Time off In Lieu | (Toil) - [HR]

Messrs G Owen & Co

Time off In Lieu | (Toil) - [HR] - Example

The purpose of TOIL is for staff and the organisation to cope with the periodical pressures of work. It is not however a means of getting extra days off. Staff are entitled to the amount of time they work over their contractual hours back. Hence if you stay two hours beyond your normal leaving time in order to finish a piece of work which you have been told you must complete that day, you can take two hours off at some later time. However, the extra time must arise from the specific requirements of the job, you may not on your own initiative increase your working hours so that you can claim TOIL.

How TOIL is accumulated

There are five basic rules to the scheme.

1. All TOIL arrangements must be agreed by your manager in advance.

2. All instances leading to TOIL ought to be as a result of work which is necessary.

3. The absolute maximum of TOIL that can be accumulated is 5 days.

4. TOIL should be taken as soon as possible and not more than one month after it is earned. If you do not take your TOIL within a month you will loose your entitlement unless the reason for not taking the time off is work related and your manager agrees with the delay.

5. TOIL cannot be converted into pay.

Travel time

Routine travel to and from work is not working time. Sometimes, however you may have to travel to a place other than your normal place of work. On those occasions whether or not you can claim TOIL depends on the length of time you spend travelling. You can claim TOIL if your travelling time is greater than your routine travelling time and working hours put together . So for instance, you normally travel an hour to work, work for seven hours and an hour’s return journey back there is nothing to claim if your total travelling time to your destination takes 9 hours.

Travelling and cheap tickets

We encourage staff to utilise cheap ticket offers as long as it works both for you and for the organisation. To decide this you need to take into account the following:

Do you have to stay an extra night to qualify for the ticket? If so, how much is the cost of your hotel and food for the extra time? If you wish to take the extra time you will spend waiting for the next flight as TOIL, consider the cost of TOIL as well.

If the cost of this is greater than the difference between the cost of a normal ticket and a cheap ticket, buy a normal ticket.

If the difference is smaller talk to your manager who will make a decision about the best course of action and how much TOIL you can claim.

Training

In-house training is working time. Training outside work such as evening classes or day release at a college does not count as working time and therefore does not accumulate TOIL. However, if the training you are receiving is required by your manager and involves longer hours than your normal working hours then you can claim TOIL for the extra hours. Again you must get your managers approval in advance.

Working at home

If you take work home over the weekend or in the evening on your own initiative you may not be able to claim TOIL. TOIL is applicable only where it is agreed by your manager that you will work at home in addition to your normal working time, (perhaps, during specified hours or in order to complete a defined task).

Sleeping time

Where you travel for a conference or a meeting, sleeping time does not count as working time and therefore does not accumulate TOIL.

How TOIL is recorded

Once you have accumulated 7 hours TOIL, you use your annual leave form to record accumulated and taken TOIL.

How TOIL can be taken

If you need to claim TOIL as a result of travelling late, try to organise your work so that you can take TOIL first thing in the morning. In this way you will take your TOIL and you will get sufficient rest before coming to work. Where this is not possible because of other work commitments, you should organise the nearest time available to take TOIL in agreement with your manager.

Please note that the usage of TOIL is subject to [Insert Name of Organisation] discretion and therefore it may be taken only at such time agreed with your manager so that it does not interfere with other work commitments and service to customers.