SECTION 1: Example Exercise Outcomes

SECTION 2: Competencies and Behavioural Indicators

E-Tray Exercise 1
Bannon & Loew Consulting - Questions

Instructions
Please read the instructions on this page, then turn over the page to begin the exercise.
There are 10 e-mails requiring your response, each appear just as you would use in an office
environment. Some of these items may appear to describe isolated issues, while others link
to one or more of the other items. Some of the e-mails could require information found on
certain documents, these have been provided in the documents section, or they might refer
to attachments which are provided alongside the corresponding e-mail.
Your task is to respond to as many of the emails as you can within the time limit of 60
minutes. You must read the background information which gives you useful information
about the role you are being asked to assume and the company you are working for. When
replying to the emails try to imagine yourself in a work environment. You will not receive
replies to any of your emails during the exercise, so reply to the best of your ability.

The exercise begins on the next page.

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Background Information
Bannon & Loew Consulting is a firm of business strategists, originally founded by brothers Robert
and Gregory Bannon in Chicago under the moniker Bannon & Bannon. Following the rising
success of the consultancy during the 80s, Cynthia Loew partnered with the firm in 1989
resulting in Bannon & Loew Consulting as the company is now known. The firm currently has
three locations, each overseen by one of the partners. Gregory Bannon is the acting senior
executive of the Chicago office, with Robert Bannon running the New York office and Cynthia
Loew based in London. Each office has Financial, Operations and Risk consultancy divisions that
work independently, with the option of establishing a symbiotic relationship if required for a
particular client. The Chicago, New York and London locations also have Human Resources,
Marketing, Information Technology and Administrative departments, which are required for
internal purposes only and do not contribute to the client consultation process itself.

Consultancy
The consultancy side of the business is the largest part of the company structure and consists of
separate divisions: Financial Management, Operations Management and Risk Management
consulting. Each consulting division deals with clients relevant to its respective unit, collaborating
on occasion if a project produces significant overlap with one or more of the other consultancy
sectors.
Financial Management Consulting Typically concerned with the effective management of
funds, capital raising, debt and deal financing. Financial management meets client objectives
through acquisition and allocation of capital, assessment of profit margins, identification of
causality regarding revenue, assigning short term resources and producing budgeting
frameworks. This allows a business to run as economically as possible, balancing investments,
future ventures, debt, cash, debtors and creditors.
Projects usually entail:
- Establishing financial frameworks to guide clients towards goal acquisition, while
maintaining economic boundaries.
- Alleviating client concerns through assessment of resources and provision of actionable
reports.
Operations Management Consulting This area of consulting is concerned with assessing the
internal structure of a company and implementing strategies to utilise production potential.
Although operations consultancy is traditionally applied to product based companies or
manufacturing plants, the core elements of its principal can largely be applied to service-based
businesses and various organisational structures.
Projects usually entail:
- Identifying areas of improvement within existing procedures and providing agendas for
strategic development.
- Examining workflow and aiding clients to enhance companywide efficiency.

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Risk Management Consulting Generally focuses on the assessment of insurable and uninsurable risks to a company, whether in relation to undertaking new projects, unforeseen
expenditures, due diligence, written contacts or allocation of capital and revenue growth. Risk
assessment consultants identify potential threats to corporate achievement and aim to
circumvent matters that could jeopardise objectives.
Projects usually entail:
- Diagnosing potential threats to business development and ensuring the client has full
awareness of prospective setbacks.
- Implementation of insurance policies to safeguard the client against undesirable
circumstances.

Situation
Following a recent office dispute leading to the sudden departure of a staff member from the
London office, you have been asked to transfer from your current position at the Chicago site to
replace a much-needed consultant within the Financial Management division of the London
office. Due to the urgency of projects being handled at the somewhat understaffed UK base, a
meeting among the Senior Consultants concluded that this will be the best way to utilise current
resources. It is likely that your services will be required in London over the next couple of weeks,
while a suitable candidate is selected to take up the position in the long term. Although you have
been working for Bannon & Loew Consulting for the past six months and are familiar with the
companys client work, you have always been located in Chicago and are unfamiliar with the
London set-up. You have been informed that staff should be available upon arrival to bring you
up to speed on the current situation and status of the impending projects, however it is required
that you handle the transition as efficiently as possible in order to actively assist the staff in
meeting deadlines.

