NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD is committed to encouraging staff training and development because it benefits both the employee and NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD, increases staff motivation, improves employee performance and productivity and encourages staff retention.
Employees who have worked for NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD for a continuous period of 26 weeks have a statutory right to request time off for study or training and to have that request considered by NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD.
Employees may submit a request for time off to undertake any type of study or training provided that they can reasonably demonstrate that it will improve both their effectiveness in NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD’s business and the performance of NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD’s business. Employees’ requests can be to undertake accredited training programmes leading to the award of a recognised qualification, or for unaccredited training to help them develop specific skills relevant to their job, their workplace or the business. The proposed training can be undertaken at any location, take place whilst the employee performs their job duties or separately, can be provided or supervised by NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD or externally by a third party such as a local college or training provider and can be undertaken with or without supervision. The employee may also include more than one course of study or training in one request. However, any training requested must be relevant to the employee’s employment within NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD.
Subject to limited exceptions, the employee must not have made another application for time to train under the statutory right during the previous 12 months.
NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD implements the right to request time off for study or training set out in legislation. [In addition, it is NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD’s policy to consider requests for time off for study or training from all employees, not just those who have a statutory right to submit such requests, although priority will always be given to those employees who do have the statutory right to request time off for study or training in order that NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD can comply with its legal obligations.]
The following procedure will apply to time to train requests:
- The employee should first make their request in writing to NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD setting out their proposal for time off for study or training. A Time to Train Application Form can be obtained from (name). Requests may not be submitted more than once every 12 months.
- Within 28 days of receipt of this application, NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD will set up a meeting with the employee to discuss the time off for study or training the employee has proposed, the relevance of it to their employment, the effect of any time off and any possible alternative training arrangements that might meet the employee’s training needs and suit both parties. The employee has a right to be accompanied at this meeting by a work colleague.
- NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD will properly consider the request and will make a practical business assessment on whether, and if so how, the time off for study or training request could be accommodated.
- NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD will notify its decision to the employee within 14 days of the meeting. If NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD accepts the employee’s request, it will confirm the details of the agreement to the request in writing. If the application is refused, NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD will explain the business grounds for refusal in writing, why they apply in the circumstances and will confirm the internal appeal procedure.
- The employee can appeal against a refusal within 14 days of receipt of NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD’s decision notice. The appeal notice must be in writing and set out the grounds for appeal. NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD will then set up a meeting with the employee to discuss the appeal within 14 days after receiving the employee’s appeal notice. After that meeting has been held, NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD will write to the employee within 14 days to notify the employee of the outcome of the appeal.
NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD is not obliged by law to pay for any training costs, such as external course fees, and neither is NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD obliged to pay the employee their salary for any time off work that is granted for agreed training. Therefore, any agreed time off will normally be unpaid and the employee will normally be expected to pay for any training costs. [Any payment of salary during time off for study or training, or the payment of, or a contribution towards, any training costs, is at the absolute discretion of NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD.]
NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD will only refuse an application, or part of an application, on one of ten grounds. They are:
- The proposed study or training would not improve the employee’s effectiveness in the business.
- The proposed study or training would not improve the performance of the business.
- The burden of additional costs.
- Detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand.
- Inability to re-organise work among existing staff.
- Inability to recruit additional staff.
- Detrimental impact on quality.
- Detrimental impact on performance.
- Insufficiency of work during the period when the employee proposes to work.
- Planned structural changes.
Each request for time off for study or training will be dealt with individually, taking into account the relevance of it to the employee’s employment, the amount of time off requested and the likely effects any time off will have on NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD, the work of the department in which the employee making the request is employed and the employee’s colleagues. This means that if NIGHT WATCH SECURITY SERVICES LTD agrees to one employee’s request, this does not set a precedent or create a right for another employee to be granted time off for study or training