MANAGERS CHECKLIST FOR FLEXIBLE WORKING AND JOB SUITABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE
Please ensure that you have read the Flexible working and Leave policy thoroughly in order to consider a request and check the following:
1. Have you signed and dated the flexible working application form as soon as you received it?
2. Have you made arrangements to meet with staff within a reasonable timescale of receiving the application and confirmed this in writing or by email? (A request must be considered and decided on within a period of three months unless mutually extended)
3. Check if they have made an application in the last 12 months? (only 1 is permitted in any 12 month period)
5. Do they have a minimum of 26 weeks continuous service as at the date the application is made? (If not they are not eligible to make a request)
6. Have you informed them that they can be accompanied to the meeting by a Trade Union representative or work colleague and allowed time for them to arrange this.
7. Have you consulted with individual team members and customers regarding working patterns, workload, staffing levels and cover?
8. Have you considered any Health and safety issues? Has a workstation / risk assessment been completed for a homeworking request?
9. Have you offered a trial period to test out if flexible working is suitable to meet business needs?
10. If the request is to reduce hours in order to take their pension, check if they have followed the flexible retirement procedure and you have consulted the Dean/Head of Professional Service.
11. Have you agreed a start date for the new working arrangements?
12. If the original request is rejected can you offer any alternative flexible arrangements?
13. Have you considered a review period?
14. If you are unable to support the request have you stated one or more of the statutory grounds for refusal?
To consider how suitable a job might be for flexible working please ask staff to complete the following Job Suitability Questionnaire. This is based on the ACAS model found in their Flexible Working and Work-life balance booklet.
July2014
JOB SUITABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE
Employee details
Name:
Department:
Current post:
Date:
Please tick if you are the:
c Postholder
c Manager
c Employer
Job Description
Please provide a copy of your job description and a summary in your own words of the main tasks and responsibilities of this job
Managing Others
1. Is the job holder managing other people? If so, how many?
c 1. None
c 2. One person
c 3. 2-4 people
c 4. 5 or more
c 5. More than 10
2. What percentage of the job holder’s time is spent managing others apart from the rest of your workload?
c 1. None
c 2. 10%
c 3. 20%
c 4. 33%
c 5. Over 50%
Dependency on others
3. Who mainly controls the job holder’s workload and priorities?
c 1. They do
c 2. The customer
c 3. The line manager/manager
c 4. Determined by the operational process
4. How frequently does the job holder need to liaise with the line manager/manager to report or for direction?
c 1. Weekly or less
c 2. Several times a week
c 3. Once a day
c 4. Continually throughout the day
5. How frequently does the job holder need to liaise with colleagues?
c 1. Weekly or less
c 2. Several times a week
c 3. Once a day
c 4. Continually throughout the day
Time Management
6. How much of the work needs immediate attention as opposed to long-term deadlines?
c 1. Majority is longer-term
c 2. Approximately one-third is immediate
c 3. About half is immediate
c 4. About three-quarters is immediate
c 5. Majority is immediate
7. Does the post need to be covered when the job holder is absent?
c 1. No
c 2. Yes, if more than a week
c 3. Yes, even after a few days
c 4. Yes, always would need to be covered
8. Who would do the job holder’s work in their absence?
c 1. A colleague
c 2. The line manager/manager
c 3. No one or other (please state)
Duplicated Skills
9. Are other people in the section doing a similar function to the job holder?
c 1. Yes, lots of people doing exactly the same job
c 2. Yes, a few people doing exactly the same job
c 3. Yes, a few people doing a similar job but with different customers and other tasks
c 4. Nobody has a similar job
10. How much of the work in this job can be done by someone else?
c 1. All
c 2. Most
c 3. Some
c 4. None
Workplace Dependent
11. Is the equipment needed to do this job only available in the workplace?
c 1. No, rarely uses such equipment
c 2. Yes, sometimes uses the equipment
c 3. Yes, often uses the equipment
12. Does the job holder need access to files and other paperwork only held in the workplace?
c 1. Rarely
c 2. Sometimes
c 3. Often
Confidentiality
13. Is the work highly confidential/sensitive?
c 1. No
c 2. Yes
Workflow
14. Does the job holder have control over the flow of their work?
c 1. Yes, they have main control
c 2. Some control
c 3. Minimum control
c 4. No control
15. Is the job holder able to predict how busy they will be?
c 1. Always, the workflow is generally consistent
c 2. Most of the time
c 3. Sometimes
c 4. No, it varies a great deal
16. Does the job holder know when peak periods in this job are going to happen?
c 1. Always, busy periods are always at the same time
c 2. Usually
c 3. Some of the time
c 4. Rarely, unpredictable
17. When there is a peak period how long does it usually last?
c 1. A few hours
c 2. A couple of days
c 3. Up to a week
c 4. Several weeks or longer
Availability
18. Can the job holder be contacted by colleagues/manager when away from the workplace site?
c 1. Usually
c 2. Sometimes
c 3. Rarely
c 4. Never
19. What percentage of the job holder’s time is spent in meetings?
c 1. Less than 10%
c 2. About a quarter
c 3. About one-third
c 4. More than half
c 5. Most of the time
20. Does the nature of the work mean they sometimes will be unable to be contacted?
c 1. Never
c 2. Rarely
c 3. Sometimes
c 4. Often
Customer Relations
21. Does the job holder have to respond to customer demand immediately or is it longer-term?
c 1. Most longer-term
c 2. About a third immediate
c 3. About a half immediate
c 4. About three-quarters
c 5. Most immediate
22. Is the work with the customer short or longer-term?
c 1. Always longer-term
c 2. Mostly longer-term
c 3. Mostly shorter-term
c 4. Always shorter-term
23. Is the work undertaken for the same customers on a repeat business?
c 1. No
c 2. Yes, occasionally
c 3. Yes, sometimes
c 4. Yes, usually
24. Is it important for the job holder to know the customers well?
c 1. Not essential
c 2. Sometimes
c 3. Definitely
25. Does most of the communication with customers take place:
c 1. Mostly in writing
c 2. Both in writing and verbally
c 3. Mostly verbally by phone
c 4. Mostly in person
Transfer numerical scores by each question onto the grid by putting a tick in the appropriate box
Question / Job Specification / Score / Comments/Action1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Managing others
1
2
Dependency on others
3
4
5
Time management
6
7
8
Duplicated skills
9
10
Workplace dependent
11
12
Confidentiality
13
Workflow
14
15
16
17
Availability
18
19
20
Customer relations
21
22
23
24
25