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E-mails: E-mail 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------From: Anne Matheson
To: _____
Subject: Welcome to London
Sent: 17:32 Sunday 6th October
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hello _____,
Just a quick e-mail to thank you for joining us during this hectic time, Cynthia is thrilled that you
were willing to assist on the current projects given Rons recent departure. Ive included some
information about the people you will be working with over the next couple of weeks, in the hope
that it will help you to settle into our finance department and ease the transition period.
As you know we are going to require efficiency and initiative in order to complete the tasks at hand,
so it would be greatly valued if you could use your professional judgement when responding to your
new colleagues. Im not sure which company model you have been following in the Chicago branch,
but our office adheres to the Perpetual Improvement Wheel which you can access in your
documents. If you are ever unsure of the procedures we would like you to follow while working with
us, or the standards we work to, we recommend that you have a look through it.
If you have any queries, or are unsure of who could provide valid input on certain matters, feel free
to refer to the organogram and familiarise yourself with the personnel structure. I have also
attached some useful background information on the London team.

Kind regards,
Anne Matheson
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Employee Profiles London

Bannon & Loew Consulting - London Office

Financial Management Consultancy
Director Alison Lambert
Alison is highly respected among the London staff, as she has been working with us over the last 30
years. Originally employed as a Consultant, she has risen up the corporate ranks becoming CIMA
qualified and completing an MBA on her way.

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Senior Consultant Mark Robinson

Mark has been working with us for 7 years and has hopes of becoming Director in the future. He too
is CIMA qualified and is currently working towards completion of an MBA. Mark always has a
diplomatic approach towards any disputes, whether internal or client related, and seeks to provide
the most effective solution in every instance.
Consultants
Julia Rafferty Julia has recently been employed here and shows great promise. Although her
conscientiousness is often a real asset, she may have the tendency to get a little bogged down in
specifics and appears somewhat prone to worrying. Nonetheless, she is an excellent contribution to
the workforce.
Simon ONeil Originally from Scotland, Simon moved to London about 3 years ago and joined the
Bannon & Loew Consulting workforce. He is a keen member of staff with great attention to detail,
however he is probably the most likely to become confrontational if the accuracy of his work is
questioned and does not respond well to pressure.
George Kalimisarkis George is a real character and is very popular among the staff, he has worked
with us for 9 years and appears to be quite content with his position. Although he has a wealth of
experience, as well as being CIMA qualified, George opted to remain at consultant level when
offered the senior position a few years back. He often jokes that he will never retire, and at the age
72, we are starting to believe him!
Junior Consultants
Lee Hussein Recent graduate Lee joined the company last year and is proving to be a tremendous
employee, always quick to take initiative and is extremely organised in his work. Lee tends to keep to
himself, remaining focussed on the tasks at hand and always meets deadlines.
Peter Harlow An ambitious young man, eager to establish himself within the company despite
being employed within the last 9 months. Peter has a brilliant mind for business, but tends to
overstep his boundaries on occasion, a characteristic which has been noted a few times by his
seniors.
Jessica Campbell A fairly balanced employee, Jessica usually fulfils that which is required of her but
always seems unwilling to go the extra mile in regard to her work. Originally considered to be a real
up and comer, she has failed to meet expectations during her time in our employ.

