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Our Alternative Absence Policy Template streamlines managing non-holiday/sickness absences, fostering fairness and reducing disruptions.
1 Overview
1.1 The purpose of this policy is to cover rules for any employee needing to take time off work for reasons other than holiday or sickness.
2 Scope
2.1 This policy is applicable to all employees of [company name].
3 General principles
3.1 Religious holidays
3.1.1 Subject to complying with the relevant provisions as to notice and to the requirements of the Company's business, you will normally be allowed to use your annual leave entitlement to observe special religious holidays.
3.2 Jury service and other public duties
3.2.1 Should you be called up for jury service or required to attend court to give evidence as a witness, you must notify your line manager as soon as reasonably practicable. Time off work will normally be granted in these circumstances. You will be required to provide a copy of the court summons to support your request for time off work.
3.2.2 You have no contractual or statutory right to be paid for time not worked due to jury service or other related public duties. Any payment of salary made by the Company during this period is done so in its absolute discretion and will be subject to the deduction of any monies received from the court in respect of loss of earnings. You must therefore submit a claim to the court for loss of earnings and claim the full allowance available to you.
If on any day on which you attend court you are told that your services are not required, you must then return to work and
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This policy is a set of guidelines and procedures to manage employee absences from work for reasons other than sickness and holiday. The policy may cover different types of absence, such as compassionate leave, and other types of leave.
The policy outlines how employees should request and book time off, how much time off they are entitled to, and any documentation or evidence required to support their request. The policy may also include details on how leave is calculated and how it affects an employee's pay and benefits.
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that employees are aware of their entitlements and obligations regarding time off work, and to provide a consistent and fair approach to managing absence across the organisation. By having a clear policy in place, employers can manage staffing levels, plan for any necessary cover or arrangements during an employee's absence, and ensure compliance with legal requirements.
Equality Act 2010: Employers must ensure that their absence policy does not discriminate against any protected characteristic, such as age, gender, disability, race, religion, etc.
Employment Rights Act 1996: This act outlines the rights and obligations of both employers and employees, including the right to request time off for certain purposes, such as family emergencies or public duties.
Working Time Regulations 1998: Employers must ensure compliance with maximum working hours, rest breaks, and rest periods to prevent excessive absences due to overworking.
Parental Leave Regulations 2013: This legislation provides eligible employees with the right to take unpaid parental leave to care for their child.
Time off for Dependants: Employees have the right to take a reasonable amount of time off to deal with unexpected or emergency situations involving dependents (e.g., family members).
Flexible Working Regulations 2014: Employers must consider requests for flexible working arrangements from eligible employees, which may help manage attendance issues.
Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992: Employers must be aware of employees' rights to time off for trade union activities or duties as representatives.
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974: Employers are responsible for ensuring a safe working environment, reducing the likelihood of workplace accidents leading to absences.
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (now part of Equality Act 2010): Employers must make reasonable adjustments to support disabled employees, potentially reducing disability-related absences.
Statutory Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Pay and Leave: Employers must provide statutory pay and leave entitlements for expectant or adoptive parents, promoting a healthy work-life balance.
Yes. This template has been designed for organisations of all sizes, including small businesses, charities and growing employers. It follows UK employment law best practice and can be adapted to suit your organisation.
Our templates are developed with UK employment legislation, Acas guidance and HR best practice in mind and are reviewed and updated as relevant requirements change. However, every employment situation is different, so the template should be adapted to the circumstances and checked against the employee's contract and your organisation's procedures before use.
Yes, we highlight the areas of the document that you need to update with your own details, and where you need to make decisions to suit your situation. This saves you time and ensures that you meet best practice.
Yes. Once purchased, you'll be able to download it instantly. Templates are provided in editable format (such as .doc or .xls) so you can customise them easily, and in PDF format for easy sharing.
If you're looking for broader support, we also offer toolkits and library bundles that include the Alternative absence policy template, along with other HR templates and policies for fully managing your situation. These may be more cost-effective if you need deeper advice.
AI can produce a document quickly, but effective HR documentation needs to be more than well-written words. It needs to reflect relevant UK employment law, HR best practice, practical considerations and the circumstances in which it will be used. These resources have been professionally developed around that wider HR context, drawing on extensive practical experience, rather than simply generating a generic document from a prompt.
Darryl Horn, Chartered HR Director
Darryl is a Chartered HR professional with over 25 years' experience in senior HR and employee relations roles.
He has extensive practical experience of managing absence and attendance processes and founded hrdocbox to provide businesses with practical, professionally developed HR resources grounded in UK employment law and best practice.
"Darryl provides support and advice with excellent judgement, and has a strong understanding of people, policies and UK employment legislation."
"He is someone I trust; consistent, dependable, and committed to doing things properly."
Absence and attendance policies
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