Leave & Absence Policy

NB. This new policy has been created to replace various absence- and leave- related policies previously found in sections of the: Sickness & Absence Policy, Annual Leave Policy, Absence Management Policy and HR Policy.

At Handcrafted, we are dedicated to supporting our staff in line with our Christian ethos and values. We understand that life can present challenges, whether through illness or unforeseen circumstances. We aim to provide a supportive environment that also ensures the smooth operation of our charity.

This policy outlines how we manage absences, with a focus on promoting the health and well-being of our team while keeping the charity functioning effectively. We aim to balance compassion for our staff with our responsibilities to colleagues, beneficiaries, and the commitments we've made.

This policy will be reviewed as required and at least annually by the group or individual responsible for review and authorised by the Trustees as below:

Group or individual responsible for review	The Human Resources and Wellbeing Steering Group
Last review and approval	10/3/2026

Leave Entitlement

As a Handcrafted staff member, you are entitled to a specified number of days of annual leave per year as outlined in your contract. This is usually 25 days per year (pro-rata for part-time employees) plus the eight statutory bank holidays.

The holiday year begins on your employment start date.

Requesting Annual Leave

• Requests for annual leave should be made as early as possible. A general guideline is to give notice at least twice the length of the time you are requesting. For example, if you are requesting one week of leave, provide two weeks' notice.
• All leave requests must be submitted through the AirTable form for approval. Ensure that you have your Line Manager's approval before finalising any holiday plans.
• We recommend you do not book any flights/holidays before approval is given. It saves debate later on if leave cannot be granted.
• When planning your leave, consider the impact on your team and ensure that there is adequate coverage during your absence.
• It is advisable to discuss your plans with your team and Line Manager well in advance to avoid any disruptions.

Carrying Over Leave

You can carry over up to 5 days of annual leave, in discussion with your line manager.

Types of Absence & Leave

Statutory Entitlements

Maternity Leave

We provide Maternity leave and maternity pay in line with statutory regulations. These regulations currently allow all employees 26 weeks Ordinary Maternity Leave and a further 26 weeks Additional Maternity Leave.

During periods of Maternity Leave, you will continue to receive your contractual rights and benefits, with the exception of salary, but including the right to accrue holiday in line with your contract of employment.

You are allowed paid time off for antenatal care, which includes medical appointments as well as antenatal or parenting classes. As the father or pregnant woman’s partner, you have the right to unpaid time off work to go to 2 antenatal appointments.

You can find full details of your entitlements on the Government’s www.gov.uk web site.

Paternity Leave

If you and your partner are having a baby, adopting a child or having a baby through a surrogacy arrangement, you may be entitled to Paternity Leave and pay in accordance with prevailing legislation. You can discuss your entitlement with your line manager or visit the www.gov.uk web site.

Adoption Leave

If you adopt a child and are to become the main carer for your child, you may be entitled to Adoption Leave. The rules regarding entitlement to Adoption Leave and pay broadly mirror those for Maternity and Paternity Leave and pay. Full details can be found on the www.gov.uk web site.

Parental Leave

You’re entitled to 18 weeks’ leave for each child and adopted child, up to their 18th birthday. You can take up to 4 weeks leave each year for each child in whole weeks (for example 1 week or 2 weeks) rather than individual days, unless your child is disabled. You do not have to take all the leave at once. Time off for parental leave is unpaid.

As with other forms of statutory leave, a ‘week’ equals the length of time you normally work over 7 days. We will protect your employment rights whilst you are away. You can discuss your entitlement with your line manager or visit the www.gov.uk website.

Shared Parental Leave

You and your partner may be able to get Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) if you are:

• having a baby
• using a surrogate to have a baby
• adopting a child
• fostering a child who you’re planning to adopt

You can use SPL to take leave in blocks separated by periods of work or take it all in one go. You can also choose to be off work together or to stagger the leave and pay.