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Write your Response:

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E-mails: E-mail 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------From: Julia Rafferty
To: Ron Henderson
Subject: Baxter LLC
Sent: 14:47 Thursday 3rd October
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ron,
As you know there are some issues regarding the Baxter LLC account; they are concerned about the
strategies we are planning to implement and dont seem convinced that we can make a worthwhile
improvement to the current figures. I think it is important that we meet with their directors and go
over our assessment with them, so that they understand it better and feel more confident moving
forward.
The only problem is fitting the meeting in, I know that you already have some things booked into
your calendar but I really feel its important they speak to a Consultant. Baxter LLC are big clients and
we dont want to lose them. I would appreciate your feedback as soon as possible, preferably no
later than Tuesday. Feel free to bring anyone up to speed who you feel could provide valuable
feedback concerning this matter.
Also, I have reviewed your financial assessment of PNC Holdings that you asked me to check and I
can see nothing wrong it looks good to go.

Thanks,
Julia

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E-mails: E-mail 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------From: Mark Robinson
To: _____
Subject: Holiday Entitlement Jessica Campbell
Sent: 10:09 Monday 7th October
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi ____,
Firstly, welcome to the London office, I hope you are settling in and that the team have been helpful,
filling you in on any important matters.
Secondly, I apologise for delving straight into business, but there is a matter concerning one of the
Junior Consultants having booked holiday time, during what looks set to be a very busy time for the
company. It was originally something I had asked Ron to deal with, as he signed it off in the first
place, but as you know he is no longer working with us. Ive spoken with Jessica and the leave was
booked for her wedding, also when requesting the holiday she did give the notice required. I am
happy for you to deal with it in any manner you see fit, whether it involves cancelling Jessicas
holiday or if you can provide an alternative solution, either way I would be eager to hear your
solution seeing as you have a fresh pair of eyes regarding this matter.
If you could let me know your thoughts by the end of the day, that would be most appreciated.
Also, thanks for your contribution to the London office at this time.

Kind regards,
Mark Robinson

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E-mails: E-mail 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------From: Alison Lambert
To: _____
Subject: Employee Disputes
Sent: 13:51 Monday 7th October
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_____,
As I am sure you are aware, the department has had some issues regarding staff disputes as of late,
which became most apparent in the case of Ron Hendersons abrupt departure. Given the large
number of projects the branch has been working on recently, with deadlines looming, we cannot
afford to have an unsettled workforce. I have been informed that one of the Junior Consultants,
Peter Harlow, may have been involved in Ron Hendersons resignation. Similarly, it has been brought
to my attention that some of the remaining members of the Financial Management team,
particularly Simon ONeil, may also be experiencing difficulties with Peter. Naturally we want to get
to the bottom of this and ensure that the department is running smoothly as soon as possible.
As you are new to the London office, I am particularly interested to know if you pick up on anything
at all concerning these matters. If you do come across anything, please either contact myself or
Mark Robinson.

Much appreciated,
Alison Lambert

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E-mails: E-mail 5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------From: Simon ONeil
To: ____,
Subject: Overseeing Junior Consultants
Sent: 15:12 Monday 7th October
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hello ____,
Welcome to the team! Im not sure if you have been made aware of this but at the London office we
have a mentoring programme to aid our Junior Consultants in their development here by providing
individual feedback sessions every month. It consists of a 1:1 meeting between a consultant and a
junior; the pairing rotates each month so that the juniors get an equal number of reviews from each
consultant. Usually I would be happy to sit in on the session but Ive had a bit of a clash with him
recently and was wondering if you would be willing to look over Peter Harlows record and
administer his evaluation this month?
I would greatly appreciate it, but understand if you are unable. Either way please let me know by
Wednesday.

All the best,

Simon ONeil

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E-mails: E-mail 6
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------From: George Kalimisarkis
To: ______
Subject: Prospective Business Meeting
Sent: 15:28 Monday 7th October
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_____,
I received a phone call earlier from Reidis Ltd, they are a marketing agency interested in utilising
their current resources and streamlining the internal structure of the business. Although it sounds
like something that Operations would be able to deal with, the lead came through to us and we have
rather hit it off (perhaps because we had a long chat about sailing!). Following a phone conversation
they had with Lee Hussein, Reidis Ltd would be interested in coming to meet with us sometime next
week, would you be able to go ahead with this?
Any thoughts you have regarding this matter would be greatly appreciated, it would be preferable if
you could contact me by the end of the day tomorrow so that I can go ahead and arrange any
necessary meetings.

