On Call Working Policy

ON-CALL POLICY AND PROCEDURE

Introduction & Purpose

Handcrafted currently operates core hours between 8:30am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. We recognise the importance of supporting critical services outside these core hours, including weekends and bank holidays.

This policy provides a framework to ensure:

Key systems and services can be adequately supported and an effective response and resolution provided to matters requiring urgent attention outside our core business hours
A consistent approach to the implementation of on-call and call- out arrangements and
Members of staff who may be required to provide an essential on-call and call-out service in order to respond to service user needs and to operational requirements are rewarded on a consistent, fair and equitable basis.

This policy aims to harmonise practice across the organisation

Scope

This policy applies to all members of staff who work on call outside their normal working hours on an approved on-call rota or call-out arrangements to deliver business-critical services outside core hours. It does not apply to colleagues who participate in planned events outside of core business hours, such as open days.

Definitions

On-Call
- On-call would be defined as “non-work time, during which members of staff are required to be available to handle job-related activities and emergencies out of hours”.
- A member of staff is on-call when, as part of an established arrangement expressly approved by their line manager or designated manager, they are available outside core service hours to work as required and to physically attend the specified site or sites if the matter cannot be dealt with remotely.

PRINCIPLES

Whilst on-call, a member of staff may be required to respond to a situation that requires urgent attention before the start of the next working day, either remotely or by attending the workplace.

There is no expectation that an employee must remain at their home whilst on-call provided they comply with their responsibilities set out below.

Any member of staff called to work to address an emergency situation, irrespective of whether they are on-call or not, will receive a call-out payment for the actual hours worked but will not receive the on-call payment

On-call rotas will only be used where there is a demonstrable need to ensure adequate out of hours cover and response for essential services, as opposed to occasions that are covered by either overtime or regular non-standard working patterns.

On-call rotas will be managed on a voluntary or “opt-in” basis where possible. All staff members who possess the necessary levels of knowledge, skills and experience will be invited to ‘opt-in’ to the rota system so that every eligible member of staff will have the same opportunity to receive on-call and call-out payments.

The line manager or designated manager will ensure that there is parity in cover for on-call and call-out.

Staff may contractually be required to participate where it is determined that this is an essential requirement of the job. If this is the case, they will be appropriately consulted and the requirement will be specified in their employment contract.

Managers will seek, wherever possible, to minimise any inconvenience of being on call and ensure that the relevant equipment necessary to perform the service is made available to members of staff on-call.

Members of staff participating in an on-call rota must have the relevant skills (and access permissions) to provide the service required. The levels of competence required will be determined by the relevant line manager.

STAFF ON CALL OUT – YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

As a member of staff, if you are on-call or called out, you must:

be directly contactable by telephone and email and remain in an area of mobile phone and internet connectivity at all times;
respond to an agreed contact communication (e.g. telephone call, text, email) within an agreed time, typically within 30 minutes;
have access to a mobile device (or PC/laptop if required by the local on-call arrangements) that is connected to the internet within 30 minutes from being informed of a matter requiring attention in order to access systems and address the matter remotely;
remain capable to carry out the duties required;
be able to attend the relevant site within the agreed time, if the matter cannot be dealt with remotely;
operate within the Handcrafted policies and protocols at all times when on-call or called to work;
keep other on-call members of staff and the on-call Manager informed and updated of progress in dealing with an issue and escalate key decision points to the on-call Manager as appropriate
keep the rota organiser informed of any changes to your contact details, any booked annual leave or any other circumstances preventing you from carrying out on-call duties.

Subject to the above, it is not necessary for you to remain at home while on-call.

PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS

On-call Allowance:

£30 per night - Monday to Friday except bank holidays - 16 hours - 5pm to 9am
£45 per day - weekends or bank holidays - 24 hours - 9am to 9am

The payments made in relation to the arrangements will form part of your contractual pay, will be consolidated into base pay and identified separately on payslips in line with existing monthly salary arrangements.

Pay awards will not be applied to these payments and they will not be affected by the incremental process.

If you have to carry out on-call duties, you will receive time off in lieu for the actual hours you have worked, including any travel time.

If you are called out to a Handcrafted or other site under this policy, you may be eligible to claim mileage, taxi or public transport expenses. This must be confirmed with the on-call Manager beforehand.

Working time Regulations & returning to work following call-out

Line managers should monitor the frequency and length of call-outs and unplanned out of hours working on a regular basis to ensure that no member of staff is required to undertake additional work which may be detrimental to their health and wellbeing. In doing so, managers should be aware of the requirements of the Working Time Regulations (1998), in particular in relation to the:

limit of an average of 48 hours work a week over a 17-week period
limit of an average of 8 hours work in 24 hours for night workers
daily rest period of 11 uninterrupted hours between each working day
weekly rest period of one whole day a week or 2 days a fortnight
rest break of at least 20 minutes for a working day of more than 6 hours

When call-outs are completed before midnight, employees should return to work at their normal start time the next day. If completion is after midnight, it is up to the discretion of your line manager to determine a reasonable time to return to work, in line with their duty of care to ensure that you are fit and able to return to work.

HEALTH & SAFETY

By nature of the service, callout work often takes place at night and may present challenging situations of increased risk to health and safety. There is, therefore, the need for the designated manager to act in a particularly vigilant manner with regard to the safety of those called out to site and those affected by the incident. Whenever a member of staff is in any doubt of their own level of competence, they should seek appropriate support from fellow staff, utility providers, and emergency services.