To get SPL and ShPP, you and your partner need to meet the eligibility criteria - there’s different criteria for birth parents and for adoptive parents or parents using a surrogate. You also need to give notice and give up some of your maternity or adoption leave and pay. You can discuss your entitlement with your line manager or visit the www.gov.uk website.

Unpaid Carer’s Leave

You are entitled to unpaid leave from your first day of work to give or arrange care for a ‘dependant’ who has:

• a physical or mental illness or injury where care is needed for more than 3 months.
• a disability (as defined in the Equality Act 2010)
• care needs because of their old age.

The dependant can be anyone who relies on you for care.

You can find full details of your entitlements on the www.gov.uk website.

Neonatal Care

You and your partner may be eligible for Neonatal Care Leave and Statutory Neonatal Care Pay if your newborn baby is premature or sick and needs neonatal care.

This may be for:

• hospital care.
• medical care after leaving.
• palliative or end-of-life care

You can find full details of your entitlements on the www.gov.uk website.

Other Forms of Leave

Beyond what's required by law, Handcrafted offers extra support that reflects our values and helps us work smoothly together. For example, while SSP is required by law, we may choose to provide full or partial pay during illness, especially after your probation period. We also take a flexible approach to absence reviews, adjusting for individual needs such as those related to disability or pregnancy, to ensure fairness and avoid discrimination. Our discretionary leave policies for compassionate or emergency situations allow us to support you during personal crises, staying true to our commitment to balance care with operational needs. We believe these additional benefits not only help our team feel supported but also strengthen our community.

Jury Service

If you are required to attend Jury Service, please inform your line manager of the dates as soon as possible. Jury Service leave is unpaid. You will be paid a court attendance allowance which will be paid to you directly from the courts. For more details, visit the www.gov.uk website.

Public Duties

If you have responsibilities for public duties such as J.P., school governor or member of a Health Authority, or you are a member of the Reserve or Auxiliary Armed Forces, leave will be granted as appropriate. All requests for leave must be agreed with your line manager. Time off for public duties is unpaid.

Flexible Working

You have the right to apply for a change in your working pattern to meet personal changes in your life. Should you wish to make such a change, you will need to submit a written application to your line manager. Full details on how to apply can be found on www.gov.uk website.

Religious Festivals

We recognise that you may require additional time off for religious festivals which fall outside public holidays. All requests for leave must be agreed with your line manager. Time off for religious festivals is unpaid.

Bereavement Leave

There may unfortunately be occasions when you need to take time off work following the death of a dependent. For the purposes of this policy, a dependent is:

• your husband, wife, civil partner or partner
• your child
• your parent
• a person who lives in your household (not tenants, lodgers or employees)
• a person who relies on you, such as an elderly neighbour

If you do need time off for bereavement leave, this will be paid but needs your line manager’s approval. All requests will be considered sympathetically.  

Emergency Domestic Leave

There are certain situations where you may need to take additional leave to deal with family related problems, issues or domestic emergencies. This may include occasions such as:

• a child or dependent falling ill, a sudden disruption in care or schooling arrangements, or a child or dependent experiencing a serious incident.  
• a major flood, fire or burglary at home where time off is needed to secure your property and make arrangements for ongoing accommodation.

If you do need time off to manage an emergency during working hours, this will be paid but needs your line manager’s approval. Contact by phone to request leave should be made at the earliest possible opportunity on the day.

Your line manager may ask you to take annual leave (or parental leave where relevant) if you want more time, for example, to put in place care arrangements or deal with extended circumstances.

Medical and Dental Appointments

Wherever possible, all routine appointments with your doctor, dentist or hospital should be made outside your normal working hours, or at a time that causes the least disruption to work. This includes check-ups and investigatory appointments.

We recognise that there will be occasions when time off is required for appointments of a more serious nature. These must be agreed in advance with your line manager. Time taken for such appointments will be paid; however, we will expect you to make up the time in the same working week, in agreement with your line manager. If the time is not made up, your line manager may ask you to take annual leave.

