Flexible Employee Handbook

1. Before and during an assignment

We will give you an Assignment Confirmation with the client, location, duties, expected hours, rate and known site requirements before an assignment or, if urgent, as soon as reasonably practicable. Follow the agreed duties and tell your Recruit Mint contact if the client asks you to change role, location, hours or duties materially. Only undertake work you are trained and authorised to do.

Your agreement has no guaranteed hours. Recruit Mint currently aims, subject to demand, suitability and your availability, to offer at least 336 hours of assignment work in a rolling 12 months; this is an operational aim, not a guarantee. You may accept or decline an offered assignment or shift; declining one does not by itself end your employment. Once you accept work, attend it or promptly tell us about a genuine reason you cannot. Ending an assignment does not automatically end your employment with Recruit Mint. You can take other work, provided you meet the limits and commitments in your agreement. Tell us if a client offers you a direct role so we can coordinate the change; you are free to pursue it.

Arrive ready for your scheduled start time. On your first day, allow time for travel and site induction. If you may be late, contact us and the site contact as soon as possible. Keep your address, telephone number, bank details, right-to-work documents, relevant licence or qualification and availability up to date. Use the Recruit Mint worker portal to manage availability where you have been given access. Tell us promptly if visa conditions or restrictions on working hours change. If you have Student immigration permission, provide term dates and observe the work limit across all employers; the relevant week runs Monday to Sunday. Share health information confidentially with Recruit Mint where relevant to safety or an adjustment you need.

2. Hours, breaks and time records

Record the hours you actually work

Follow the clock-in, clock-out, timesheet or site system specified for your assignment. Record actual starts, finishes and breaks accurately; never work off the clock or ask anyone to clock for you. If your hours are missing or wrong, tell Recruit Mint promptly and keep any evidence you have. Where a manual weekly timesheet is required, submit it for approval by 10am Monday for the previous week, unless your assignment instructions give another deadline. Monitoring and any biometric attendance method are subject to the separate privacy information and safeguards in your agreement.

A missing or unsigned timesheet can take time to verify, but you will be paid for all hours you have worked. We cannot refuse payment because a client has not signed your timesheet or has not paid us. Tell payroll immediately about any pay or hours discrepancy.

Working time and overtime

Your shift pattern is set out in your Assignment Confirmation. Check proposed overtime or shift changes with Recruit Mint; any enhanced rate must be confirmed before you work it. Your working time must normally average no more than 48 hours a week over the relevant reference period unless you voluntarily sign a separate opt-out. Tell us about other work so we can assess total hours and fatigue risks. Different limits can apply to young workers, night workers and professional drivers.

Rest and breaks

• If you work more than six hours in a day, you are normally entitled to an uninterrupted break of at least 20 minutes during the shift.
• You are normally entitled to 11 consecutive hours of daily rest and 24 hours of weekly rest, or 48 hours per fortnight. Some roles have lawful exceptions with compensatory rest.
• Take and record the breaks you actually have. Do not record a break that was not taken. Report missed breaks or unsafe scheduling immediately.

3. Absence and sickness

If you cannot attend an accepted shift because of illness or injury, contact Recruit Mint as soon as possible and, wherever practicable, at least 90 minutes before the shift starts. Also follow any site notification rules. Keep us updated about when you expect to return; tell us about planned appointments or jury service as soon as you know the dates.

Self-certify as required and provide a fit note if sickness lasts more than seven consecutive calendar days. Subject to eligibility, Statutory Sick Pay is payable from the first full qualifying day of sickness, without the former three waiting days or lower earnings threshold. For 2026/27, the weekly amount is the lower of 80% of average weekly earnings and £123.25, for up to the statutory maximum period. Contact payroll if you are unsure or if you receive an SSP1 explaining that you do not qualify.

4. Holiday and holiday pay

Your holiday year runs from 1 January to 31 December. Under your flexible employment agreement you are an irregular-hours employee and accrue statutory leave at 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period, subject to the statutory rounding rules and the cap of 28 days. If the law or your Assignment Confirmation gives you more leave, the higher entitlement applies.

Ask Recruit Mint for holiday before making plans. Aim to request it at least two weeks in advance, especially when you are booked on a continuing assignment; we will consider shorter-notice requests where possible. We will explain your accrued balance and how holiday pay is calculated. Unless we give you written notice that lawful rolled-up holiday pay applies, holiday pay is paid when approved leave is taken. If rolled-up holiday pay applies, it is a separately identifiable 12.07% addition on each payslip; you must still take time away from work.

Plan to take your leave during your leave year. Statutory leave can be carried forward in circumstances set by law, including some cases of sickness or family leave, or where there was no reasonable opportunity to take it. Any accrued untaken holiday is normally paid when your employment ends, not simply when an assignment ends. If you have taken more paid holiday than you accrued, the excess may be recovered as provided in your agreement and subject to law. After 12 qualifying weeks in the same job with the same hirer, more favourable holiday terms may apply under the Agency Workers Regulations.

5. Pay, tax and pensions

Pay is made weekly in arrears, normally by bank transfer; our usual payday is Friday for the previous week’s work. We will provide an itemised payslip electronically. If pay looks wrong, send us the relevant shifts, actual hours and any supporting record promptly. You will be paid at least the applicable legal minimum and at the rate in your Assignment Confirmation.

