�. POLICY STATEMENT
1.1 H2O Logistics Limited (“H2O”) is dedicated to the safety & wellbeing of its employee’s,
subcontractors, customers, members of the public and any other individual or business’ who may
engage with H2O.
1.2 H2O requests all persons and business who wish to work, provide services, or engage with
H2O, to act responsibly, observe best practice, and be aware of their individual responsibilities
under both UK law & this policy.
1.3 H2O aims to further support its employees and contractors in achieving a satisfactory work/
life balance by where possible providing flexibility in leave and working arrangements, which in
addition to meeting statutory requirement , seeks to effectively balance individual
circumstances with the current business needs of H2O.
�. WHO IS COVERED BY THIS POLICY?
2.1 This policy consist of the following individual sections which covers those persons engaged
by H2O in the capacity detailed by the section:
a) Employee’s working hours;
b) Service providers working hours; and
c) Driving hours.
�. EMPLOYEE’S
3.1 Working Hours:
3.1.1 All H2O employees have a minimum working week of 40 hours over seven days, from
Sunday to Saturday, excluding lunch breaks, and subject to working time regulations (detailed
below), are required to work such additional hours as may be reasonable and necessary for the
effective and efficient performance of their responsibilities.
3.2 Working Time Regulations:
3.2.1 The Working Time Regulations (WTR) limit the hours an employee may work to an average
of 48 hours per week over a rolling 17 week period. H2O recognises that occasionally work
pressures may result in an employee voluntarily working more than 48 hours in any given week.
However, employees and managers are expected to manage the employee’s workload and to
ensure that the limit of 48 hours per week is not consistently exceeded.
3.3 Overtime working:
3.3.1 Overtime working occurs when any employee (whether full time, part time or seasonal) is
required to work in excess of their normal contracted hours. Line managers will seek to ensure
that the need to work overtime is kept to a minimum by planning workloads according to the
resources available, and by supporting individuals to manage their own workloads and time
effectively. For employees who work on an annualised hours’ contract, there must be agreement
between the employee and line manager before any additional hours are worked, to determine
whether these form part of the employee’s annualised hours, or constitute ‘overtime’. Most staff
are eligible for recompense if they are required to work overtime. Recompensing eligible staff for
working overtime will either be through the use of TOIL or paid overtime.
3.4 Leave/Holiday:
3.4.1 All full-time employees are entitled to 30 working days’ paid annual leave for a complete
year in employment, and should make every effort to use their full entitlement in each annual
leave year. Annual leave will be calculated on a pro rata basis for: employees who work part-time
(based on the hours and/or number of days they work); and fixed-term employees (based on the
length of their contract). All leave for employees who work part time or full time compressed
hours will be calculated, recorded and booked in hours.
3.4.2 The leave year runs as per the calendar year (Jan – Dec) and employees may take up to 2
consecutive weeks’ annual leave at any time in the leave year, subject to operational
requirements and management approval.
3.4.3 Employees must have all annual leave approved by their line manager before they take the
leave and should give as much notice as possible. Each annual leave request will be considered
carefully on its merit but the line manager must consider operational requirements before
approving a request.
3.4.4 Employees are advised not to not make holiday arrangements until they have had their
leave requests approved.
3.4.5 When an employee leaves H2O employment, they are expected to take any outstanding
annual leave before their departure. If this is not possible due to operational requirements, any
excess days owed to them may be paid in lieu, with the agreement of their line manager. If the
employee has taken too many days’ annual leave in relation to their accrued entitlement at the
time of departure, H2O will deduct pay for the number of days taken in excess.
3.5 Special Leave:
3.5.1 The provision of special leave with pay is intended to enable employees to take time off
work for personal commitments that are not covered by maternity, parental or other family leave.
3.5.2 The employee may supplement special leave with annual leave, subject to management
authorisation. For information regarding time off for dependents (unpaid leave) see the Family
Leave Policy.
3.5.3 Special leave applications will be considered in the same way as other leave requests, with
due regard to operational requirements and business needs.
3.5.4 The forms of special leave detailed in this procedure are:
3.5.4.1 care and compassionate leave;
3.5.4.2 court attendance (including jury service);
3.5.4.3 public service leave; and
3.5.4.4 investiture/honours and attendance at royal garden parties.
3.6 Care and compassionate leave
3.6.1 Bereavement: Up to 5 days special leave with pay may be allowed on the death of a close
relative, spouse or partner. The application should be made to the line manager, who will
consider the length of compassionate leave to be approved, taking account of factors such as: the
relationship of the deceased to the employee; whether the employee has a practical role to play
(for example organising the funeral or settling affairs); how far the employee has to travel for the
funeral.
