Holiday & Leave

Annual Leave

(Contractual.)

Your annual leave entitlement is 28 days per year, inclusive of public (bank) holidays. This is pro-rated for part-time employees based on their contracted hours.

The holiday year runs from 1 January to 31 December. If you join or leave part-way through the year, your entitlement will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Booking Holiday

• Request holiday through the agreed booking system (or by email to Mike Wood) giving reasonable notice — as a guide, at least twice the length of the holiday requested.
• Holiday is subject to approval and the needs of the business. We will try to accommodate your preferences, but we may need to limit the number of people off at the same time.
• You must use all of your holiday entitlement within the holiday year. Holiday cannot normally be carried over. The only exceptions are statutory: up to 28 days may be carried forward where you were unable to take leave because of maternity or other family leave, and up to 20 days where you were unable to take leave because of sickness absence.

Holiday on Termination

If you leave the company having taken more holiday than your pro-rata entitlement, the excess will be deducted from your final pay. If you have holiday remaining, it will be paid in your final pay unless the company asks you to take it during your notice period.

Sick Leave

Reporting Sickness

If you are unwell and unable to work, you must:

1. Contact Mike Wood by phone (not text or email) as early as possible on your first day of absence, and no later than 9:30 am.
2. Give an indication of your illness and how long you expect to be off.
3. Keep in regular contact during your absence.
4. For absences of up to 7 calendar days, complete a self-certification form on your return.
5. For absences of more than 7 calendar days, provide a fit note (Statement of Fitness for Work) from your GP.

Sick Pay

(Contractual.)

You are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) in accordance with current legislation. SSP is paid from the fourth qualifying day of absence. The company does not currently operate an enhanced sick pay scheme.

Return-to-Work Meetings

After any period of sickness absence, you will have a brief, informal return-to-work conversation with Mike Wood. The purpose is to check you are well enough to return, discuss any adjustments needed, and update you on anything you missed.

Managing Persistent Absence

If your sickness absence becomes frequent or prolonged, we will meet with you to understand the reasons, consider whether any support or adjustments can be made, and discuss the impact on the business. We will always act reasonably and follow proper procedures, and we will take medical advice where appropriate.

Maternity Leave

(Contractual.)

Eligible employees are entitled to up to 52 weeks’ maternity leave: 26 weeks’ Ordinary Maternity Leave followed by 26 weeks’ Additional Maternity Leave.

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is paid for up to 39 weeks:

• First 6 weeks: 90% of average weekly earnings.
• Remaining 33 weeks: the lower of 90% of average weekly earnings or the current statutory flat rate.

To qualify for SMP you must have at least 26 weeks’ continuous service by the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth and earn at least the lower earnings limit for National Insurance.

You must give the company at least 15 weeks’ notice of your intended start date and provide a MATB1 certificate from your midwife or GP.

You have the right to return to your original job after Ordinary Maternity Leave, or to a suitable alternative role after Additional Maternity Leave if it is not reasonably practicable to return to the same job.

Paternity Leave

(Contractual.)

Eligible employees are entitled to two weeks’ Statutory Paternity Leave, paid at the current statutory rate (or 90% of average weekly earnings if lower).

From April 2024, paternity leave can be taken as two separate one-week blocks at any time within the first 52 weeks after the birth or placement for adoption. You must give at least 28 days’ notice of each block.

Adoption Leave

Eligible employees who are adopting a child are entitled to adoption leave and pay on broadly the same terms as maternity leave and pay. Please speak to Mike Wood as early as possible so we can support you through the process.

Shared Parental Leave

Eligible parents may choose to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of statutory pay between them, by curtailing their maternity or adoption leave early. If you are interested in shared parental leave, speak to Mike Wood to discuss the details and notification requirements.

Bereavement and Compassionate Leave

Statutory parental bereavement leave. In line with Jack’s Law (Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018), if you lose a child under 18 (or suffer a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy) and you have at least 26 weeks’ continuous service, you are entitled to two weeks’ parental bereavement leave, paid at the statutory rate. It can be taken as two separate weeks within 56 weeks of the bereavement.

Other bereavements and compassionate leave. For the loss of any other family member or close friend, or to deal with a family emergency, there is no contractual entitlement to paid leave. The company will agree a reasonable period of leave, paid or unpaid, at its discretion and on a case-by-case basis. We understand that grief affects everyone differently and will be as supportive as we can.

Unpaid Parental Leave

After one year’s continuous service, you are entitled to up to 18 weeks’ unpaid parental leave per child (up to the child’s 18th birthday). Leave must be taken in blocks of one week (unless the child is disabled) and you may take a maximum of 4 weeks per child per year.

You must give at least 21 days’ notice. The company may postpone the leave for up to 6 months if it would cause significant disruption to the business, except where it is requested immediately after the birth or adoption.

Flexible Working

All employees have a day-one right to request flexible working under the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023.

You may make two statutory requests in any 12-month period. Each request must:

• Be in writing (email is fine).
• State the change you want and when you would like it to start.
• Explain what effect, if any, you think the change would have on the business and how it could be dealt with.

We will consider your request promptly and meet with you to discuss it within one month. We will give you a decision within two months of receiving your request. If we cannot accommodate the request, we will explain why.

Given that we already work largely from home, we are generally open to flexible arrangements. The main constraint is ensuring we can meet client commitments and site visit schedules.

Time Off for Dependants

You have the right to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off to deal with an emergency involving a dependant — for example, if a child is taken ill at school, or if you need to make arrangements for the care of a sick relative. Let Mike Wood know as soon as you can.