We deduct PAYE Income Tax and employee National Insurance where applicable, and other deductions required by law. Give payroll your P45 or starter checklist when you join. If your PAYE employment with Recruit Mint ends, we will issue a P45 as required; ending one assignment does not necessarily end your engagement with us. For personal tax-code questions, contact HMRC.

We assess workplace pension duties in line with automatic enrolment rules; our current workplace scheme is NEST. We will write to you about eligibility, contributions, any lawful postponement and how to opt in or opt out. Postponement can be up to three months; enrolment is not automatically delayed for exactly 12 weeks. Your pension rights depend on your age and earnings.

There is no charge for work-finding services or required PPE. The agreement permits certain lawful deductions, where applicable, for genuine accidental overpayments, excess holiday pay, loans or advances, and the reasonable replacement cost of unreturned property or property damaged deliberately or negligently. We will normally explain a proposed non-statutory deduction and consider reasonable repayment arrangements. Deductions must comply with minimum-wage law; see your agreement and Key Information Document for details.

6. Agency worker rights

From the first day of an assignment, agency workers have the right to access the hirer’s shared facilities on the applicable terms and to see information about its vacancies. After 12 qualifying weeks in the same role with the same hirer, equal treatment in certain basic working and employment conditions, including pay and annual leave, may apply. Tell us about previous assignments with the same hirer, including through another agency, so we can assess the qualifying period correctly.

As a flexible employee, you can make a statutory flexible-working request from your first day of employment. Eligible employees also have statutory rights to family, bereavement, carer’s and other leave; day-one rights to paternity leave and unpaid parental leave took effect in April 2026. Notice and pay eligibility differ by right, so contact us early to discuss your circumstances and the procedures that apply.

7. Health, safety and equipment

Follow the site induction, safety instructions, manual-handling rules, food safety procedures, COSHH controls and any licensing requirements for your role. Use the correct PPE and equipment; do not use machinery unless you have been trained and authorised. Ask if you do not understand a task or instruction.

Report a hazard, near miss, injury or road traffic incident immediately to your site contact and Recruit Mint. If work appears unsafe, stop and seek guidance. Follow the site’s fire and emergency arrangements. Tell us if you need a reasonable adjustment or have a safety concern about working at night or on long shifts.

Night workers must be offered a free health assessment before starting regular night work and at appropriate intervals afterwards; you may decline it. Training required for the role will be provided or funded where the law requires, and counted as working time where applicable. If you drive as part of an assignment, hold the appropriate valid licence, follow the applicable driving-hours rules and report incidents promptly. Tell us about fines or penalties so liability can be assessed on the facts rather than assumed automatically.

8. Conduct, dignity and security

Treat colleagues, clients and the public with respect. Follow reasonable site rules on dress, hygiene, smoking, security and use of equipment. Do not attend work impaired by alcohol or drugs. Follow lawful security and search procedures that respect your dignity and privacy, and report any concern to us.

We do not tolerate bullying, discrimination, sexual harassment or victimisation. You may join or not join a trade union and must not suffer unlawful detriment for that choice. Protect confidential information and personal data you see during an assignment. Return property and access credentials when requested or when an assignment ends. Do not speak on behalf of Recruit Mint or a client without permission. This does not prevent you from raising a grievance, reporting wrongdoing, contacting a regulator or making another legally protected disclosure.

Allegations of misconduct will be considered fairly, with an opportunity to respond. We may suspend you from an assignment while investigating without assuming an outcome; pay during a suspension follows your agreement and the law. Serious misconduct can result in an assignment ending or, after an appropriate process, dismissal without notice where lawful. You will be told how to appeal a formal decision.

9. Concerns, policies and contact

For an issue with shifts, pay, treatment at work or safety, contact your Recruit Mint consultant or payroll team. You can raise a concern informally or submit a written grievance; you do not have to resolve it informally first. We will explain the next steps, consider it fairly and keep information as confidential as we reasonably can.

Report suspected exploitation, threats, forced work or other serious wrongdoing to us promptly. You may also contact the Fair Work Agency independently. For confidential advice on employment rights, contact Acas. Ask your consultant for full policies on equality, dignity at work, whistleblowing, family leave, grievances or health and safety, and for an accessible version of this handbook.

Recruit Mint Ltd
17 Church Walk, Peterborough PE1 2TP
01733 802300 · peterborough@recruitmint.com

10. Ending an assignment or employment

A client or Recruit Mint may end an assignment without notice. You may also end an assignment by telling Recruit Mint as early as possible; you do not need to give the client notice. In each case, your employment with Recruit Mint may continue between assignments. If you want to end your employment, tell us explicitly in writing so we can process notice, final pay and your P45 correctly.

After one month of continuous employment, your agreement requires one week’s written notice from you to end employment. Recruit Mint gives at least the statutory notice due under your agreement and length of service. We will pay any accrued untaken holiday due on termination, subject to lawful deductions, and you must return Company and client property. Please keep in contact between assignments; not responding to messages is not automatically treated as resignation.