KOUT FOOD GROUP

EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK

Date of issue: June 2017

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Contents
1 WELCOME TO KOUT FOOD GROUP (KFG) ....................................................................................... 3
2 USING THE EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK ............................................................................................... 3
3 PERSONAL DETAILS ...................................................................................................................... 3
4 EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICY .................................................................................................... 3
5 ELIGIBILITY TO WORK IN THE UK ................................................................................................... 4
6 DRESS CODE AND PERSONAL APPEARANCE ................................................................................. 4
6.1 Dress Code for Head Office Employees 4
6.2 Dress Code for Store/Factory Employees 4
7 PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOUR.......................................................................................................... 5
8 PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AT WORK ........................................................................................... 5
9 RELATIVES 5
10 WORKPLACE BENEFITS ................................................................................................................. 6
10.1 Staff Meal Allowance for Stores 6
10.2 Bonus 6
11 EXPENSES .................................................................................................................................... 6
12 HOLIDAY POLICY ........................................................................................................................... 6
13 REST BREAKS AT WORK ............................................................................................................... 7
14 FAMILY FRIENDLY POLICIES .......................................................................................................... 8
14.1 Ante-natal Appointments, Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave Policies8
14.2 Parental Leave Policy 8
14.3 Time Off For Dependants Policy 9
15 FLEXIBLE WORKING POLICY ........................................................................................................ 10
16 ABSENCE (INCLUDING SICKNESS ABSENCE) POLICY ................................................................... 12
17 MANAGING LONG TERM SICKNESS ABSENCE ............................................................................. 15
18 DISCIPLINARY POLICY ................................................................................................................. 16
19 GRIEVANCE POLICY..................................................................................................................... 19
20 ANTI-HARASSMENT AND BULLYING POLICY ................................................................................. 21
21 WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY .......................................................................................................... 22
22 NO-SMOKING POLICY.................................................................................................................. 23
23 SUBSTANCE MISUSE POLICY ....................................................................................................... 23
24 HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY ...................................................................................................... 24
24.1 Accidents 25
24.2 Fire safety 25
24.3 Personal protective equipment 25
25 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS POLICY ..................................................... 25
26 SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY ................................................................................................................ 26
27 DATA PROTECTION POLICY .......................................................................................................... 26
28 RIGHT TO SEARCH & CCTV .......................................................................................................... 27
29 COMPANY PROPERTY ................................................................................................................. 27
30 GIFTS AND TIPS FROM CUSTOMERS ........................................................................................... 28
31 TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT ................................................................................................. 28
32 CONFIDENTIALITY ....................................................................................................................... 29

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1 WELCOME TO KOUT FOOD GROUP (KFG)

We are very pleased to welcome you and hope that your career with us will be long, happy and rewarding.
You are now part of a multi-national company, headquartered in Kuwait called Kout Food Group (KFG). We own
and run nearly 100 franchised and speciality restaurants in Kuwait and other parts of the Middle East. In the UK
we have a portfolio of franchised and own brands, running over 150 stores.

Central to our values is passion for food and service. People are at the heart of what we do, and delighting our
customers is what motivates us. KFG is a very unique and successful company. You will be helping to continue our
success and of course create your own.

2 USING THE EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK

This Employee Handbook sets out the main policies and procedures that you will need to be aware of while working
for KFG. You should familiarise yourself with it and comply with it at all times. Any questions you may have with
regard to its contents or what you have to do to comply with it should be referred to your Manager.

The policies and procedures set out in this handbook apply to all employees. They do not form part of the terms of
your contract with us which will be provided to you separately.

The Employee Handbook will be reviewed to ensure that its provisions continue to meet our legal obligations and
reflect best practice. KFG may change our policies and procedures at any time and you will receive notification of
these from your Manager.

3 PERSONAL DETAILS

Each employee must provide us with their personal details including their name, home address, phone number,
email address, bank details, next of kin and emergency contact telephone numbers. You must inform your
Manager straight away if any of your details change.

KFG will not be responsible for any problems that occur if you have not advised us of new personal details. It is
also important that KFG maintain accurate details in case an employee has an accident.

Information is held in confidence and is only used when needed. All data will be stored and processed in
accordance with our obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 (see our Data Protection Policy).

4 EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICY

KFG are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all employees and job applicants. We aim to create a
working environment in which all individuals are able to make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or
harassment, and in which all decisions are based on merit.

KFG do not discriminate against employees and job applicants because of age, disability, gender reassignment,
marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin),
religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation (known as “Protected Characteristics”).

The principles of non-discrimination and equality of opportunity apply to the way in which employees treat each
other, customers, potential customers, suppliers, potential suppliers and former employees.

