TIME MANAGEMENT POLICY

The College operates a time management

system whereby all eligible support staff
are required to badge in and out in order to
record their working hours. This policy
does not apply to teaching staff or
management grades due to the terms of
their contract of employment.

Some posts are defined as standard hours

where fixed hours are required to be
worked to suit the needs of the curriculum
and/or College business. Some posts
operate on a flexible working hours system
where some degree of flexibility can be
incorporated into working hours to meet
the needs of the College and the
individual.

The College management understands that

a flexible working hours scheme can assist
employees to balance the demands of life
outside of the College with those, which
arise as a result of their work.

It is therefore committed to offering,

wherever practicable, a flexible approach
to the hours of attendance when an
employee is required to be at work.

It cannot accept, however, that the work of

the College may suffer as a result of the
operation of the flexible hours scheme.
The management therefore reserve the
right to regulate the starting and finishing
times of employees, when necessary, in
the interests of the College.

Flexible working time provisions will

apply to part-time staff on a pro-rata basis,
as appropriate.

January 2005
FLEXIBLE WORKING HOURS
SCHEME
Introduction
1. This document sets out the
principles and operation of the
time management system.
2. For those staff who do not work
the standard working week of 37
hours the time recording system
will be used to measure actual
attendance only. Staff can access
their balance by using the F1 key
when badging in or out. Flexitime
balances will need to be confirmed
by the HRM division at the end of
each flexi-period.
Official Opening Hours
3. The standard working week (37
hours) of the College is:
Monday to Thursday
8.30am to 5.15pm
Friday
8.30am to 4.45pm.
Staff should badge in immediately
prior to starting work and as soon
as they have finished their duties
for the day.
4. It is a fundamental requirement of
the flexible working hours scheme
that the College’s work should not
suffer as a result of its operation.
5. College Management therefore
reserves the right to regulate the
starting and finishing times of
staff, where necessary, in the
interests of the College and there
will be occasions when College
requirements take precedence over
the availability of flexible
working.
January 2005
6. Some examples of such occasions
are given below:
a) Provision of directly
associated curriculum or
student support – where
classes or services to
students require the
attendance of support at
particular times;
b) Functions which require
continuity of presence or
operate at prescribed times,
e.g. central switchboard,
reception, advice lines etc;
c) Support staff whose contract of
employment requires them
to work such hours as are
necessary for the proper and
efficient performance of
their duties with a minimum
of 37 hours per week shall
not be included in the
flexible working hours
scheme.
7. Staff are assured that, although
requirements exist such as those
listed above, rotas and cover
arrangements will be used,
wherever possible, to ensure that
the benefits of the flexible working
hours scheme will be equally
available to all support staff.
Staff Outside the Flexible Working
Hours Scheme
8. Staff who choose to work or are
required to work the standard
working week may, subject to the
approval of the appropriate
manager, choose a starting and
finishing time up to 30 minutes
before or after those detailed in
paragraph 3.
9. It will be the responsibility of the
line manager to ensure adherence
to the chosen hours of work.
(Staff will be required to badge in
for time-keeping purposes only).
10. Staff working overtime (as defined
in the Overtime Policy) should
badge out at the end of the
working day, and amend the time
management system by an
authorised reconciliation form
(Annex 1). Staff cannot be paid
for extra hours worked AND
claim time from the time
management system for
additional hours worked.
Working Day
11. The working day will be made up
as follows:
Flexible time 8am-9.30am
Core time 9.30am-11.45am
Flexible time 11.45am-2.15pm
Core time 2.15pm-4pm
Flexible time 4pm-6.30pm
No flexi-time will be credited
outside these hours.
12. All staff must be at work during
core time, unless absence is
authorised in advance.
13. During flexible time, staff may
vary their starting and finishing
times, subject to the requirements
of the College, notably the
requirement to provide satisfactory
cover for the period during which
the offices are open to the public.
Management therefore reserves the
right to regulate the starting and
finishing times of staff.
January 2005
Lunch Break
14. All staff must badge in and out for
lunch breaks. If staff are unable to
do this, a reconciliation form
should be completed and
authorised (Annex 1).
15. A minimum lunch break of 30
minutes must be taken during the
period 11.45am and 2.15pm. A
maximum lunch break of 2 hours
30 minutes may be taken subject to
the requirements of the College
and the agreement of the line
manager/head of department.
Permission for lunches exceeding
1 hour 15 minutes in duration must
be obtained from the line
manager/head of department,
prior to being taken.
16. Rotas to cover lunch periods may
be introduced at the discretion of
your line management/head of
department, depending on the
needs of the College.
Part-time Staff
17. In order to ensure the health and
welfare of all employees, staff
working over the College’s
designated lunch period between
11.45am and 2.15pm are required
to take a break of at least 30
minutes. This is irrespective of
whether 6 hours are worked
consecutively or not.
Smoking and Other Breaks
18. Support staff who take smoking
breaks during the day are required
to “badge in” and then “badge out”
again after the break.
19. Tea breaks taken at the usual place
of work can continue as at present.
Staff who choose to take a
 ‘formal’ tea break in a staff
common room or refectory away
from the usual place of work will