Absence Notifications

As a member of staff, if you are unable to attend work because of sickness, or any other unplanned reason, you must telephone your line manager (or in his/her absence the Managing Director) to notify them of your absence an hour before you are required to start work. Messages must not be left with unauthorised persons. Text or email messages are not acceptable – you or someone phoning on your behalf must make direct contact.

You will need to give the following information:

• The nature of your illness
• The date on which you expect to be fit to return. If the date is unknown, you are required to ring in each day, unless advised otherwise by your line manager.
• Whether you intend to visit your GP.

You must:

• Keep your line manager informed of your condition when absent through regular contact, the frequency of which is to be agreed with your line manager.
• Ensure that appropriate certification documents are submitted on time, e.g., a first ‘Fit Note’ must be provided on the 8th calendar day of any absence, and subsequent Notes on the next day after the previous Note expires. (NB A fit note is a document issued by your Healthcare professional to provide evidence of the advice they have given about your fitness for work)
• Attend and fully engage in all Absence Review Meetings requested by your line manager.
• Obtain permission from your line manager to carry out any outside occupation (including unpaid occupations and voluntary work) when you are on sick leave.  Failure to do so may be considered a disciplinary matter.

Absence of up to seven calendar days

If you have been absent for seven days or less, you must complete a self-certification as soon as you get back to work. If the absence included a Saturday and/or Sunday or non-working days, these days should be recorded for statutory sick pay purposes even if you would not normally work on these days.

Absences of more than seven calendar days

For illness of more than 7 calendar days (including weekends or any other non-working days), a doctor's certificate is required (a ‘Fit Note’).  In the interest of health and safety, you can return to work before the end of the certificated period, but this can only be done with your line manager’s agreement. Each ‘Fit Note’ should provide continued certification of the absence, otherwise your entitlement to Statutory Sick Pay may be withheld.

For guidance on fit notes, see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-fit-note-a-guide-for-patients-and-employees/the-fit-note-guidance-for-patients-and-employees.

Absence review meetings

If you have been absent from work for more than 5 days in any 12-month period, you will be asked to attend an Absence Review Meeting.

Subsequent Absence Review Meetings will be held after each further 5 days of absence within a 12-month period.

The purpose of the Attendance Review is to:

• Provide you with the opportunity to discuss reasons for the attendance problems you are having, e.g., problems at home or at work.
• Identify the likelihood of further absence.
• Agree solutions to address causes of absence from work.
• Explore whether part-time or reduced/different duties could help overcome the issues causing your absence, and so expedite a return to work.
• Agree targets and timescales for improvement as appropriate, in the context of the health issue(s) at hand.
• At the Review Meeting after 5 days absence in a year (and at subsequent meetings), make you aware that, where no specific health or disability related issues have been identified, then a lack of improvement in your attendance could result in a capability or disciplinary procedure which might ultimately lead to dismissal. See Handcrafted Capability Policy.

For line managers - the Absence Review Meeting template can be found on the Airtable Useful Links page and is linked here.

Sick Pay Provisions

During the probationary period, SSP only will be paid. Your line manager has some discretion regarding this if they feel circumstances merit.

Following the probationary period, you will receive your normal remuneration during sickness absence for a maximum of 4 weeks in any twelve-month rolling period, provided that you provide your line manager with a fit note in the case of absence of more than seven consecutive days (see above). Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be triggered to make up full pay.

Beyond the 4 weeks of full pay, if long-term sickness continues with medical certification, you will be entitled to:

• up to a further 8 weeks on 50% pay (SSP will be included in the 50% pay, not in addition to).
• a further 16 weeks of SSP alone.

Statutory sick pay (SSP) guidance

This policy is to be interpreted in the light of the Government’s SSP Guidance:

• https://www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay/overview
• https://www.gov.uk/employers-sick-pay/overview

and form SSP1:

• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statutory-sick-pay-employee-not-entitled-form-for-employers

If there is any discrepancy between this policy and the SSP Guidance, then SSP Guidance takes precedence.

