We understand that while you’re here, you’ll require some necessary breaks for things like vacations, family leave, scheduled holidays and just regular days away. We all need them! So, when you’re ready to book a break for any reason, this section will cover just about everything you need to know.
First, we have to just say it: We absolutely encourage you to take time off! As noted below, UK law also includes provisions to ensure that you use your entitled leave. While we enjoy our time with you, it’s important to balance your work and personal lives. We’re here to support you in that regard however we can.
Though we like to stay busy at InterWorks, there are select company-observed holidays where InterWorks offices are closed and all full-time InterWorks employees have automatic time off with pay.
Bank holidays falling on a weekend are always moved to a later date, generally the following Monday.
Vacation time and personal days all fall under Paid Time Off (PTO) at InterWorks. Your PTO pay is based on your pay rate in effect when your PTO is used and does not include bonuses or other special forms of compensation.
Your PTO account is managed and tracked in our Time Entry System in MOAS, where you can make requests and keep track of your available PTO. Please remember that there are busy times here at IW and your request for PTO may need to be adjusted given work circumstances and customer demand. It’s always best to make PTO requests as far in advance as possible. We are generally flexible with PTO arrangements, and you should never hesitate to ask about time off when you need it. Taking holiday of more than two weeks will only be approved in exceptional circumstances.
Your PTO balance in MOAS will reflect an annual balance of 216 hours (27 days), which, with the automatic paid time off for holidays noted above, totals 35 days of paid holiday per year.
On the 1st of January, a maximum of 40 hours of unused PTO will be carried over and may be used anytime during the following year. Additionally, up to 56 hours of unused PTO above the 40-hour carry-over will be paid out on your paycheck in December. Any unused hours above 96 total hours (40 hours of carryover, plus 56 hours paid out), will be forfeited, as required by law.
We want to be as flexible and accommodating as possible. You can go into the negative of PTO hours, if needed. Just keep in mind, if you leave InterWorks with a negative PTO accrued balance, you will need to reimburse the company per the following section,
Accrued and unused PTO will be prorated from the 1st of January and paid on your final paycheck. If the prorated PTO balance is negative, you will be expected to reimburse the company for the amount equal to your negative PTO balance. This can be handled by deducting from your final paycheck or can be paid via a personal check addressed to InterWorks.
During your first six months you will be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay for any period of absence due to sickness or injury subject to meeting the required qualifying conditions. After six months of being sick, you will receive 70% of your base pay for up to 90 days of qualifying sick leave.
You are not entitled to SSP if you’re away from work because any of the following apply:
If you need to take time off to deal with an unexpected or sudden personal situation involving a loved one (e.g. death of a family member or close friend, serious illness, sudden divorce, etc.), we allow for up to three days of bereavement leave before using PTO. Please discuss this with HR and your manager. You may request the Compassionate Leave as bereavement leave in MOAS in the same way that you request PTO.
InterWorks supports our folks with their civic duty to serve on a jury. Employees must present any summons to jury duty to their manager as soon as possible after receiving the notice to allow advance planning for an employee’s absence.
Employees will be provided time off for jury duty in accordance with applicable laws. If an employee is released from jury duty early, we ask the employee to report to work for the remainder of that workday.
Time off for appearance in court for personal business will be the individual employee’s responsibility, and PTO will be used for this purpose.
InterWorks recognises that voting is a right and privilege of being a citizen of the United Kingdom and encourages employees to exercise their right to vote. In almost all cases, employees will have sufficient time outside working hours to vote. If for any reason you think this will not be the case, contact your manager to discuss scheduling accommodation. Employees will be provided with time off for voting in accordance with applicable laws.
Busy times happen as part of our industry, we’re all used to this to one extent or another. However, we believe that repeatedly working late hours or through the weekends should not be an everyday or every week occurrence. When our business commitments require such efforts, we’ve created our Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) system to help even things out a bit as you meet those critical deadlines.
TOIL is not a 1:1 hour exchange program or any version of regular flextime. It is not designed as a method to adjust your personal working hours, e.g., choosing to work ten hours on Thursday in order to leave early on Friday. We aren’t trying to balance out one day against another.
TOIL is not designed to compensate for travel time to and from our offices and/or client locations. We understand that travel can be demanding, and we work to manage this in a variety of other ways, but not through the use of TOIL.
TOIL is there to help those forced by project or client demands to work an inordinate amount of time and at odd hours to meet those demands.
If you believe your day or week qualifies to be handled within the TOIL system, speak with your manager in order to work out the details.
Life happens, and there are several instances where traditional PTO structures don’t quite apply. Beyond the federally mandated provisions, we’ve tried to cover the big life events that require a different set of leave guidelines.
You will be entitled to the first eight weeks of Maternity Leave at full pay. After that, you will be entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) strictly in accordance with the rules of the Department of Work and Pensions Scheme. Eligible employees can take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave. The first 26 weeks are known as “Ordinary Maternity Leave.” The last 26 weeks are known as “Additional Maternity Leave.” The earliest that leave can be taken is 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth, unless the baby is born early. Employees must take at least two weeks after the birth. SMP for eligible employees can be paid for up to 39 weeks. This will be paid at a rate of £184.03 or 90% of your average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) for the remaining 33 weeks of this type of leave. (2025 rate).
SMP is paid in the same way as your wages (for example monthly or weekly). Tax and National Insurance will be deducted.
If you are the spouse or domestic partner of the birth mother or of the primary caregiver of an adopted child, you may take up to four weeks of paid leave at 100% of your current salary followed by two weeks where you ‘ll be back at work 50% of the time with 100% of your current salary.
If you require unpaid leave due to family commitments, then you must give the company a minimum of 21 days’ notice. A maximum of 13 weeks can be taken over a period of five years with a maximum amount of four weeks allowed in any one year.
Please provide as advance notice of your intent to use paid parental leave to your manager and directly to HR. Also, please give as much notice as possible as to when you will return to work.
An unpaid personal leave of absence may be granted upon request to regular full- and part-time employees for important pressing personal needs, at the discretion of the CEO. Unpaid personal leave is limited to one instance per year.
Requests for unpaid personal leave must be made in writing to your manager with a copy to HR@, indicating the reason and the length of leave. All unpaid leave must be approved by the CEO.