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All employees have a duty to act in accordance with this policy and treat colleagues with dignity at all times, and
not to discriminate against or harass anyone, regardless of their status. Please check our separate Anti-
harassment and Bullying policy in this Handbook.

You also have a responsibility to report any discrimination that you witness. If you believe that you may have
witnessed discrimination or have been subject to discrimination, you should raise the matter immediately through
our Grievance Policy. Alternatively, if you believe you have been subject to harassment you should raise the matter
immediately through our Anti-harassment and Bullying Policy. If you need advice, please speak to the HR
Department.

Allegations regarding potential breaches of this policy will be treated in confidence and investigated in accordance
with the relevant procedure. Employees who make such allegations in good faith will not be victimised or treated
less favourably as a result. False allegations which are found to have been made in bad faith will be dealt with
under our Disciplinary Policy.

Any employee who is found to have committed an act of discrimination will be subject to disciplinary action. Such
behaviour may constitute gross misconduct and, as such, may result in summary dismissal. KFG treat any breach
of this policy seriously.

5 ELIGIBILITY TO WORK IN THE UK

It is a legal requirement that you have permission to work in the United Kingdom. By law, we need to see evidence
that you have a right to undertake the work we are offering you. Prior to commencing employment, all employees
will be required to show us the original of one or more documents which demonstrates your right to work in the
United Kingdom. We will not be able to employ you without seeing and taking a copy of this information.

If you do not provide the documentary evidence required or you do not register with the agencies you are supposed
to (depending on your nationality and status in the UK), any offer of employment made will be withdrawn.

If you have obtained a visa to work in the UK, it is your responsibility to ensure you maintain the required work
permissions throughout your employment with us. If such permissions lapse, are revoked or otherwise cease, your
employment may be terminated without notice. You warrant that you are entitled to work in the United Kingdom
without any additional approvals and will notify us immediately if you cease to be so entitled during your
employment.

Please be aware that we may need to share information regarding your employment with the Home Office from
time to time.

6 DRESS CODE AND PERSONAL APPEARANCE

As an employee of KFG your appearance is important to the business. Whilst we appreciate and respect that
everyone is an individual, your personal appearance is a reflection of our standards of cleanliness and
professionalism.

6.1 Dress Code for Head Office Employees

KFG expect everyone to maintain an appropriate standard of dress and personal appearance at work and to
conduct themselves in a professional manner.
You must portray a professional business image and dress in a smart, neat, well-groomed and presentable
manner. Employees must look business like and smart.

6.2 Dress Code for Store

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Depending on the brand you work and the position you have, you will receive a uniform and/or be asked to provide
specific garments/footwear. If given a uniform, you will sign a form to confirm receipt of it, and you must return
them when you leave, or the cost of issuing them will be deducted from your final pay (as authorised by you in your
contract).

You are required to wear the full uniform in its entirety on all occasions that you are at work and representing the
company outside of the premises.

As your employer, it is our duty to supply appropriate safety equipment to all employees who require them. Personal
Protective Equipment must be worn at all times.

Hair must be kept neat and tidy. Jewellery should be appropriate to your working environment. Your Manager will
issue you with the complete dress code policy applicable to your specific workplace and/or role.

Failure to follow the appropriate dress code, uniform and safety equipment, may result in disciplinary action.

7 PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOUR

The personal conduct of our employees should promote KFG in the best possible manner at all times. We expect
the highest standards of professional behaviour in the workplace.

At KFG we expect our employees to promote KFG positively and act in a responsible, respectful and professional
manner when dealing with colleagues, customers and suppliers.

KFG require our employees to treat each other with dignity and respect.

8 PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AT WORK

At KFG we understand that we all spend a lot of time at work and sometimes people form personal relationships
with their colleagues. If personal and working relationships overlap, we want to make sure that all of our business
continues to be carried out in a professional way.

If you are in a personal relationship with a work colleague, you should tell your Manager so they and you can
prevent any conflict of interest, trust or breach of confidentiality.

If two colleagues are in or develop a personal relationship and one is the other’s Manager or supervisor, they must
report it immediately to the most senior person’s Manager or HR. An employee must not be involved in recruiting
someone whom they are in a personal relationship with, nor must they carry out their appraisal or be responsible
for promoting them. They must also not take part in any other managerial activity involving that person.

If you are in a personal relationship with a Manager, it is likely that there will be a need to make alternative working
arrangements and these will be confirmed to you both in writing. If your Manager cannot avoid telling your
colleagues about your relationship in order to explain a change in working arrangements, your Manager will discuss
this with you first.

If you are not sure about whether you should tell your Manager about a personal relationship with a colleague, you
can speak to the HR Team in confidence.

