Aim and Purpose

This policy forms a part of Ashford & St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (ASPH) people strategy to being a great place to work and be a patient, where we listen, empower and value everyone.

The Trust is committed to be being an employer of choice, offering modern employment practices which support staff to balance their home and work life.

 

As part of its commitment to improving the working lives of its staff, ASPH recognises the need to support requirements for additional leave or career breaks where reasonable and can be accommodated in line with service need, understanding that they can benefit both the organisation and its staff in a range of ways:

  • Allowing recruitment and retention of valuable skills and experience
  • Promotion of equality of opportunity
  • Improving staff morale and productivity
  • Enabling employees to manage their work and outside commitments and/or interests
  • Assisting and reducing anxiety and stress amongst the workforce
  • Enabling the Trust to become an employer of choice

 

The opportunity to find the right balance between home and work is often a critical factor for employees in deciding whether or not to move to a different organisation. Unsatisfactory employee work-life balance may have a number of negative consequences for the organisation and the individual including:

  • Ill health;
  • Low morale;
  • Lack of commitment;
  • Poor quality work;
  • Absenteeism; and
  • High staff turnover

 

The aim of this policy is to provide a clear and consistent framework for considering requests by staff to take a career break.

 

Policy Details

Download: PDF version
Compiled by: HR Business Partners and Advisors
Ratified by: Trust Executive Committee
Date Ratified: May 2019
Date Issued: May 2019
Review Date: May 2022
Target Audience: All staff
Contact name: HR Business Partners and Advisors

 

See also:

 

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