- Scope/Application
This policy applies to all employees who are / wish to be Reservists and / or Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAV) as CWR wishes to support employees who are members of the Reserve Forces in line with best practice.
2. Definitions
Volunteer Reservists
Civilians recruited into any of the three Volunteer Reserve Forces (The Maritime Reserve Forces which include The Royal Naval Reserve and The Royal Marines Reserves, The Army Reserves and The Royal Air Force Reserves made up of the RAF Reserve and Royal Auxiliary Air Force).
Regular reservists, ex-regular service personnel who may retain a liability to be mobilised depending on how long has been served in the Armed Forces.
Mobilisation date is the first day of whole-time service and the date the Reservist reports to the Mobilisation Centre.
Demobilisation is the date on which the Reservist commences Post Operational Leave.
Whole-time service is the entire period that the Reservist is paid by the Ministry of Defence.
Cadet Forces
The Cadet Forces consist of adult volunteer instructors that provide training to Cadets within Sea Cadets, the Army Cadet Force, the Air Cadets, and Combined Cadet Force.
- Introduction
This policy details CWR’s obligations and commitments and is based on guidance from SaBRE (Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers – part of the Ministry of Defence) and CWR’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Armed Forces Covenant is an agreement between the armed forces community, the nation, and the government.
We will adhere to the underlying principles that members of the Armed Forces Community face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services; and that special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given the most such as the injured or the bereaved. This sets out CWR’s commitment to offer a guaranteed interview scheme for ex-service personnel. Please see section 6 of this policy for more information. CWR employs staff who are members of the Reserves or CFAV’s and recognises the valuable contribution they make to the Armed Forces and their civilian workplace. Those staff who are in the Reserve Forces may be subject to call up and mobilisation and may also require regular time off for training to maintain their skills and readiness for deployment.
The training undertaken by Reservists or CFAV enables them to develop skills and abilities that can be of benefit to them as employees, and to CWR in terms of service delivery.
4. Training
We will support staff who are in the Reserves and CFAV’s who may be subject to call up and mobilisation and where possible will provide regular time off work for training to maintain their skills and readiness for deployment.
CWR will grant additional paid time off up to 5 days per annum (pro-rata for part-time employees) to Reservists and CFAV’s to attend training or camp duties.
Additional unpaid leave or annual leave from the employee’s normal annual allocation may be granted for short periods of training, provided adequate notice is given and where such training cannot be undertaken in off-duty time.
Line managers will as far as possible facilitate work rosters to allow attendance for annual camp and other training commitments.
Reservists and CFAV employees are required to give as much notice as possible to allow appropriate planning for absences. This should include detail of any required absence from the workplace at the beginning of each year and for any new employees as soon as they become employed. Permission will be granted where possible in line with service needs. Once given, permission will not be rescinded except in exceptional and extreme circumstances.
5. Mobilisation
CWR will support any mobilisation when a Reservist is called up into full-time military service on military operations. The maximum period of mobilisation will depend on the scale and the nature of the operation and is typically no less than 3 months and no longer than 12 months. The twelve-month period of mobilisation will cover training, deployment, and recuperation after service. Please see 2.4 paragraph to confirm payments during any mobilisation.
The employee should ensure any call-out papers for mobilisation is forwarded to CWR and their Line Manager is aware of the mobilisation. CWR recognises, there is no statutory requirement for a warning period prior to mobilisation, and also acknowledges the three distinct phases of mobilisation:
1. Medical and pre-deployment training.
2. Operational tour.
3. Demobilisation followed by post-operational leave
6. Appeals for Exemptions and Deferrals
In most cases, CWR will support Reservists who are mobilised. In exceptional circumstances, where it would cause the business obvious and significant harm, CWR will apply for exemption from or deferral of mobilisation within seven days of the mobilisation notice being served.
Should exemption not be granted by the Adjudication Officer, CWR reserves the right to appeal for a hearing by a Reserve Forces Appeals Tribunal.
