a copy of their signed annual leave with their corresponding salary return sheet, where paid time is requested.
The holiday year runs from 1 April to 31 March in the following year and outstanding holidays may not be carried forward unless approval is received from a Director.
Employees are not entitled to payment in lieu of holidays not taken upon termination.
Your contract of employment may detail different levels of holiday entitlement, which will supersede the above.
If you leave the organisation you will be required to repay any holidays that you have taken in excess of your entitlement. You will be given sufficient notice to enable you to take any outstanding holidays during your notice period.
ABSENCE FROM WORK
Atrium aims to offer flexibility to do your job within the constraints of our contracts. The prison regime limits the flexibility we can offer but there may be circumstances when your manager can agree to remote working or changing your days or accommodating appointments etc to support you. This is discretionary but please discuss with your manager.
Sick Leave
In the event of illness please notify your manager on the first day of illness by 9.00 am, preferably by telephone, stating the reason for your absence. If your Manager is unavailable then leave a message with the administration staff to inform them as soon as possible. In the forensic setting, you are also required to let your manager and colleagues know and for specific advice, check forensic policies. Please note that Atrium pays the following limited sick pay:
- During probationary period – Nil payment
- After probationary and up to one year – A total of one working week in any 12 month period – payment is eligible only after two consecutive working days of sickness.
- After one year of employment – A total of two working weeks in any 12 month period – payment is eligible only after two consecutive working days of sickness.
If you are absent for five days or less (including Bank Holidays and weekends), then you must give a self-certificate to your manager upon return to work. Use the Self Certification Form. If you are absent for more than seven days you will be required to submit a certificate from a medical practitioner including a pharmacist, therapy practitioner or GP/doctor.
The organisation will pay Statutory Sick Pay, (SSP), for the first 28 weeks of illness for those employees who qualify for SSP i.e.:
- You are sick for four consecutive days including bank holidays and weekends;
Different Types of Absence
Frequent Absence
In the event of frequent absences, the Company may request that you provide confirmatory medical evidence and/or visit a Doctor appointed by the Company, or undertake a medical examination. All absence is monitored, including the patterns and reasons for absence. Unacceptable levels of absence may be dealt with through the disciplinary procedure.
Long Term Absences
If you are, or are likely to be, absent from work for a prolonged period, the Company may request that you attend a medical examination by a Doctor appointed by the Company, or may ask for your written consent to enable the Company to seek a medical report from your own Doctor.
The medical report would be obtained in order to ascertain a medical opinion about your condition and reasons for absence, when you may be able to return to work and any other information that might be relevant. If you are unable to attend work for a prolonged period the Company will be unable to keep your position open indefinitely and the medical report would be taken into consideration in any decisions made about your continued employment.
Unauthorised Absence
If absence is not notified (or correctly certified) it will be considered to be unauthorised absence. In this event the Company reserves the right to make no payment for the period of absence.
Unauthorised absence will be dealt with through the disciplinary procedure and may be considered to be gross misconduct.
ABSENCE FROM WORK – OTHER REASONS
Time Off During Working Hours
You are expected to take care of personal matters outside working hours wherever possible. Requests for time off for urgent personal reasons should be made to your Manager and will be considered sympathetically. If you need to attend an appointment (e.g. doctor or dentist), you are asked to organise appointments for either the beginning or end of the day in order to minimise absence and any disruption.
Atrium reserves the right to require you to make up any hours lost, or if excessive time is lost, to make a deduction from your salary. Alternatively, a half-day holiday may be taken as part of your annual leave entitlement, subject to prior agreement with your Manager.
Leave Of Absence
Leaves of absence are granted at the discretion of the organisation. In such instances as bereavement, family illness, or similar circumstances, temporary arrangements may be made for time off with or without pay. If you require time off in these situations then notify your Manager. You will receive confirmation of whether your request has been granted or not as soon as possible. The Absence Request form enclosed at the back of this Handbook under Section E must be completed on all periods of absence and authorised by your Manager.
Compassionate & Bereavement Leave
The following are proposed arrangements for bereavement and are subject to change depending on each individual case.
Immediate family circle: 1 WEEK
Additional leave is at the discretion of the organisation.
Jury Service
If you are required to serve on a jury you must notify your Manager immediately of the details and the amount of time that you are required to serve. You will be paid as normal except for the flat rate Jury Service payment that you claim directly from the Court.
A copy of the summons should be sent to your Manager who should be informed if the length of service has to be extended or terminated.
Public Duties
You are allowed a reasonable amount of unpaid leave to attend to certain public duties. These duties relate to those employees who are:
A Justice of the Peace; a member of a local authority; a member of a statutory tribunal; a member of a police authority; a member of a board of prison visitors or a prison visiting committee; a member of a relevant health body; a member of a relevant education body; a member of the Environment Agency
If you already have or are about to take on such duties, you should consult your Manager about leave of absence and should provide an assessment of the total time off in each year.
