A

Absence & Unauthorised Absence

As a member of the team it is extremely important that you follow the correct procedure in reporting your absence should you be unable to come into work due to illness or an accident.

• You must notify a member of management or the 'Out of Hours' team at the earliest opportunity – at least two hours prior to when you start work
• It is not appropriate to inform management via email or text message
• It must be you who telephones, unless in exceptional circumstances
• Whilst you are absent you must keep your manager regularly informed and wherever possible inform them of your likely return to work date
• For any absence less than 7 days you must complete a Self-Certificate form
• Any absence over 7 days must be covered by a doctor's fit note
• Original doctor's fit notes must be produced at all times
• If you have symptoms of diarrhoea or vomiting, you must notify your manager immediately

For further help and guidance please refer to the Absence Policy available in our policies section.

Unauthorised Absence

If your are absent from work without satisfactory explanation or authority i.e. unless your reason for absence is:

• Sickness or incapacity supported by a doctor's fit note or medical certificate
• Authorised holiday; or
• Other absences that you have permission or direction from the Company

Any repeated or prolonged periods of unauthorised absence are considered gross misconduct and will be dealt with in accordance with the Company's Disciplinary Procedure.

Please refer to the Company Disciplinary and Poor Performance Procedure and Absence Policy available in our policies section.

Accidents

We are required to record all accidents, so please ensure you notify us of any accidents that you have, no matter how minor, to your manager.

If you have a ‘near-miss’ where an injury was avoided, please also advise your manager so that action can be taken to prevent it from happening again.

If a client or a colleague has an accident, call your manager or the 'Out of Hours' team. In the case of an emergency, call 999.

When reporting the accident you must provide:

• details of the nature of the accident or injury
• any first aid or other treatment received.
• the names of any witnesses with contact details if possible;
• the date, time and place the accident occurred.

Adoption

If you are planning on adopting a child, please let your manager know as soon as you receive notification that you have been matched with a child for adoption. This will help us to ensure that you receive your statutory adoption rights based on current legislation. The law covering adoption is subject to change from time to time.

For further help and guidance please refer to the adoption section of our Family Friendly Policy available in our policies section

Alcohol & Drugs

The nature of our business means that alcohol is routinely purchased and/or consumed on our premises. Colleagues are not allowed to consume alcohol during working hours, nor must they be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs (or similar) whilst on duty or representing the company at an external event. Colleagues are not allowed to possess or supply illegal drugs in the workplace or on Company business.

Failure to adhere to these guidelines will be considered gross misconduct and may result in summary dismissal.

The effects or side effects of prescription drugs and patient medicines can also potentially impact your ability to work safely and carry out your duties. It is your responsibility to ascertain whether anything you take or use may impact adversely on your work. Consult your manager if you are concerned that the impact of such medication may be unsafe/inappropriate at work.

Please refer to the Company disciplinary code and grievance procedure available in our policies section.

B

Behaviour & Conduct

The Company expects you to always behave appropriately when you are representing the Company. This includes when you are working, visiting our premises or when you are attending Company events (this extends to social gatherings that you would not have attended if it was not for work). This means that you should always act in a respectful and professional manner.

Guidelines on our expectations for how you should behave can be found in the Sexual Harassment, Bullying and Harassment and Diversity, Inclusion and Equity policy.

Borrowing

We are not in the habit of lending Company cash, stock or equipment, so please don’t borrow anything! It may be considered as gross misconduct which may result in summary dismissal. That also goes for issuing or receiving subs, cashing personal cheques and using personal credits in exchange for cash.

Breaks & Meals Whilst Working

Break Entitlements

The length of rest break that you are entitled to varies depending on your age.

• Colleagues over 18 years of age:
  • For every shift worked over 6 hours, you must take an unpaid break of at least twenty minutes during that shift.

Bribery

Any team member accepting or soliciting a bribe or commission is liable to be dismissed. Therefore, you must not accept personal gifts, inducements, commissions or lavish entertainment during the course of your employment. Any such offer must be declared to your Manager.

For further help and guidance please speak to your Manager about Thistle Cares Anti-Corruption and Bribery Policy available in our policies section.