9 RELATIVES

We do not encourage you to work under the direct supervision or leadership of a member of your family, in-laws
included. An employee must not be involved in recruiting a relative, nor must they carry out their appraisal or be
responsible for promoting them. They must also not take part in any other managerial activity involving that person.

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You must report this to your Manager or HR, so whenever possible arrangements will be made to change line
management responsibilities.

10 WORKPLACE BENEFITS

The following workplace benefits are provided at the discretion of the Company. The Company may withdraw these
benefits at any time, or amend the relevant benefit scheme.

10.1 Staff Meal Allowance for Stores

You will be issued with a daily food allowance, depending on the brand and the hours you work. Please speak to
your Manager for more details.

You must choose your food while you are on your break and present it to your Manager so they record it. This must
be done before consuming the food during your break and if you do not do so, it is a potential disciplinary offence.

It can only be consumed at work in your allocated break time (e.g.: you cannot eat while on duty) and cannot be
packed to take away from the store. If you want to eat more than your allowance, you will be required to pay for
any extra products you have chosen.

The food allowance is for your personal use only and you are not permitted to give your allowance to someone
else, whether they are a fellow employee or any other person. If you do not use your food allowance you are not
permitted to carry it over to another day or take the cash equivalent.

You are not permitted to remove any food or drinks from their designated areas without permission and you are
not permitted to take any food or drink from the premises at any time.

Any breach of this policy may result in disciplinary action, including dismissal.

10.2 Bonus

KFG may run at times a bonus scheme which is non-contractual and discretionary. If you are eligible to participate
your Manager will inform you. We have the right to change or withdraw any bonus scheme at any time.
It is a condition of eligibility for any bonus that you are in employment and not subject to notice (whether served
by you or by us) at the date upon which payment is due to be made.
You will receive further information on the rules of the scheme if you are eligible to participate.

11 EXPENSES

If you are entitled to expenses, your Manager will provide you with the Expenses Policy. Any attempt to claim
expenses in breach of the policy may result in disciplinary action, including dismissal. Please check with your
Manager before incurring any expense.

12 HOLIDAY POLICY

Your holiday allowance will be as per your Contract of Employment.

Holiday can only be taken with prior approval of your Manager. All requests will be dealt on a first come, first served
basis. Requests for holidays should be submitted to your Manager at least 4 weeks prior to the start of the required
holiday period using the appropriate form.

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Your Manager will let you know if your holiday has been approved. If we are unable to authorise your leave, your
Manager will offer you alternative days.

You will only be permitted to take a maximum of 10 days holiday at any one time. If you want more than 10 days,
you must submit your request to your Manager at least 3 months before the holiday. Holidays requests in excess
of 10 days must be approved by a Senior Manager.

You should not book any flights, book any holidays or make any holiday arrangements unless your Manager has
approved your holiday leave. No responsibility will be accepted for monies lost as a consequence of your failure
to comply with this policy.

If your holiday is declined, you will have to work. If you go on holiday without approval, we will treat this as
unauthorised absence which is unpaid and could lead to disciplinary action which may include your dismissal.

To help run the business and manage holidays, we reserve the right to require you to take a certain amount of
your holiday entitlement within a specific time frame. This could also include times when your place of work is
closed. For example, during Christmas period, you may be required to reserve holidays. We will aim to give you
reasonable notice of holiday allocation, although it may not always be possible. If your place of work is closed
during public and bank holidays a holiday day will be deducted.

Your Manager will let you know if there are any times of the year when you cannot take a holiday. This will change
depending on your place of work, for example during Summer Holidays.

If you hand in your notice and want to use any outstanding holidays as part of your notice period, you must discuss
this with your Manager at the time you submit your notice. Your Manager is not under any obligation to allow this
as it will depend on the needs of the business. We may also require you to use any outstanding holidays during
your notice period.

You cannot carry over unused allowance into the next holiday year unless you have been unable to take your
holiday due to sickness, maternity or adoption leave (see below).

Upon termination of your employment, payment will be made for unused accrued holiday entitlement (pro rata to
the current holiday year). If you have taken more holiday entitlement than you have accrued during the year, the
balance will be deducted from any outstanding pay.

12.1 Maternity or adoption leave and holidays

If you are on maternity or adoption leave, we will process payment of any accrued outstanding holiday at the end
of the holiday year. If you submit a written request 4 weeks before holiday year end; we will allow you to carry a
maximum of 5 days over to the next calendar year.

12.2 Holiday and sickness

If you have booked an approved holiday, and you are off work because you are ill immediately before you are due
to go on leave and your illness is anticipated to continue into your holiday, you can if you wish request to cancel
all or part of your holiday by providing us a medical certificate to cover the dates in question. You must comply with
the standard sickness and absence notification procedures. You can then re-book the holiday following standard
booking procedures.