Kind Regards,
George

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E-mails: E-mail 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------From: Peter Harlow
To: _____
Subject: Co-worker Inefficiency
Sent: 16:07 Monday 7th October
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hello ____,
I was told that youll be stepping in to help out while the higher ups find a replacement for Ron
Henderson. He was responsible for overseeing some of the Junior Consultants, so I assume that I
should contact you regarding any of my concerns, as youre continuing with his duties. It has become
increasingly apparent that Lee Hussein, a fellow Junior Consultant, is somewhat incapable of
performing his duties to an adequate standard. He often completes tasks to a level that is barely
satisfactory and I am concerned that this will deter our clients from returning to us for future
projects. He was a disaster when attempting to encourage business from Reidis Ltd when they
called last week regarding their current company structure. I doubt that they would even consider us
again for future projects after his performance.
I think it is important that you are aware of this issue as he is currently working on some pretty high
profile cases, and I wasnt sure if I should take over from him for the time being? I would be more
than happy to step in and help out the company if you think it for the best.
If you could let me know your decision by the end of the day tomorrow so that I can step in ASAP,
that would be great.

Best,
Peter Harlow

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E-mails: E-mail 8
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------From: Julia Rafferty
To: _____
Subject: NorthQuest Holdings
Sent: 14:13 Monday 7th October
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Im in a bit of a predicament regarding the NorthQuest Holdings project and was wondering if you
dont mind giving your opinion on something? I need to get the figures over to them by close of play
but as it stands; the streamlining has only resulted in a 4.7% reduction to their overheads and ideally
they were hoping for 6%. Would you be happy to sign off on the figures as is, or would it be best to
look into it further? Both Simon and George are tied up for the rest of the day so I would really
appreciate your input.
Thanks very much!
Julia
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Streamlining-Proposal-Rev4

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E-mails: E-mail 9
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------From: Mark Robinson
To: ______
Subject: Ron Henderson - Missing Information
Sent: 11:53 Monday 7th October
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------______,
I hope you are enjoying your time here with us in London and that things havent been too stressful,
unfortunately Im having some trouble locating part of Ron Hendersons financial assessment of PNC
Holdings yearly turnover. As you know we are unable to contact Ron at this time and we desperately
need that information. I know that this project is unfamiliar to you and I am aware that you have a
lot of pressing matters to attend to, but we are stretched pretty thin at the moment and it would be
really helpful if you could have a look through his workings and see if you find anything of use.
If you feel that you are truly unable to help with this matter, please let me know by the 8th so that I
can arrange for someone to start afresh.

All the best,

Mark

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E-mails: E-mail 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------From: Simon ONeil
To: ______
Subject: Unwanted Publicity
Sent: 15:33 Monday 7th October
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hi ____,
Weve got a bit of a bit of a problem concerning the privacy of one of our clients. Im not sure how
well youve been briefed on the Baxter LLC project, but they didnt want word to get out that they
were using a financial management consultancy. They were concerned that either the press or their
competitors would put a negative spin on it and they are experiencing financial trouble. It looks like
someone must have found out because weve been contacted by someone trying to confirm that
Baxter LLC is currently a client of ours. Unfortunately, I think we can expect this to be public
knowledge within the next few days which is less than ideal, so Id appreciate your input as to how
we handle this fiasco. Preferably sooner rather than later, I reckon we need to resolve this before
Baxter LLCs shareholder meeting on the 9th October.
Sorry to drop this on you,
Thanks,
Simon

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Summary of documents: Document number and Title

Doc
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Document Title
Organogram
Perpetual Improvement Wheel
Perpetual Improvement Wheel: Case Study
Contact List
Holiday and Leave Policy
Sickness Absence Policy
Calendar

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Item 1 - Organogram

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Item 2 Perpetual Improvement Wheel

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Item 3 Perpetual Improvement Wheel: Case Study