Bullying and Harassment

It is everyone's responsibility regardless of their position within Thistle Care to treat people with respect; appreciate their feelings and consider their wellbeing in what you say or do.

The Company expects all colleagues to be treated with respect from anyone they come into contact with whilst carrying out their duties, this includes but is not limited to from fellow colleagues, contractors and our guests. It is the Company’s policy to provide a safe working environment in which all colleagues can realise their potential free of bullying and/or harassment, in person or via a Social Network (please refer to the Social Networking policy for more information).

At Thistle Care all colleagues, regardless of position, have a responsibility to ensure that bullying and/or harassment does not occur, this means if you witness any form of bullying and/or harassment taking place at work and you stand by and ignore it, you may be perceived as condoning such behaviour.

Please be aware if you are found to have bullied and/or harassed someone in the workplace, you could be personally liable and may have to pay compensation to them. In serious cases, harassment may be a criminal offence for which the harasser can be imprisoned.

Bullying and harassment is not acceptable under any circumstances. In some cases this may constitute discrimination under UK law.

Every effort will be made to deal with alleged bullying and/or harassment as soon as possible.

Any colleague, regardless of their position, found to be responsible for inciting, perpetrating or condoning bullying and/or harassment may be subject to formal action in line with our Disciplinary and Poor Performance procedure.

Please see the Bullying and Harassment Policy available in our policies section.

C

Career Development & Apprenticeships

Here at Thistle Care we have a wide range of development opportunities to support our colleagues both in their day to day role or with their chosen career paths, from on the job learning to apprenticeships there is something for everyone!

We have many different ways of developing our teams: from our e-learning offering which includes everything from mandatory training to personal development and leadership tools to support those who are looking to progress, are new to care or for those experienced carers who have just joined us at Thistle Care, we are always looking at new ways for you to reach your full potential.

We provide regular development and feedback to help you do your job better and improve your performance.

For more information or an up-to-date list of vacancies please speak to your Manager.

Carer's Leave

From your first day of employment, you are entitled to take Unpaid carer’s leave to support you to give or arrange care for a dependent.

Who counts as a dependent?

For the provision of carer’s leave a dependent is someone who has:

• a physical or mental illness or injury that means they’re expected to need care for more than 3 months
• a disability (as defined in the Equality Act 2010)
• care needs because of their old age

The dependent does not have to be a family member. It can be anyone who relies on you for care.

How much time can you take off?

You can take up to one week of leave every 12 months. A ‘week’ means the length of time you usually work over 7 days. For example, if you usually work 3 days a week, they can take 3 days of carer’s leave. You can either take a whole week off or take individual days or half days throughout the year.

Please note if you need to care for more than one person, you cannot take a week of carer’s leave for each dependant and can only take one week every 12 months. You can use the week of leave on more than one dependant.

If you are a parent please refer to the parental leave policy as this is separate to carer’s leave. - Full details of carer's leave, and what notice you must give can be found in the Family Friendly Policies Document, in the policies section.

Cash & Stock Responsibility

The accurate recording of cash or money (i.e. card payment), received and its security at all times is an assurance of a well-run business. The Company places a lot of trust in all its team members, the majority of whom have some kind of responsibility for managing cash or money in the course of their duties. Many of our team members also have responsibility for stock within their restaurant. All team members must comply with the Company’s cash/money and stock handling policies and procedures.

All team members receive training on this matter as part of their induction. Also, all restaurant team members will receive regular in-house guidance and training on matters concerning cash, money and stock and you should ask your Manager if you do not understand the correct procedure in full.