13 REST BREAKS AT WORK

Your break entitlement shall be in accordance with legislation in force. The timing of the break may vary and will
be determined by your Manager. You have the right to 20 minute unpaid break if working more than 6 hours
shift.

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 13.1 Breaks For Young Workers

A young worker is over school leaving age but less than 18 years. You are of compulsory school age until the last
Friday in June of the school year (1st September – 31st August) when you have your 16th birthday.

You can have a 30 minute unpaid break if you work more than four and a half hours. Your Manager can provide
you with further details.

14 FAMILY FRIENDLY POLICIES

KFG follow good employment practice and honour our statutory obligations as an employer in respect of family
friendly policies.

14.1 Ante-natal Appointments, Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave Policies

The law relating to ante-natal appointments, maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave is detailed
and subject to change by the government.

The Company follows statutory provisions in relation to maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption leave
but will require your support in notifying us of your intentions at the earliest opportunity. As these policies
regularly change, they are not detailed in the Employee Handbook. Full details of these Company’s policies are
available from the HR department upon request.

14.2 Parental Leave Policy

Parental leave is defined as unpaid time off work taken for the purpose of caring for a child or making
arrangements for the child’s welfare. It is separate from Shared Parental Leave.

Employees who have completed 1 year's service with KFG are entitled to 18 weeks' unpaid parental leave for each
child, adopted child; or otherwise care for a child for whom you have responsibility, up to their 18th birthday. You
have responsibility for a child if you:

(a) are the child's biological mother or father (whether or not you are living with the child);
(b) are the child's adoptive parent; or
(c) otherwise have legal parental responsibility for the child,

You are not permitted to take more than 4 weeks’ parental leave in respect of any individual child during a year.
A year is the period of 12 months starting with the date on which you first became entitled (with us) to take parental
leave in respect of that child, and each successive period of 12 months.

Parental leave must be taken in blocks or multiples of 1 week. The only exception to this is parents of disabled
children who can take leave in multiples of 1 day. In the case of multiple births (twins, triplets, etc.) 18 weeks leave
is provided for each child.
In the case of part time employees, the leave will be in proportion to the time worked, e.g. an employee who works
2 days per week will have the right to 26 days’ leave per annum.

Employees will remain employed while on parental leave but will not be entitled to the following:
 Basic salary;
 Accrual of discretionary bonus; and
 Pension contributions (if any)

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Although employees are not paid during parental leave, they retain all employment rights (with the exception of
the above) and the absence counts as continuous service.

Employees who take parental leave for a period of 4 weeks or less are entitled to return to the job in which they
were employed before their absence, unless it was immediately preceded by a period of statutory leave which
includes a period of additional maternity leave or additional adoption leave.

Employees who take parental leave for a period of more than 4 weeks (or parental leave for a period of 4 weeks
or less that was immediately preceded by a period of statutory leave which included a period of additional maternity
leave or additional adoption leave) are entitled to either return to the job in which they were employed before their
absence or, if that is not reasonably practicable, to another job which is suitable and appropriate for them to do.

Employees remain bound by the terms and conditions of their employment with us during any period of parental
leave.

Applications for parental leave should be made to your Manager. A minimum of 21 days’ notice is required for
each period of parental leave. Applications must specify the dates on which the period of leave is to begin and
end.

The first time that parental leave is requested in respect of each child, you must provide the birth certificate of the
child. If the child is, or is to be adopted, evidence must be provided of that adoption; the age of the child and the
date the adoption took place or is due to take place. If the child is one in respect of which you have been granted
parental responsibility, the age of the child and proof of parental responsibility needs to be supplied. If the child is
disabled, you will need to provide evidence of the award of disability living allowance for your child.

Where the employee is the father of the child, and the period of leave is to begin when the child is born, employees
must:

 specify the expected week of childbirth and how long the period of leave is to last; and
 give KFG at least 21 days’ notice before the beginning of the expected week of childbirth.

In the case of adoption, where leave is to begin on the date of the placement, employees must:

 specify the week in which the placement is expected to occur and the duration of the period of leave; and
 give KFG at least 21 days’ notice before the beginning of that week (or as soon as is reasonably
practicable).

Except where parental leave is to be taken immediately after the birth of the child or adoption of the child, we may
within 7 days of receiving a request for parental leave, refuse the request for parental leave if it is felt that the
granting of the leave would have a substantial adverse effect on the operation of the business.

However, the parental leave can be taken within 6 months after the period originally requested by you. Should a
request for parental leave be postponed, we will inform you in writing of the reasons for the refusal and confirm
the dates when parental leave can be taken.

If we refuse an application for parental leave, and the child reaches the age of 18 before (or during) the postponed
parental leave, you will remain entitled to take the parental leave.