Additional Hours & TOIL

At Handcrafted, we want our staff to have a healthy work-rest balance while making sure we continue to deliver high quality support to our trainees and residents.

Sometimes your role will require you to work additional hours outside your contracted working hours. Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) is granted for these agreed additional hours worked.

This section explains how additional hours are managed, when Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) can be taken, and what we expect from everyone.

Working Additional Hours

We don't expect people to regularly work beyond their contracted hours. If there's a genuine business need to work extra hours or work at the weekend, this should be agreed with your line manager beforehand.

Approved additional hours can be claimed for activities such as:

• evening events
• approved weekend activities
• networking or business meals
• out-of-hours emergency support*
• other agreed out-of-hours business commitments

To help everyone maintain a healthy balance, approved additional hours for these activities are capped at 8 hours per week, unless there's an exceptional business reason agreed by your line manager.

Rest comes first

In line with UK Working Time Regulations, everyone should have at least 11 hours of uninterrupted rest between full shifts of work and have a minimum 20 minute break after six hours work.

If you've attended an approved evening activity that finishes late and reduces this rest period, you should discuss with your line manager to arrange a later start the following morning. This will be managed on a flexitime basis.

When this happens:

• agree any late start with your manager in advance.
• add it to your Google Calendar so colleagues know when you're available
• record the additional hours worked (agree with your line manager how to record this)

Before working additional hours, please remember:

• Additional hours should be approved in advance.*
• Choosing to catch up on emails or admin outside your normal working hours isn't classed as TOIL unless it has been agreed beforehand.
• Any travel, accommodation or meal expenses also need to be approved before they're incurred.

* We recognise there are times when you may need to support someone in a dynamic or emergency situation, which cannot be planned for in advance. On these occasions, your responsibility is to the individual you are supporting and your professional judgement should be exercised. You can speak to your line manager as soon as possible afterwards to discuss how the additional hours worked will be managed.

Taking Time Off in Lieu (TOIL)

How you request time off depends on how much you've built up:

• Less than half a day: this can usually be taken as flexitime — agree it directly with your manager.
• Half a day or more: submit a request through Airtable for approval before you take the time off. Approval can't be guaranteed after the event, so agree TOIL before you work the additional hours.
• Notice period: give whichever is greater – at least a week's notice, or twice the length of the time you're requesting. For example, requesting one day off as TOIL needs at least a week's notice.

To help manage this fairly:

• TOIL is intended to be used regularly rather than built up over long periods
• you can take up to one standard working day's TOIL per calendar month
• you can carry forward a maximum balance of one standard working day (pro rata for part-time colleagues)

Any balance above this limit at the end of the month will expire unless an alternative arrangement has been agreed in advance with your manager.

NB: TOIL can only be claimed for additional work exceeding 30 minutes beyond your normal working hours. The first 30 minutes of additional time worked will not count towards TOIL.

Recording your hours

Airtable is where you can request and get approval for TOIL. Additional hours are tracked separately, on the spreadsheet.

To make sure everything is processed correctly:

• record the additional hours you've worked (using a method agreed with your line manager)
• submit it to your line manager for approval
• send it before the monthly payroll deadline

This is separate from requesting TOIL itself – that request goes through Airtable, following the notice periods above.

Unfortunately, late submissions may need to be processed in the following payroll cycle.

On Call

If you are called out to work when on call, you should inform your line manager and will normally be allowed to start late the following morning. As far as possible, when you are scheduled to be on the on-call rota, you should ensure your next-day timetable has flexibility before 11am to allow for this later start and so minimize disruption.

Please note the 11-hour rest rule applies to full shifts only, so does not reset after a call-out.

Late starts must always be agreed with your line manager.

Questions

If you're unsure whether something qualifies for TOIL, or you need approval for additional hours, please speak to your line manager before making arrangements. We're always happy to have the conversation and help find the right approach.