As well as the separate rules and policies which will be given or communicated to you, there are a number of rules concerning such matters:

• No team members, including Managers, may provide free or discounted food or drink without the specific authority of the General Manager. This is a strict rule which applies equally to food and drink provided for guests, friends, family and colleagues
• If your friends and relatives visit the restaurant in which you work, under no circumstances may they be provided with food or drink without the full payment being made
• All team members, including Managers, may not void bills for anything other than a genuine till/order mistake. Voids must not be made to rectify shortfalls in cash, floats etc. This may lead to disciplinary action, possibly dismissal

The current disciplinary code provides that the following is gross misconduct, for which the Company will dismiss someone without a prior warning:

• You may not commit fraud, theft or other cases involving dishonesty such as voiding or discounting bills for anything other than genuine reason
• You may not commit gross neglect or negligence where the results are potentially serious and might reasonably be foreseen
• You must comply with the Company’s policies and procedures regarding the management and security of cash and stock
• You may not be in possession of Company or customer/colleague property without authorisation

The Company takes these matters very seriously and failure to comply with any rules, policies or procedures (of any kind) concerning cash/money or stock management will result in disciplinary action in accordance with the Disciplinary and Poor Performance Procedure available in our policies section.

CCTV

Some of our sites have CCTV or other recording devices in operation (which may include thermal imaging cameras), in both internal and external areas. These devices are installed for your own protection and safety and must be used appropriately. There are clearly displayed signs informing you of this, and in some sites the recording is continuous. Recordings may be kept and used in such situations as evidence against team members.

At no time may any footage be distributed without Line Manager approval, nor should any footage be viewed or distributed for any inappropriate or non-work related purposes. Any breaches of this will be dealt with under the Disciplinary Procedure.

Should you have any questions regarding any security matter, please speak initially to your Manager.

Communicating with the Press, Media and External Organisations

Due diligence must be taken to ensure that any information originating from or about Thistle Care is accurate, complete, reflects the original position of the Company and is released to the public and target audience in a timely and professional manner.

There are various reasons why Thistle Care may be contacted by the media or other outlets or organisations, for both positive and negative reasons.

It is important that any contact from the media or other outlets or organisations is fully considered and has gone through the correct channels and approvals to ensure that any statement made by Thistle Care has the right effect and is approved. This includes when being approached by existing, new, historic or potential suppliers/service providers to the Company for testimonials or product and service reviews.

If employees are contacted from the press, media or other outlets or organisations or anyone they believe to be the from these institutions, they must be directed to Rebecca Long.

No one else should make a comment on behalf of Thistle Care.

Communication With Enforcement Agencies

If a request is made by an Enforcement Officer (e.g. CRW, Police, Local authority officers etc) or a Police and Criminal Evidence Act interview, whilst their enquiries must not be obstructed, other than Rebecca Long or senior members of the Management Team, you are not authorised to answer any questions on Company policy.

In all cases a team member who receives a request for such an interview should contact their Manager.

Company Property

Team members are expected to take care of all Company property in their possession at any time. Failure to take appropriate care of Company property and premises may result in a personal liability to replace the item(s) and, in some instances, disciplinary action – So please look after it!

When you leave Thistle Care you are required to return, in a good condition, any Company property such as IT equipment, phones, uniforms, documents, manuals, keys etc. The Company reserves the right to make an appropriate deduction from any wages or other payments owed by the Company in respect of any Company property that is not returned or is not returned in a satisfactory condition.

Compassionate Leave

Sympathetic consideration will be given by your Manager to request for paid compassionate leave in the event of the death or serious illness of a close relative, i.e. parent, sibling or spouse. If leave is granted, it will normally be for a maximum of one working week, based on your average weekly hours/days. Should you require further leave, for example should you need to travel abroad, if approved, this must be taken from your holiday entitlement or will be unpaid.

If you are a parent or you have parental responsibility (adopter, foster parent or guardian), you will be entitled to two week’s bereavement leave if you lose a child under the age of 18 or suffer a stillbirth. In these unfortunate circumstances you may be entitled to statutory bereavement pay, subject to eligibility criteria. You will be able to take two weeks as a single block at the time of the death or two separate blocks of one week during the subsequent 56 days.

Confidential Information

Your employment with us places you in a position of trust and confidence. During your employment you will inevitably see and use sensitive confidential information and data.

You must not, without the express authorisation of your Manager:

• Disclose any information of a confidential nature concerning Thistle Care's current or future business interests to anyone who is not an employee of the Company or to any Company or Group team member whose job does not directly require the knowledge
• Remove from Company premises any information of a confidential nature concerning The Company’s current or future business unless in the legitimate course of your duties

Confidential information includes but is not limited to:-

• sensitive information about other employees and those who undertake work or other activity on our behalf;
• sensitive information about our customers, clients, suppliers etc.;
• financial accounts or statistical data;
• trading or operational procedures
• processes, designs and products in development or subject to modification.