You should notify your Manager or the HR Department of previous parental leave taken. If you fail to provide this
information and leave is subsequently applied for and taken, disciplinary action may be taken as per the
Disciplinary Policy.

14.3 Time Off For Dependants Policy

We understand that there will be occasions when you will need to take time off work to deal with unexpected
events involving someone close to you.
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This time off for dependant’s policy gives all employees the right to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off
work to deal with certain situations for example when it is necessary to:

 provide immediate assistance when a dependant falls ill, gives birth, is injured or assaulted;
 make longer-term care arrangements for a dependant who becomes unexpectedly ill or injured;
 deal with the unexpected disruption, termination or breakdown of arrangements for the care of a dependant.

A dependant for the purposes of this policy is:

 an employee's spouse, civil partner, parent or child;

 a person who lives in the same household as you, but who is not your tenant, lodger, boarder or employee

Employees are only entitled to take time off under this policy to provide personal care for a dependant where there
is an immediate crisis. If you know in advance that you wish to take time off to care for a dependant yourself, this
policy will not apply. You should take advice from your Manager if you need to take time off work in these
circumstances.

Reasonable time off in relation to a particular problem will not normally be more than one day. However, we will
always consider each set of circumstances on their facts.

You will only be entitled to time off under this policy if you follow the absence reporting procedure as per the
Absence policy.

If you fail to notify us as required, you may be subject to disciplinary proceedings for taking unauthorised time off.

When deemed appropriate, we might ask you to provide evidence for your reasons for taking the time off.
Suspected abuse of this policy will be dealt with as a disciplinary matter.

15 FLEXIBLE WORKING POLICY

15.1 Informal flexible working request

Any informal requests (where you are not seeking a change to your contractual terms) for temporary flexible
working requests should be discussed with your Manager.

15.2 Formal flexible working request

To be eligible to make a request under the formal flexible working request procedure, you must:
 be an employee;
 have worked for us for 26 weeks at the date your request is made; and
 not have made a formal request to work flexibly during the last 12 months (each 12-month period runs from
the date when the most recent application was made)

15.3 Flexible working request procedures

You should submit a written and dated application to your Manager. Your request, should:

 state the reason for your request;

 provide as much information as you can about your current and desired working pattern, including working
days, hours and start and finish times, and give the date from which you want your desired working pattern
to start;
 address the effect the changes to your working pattern will have on the work that you do, your colleagues
and on service delivery. If you have any suggestions about dealing with any potentially negative effects,
please include these;
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  state whether you have made a previous formal request and, if so, when; and
 be submitted at least two months before you wish the changes you are requesting to take effect.

During the time we are dealing with your request, you must comply with your existing working arrangements.

Where necessary, your Manager will arrange to meet with you within 28 days of your application being submitted.
We may require other employees to attend the meeting, as appropriate, and you may bring a colleague to the
meeting if you wish. If your proposal cannot be accommodated alternatives may be discussed.

Following the meeting and within 14 days, you will be notified of the decision in writing.

If your request is accepted, or where we propose an alternative to the arrangements you requested, you will have
in the letter the details of the new working arrangements, details of any trial period, an explanation of changes to
your contract of employment and the date on which they will commence. You will be asked to sign and return a
copy of the letter. This will be placed on your personnel file to confirm the variation to your terms of employment.

You should be aware that unless otherwise agreed (and subject to any agreed trial period) changes to your terms
of employment will be permanent.

There will be circumstances where, due to business and operational requirements, we will be unable to agree to a
request. In these circumstances, we will write to you:

 giving the business reason(s) for turning down your application;

 explaining why the business reasons apply in your case; and
 setting out the appeal procedure.

15.4 Trial Periods

In some circumstances, your Manager may agree to a trial period to assess the effect the changes have on you
and our business before making them permanent. During this trial period, your Manager will review your situation
and will discuss whether these arrangements meet your needs and that of the business.

If, after the trial period, your Manager does not think the change in your working hours or place of work are capable
of being made permanent, they may look at different working options you could take up, or they may require you
to return to the hours and conditions of your original contract.

15.5 Appeal

If your request is rejected, you have the right to appeal. Your appeal must:

 be in writing and dated;

 set out the grounds on which you are appealing; and
 be sent to the person named in the letter within 7 calendar days of the date on which you received the
written rejection of your request.

The Appeal Hearing Manager will arrange for a meeting to take place normally within 14 days of receipt of your
appeal. The appeal will be conducted by a manager that was not involved in the previous step. You will be informed
in writing of the decision normally within 14 days of the date of the appeal meeting.

If your appeal is upheld, you will be advised of your new working arrangements, details of any trial period, an
explanation of changes to your contract of employment and the date on which they will commence. You will be
asked to sign and return a copy of the letter. This will be placed on your personnel file to confirm the variation to
your terms of employment.