This application should be made within five days of receipt of the Adjudication Officer’s decision. If the tribunal rejects the application for exemption or deferral, CWR must release the Reservist for mobilisation.
If the result of the Appeal is not known before the Reservist’s mobilisation date, the Reservist must be released to attend the Mobilisation Centre. If the Appeal or Tribunal is successful, the Reservist will be demobilised immediately.
7. Assistance with dependency issues
Treatment of Terms and Conditions during Mobilisation for Reservists and CFAV’s.
7.1 Pay
CWR will not pay salary or contractual benefits whilst they are mobilised. The employee should seek guidance from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in regard to salary, basic pay and contractual benefits.
7.2 Pension
If the Reservist has a contributory pension scheme, and chooses to remain in it, then the MoD will make the employer contributions for the period of mobilisation, as long as the employee continues to make their personal contributions.
7.3 Life Assurance / Death in Service
Life Assurance / Death in Service cover is provided by the Ministry of Defence during periods of deployment.
7.4 Annual Leave
Reservists and CFAV’s should be encouraged to take any holiday accrued before mobilisation to ensure annual leave is not lost. The carry forward of annual leave over and above five days is at the manager’s discretion.
Annual leave during the period of mobilisation will not accrue.
7.5 Continuous Service
Service will continue to accrue during the period of leave.
7.6 Return to work
Providing the employee informs their line manager of their intention to return to work following deployment (by e-mail or in writing), CWR has a legal obligation to reinstate the employee in the same type of job in which they were last employed, on terms and conditions no less favourable to them than previously. However, if this is not reasonable and/or practicable, the employee should be re-employed in a mutually acceptable alternative role. CWR must re-employ the employee as soon as they are reasonably able to do so from the date stated by the employee in their e-mail/ letter for reinstatement. This email/ letter must reach CWR no later than the 3rd Monday after the last day of whole-time service and must state the date they can return which should be no later than the 6th Monday after the end of whole-time service.
7.7 Financial Assistance
Financial Assistance for employers in the event of an employee who is a Reservist or CFAV being mobilised is governed by the Reserve Forces (Call out and recall) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2005. These cover additional costs above the normal earnings of the Called-up Reservist associated with replacing that employee.
There are 3 types of awards available:
One-off costs
• Agency fees, if a recruitment agency or employment agency is used to find a temporary replacement.
• Advertising costs.
• There is no financial cap on claims, but any claim must be supported by relevant documentation.
Recurring costs
• Financial assistance to cover additional salary costs incurred including overtime costs if other employees work overtime to cover the work of the Reservist.
• Costs of temporary replacement by the amount that such costs exceed earnings of the Reservist.
• The daily claim cannot exceed £110 per day. Claims can be made for every normal working day that the Reservist is away on service.
• An application for One-off costs and Recurring costs needs to be made within 4 weeks of the end of full time Reservist service.
Training Award
If a Reservist has to undertake additional or refresher training as a direct result of their mobilisation (routine training excluded), then CWR can make a claim for the cost.
8. Guaranteed Interview Scheme for Ex-service Personnel
8.1 Aims of the Scheme
Ex-service personnel can find it difficult to find and secure employment when making the transition to civilian life. The aims of the guaranteed interview scheme are to:
• Bring valuable transferable skills and qualities into the organisation.
• Assist ex-service personnel to overcome barriers in finding civilian employment.
• Help reduce the risk of ex-service personnel developing health and welfare problems because of long-term unemployment.
8.2 Eligibility
When an ex-service person applies for a job, they will be able to indicate on the application form if they wish to be considered under the scheme. A guaranteed interview will be offered to ex-service personnel, provided the following criteria are met:
• The current/ ex-service person (regular or reserve) meets the essential criteria for an advertised role.
• Should be in their resettlement period or ceased to be a member of HM Armed Forces.
There is no maximum time limit from when they have left HM Armed Forces to be eligible for this initiative.
Date of Policy: October 2024
Next Revision Date: October 2025