On termination of your employment, you must:

• Not retain within your possession any information of a confidential nature concerning any aspect of Thistle Care current or future business
• Continue to observe your obligation above regarding non-disclosure of any information of a confidential nature concerning Thistle Care's current or future business

We expect you to take all appropriate action to maintain the security and sensitivity of confidential material. Please report any suspected breach to your line manager immediately.

Conflict of Interest

As a team member, you have a duty of fidelity, trust and confidence to the Company. Therefore, you must not do anything, whether at work or elsewhere, which could detrimentally affect the Company’s reputation or business interests. Any breach of this duty will be dealt with according to the Company’s Disciplinary and Poor Performance Procedure.

You are required to disclose to your Manager any other employment you undertake whilst you are employed by the Company. You may not be permitted to undertake or continue other employment should there be a conflict of interest between this other job and the interests of the Company.

You must not undertake work for others during your working hours and/or use our facilities or materials. You must always obtain specific approval in advance if you wish to undertake employment elsewhere. We reserve the right to withhold consent at our absolute discretion.

Criminal Convictions & Court Orders

Before taking up a position with Thistle Care you must tell us of any previous convictions including motoring offences, County Court Judgements, or Criminal Compensation Orders, which still need to be declared. You also need to tell us if you have ever been declared bankrupt or are listed on the Sex Offenders Register.

If you are charged with or convicted of any criminal offence, you must notify your Manager immediately with details of the conviction. The Company may then choose to investigate this further with you.

Disciplinary action, which may include dismissal, may be taken if the alleged offence and/or sentence have an impact on your work (or ability to attend work), or which severely impacts trust and confidence, is unacceptable to your colleagues or may bring the Company into disrepute. Failure to notify us of any of the above may also result in disciplinary action being taken against you, which could lead to summary dismissal.

For certain parts of the business, you may be asked to complete a criminal reference check.

D

Data Protection (GDPR)

We all need to be mindful of our legal obligations to the General Data Protection Regulations 2018; therefore, all personal data relating to our guests, team members and suppliers must be obtained and managed fairly, kept secure and be accurate and up to date. Data must not be released to anyone who is unauthorised or used for purposes other than for the reason it was collected. Any breach in relation to data protection may result in disciplinary action, which could result in dismissal. Team members can incur personal criminal liability and fines if they knowingly or recklessly obtain and/or disclose personal information without consent.

During the course of our activities we will process personal data (which may be held on paper or electronically) and we recognise the need to treat it in an appropriate and lawful manner, in accordance with data protection legislation including the General Data Protection Regulations 2018.

Protecting the confidentiality and integrity of personal data is a critical responsibility that we take seriously at all times. Thistle Care is exposed to significant potential fines for failure to comply with its obligations. Furthermore, individuals may incur personal criminal liability and fines if they fail to comply with data protection legislation.

Please refer to our Data Protection Policy for full details, but in particular:

• Personal data must be handled lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner. You may only process personal data when performing your job duties should it require it
• Personal data must be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date. It must be corrected or deleted without delay when inaccurate. You must comply with our retention policies and procedures to ensure personal data is deleted after a reasonable time for the purposes for which it was being held, unless a law requires such data to be kept for a minimum time
• Personal data must be secured against unauthorised or unlawful use, and against accidental loss, destruction or damage. You must follow all procedures and technologies we put in place to maintain the security of all personal data, from the point of collection to the point of destruction
• You must maintain data security by ensuring that only people who have a need to know and are authorised to use the personal data can access it
• If you know or suspect that a personal data breach has occurred, immediately contact the internal person or team designated as the key point of contact
• You must undergo all mandatory data privacy related training and ensure your team undergo similar mandatory training in accordance with our training guidelines

Your compliance with the relevant data protection policies and guidelines is mandatory. Any breach may result in disciplinary action, which could result in dismissal.