Case Study
Context: A mid-market private equity firm hit extremely hard by the global financial
crisis found itself heavily relying on debt to stay afloat, leading to an ever
increasing debt spiral. Almost all of the firm's profits went to the repayment of
interest, without paying off the debt itself. Any sudden downturn in profits could
lead to a default, and therefore the demise of the company. To prevent a
catastrophic default, the firm employed the services of Bannon and Loew
consulting. Using the Bannon & Loew Perpetual Improvement Wheel , Bannon
and Loew consultants took the following course of action:
Goal Setting: A team of executives and Bannon and Loew consultants agreed that
the firm needed to decrease the firm's debt by 20% or more, allowing the firm to
begin paying off its debt, while still maintaining its interest payments.
Diagnostic: After evaluating the firm's portfolio companies, our consultants
identified a number of failing retail companies which were believed to be
underutilised and undervalued, but currently generating a loss for the firm.
Action plan: Our consultants suggested that they use their contacts to broker a
meeting with major retail company's in order to sell off the failing, underutilised
companies. Our consultants knew specific firms which would be particularly
interested in the portfolio companies and may be willing to purchase at a higher
price than its current market price.
Action: Our consultants arranged meeting with major retailers to discuss the
purchase of these portfolio companies. This meeting was facilitated by our
consultants, who provided objective and impartial advice to both sides of the table.
Similarly, the data collected from the diagnostic stage was shared with both parties
to highlight the feasibility of the arrangement.
Result: The major retailed purchased the portfolio companies at a mutually
beneficial price. The proceeds of this deal were used to repay a significant portion
of their debt. This combined with the increase in profits gains from dropping the
failing companies allowed the firm to decrease their debt by 24%, and begin using
profits to begin paying off remaining debt, while still meeting interest payments.
Using a combination of technocratic competency, commercial savvy and effective
networking, Bannon and Loew consulting helped rescue our client from the brink
and returned them to profitability. Just one of our many success stories over the
years, and no doubt we will have many more to tell in the future.

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Item 4 Contact List

Name

Position

Alison Lambert

Director

Mark Robinson

Senior Consultant

Julia Rafferty

Consultant

Simon Oneil

Consultant

George kalimisarkis

Consultant

Lee Hussein

Junior Consultant

Peter Harlow

Junior Consultant

Jessica Campbell

Junior Consultant

Name

Position

Department

Email address

Cynthia Loew

Senior partner
Sectary to the
senior partner

N/A

cynthia.loew@bandlc.co.uk

N/A

anne.matheson@bandlc.co.uk

Anne Matheson
Roger Townsend

Director

Anthony parsons

Senior Consultant

Lucy Jenkins

Consultant

Afolable Adwantin

Consultant

Daniel Epstein

Consultant

Alan Stevens

Director

Nathan Hume

Senior Consultant

Harry Martin

Consultant

Edward Mears

Consultant

Anousska Hanssen

Consultant

Kathy Mead

Director

Department
Consulting (Financial
Management)
Consulting (Financial
Management)
Consulting (Financial
Management)
Consulting (Financial
Management)
Consulting (Financial
Management)
Consulting (Financial
Management)
Consulting (Financial
Management)
Consulting (Financial
Management)

Consulting (Operations
Management)
Consulting (Operations
Management)
Consulting (Operations
Management)
Consulting (Operations
Management)
Consulting (Operations
Management)
Consulting (Risk
Management)
Consulting (Risk
Management)
Consulting (Risk
Management)
Consulting (Risk
Management)
Consulting (Risk
Management)
Marketing

Email address
alison.lambert@bandlc.co.uk
mark.robinson@bandlc.co.uk
Julia.rafferty@bandlc.co.uk
simononeil@bandlc.co.uk
georgekalimisarkis@bandlc.co.uk
lee.hussein@bandlc.co.uk
Peter.harlow@bandlc.co.uk
Jessica.campbell@bandlc.co.uk

rogertownsend@bandlc.co.uk
anothony.parsons@bandlc.co.uk
lucy.jenkins@bandlc.co.uk
afolable.adwantin@bandlc.co.uk
daniel.epstein@bandlc.co.uk
alanstevens@bandlc.co.uk
Nathan.hume@bandlc.co.uk
Nathan.hume@bandlc.co.uk
edward.mears@bandlc.co.uk
anousska.hassen@bandlc.co.uk
kathy.mead@bandlc.co.uk

