We can offer you a number of ways to help.
For short term caring needs the College's Compassionate Leave provisions are set out in the Code of Practice on Maternity and Related Leave. It includes provisions for paid and unpaid time off, for example, to provide care for relatives.
The Code of Practice [PDF 95KB] also sets out the College's provisions for adoption leave, paternity leave, unpaid parental leave and unpaid leave to care for dependants.
For ongoing caring requirements, the College has a flexible working policy [PDF 75KB]. The Code is designed for those who are seeking a permanent change in their contractual arrangements to enable them to combine work with other pursuits or responsibilities.
If you are still unsure what to do, contact your HR Advisor for advice.
Depending on your circumstances, you may find it useful to consider joining our Parent and Carers Network.
Staff who work part time and/or non-standard work patterns are entitled to a pro-rated entitlement of annual leave (30 days), bank holidays (8 days) and closure days (4 days), based on their Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) hours.
For example, if you work part-time 28 hours over 4 days per week; you will have an FTE of 80% (28hrs/35hrs = 0.8FTE). You would therefore be entitled to 80% of 30 days annual leave, 80% of 8 Bank Holidays and 80% of 4 Closure days. Leave is rounded up to the nearest half day.
If you are on a compressed working pattern (For example, 35 hours worked over 4 days per week), the same principle as above applies. For example, if you work full-time Monday to Thursday, you work 8 hours and 45 minutes over 4 days. Because it is over 4 days you would be entitled to 80% of 30 days annual leave, 80% of 8 Bank Holidays and 80% of 4 Closure days.
How Leave is Calculated
To ensure that everyone gets a fair proportion of leave; we use an annual leave calculator that takes into account the bank holidays and closure days that fall within a leave year.
Full time members of staff who work 5 days per week are entitled to 30 days annual leave. 8 Bank Holidays and 4 closure days. Giving a total leave entitlement of 42 days. The 30 days is considered as bookable days as you get to choose when you wish to use them. The other 12 days are classed as mandatory days and you do not get to choose when you use them as they are on set days.
If your leave is calculated in hours the entitlement is 210 hours annual leave, 56 hours Bank Holidays, 28 hours Closure days.
For staff who work part time and/or non-standard work patterns this entitlement is pro-rated so that no matter what days you work on you get the same total leave as others who work a similar work pattern or hours but on different days.
Essentially, we take into account the days you work and which of those days fall on a bank holiday / closure day and then adjust your total annual leave entitlement. If more bank holidays and closure days fall on your working days than what you are entitled to, then the overtaken leave is deducted from your overall annual leave entitlement. Conversely, if fewer bank holidays fall on your working days than what you are entitled to, you get an increase in your total annual leave entitlement.
Additional information
Annual leave is calculated on a yearly basis and as such your entitlement may fluctuate year on year. Any changes to your working hours / work pattern part way through the leave year can also change your entitlement.
If you leave part way through the year, your holiday entitlement will be recalculated to reflect what you will have accrued to the last day of employment. Staff will not be entitled to bank holidays and closure days which fall outside the period for which they are employed.
Yes. The College Paternity Leave scheme applies to any employee who is either:
The scheme applies equally to all College employees, including:
The Employee Guide to Paternity Leave [PDF 114KB] explains what is available.
Yes, partners have the right to take unpaid time off work to accompany the birth parent at up to 2 antenatal appointments. The time off available for each appointment is up to 6.5 hours per appointment. More information is available on the government website.
Everyone has the right to request to work flexibly but the University has the right to refuse this request. You can apply to work flexibly by making an application to your head of department or institute
Queen Mary has a flexible working policy [PDF 75KB] which tells you how to make an application and gives a form for you to use.