For information on the nature of the data the Company processes, the legal basis for processing and related matters, please refer to the Data Protection Policy and Privacy notice available in our policies section.

Deductions From Pay

The Company reserves the right at any time to deduct from your wages/salary any overpayment made and/or monies owed to the Company by you, including but not limited to any excess holiday, outstanding loans, advances and the cost of repairing any damage or loss to the Company’s property caused by you, remuneration, expenses or other payments made in error or by your inappropriate claim, attachment of earnings orders and any other statutory deductions orders issued to us.

The Company may withhold or deduct from any gross wage/salary payment due to you, an amount equivalent to any cash shortage or stock deficiency caused by your dishonesty or other conduct or any other event for which you have liability. This will be in instalments of up to 10% of your gross pay until the total amount is recovered. There is no 10% limit when such a deduction is made from your final instalment of wages or holiday pay.

By signing your contract you give your irrevocable agreement to the Company making the above deductions.

Please note that if the Company also discovers you have acted dishonestly in the course of your employment (and in some cases, outside your employment), you will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

Please refer to the Company Disciplinary and Poor Performance Procedure and Grievance Procedure available in our policies section

Alcohol & Drugs

The nature of our business means that alcohol is routinely purchased and/or consumed on our premises. Colleagues are not allowed to consume alcohol during working hours, nor must they be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs (or similar) whilst on duty or representing the company at an external event. Colleagues are not allowed to possess or supply illegal drugs in the workplace or on Company business.

Failure to adhere to these guidelines will be considered gross misconduct and may result in summary dismissal.

The effects or side effects of prescription drugs and patient medicines can also potentially impact your ability to work safely and carry out your duties. It is your responsibility to ascertain whether anything you take or use may impact adversely on your work. Consult your manager if you are concerned that the impact of such medication may be unsafe/inappropriate at work.

Please refer to the Company disciplinary code and grievance procedure available in our policies section.

Alcohol & Drugs

The nature of our business means that alcohol is routinely purchased and/or consumed on our premises. Colleagues are not allowed to consume alcohol during working hours, nor must they be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs (or similar) whilst on duty or representing the company at an external event. Colleagues are not allowed to possess or supply illegal drugs in the workplace or on Company business.

Failure to adhere to these guidelines will be considered gross misconduct and may result in summary dismissal.

The effects or side effects of prescription drugs and patient medicines can also potentially impact your ability to work safely and carry out your duties. It is your responsibility to ascertain whether anything you take or use may impact adversely on your work. Consult your manager if you are concerned that the impact of such medication may be unsafe/inappropriate at work.

Please refer to the Company disciplinary code and grievance procedure available in our policies section.

Alcohol & Drugs

The nature of our business means that alcohol is routinely purchased and/or consumed on our premises. Colleagues are not allowed to consume alcohol during working hours, nor must they be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs (or similar) whilst on duty or representing the company at an external event. Colleagues are not allowed to possess or supply illegal drugs in the workplace or on Company business.

Failure to adhere to these guidelines will be considered gross misconduct and may result in summary dismissal.

The effects or side effects of prescription drugs and patient medicines can also potentially impact your ability to work safely and carry out your duties. It is your responsibility to ascertain whether anything you take or use may impact adversely on your work. Consult your manager if you are concerned that the impact of such medication may be unsafe/inappropriate at work.

Please refer to the Company disciplinary code and grievance procedure available in our policies section.

Alcohol & Drugs

The nature of our business means that alcohol is routinely purchased and/or consumed on our premises. Colleagues are not allowed to consume alcohol during working hours, nor must they be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs (or similar) whilst on duty or representing the company at an external event. Colleagues are not allowed to possess or supply illegal drugs in the workplace or on Company business.

Failure to adhere to these guidelines will be considered gross misconduct and may result in summary dismissal.

The effects or side effects of prescription drugs and patient medicines can also potentially impact your ability to work safely and carry out your duties. It is your responsibility to ascertain whether anything you take or use may impact adversely on your work. Consult your manager if you are concerned that the impact of such medication may be unsafe/inappropriate at work.

Please refer to the Company disciplinary code and grievance procedure available in our policies section.