Holidays and other concessions

"My mother was ill recently, and I was able to make arrangements with my manager to work flexibly for a period of time to be able to care for her."

Chloe, Resources

Up to 30 days annual leave

Our basic annual leave entitlement is 21 days if you are on grades 1 to 4, rising to 25 days after five years' service, and 30 days if you are on grade 5 or above. If you are a part-time employee this entitlement is pro rata. Up to five days' annual leave can be carried from one leave year to the next. We have recently introduced a flexible holiday scheme which allows employees to buy or sell a number of days holiday to suit their individual needs

Statutory, customary and concessionary days

In addition to eight paid bank holidays, we also have three customary paid holidays to be taken between Christmas and New Year. In addition, if Christmas Eve falls on a normal working day this is treated as a concessionary (paid) holiday. Entitlement to the statutory, customary and concessionary holidays is pro rata if you are a part-time employee.

Up to two years' extended leave

If, after two years' continuous service you would like to take a short sabbatical, perhaps to go travelling or to complete a personal project, you can request up to six months' unpaid leave.

We also have a scheme that allows you to request a career break, of between six months and two years, for the purpose of looking after your young children (up to the child's fifth birthday or 18th birthday for disabled children) or to look after a dependant or disabled relative.

Unpaid leave and emergencies

In the event that you experience exceptional circumstances, our Department Directors are able to grant unpaid leave. You will also be entitled to reasonable unpaid time off work to deal with domestic emergencies involving a dependant, for example, if they are ill, or to arrange provision of care, or to deal with an unexpected incident, ie involving a child at school.

The right to request flexible working

We recognise that for many people there are times when it is difficult to work full-time due to family or other responsibilities. If you need to request flexible working, depending on the circumstances, we try our best to be accommodating wherever possible.

Job-sharing and part-time working

All of our posts are regarded as potentially open to job-share or part-time working. There are various approaches to splitting the hours/days of work. We reserve the right to ensure that the needs of the business are not affected in a detrimental manner. For this reason, each request to change a full-time position to job-share or to work part-time will be assessed independently. Rates of pay, annual leave, statutory and concessionary days etc are on a pro rata basis.

Leave to attend community events

We sponsor a number of local community events, such as mock interviews and school industry days, and we are also involved in mentoring and paired reading schemes with local schools. Subject to agreement by your line manager, you can take time off to attend these events.

Wellness for work

We offer the support of an independent occupational health adviser and a free, confidential Employee Assistance Programme for employees and their families.