3.6.2 Care purposes: Special leave with pay should only normally be awarded for care purposes
where: a near relative is gravely ill; or an employee is advised to stay with a child or close relative
when they are admitted to hospital.
3.6.3 Special leave with pay should not be granted to cover instances where members of an
employee’s household, particularly young children, suffer from common ailments. Employees
are expected to use annual leave to cover such contingencies.
3.7 Jury service and other court attendance:
3.7.1 Special leave with pay will be authorised for an employee who has been summoned for jury
service. However, in exceptional cases, H2O may ask an employee to defer their jury service due
to essential operational requirements. Employees who are required to attend court in an official
capacity (such as appearing as a witness) will be regarded as being on official duty and will
receive their usual pay and any travelling and subsistence allowances.
3.7.2 Employees who are required to attend court in any other private capacity will usually be
required to take annual leave or special leave without pay to cover their absence.
3.7.3 In all matters of court attendance, employees: must inform their line manager as soon as
they have received a notification of court attendance; must keep in contact with their line
manager to update them on the duration of their absence; may claim travel and subsistence
allowance if on official duty. If such allowances are received from the court or if they claim loss of
earnings, they must reimburse H2O for the amount received from the court.
3.8 Public service leave
3.8.1 H2O wishes to support employees who carry out public service duties and may grant a
reasonable special leave for duties such as magisterial duties (as Justice of the Peace), governor
of an educational institution, members of a statutory tribunal, police authority or board of prison
visitors.
3.8.2 Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the leave
can be authorised and whether it should be paid or unpaid. Factors taken into account in such
decisions will include: the length of special leave requested; time the employee has already had
off, including special leave, annual leave and sickness absence; operational requirements and
business needs.
3.9 Investiture, honours, and attendance at royal garden parties:
3.9.1 Employees will be granted paid special leave to attend an Investiture to receive an award or
to attend a royal garden party. Employees must notify their line manager as soon as they become
aware of the award or invitation.
�. SERVICE PROVIDERS
4.1 For the purpose of this policy a Service Provider is any individual who is not an employee of
H2O but a business providing services to H2O under the terms of a contract or subcontractor
agreement or any member of personnel of a business supplying services under any such
agreement.
4.2 H2Os accepts that any person or business supplying services to H2O as a subcontractor is
entirely responsible for the management of his/her own working hours or the management of
the working hours of the personnel providing the service. Any subcontractor supplying services
to H2O must ensure that sufficient resources are maintained to ensure that no persons exceeds
the limits set under the working time regulations and that sufficient records are kept and
presented to H2O upon request in order that it may be confirmed that the subcontractor or
business complies with their responsibility with regards to working and driving hours
regulations.
�. DRIVING
5.1 As part of its ongoing commitment to the safety & wellbeing of employees, Service Providers,
customers and End-clients, as well as members of the public, H2O requires all employee’s,
subcontractors, or personnel of subcontractors to ensure that they are at all times aware of their
responsibilities and abide by the EU Driver Rules or the GB domestic drivers hours rules as
appropriate.
5.2 In line with these rules, all employees and Service Providers must ensure that neither they
nor any single member of their personnel:
5.2.1 Drive for a period of more than 10 hours per day in providing or rendering of services to
H2O;
5.2.2 No single individual shall remain “on duty” for a period of more than 11 hours per day in the
providing or rendering of services to H2O;
5.2.3 Each individual must take a break of at least 30 minutes after a continuous period of 5 hours
30 minutes of driving or a total of 45 minutes in breaks in any period of 8 hours 30 minutes of
driving;
5.2.4 Each individual must observe a rest period of at least 10 hours from the time of the last duty
to the time of the first duty on the next working day, although this may be reduced to 8.5 hours 3
times per week;
5.2.5 Each individual must observe at least one rest period of 24 hours every 2 weeks.
5.2.6 Each individual must keep an accurate record of driving hours undertaken in the providing
or rendering of services to H2O, including details of daily breaks taken, that upon request, these
records be presented to H2O, to allow H2O to verify compliance with the GB domestic drivers
hours rules.
�. BREACHES OF POLICY
6.1 Any failure by the employee, individual, business or personnel to adhere to the GB domestic
drivers hours rules, or maintain sufficient records to allow H2O to verify that the individual has
observed his or her responsibilities, under these rules, may be considered a material breach of
any contract or employment, subcontractor agreement, or contract for services, on the basis that
such actions would constitute a serious breach of health & safety policy.