If your appeal is rejected, we will confirm in writing the final decision and we will outline the reasons that apply to
your case.
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 15.6 Breaches of the formal procedure

In certain circumstances, a request made under the formal procedure will be treated as withdrawn. This will
occur if you fail to attend two meetings under the formal procedure without reasonable cause. In such
circumstances, we will write to you confirming that the request has been treated as withdrawn.

16 ABSENCE (INCLUDING SICKNESS ABSENCE) POLICY

KFG understand that sometimes you can be off work for a number of reasons including sickness. We are
committed to supporting our employees if they are absent. Due to the nature of our jobs, if employees are absent
often, it disrupts our business because teams have to produce the same level of service with less team members,
and this can have a negative effect on the service customers receive.

It is essential that your attendance and punctuality are of a high standard. In order that the business runs
effectively, we need all our employees to be dependable, reliable and flexible. Good time-keeping and attendance
is vital to the success of the business.

KFG have a reasonable, fair and consistent approach towards all our employees who cannot come to work
regularly. We keep the reasons for the absence confidential wherever possible. We want to encourage you to come
into work every day you are scheduled to work. Wherever possible, we will help you to get back to work and we will
try our best to make changes for you if you need them, especially if you have a disability.

You have a responsibility to keep absence to a minimum. You should keep to the rules about giving notice when
you are absent (see below).

16.1 Absence notification procedure (including sickness)

You must phone your Manager or the most senior employee on duty, as soon as you know you will not be able to
come into work, or at least 4 hours before you are supposed to start work.

If your place of work is not open at least an hour before your shift starts, you should phone as soon as your shift is
due to start. For example, if you are due to start work at 6.30am, you should telephone the shop number at 6.30am
as there will be somebody to receive your call at this time.

If your Manager provides you with their mobile number, it may be acceptable to call them on their mobile number
to report your absence in line with the requirements above. E-mails and text messages are not acceptable; you
must personally call. If you leave a message on an answering machine or voicemail, you must leave your contact
number so your Manager can call you back as soon as they receive your message and be available to accept their
call.

If the reason you are absent from work means you cannot speak to your Manager (for example if you are in hospital
and a telephone is not allowed/available), you should make sure an appropriate adult (such as your next of kin)
contacts your Manager instead to let them know you will not be coming to work following the above same
guidelines. You must then contact your Manager personally as soon as you are able to do so.

When you or someone on your behalf calls your Manager, the information needed is as follows:
 the reason for your absence;
 when you expect to be back at work;
 what steps are being taken to try and get you back to work (for example, visiting health care
professionals and seeking treatment);
 any work commitments that need to be covered while you are absent; and

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  when you will next contact your manager; depending on the reason could be later the same day (i.e. if
returning to work the next day) or the following day.

If you have not given a reason for your absence or you have not contacted your Manager as required above to let
them know you are ill, we may not pay you and we will treat your absence as unauthorised (if we subsequently
receive medical evidence certifying your absence you will receive statutory sick pay only).

If you fail to comply with the reporting requirements above we may take disciplinary action against you.

If you need to leave the premises for any reason during working hours, you must obtain your Manager’s agreement
in advance.

16.2 Sickness absence

If you were ill for seven or less consecutive days, you will have to complete a Self-Certificate Form, in order to
receive SSP, if you qualify.

If your sickness absence is in excess of 7 days you must provide a Statement of Fitness to Work (“Fit Note”) from
your GP.

All employees should follow the absence notification procedure to ensure that their absence is not treated as an
unauthorised absence.

You should produce a doctor’s certificate, called a Fit Note if you:

 are ill for more than seven days; or

 are absent immediately before or after a holiday (although in these circumstances it may be that other
medical evidence is accepted if your sickness absence is not more than 7 days).

You should give any certificates or medical evidence to your Manager as soon as possible. You should make sure
that the back of the certificate is filled in and signed.

If your sickness continues beyond the initial period which has been certified you must continue to cover your
absence with current certificates. If you do not give us doctors’ certificates regularly and within the date your
current sickness note expires, we may treat your absence as unauthorised which could mean you lose pay and/or
be disciplined.

You must tell us about any condition you have or any medication you take that may affect your ability to do your
job properly.

16.3 Keeping in contact during sickness absence

During the first week of absence you should contact your Manager daily to advise them of your progress.
Thereafter, you must contact them at least weekly or such shorter frequency as directed by your Manager.

You should also expect to be contacted from time to time by your Manager in order to discuss your wellbeing,
expected length of continued absence from work and any of your work that requires attention. Such contact is
intended to provide reassurance and will be kept to a reasonable minimum.

If you have any concerns while absent on sick leave, whether about the reason for your absence or your ability to
return to work, you should discuss with your Manager or HR.