Mathew Hill

Director

HR

mathew.hill@bandlc.co.uk

Tom Reynolds

Director

IT

tom.reynolds@bandlc.co.uk

Sayid Naveer

Director

Administration

sayid.naveer@bandlc.co.uk

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Item 5 Holiday and Leave Policy

Holiday and Leave Policy

1.0 Introduction
This policy forms a suite of policies that describe a range of leave arrangements available to
London based Bannon & Loew Consulting staff. The following Leave policy has been designed to
ensure that all types of leave are managed fairly and consistently.
2.0 Scope of this policy
This policy is appropriate to all staff directly employed by Bannon & Loew Consulting, London
branch. This does not however, include freelance associates, temp workers or any other
contracted worker from outside the organisation. Leave for Bannon & Loew Consulting staff from
other sites working temporarily at the London site will be managed on an individual basis.
3.0 Annual leave year
The annual leave year will run from December 31st to January 1st.
4.0 Entitlement
4.1 The basic full time annual leave entitlements, exclusive of public holidays, is as follows:
Junior Consultant -- 24 days
Consultant -- 27 days
Senior consultant -- 30 days
Director and above -- Negotiable
(for non-consulting roles)
1st year of appointment -- 24 days
After 3 years of service -- 27 days
After 5 years of service -- 30 days
After 10 years of service Negotiable
4.2 The annual leave for part time staff will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
4.3 For non-consulting roles, reckonable years of service only include full year of service, as
measured from the employee's initial start date.
4.4 If staff members have elected to purchase additional leave as part of their flexible rewards
package, this will be included on top of the basic full time or pro-rata entitlement.
4.5 At director level or after 10 years of service, annual leave entitlement will be negotiated on an
individual basis with the staff member's immediate superior and the human resources department.
The minimum number of day annual leave at this level will be 30, with no official upper limit.
4.6 All staff must give twice as much notice as the requested annual leave length, i.e. for two
weeks of annual leave; 4 weeks' notice must be given
5.0 Public holidays
5.1 Public holidays of the year are:
Christmas Day
Boxing Day
New Year's Day

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Good Friday
Easter Monday
May Day
Spring Bank Holiday
August Bank Holiday
5.2 Employees working full-time will be entitled to all public holidays in the leave year.
5.3 Employees working part-time will be entitled to public holidays at a rate proportionate to their
number of hours worked per week. These public holidays will be specified in the initial contract of
employment.
5.4 Employees wishing to exchange a public holiday for an additional day of annual leave will be
considered on an individual basis.
6.0 Carryover of annual leave
6.1 Bannon & Loew Consulting expects that all staff are given the opportunity to take all of their
annual leave during that annual leave year for the health and wellbeing of its staff.
6.2 Staff may carry over up to 7 days of annual leave from one annual leave year to the
subsequent annual leave year. Only in exceptional circumstances can more than 7 days of annual
leave be transferred to the subsequent year.
6.3 Before agreeing to leave being carried over, the staff member must raise the issue with their
immediate superior and provide at least 1 months notice before the end of the leave year.
7.0 Entitlement on Leaving
7.1 Employees that leave Bannon & Loew Consulting will be entitled to their remaining annual
leave as payment in lieu or use the remaining annual leave during the notice period.
7.2 leaving employees that have opted to exchange a public holiday for an additional day of annual
leave may also request this as payment in lieu.
8.0 Sickness occurring during annual leave or public holiday
8.1 If an employee falls sick during annual leave then, provided they notify their manager on the
first day of sickness, the period will be classified as sick leave rather than annual leave, allowing
staff to take additional annual leave another time.
8.2 Employees cannot claim an additional day off if sick on a public holiday.
9.0 Additional/unpaid leave
9.1 Additional unpaid leave should be considered on an individual basis. In general, staff should
make every attempt to use annual leave to book time off, and unpaid leave should, in nonexceptional circumstances, not be granted to employees with annual leave days spare. However,
there may be exceptional circumstances in which unpaid leave may be granted.
9.2 Examples in which unpaid leave may be granted include, but are not are not necessarily limited
to:
Nursing sick children/relatives
Handling funeral arrangements
Doctor appointments
9.3 Both employees and line managers must inform payroll of any changes on monthly pay in the
event of allocating unpaid leave