be expected to “badge in” and then
“badge out” again after the break.
Accounting Period
20. The accounting period will be
four weeks.
Contracted Hours
21. The total contracted hours to be
worked in the accounting period
will be 148 hours (i.e. 4 weeks at
37 hours) unless otherwise
agreed. Each individual officer
will be responsible for ensuring
that he/she works at least the
contracted hours subject to the
approved number of carry-over
hours (credit or debit).
Credit and Debit Balances
22. A credit up to a maximum of 14
hours 48 minutes, may be carried
over from one accounting period to
the next. However, a debit of only
10 hours will be allowed to be
carried forward from one
accounting period to the next.
23. Normally, a credit balance in
excess of 14 hours 48 minutes at
the end of the accounting period,
will be discounted.
24. Normally, an employee, who
accumulates a debit balance in
excess of ten hours at the end of
the accounting period will only be
paid for the hours worked (i.e. the
deduction from pay will be
equivalent to the number of hours
debit balance in excess of ten).
Alternatively, equivalent leave
entitlement may be deducted.
Disciplinary action will be taken
January 2005
against an employee who
continually exceeds the maximum
debit hours allowed. Advice
regarding disciplinary action can
be obtained from the HRM
division.
25. Please note that staff leaving the
College’s employ should not have
a negative flexi-time balance. If
this is the case, time owed will be
deducted from an employee’s
leaving salary or outstanding
holiday balance. Credit balances
should be used in the normal way.
“Flexible” Leave
26. Support staff are entitled to take 1
day or 2 half days “flexible”
leave per accounting period,
subject to the prior approval of
their manager/head of
department. However, a credit
balance of at least 7 hours 24
minutes must have accrued
before such leave is taken.
27. Staff may forward a debit of up to
ten hours flexi-time and still earn
overtime. However, those staff
with an excess debit i.e. more
than ten hours, who have worked
approved overtime, will be
deducted the appropriate number
of overtime hours in order to
bring the debit to zero hours.
28. Requests for flexi-leave should
be made at least 24 hours in
advance except in exceptional
circumstances.
Time Management Reports –
Management Responsibility
29. Reports are issued on a monthly
basis to all line managers. It is
the responsibility of the line
manager to ensure that
 contractual hours are being
worked, that staff are taking
appropriate breaks and that there
is no abuse of the system.
Managers should ensure that staff
are not granted flexible leave if
they do not have the required
number of hours accrued (see
paragraph 25). Further advice
can be sought from the Division
of HRM.
Absence/Time Off
30. Time off due to sickness, official
holiday or authorised absence with
pay, will be credited to employees
on the basis of the standard
working hours, i.e. one full day = 7
hours 24 minutes; one half day = 3
hours 42 minutes (based on a 37
hour week).
31. Absences for medical reasons
involving visits to the doctors,
dentists, opticians, hospitals, etc
may be authorised with pay by the
authorised line manager. Where
possible, such time off should be
arranged outside of core hours to
minimise disruption to the
College.
Time Off in Lieu
32. Time off in lieu accrued should be
the exception rather than the rule,
and there is no formal College
policy regarding this. Where time
off in lieu is accrued, this MUST
be discussed and agreed between
the employee and the line manager
and be recorded and controlled by
the line manager. Please refer to
the College’s Overtime Policy for
further guidance.
33. Flexi-time accrued under the time
management system is a benefit
not a right, and should be taken at
January 2005
a time mutually agreed between
the line manager and employee to
suit the needs of the business.
The manager has the right to
refuse an application for flexi-time
if it is not convenient to the needs
of the business.
34. Flexi-time should only be booked
once the required time has been
accrued.
Seminars/Courses/Conferences
35. Where staff are required to attend
seminars, conferences, or courses
as part of their College duties and
are unable to badge in or out at
the College, they shall be credited
with one full working day; ie 7
hours and 24 minutes. In
circumstances where attendance
at an event exceeds the normal
working day, staff may claim the
actual length of their working
day, subject to a starting time of
no earlier than 8.00 am and a
finishing time of no later than
6.30 pm.
Amendments to the Time
Management System
36. All amendments to the time
recorded in the system should be
made in writing and must be
authorised by the appropriate line
manager. Forms for this purpose
are attached at Annexes 1 and 2.
Individual amendments should
be for a minimum of 15
minutes or more.
Abuse of the Time Management
System
37. Certain breaches of the system,
including those listed below, will
be investigated thoroughly by the
College and may result in
 exclusion from the flexible hours
scheme and/or disciplinary action:

a) Badging in and out for

colleagues. Only employees
themselves should badge in
and out.

b) Failure to badge in and out

and at break times, such as
lunchtimes, smoking breaks
and any other breaks away
from the work station. It is
imperative that procedures are
followed to ensure fairness,
consistency and accuracy of
the system.

c) A debit balance in excess of

ten hours for a second or
subsequent accounting period.

January 2005
 Annex 1

WEEKLY RECONCILIATION SHEET

To be used to reconcile the Time Management System for the following reasons, all of
which MUST have authorisation from your line manager:

• Missed badgings in / out • Flexi’ days / time off in lieu

• Medical appointments • Annual leave
• Other approved absences • Overtime
(training, meetings ,external visits
etc.)

Name: …………………………………… Faculty/Division/Unit: …………………………

(PLEASE PRINT)

Week Ending Date: …………………………...

Date Reason Time Claimed

From To

Authorised by: …………………………………… Date: ……………………

January 2005