16.4 Sick Pay Entitlements

The first three days of sickness are unpaid and you may be entitled to receive Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from your
fourth day of sickness if you qualify.
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We will pay a maximum of 28 weeks’ SSP in any period of incapacity to work or linking period, which is a period of
incapacity to work starting within 56 days of the end of the previous period of sickness absence (regardless of
illness reason)

16.5 Returning to work after a period of absence

When you are fit/able to return, you must contact your Manager as early as possible to advise them of your
intended return to work and ideally not later than the day before you intend to return to work. If an absence extends
to ‘long term’ i.e. over 4 weeks, then you should try to give at least 2 days’ notice of your intention to return.

In some cases, we may request that you produce a Fit Note from your GP indicating that you are well and fit to
return to work, for example if your job involves handling food and drink, and your absence from work is related to
any food-borne illness.

On your first day back at work, as soon as practicable possible, your Manager will have a return to work
conversation with you, even if you were absent for just a day.

This discussion will be documented and you will be asked to sign a copy of the notes as confirmation of your
discussion.

All information relating to your health will be treated confidentially at all times when possible.

Depending on the outcome of the return to work conversation, your Manager might decide to ask you for
permission to get a medical report from your doctor or your Manager may refer you to an occupational health
doctor. We have the right to ask you to have a medical examination by a medical practitioner or specialist of our
choice.

16.6 Lateness

Unless you have a very good reason, you must come to work on the days and at the time you have been scheduled
to work. You must arrive promptly and be ready to start work in your full uniform at your stated start time. Recurring
instances of lateness are not acceptable and will be dealt with following the absence management procedure
explained below.

If you are likely to be late for work you must call your Manager or the most senior employee on duty in person, as
soon as possible and you must explain the reason for your lateness. It is not acceptable to text or email.

16.7 Managing Absence

Due to the impact absence has on the business, we specify the points at which an individual‘s absence will be
reviewed and the absence management procedure applied. Every employee’s absence is measured over a rolling
52-week monitoring period.

If you meet the triggers below, we may investigate and take disciplinary action. If we take disciplinary action against
you, we will explain what will happen if you are absent again.

Your Manager will let you know how often you have been absent in the rolling 52 week period at each return to
work interview. An occasion could be 1 day or several days in a row, while 2 separate single days (where you come
back to work between these two days) would normally count as two occasions of absence.

If you receive a live formal disciplinary sanction for absence, we will confirm the trigger which may prompt further
disciplinary action.

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We consider the following triggers for absence management:

 The 3rd occasion of absence within a 52-week rolling period (and subsequently on each occasion
thereafter within a 52-week rolling period); or
 Two or more occasions of absence which add up to a total of 10 calendar days or more within a 52
week rolling period (and subsequently on each occasion thereafter within a 52-week rolling period).

If we take you through Disciplinary Policy and warning stages and your attendance at work does not improve, we
may ultimately dismiss you. Unauthorised absence can amount to gross misconduct, as such one occasion might
lead to summary dismissal.

16.8 Unauthorised absence and AWOL

We treat unauthorised absence seriously. Absence without leave (AWOL) is when an employee is absent from work
without following the absence notification procedure.

When employees are absent for part of a day or decide to leave workplace without permission from their Manager
that time away from work is deemed as AWOL and will be unpaid. Pending an investigation it may result in a
disciplinary hearing and may lead to dismissal for gross misconduct.

When an employee is AWOL, they will be asked to get in touch. Failure to do so will result in a disciplinary hearing
and may lead to dismissal for gross misconduct. If they get in touch within the given deadline, an investigation will
be conducted that may result in a disciplinary hearing and may lead to dismissal for gross misconduct.

16.9 Other Leave

Compassionate Leave
We want to be as sympathetic as possible when dealing with you if you have a bereavement in your family and we
therefore provide compassionate leave for anyone who suffers the death of a near relative.
The following are considered to be a near relative: father, mother, spouse/partner, sibling and child.
Prior to taking any compassionate leave, you must discuss your individual needs with your Manager. You must not
take any Compassionate leave which has not been authorised.
You will be granted three days paid Compassionate leave and time off work.
If you wish to take a further period of Compassionate Leave, you must discuss this with your Manager, who may
grant appropriate further time off work.
Jury Service
If you are called upon for Jury Service, you should immediately inform your Manager, who will provide you with the
policy and procedures that apply.

17 MANAGING LONG TERM SICKNESS ABSENCE

The aim of this policy is to make sure that we adopt a fair and consistent approach to the management of long-
term sickness absence and to enable and support valued employees to return to work after a period of absence.

For the purpose of this policy, long-term sickness absence is defined as an occasion of absence which has lasted
4 weeks or more, or where it is foreseeable that it will last 4 weeks or more. In addition, intermittent short–term
sickness absence related to the same underlying cause and several occasions of sickness absence over a short
time, may be treated within this policy.