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9.4 Periods of sabbatical or study leave will be decided on an individual basis, with particular
respect to the employee's length of service and continuing professional development plan. These
may be paid or unpaid depending on individual factors.
9.5 Employees are not automatically granted paid time off in lieu for overtime, but it may be given
with prior agreement from the employee's immediate manager.
10.0 Annual leave during periods of suspension
10.1 Any individual who is suspended with pay under the company's disciplinary procedure may
take annual leave, but must first seek the agreement of the investigating manager.
10.2 Individuals suspended without pay are not permitted to take annual leave until the conclusion
of their investigation. Upon the conclusion of the investigation, if the employee is dismissed then
remaining annual leave will be paid in lieu. If the employee is reinstated, remaining annual leave
will become unfreeze and available for booking. Reinstated employees may be provided with
additional annual leave carry over into the next annual leave year, depending on the length of the
suspension.
11.0 Refusal of annual leave
11.1 Bannon & Loew Consulting has the right to refuse a request for annual leave for any reason
deemed reasonable by the employees line manager. However, Bannon & Loew Consulting does
not have the right to refuse an employee annual leave in general, and must make every attempt to
enable its employers to fully use their annual leave.
11.2 In the event that an employee line manager has to cancel annual leave which an employee
has booked, this must be done with as much notice as the amount of leave requested i.e. two
weeks' notice if the leave request was two weeks. Managers are advised to avoid cancelling
annual leave in all but the most exceptional circumstances.
12.0 Maternity/paternity leave and annual leave
Holiday will accrue during paid and unpaid maternity or paternity leave.
13.0 Review of this policy
This policy came into effect on January 1st, 2012 and will be up for review at the end of 2015, with
implementation of the amended policy from the start of 2016.

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Item 6 Sickness Absence Policy

Sickness Absence Policy

1.0 Introduction
This policy has been designed to outline a range of policies and procedures for reporting, recording
and managing employee sickness absence at the London branch of Bannon & Loew Consulting in a
fair and consistent way.
2.0 Scope of this policy
This policy is appropriate to all staff directly employed by Bannon & Loew Consulting, London branch.
This does not however, include freelance associates, temp workers or any other contracted worker
from outside the organisation. Leave for Bannon & Loew Consulting staff from other sites working
temporarily at the London site will be managed on an individual basis.
3.0 Reporting sickness procedure
3.1 A staff member that is sick and cannot attend work should contact their direct manager by
telephone within 30 minutes of the time they would normally start work. Staff should avoid asking
someone else to contact their manager of their behalf, unless they are unable to contact their manager
personally.
3.2 When reporting sickness absence, staff will be asked to give as much of the following information
as possible:
The nature of the illness and/or the cause.
The anticipated length of absence
If the absence is expected to be for more than 7 days or more, steps they will be taking to seek medical
assistance.
Details of outstanding work or urgent work which will require attention during the absence
Contact details to enable the company to contact them if necessary.
3.3 If an employee becomes too ill to work to continue working, they must speak to their manager who
will give permission for the individual to leave work and/or seek medical advice if appropriate. Note
should be made of the partial absence of the employee and may be taken into account when looking at
patterns of absence.
4.0 Short term sickness procedure
4.1 For periods of sickness absence of fewer than 7 days, a doctor's note is not required
4.2 For periods of absence of 7 or more days, a doctor's note will be required to validate sickness.
4.3 If a member of staff takes 6 periods of absence within a 12 month period, a sickness absence
review meeting will be held. The purpose of this meeting is as follow:
To review the member of staff's attendance during the relevant period
To give the member of staff the opportunity to discuss any problems or raise concerns.
To decide whether further action is required from an occupational health professional.
To arrange support or work adjustments.
To inform the member of staff that if their attendance does not improve within the time period being
monitored a second sickness absence review meeting will be held.

