Bupa UK Geography
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1. Scope
This policy applies to all Bupa UK Geography employees and excludes all non-employed e.g. bank, self-employed, contractors, agency workers.
This policy does not form part of your contract of employment and will be reviewed from time to time to ensure that it reflects Bupa’s legal obligations and business needs.
2. Purpose
We want people to love working for Bupa so we’re committed to working practices and policies that reward loyalty, increase employee engagement and support our purpose of helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives.
The Bupa Code means that we work to high professional standards and stay safe and well. We recognise that to provide great service we need great people and your wellbeing is important to us.
Career breaks provide our people who have ten years or more service with Bupa the opportunity to request an extended period of leave. A career break can provide you with the opportunity to pursue personal development; for example, voluntary service overseas, further education, an extended period of travel or time to support a personal/family commitment.
This policy explains eligibility, how to request a career break and our approach to processing your application.
3. Responsibilities
You are responsible for making sure that: • You comply with this policy • You have an initial conversation with your manager to discuss your plan to take a career break, the dates you are considering and the effect of your proposed leave on your colleagues and Bupa. • Following this initial conversation, and at least three months before you would like to start your career break, you must submit your request on Workday. If you are a non Workday user you should complete, the career break application form and return it to your manager at least three months before you would like to take the leave. • If your request is approved, you work with your manager to develop a plan to ensure your job responsibilities are covered in your absence.
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• If you wish to return to work early from a career break, you contact your manager at least 28 calendar days before your revised return date. • If you're a senior manager performing a Senior Management Function (SMF) role or Certified Individual under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SM&CR), please also refer to both the SM&CR Fitness and Propriety policy and the SM&CR Handover policy to ensure you understand any further responsibilities applicable to you
Your manager is responsible for making sure that: • They deal with your request for a career break as soon as possible and let you know if there is going to be any delay. • Approvals are confirmed in writing. Where possible, this should be within 28 calendar days of receipt of your application. • If your request is approved, they work with you to develop a plan to cover your leave. • If they are unable to agree to the request due to the impact on your colleagues/team, they arrange to meet with you to discuss alternative options and/or dates. • Performance reviews take into account any career breaks.
4. Key points
4.1 Eligibility for a career break If you have completed ten years or more continuous service with Bupa, you may request a career break.
Requests will not be accepted if you have:
• Received a final written warning in the past 12 months. • Submitted a previous career break request in the past 12 months
If you did not achieve a satisfactory level of performance in your previous annual review, we will consider your request but it would be unpaid, irrespective of length of service.
4.2 Timing and length of career breaks You may take one career break after ten years’ service and one after 20 years. There is no extra career break after 30 or 40 years.
Only one career break can be taken in any ten year period; i.e. one career break between ten and twenty years’ service and one break after twenty years’ service. Career breaks cannot run consecutively; i.e. taking one career break after nineteen years’ and nine months’ service and the second immediately after the twenty year anniversary.
The maximum career break that can be taken is twelve weeks.
The leave must be taken in a continuous block and cannot be split into separate periods of leave.
4.3 How to request a career break To request a career break, please submit your request on Workday or, if you are a non Workday user, complete the Bupa UK career break application form and return it to your manager at least three months before you plan to start your career break.
There is no automatic right to have your request granted but each application will be considered individually. Some of the factors which will be taken into account when considering a request are as follows:
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• the purpose of, or reasons for, the career break; • the operational requirements of the business; • the impact on other members of your team; • whether you have a unique set of skills, experience and knowledge that would be difficult to cover during your absence; • more generally, whether your duties could be adequately covered by others during your absence.
If your manager is unable to agree to your request for a career break, and no alternative options and/or dates are agreed, there is no right of appeal. You will be able to make a further request after twelve months from the date of the original request.
4.4 Pay and benefits during a career break
Employees with 10 or more years’ service (but less than 20 years)
• Base salary – career breaks will be unpaid.
• Holiday – you will continue to accrue holiday entitlement (including any public holidays) whilst on a career break. Holiday entitlement and a career break can run consecutively, if agreed by your manager.
• Pensions – if you are a member of a Bupa pension scheme, pensionable service will continue as though no leave had been taken. Pension contributions during a career break are determined by the individual pension scheme. Further information can be obtained from the Pensions team by raising a case in ServiceNow. If you are a Bupa Care Services employee, you should contact the team on 0161 240 4357 or email them on [email protected].
