Stokers A5 Handbook Policies APR24

During SPL, holiday entitlement will continue to accrue at the rate provided by the employee’s contract of employment. In some cases a period of SPL will last beyond the end of Stokers’ holiday year. Any holiday entitlement for the year that cannot reasonably be taken before starting SPL may be carried over to the next holiday year with prior permission from the business. Any carried over holiday must be taken by the employee immediately before returning to work after SPL, unless the employee’s manager agrees otherwise. Carry over of holiday should be kept to a minimum, and ideally limited to one week’s holiday or less. Employees should discuss their holiday plans with their manager in good time before starting SPL. All holiday dates are subject to approval by the employee’s manager. During SPL, Stokers shall continue to make any employer contributions that the business usually makes for the employee into any relevant pension scheme. The contributions will be based on what the employee’s earnings would have been if they had not been on SPL, provided that the employee continues to make contributions based on (at least) the ShPP they are receiving. If the employee wishes to increase their pension contributions to make up any shortfall from those based on their normal salary then they must contact the HR department to make the necessary arrangements. Keeping in Touch Reasonable contact should be maintained between Stokers and the employee throughout any SPL period. Employees can attend work during SPL for up to 20 single “keeping-in-touch” or “KIT” days (not in a block). This is in addition to any KIT days that the employee may have taken during any period of maternity, paternity or adoption leave. KIT days will be paid and this shall include payment of any ShPP that the employee is entitled to. Returning to Work Unless an employee notifies Stokers to the contrary, it will be assumed that they will return to work on the date specified in their Period of Leave Notice. Shortly before the employee is due to return to work, the business may invite the employee to have a discussion (whether in person or by telephone) about the arrangements for their return. This discussion may cover: • Updating the employee on any changes that have occurred at work during their SPL; • Any training needs the employee might have; and • Any changes to working arrangements.

If the employee is unable to return to work following SPL due to sickness or injury, this will be treated as sickness absence and the Absence Policy will apply. Any employee returning to work following SPL is entitled to return to the same job, on the same terms and conditions of employment. However, if an employee has taken more than 26 weeks of SPL in total, or a period of SPL in combination with more than 4 weeks of parental leave, and it is not reasonably practicable for Stokers to allow the employee to return into the same position, Stokers may give the employee another suitable and appropriate job on terms and conditions that are no less favourable. In the event that the employee’s post is affected by a redundancy situation occurring during SPL, Stokers shall inform the employee of any proposals and shall invite the employee to a meeting before any final decision is reached as to the employee’s continued employment. Employees on maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave shall be given the opportunity to apply for any suitable alternative vacancies. Deciding not to Return If the employee does not intend to return to work, or is unsure, it is helpful if they discuss this with Stokers as early as possible. If the employee decides not to return they should give notice of resignation in accordance with their contract. The amount of SPL left to run when notice is given must be at least equal to the employee’s contractual notice period, otherwise Stokers may require the employee to return to work for the remainder of the notice period. Once the employee has given notice that they will not be returning to work, they cannot change their mind without the agreement of the business. This does not affect the employee’s right to receive ShPP. Flexible Working Stokers will deal with any requests made by employees to change their working patterns (such as working part-time) after SPL on a case-by-case basis. There is no absolute right to insist on working part-time, but employees do have a statutory right to request flexible working and the business will try to accommodate the employee’s wishes unless there is a justifiable reason for refusal, bearing in mind the needs of the business. It is helpful if requests are made as early as possible. The procedure for dealing with such requests is set out in the Flexible Working Policy.

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