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4.4 The purpose of a second sickness absence review meeting is as follows:

To review the member of staffs attendance during the relevant period
To give the member of staff the opportunity to discuss any problems or raise concerns.
To review the steps that has been taken to support the staff member in achieving the required level of
attendance.
To discuss the findings and recommendations of the occupational health professional handling this
case.
To set targets to improve levels of absence over the relevant time period.
To issue the member of staff with a final caution.
To inform the member of staff that if their attendance does not improve within the time period being
monitored a final sickness absence review meeting will be held.
4.5 The purpose of the final sickness absence review meeting is as follows:
To review the member of staffs attendance during the relevant period.
To give the member of staff the opportunity to discuss any problems or raise concerns.
To review the steps that has been taken to support the staff member in achieving the required level of
attendance.
To discuss the occupational health advice that has been provided.
To inform the member of staff whether they will be dismissed on grounds of capability, or whether a
final caution will be extended to allow more time to sustain improvement.
4.6 If the final caution is extended, to set a minimum target for improvement and a period over which
absence will be monitored.
5.0 Long term sickness procedure
5.1 Managers should seek the advice of the HR team in cases of long term sickness absence of 4
weeks or more.
5.2 Managers should maintain regular contact with the member of staff in order to prevent feelings of
isolation and to remain informed of the likely duration of the sickness absence. The member of staff
has a responsibility to update their manager regularly on their likely date of return to work.
5.3 Once advice has been received from an occupational health professional, a meeting will be held
between the organisation, the absent employee and the occupational health professional. If the
employee is deemed unfit to continue working, despite reasonable adjustment to work, job redesign,
redeployment or amendments to job description, serious consideration should be given to ending the
staff member's employment under grounds of incapacity or early retirement. If the employee is deemed
fit to return to work, necessary adjustments to the work environment or role must be undertaken prior to
the staff members return to work.
5.4 Staff that have been dismissed under grounds of incapacity have the right to appeal this decision,
and an appeal meeting will be arranged with the human resources department, the employee's former
manager, the former employee and the investigating occupational health professional.
5.5 The decision of the appeal panel will be final.
6.0 Medical appointments
Absence due to medical or dental appointments is not recorded as sick leave unless the appointment
requires a whole day's absence. As much notice must be given of the appointment to the staff

members line manager as soon as they are able.

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7.0 Disability related sickness

Disability-related sickness absence will be managed in accordance with the Equality Act 2010
and related codes of practice and guidance. It is recognised that absence from work may be
required for a range of reasons and managers should take this into consideration when recording
sickness absence.
8.0 Pregnancy related sickness
Pregnancy related sickness absence should be recorded separately and should not be taken into
account when evaluating attendance targets. Pregnancy related sickness absence during the four
weeks prior to her due date will be required to start materiality leave and will be entitled to
maternity pay, but not sick pay.
9.0 Absence due to injuries caused by accidents
9.1 If an employee's absence is due to an accident, normal sick pay provisions would apply.
Where the employee may receive compensation from a third party, reimbursement of sick pay will
be repayable to Bannon & Loew Consulting.
9.2 In the case of absence expecting to last 4 week or longer, injured staff members must receive
a fit note from their doctor and/or occupational health professional stating that they are healthy
enough to return to work.
10.0 Review of this policy
This policy came into effect on January 1st, 2012 and will be up for review at the end of 2015,
with implementation new the new/amended policy from the start of 2016.

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Item 7 Calendar

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End of practice e-tray exercise

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