• Life Assurance and Income Protection – any cover provided through a Bupa Pension Scheme will continue during a career break.
• Staff bonus scheme - you will not be eligible to accrue any staff bonus whilst on a career break. Any bonus payment will be made on a pro-rata basis based on the actual months you worked during the bonus year. If you are hourly-paid, any staff bonus will be calculated on your base pay.
• Management bonus scheme - you will not be eligible to accrue any management bonus whilst on a career break. Any bonus payment will be made on a pro-rata basis based on the actual months you worked during the bonus year.
• Other benefits – all other benefits will continue during a career break. If your role has a company car, you will be allowed to retain the car during a career break, provided it is not used in conjunction with any other work or business during the career break, as such use is not covered under the insurance policy.
Employees with 20 or more years’ service:
• Base salary – will be paid for the first six weeks of a career break. The remaining period of leave will be unpaid.
• Holiday – you will continue to accrue holiday (including public holidays) whilst on a career break. Holiday entitlement and a career break can run consecutively, if agreed by your manager.
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• Pensions – if you are a member of a Bupa pension scheme, pensionable service will continue as though no leave had been taken. Pension contributions during a career break are determined by the individual pension scheme. Further information can be obtained from the Pensions team by raising a case in ServiceNow. If you are a Bupa Care Services employee, you should contact the team on 0161 240 4357 or email them on [email protected].
• Life Assurance and Income Protection – any cover provided through a Bupa Pension Scheme will continue during a career break.
• Staff bonus scheme - You will be entitled to accrue staff bonus on any paid leave that is part of your career break. You will not be entitled to accrue staff bonus on any unpaid leave that is part of your career break. Any bonus payment will be made on a pro-rata basis based on the actual months you worked during the bonus year. If you are hourly-paid, any staff bonus will be calculated on your base pay.
• Management bonus scheme - You will be entitled to accrue management bonus on any paid leave that is part of your career break. You will not be entitled to accrue management bonus on any unpaid leave that is part of your career break. Any bonus payment will be made on a pro- rata basis based on the actual months you worked during the bonus year.
• Other benefits – all other benefits will continue during a career break. If your role has a company car, you will be allowed to retain the car during a career break, provided it is not used in conjunction with any other work or business during the career break, as such use is not covered under the insurance policy.
4.5 During a career break You should agree with your manager a suitable method of keeping in contact with you during your career break (e.g. via email) so that you can be kept up to date with important workplace developments. You agree that the business can maintain reasonable contact with you during your career break.
If your position is put at risk of redundancy while you’re on a career break, you’ll be included in the redundancy consultation.
Your obligations of loyalty and confidentiality will continue to apply during your career break. You should not take up paid employment with another employer during your career break except where, for example, work overseas or charitable work may broaden skills and/or experience. In such cases, prior written consent from Bupa would be required.
4.6 Returning to work after a career break You will be entitled to return to your previous role following a career break.
If you take a career break you will not be treated unfavourably as a result and will have the same career and development opportunities as other Bupa employees.
5 Consequences Failure to comply with this policy may result in action being taken in accordance with our disciplinary policy.
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Appendices Bupa documents Career break FAQs The Bupa Code Redundancy policy SM&CR Fitness and Propriety Policy Handover Policy SM&CR
Bupa forms Bupa UK – career break application form
Document Control
Information Security Business Use Only Classification: Publication People Place (externally visible) location:
Title/Version: BGUK and Bupa Group Career Break Policy
Author/s: Heather Pang Policy Consultant
MU Exec Sponsor People Director, Bupa Global & UK
Owner: People Operations Director, Bupa Global & UK
Approval forum: BGUK People Policy Review Board (sub-committee to BGUK People Risk Committee)
Date Approved: May 2020
Valid from: July 2015
Next Review Date: May 2021
Change History
Version Status Date Author / Editor Details of Change (Brief detailed summary of all updates/changes) V2.0 LIVE 21.06.21 Heather Pang Pensions contact information updated to signpost to ServiceNow as main POC.
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Change History
Version Status Date Author / Editor Details of Change (Brief detailed summary of all updates/changes)
The latest approved version of this document supersedes all other versions, upon receipt of the latest approved version all other versions should be destroyed, unless specifically stated that previous version(s) are to remain extant. If any doubt, please contact the document Author.
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