You are required to maintain contact throughout the absence period with your Manager. As a minimum you should
make contact on a weekly basis, or such shorter frequency as directed by the Manager.
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If you are sick for over 4 weeks, we will hold regular wellbeing meetings to find out how you are, offer support and
answer any questions you may have about your absence. If you are unable to attend the meeting due to illness we
will consider a home visit.

We will require you to consent to a medical examination by an Occupational Health specialist or we may request a
medical report from your doctor at our expense. This is to understand the nature of your sickness, and to assess
your ability to return to work and what adjustments we can make to working arrangements in order to assist your
return.

If you cannot carry on your usual job duties on a permanent basis because you are ill often or have a disability, we
will consider reasonable adjustments which may include trying to find a job in our company that suits you better
(if there are vacancies). However, if we cannot make any adjustments or we cannot find you another job, we may
consider the termination of your employment if you are unable to carry out the duties that we employed you for.

17.1 Dismissal Due to Ill Health

Acting upon the advice received from the Medical Report, and/or an Occupational Health Advisor, we may consider
dismissal on the grounds of capability.

18 DISCIPLINARY POLICY

18.1 Introduction

At KFG we expect professional standards of conduct and performance. This policy is intended to help maintain
standards of conduct and performance and to ensure fairness and consistency when dealing with allegations of
misconduct or poor performance. This policy applies to all employees except those in their probationary period.
Minor conduct or performance issues can usually be resolved informally with your Manager. This policy sets out
formal steps if the matter is more serious or cannot be resolved informally.

18.2 Investigations

We will carry out necessary investigations of potential disciplinary matters without unreasonable delay to establish
the facts of the case. In some cases this will require the holding of an investigatory meeting with the employee
before proceeding to any disciplinary hearing. In others words, the investigatory stage will be the collation of
evidence by the employer for use at any disciplinary hearing.

Everyone must co-operate with management investigations relating to conduct or performance or any other issues.
You must give a full and honest account of matters within your knowledge when investigations are in progress. If
you are asked to talk to us as part of our investigations, this does not mean you are guilty of anything.

An investigatory meeting may be held at any time, by any manager. You will not necessary be given advance notice
of an investigation interview, and you do not have the right to be accompanied by a companion.

Notes will be taken at investigation interviews. Any notes taken in investigation interviews may be shown to others
as part of the investigation process.

18.3 Suspension

We reserve the right to suspend you on normal pay whilst investigations are carried out. Suspension will be as
brief as possible, and will be kept under review.

If you are suspended from work and you become ill during this time, you must inform your Manager immediately.
You should keep in contact with your Manager during this period so suitable arrangements can be made regarding

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any pending hearing. While you are ill during suspension, the reason for your absence will become illness and
therefore, during this period you will only receive statutory sick pay.
We will always aim to keep the suspension period to a minimum; however each investigation must be thoroughly
conducted. Suspension on normal pay does not constitute disciplinary action.

Whilst you are suspended you must be available for meetings during your normal working hours and be contactable
on the phone number you have provided. If you do not attend meetings during this time it will be deemed to be
unauthorised absence and such period will be unpaid.

Unless formally invited or consented you must not enter any KFG premises, or have contact with any customers or
work colleagues whilst investigations are underway. Failure to comply with the terms of your suspension may lead
to further investigation and disciplinary action.

If you have a holiday which has been booked and authorised by your Manager, you will be allowed to take your
holiday and upon your return, you will revert to being suspended on full pay.

18.4 Disciplinary hearing

Where it is practicable in the circumstances, different people will carry out the investigation and any disciplinary
hearing.

If you are required to answer a disciplinary allegation relating to your performance or conduct, you will be informed
in writing of the allegations against you and be provided with sufficient information about the allegations and their
possible consequences to enable you to prepare to answer those allegations at a disciplinary hearing.

At the disciplinary hearing, we will explain the allegations against you and go through the evidence. You will have
the opportunity to set out your case in response to the allegations and have a reasonable opportunity to ask
questions and present evidence. Meetings will be conducted in a manner which enables both you and us to explain
our respective cases.

You may, if you wish, be accompanied at the disciplinary hearing by a colleague or Trade Union representative. If
you wish to be accompanied, you should notify the manager conducting the hearing, in advance, and give the
name of your colleague or Trade Union representative whom you wish to attend. Work colleagues who wish to be
companions, will be given the time to attend. It is your responsibility to contact your preferred companion to let
them know of the time, date and location of the meeting.

If your Trade Union representative is not available at the time scheduled for the hearing, the hearing may be
postponed to a more suitable time, no longer than the next 5 days.

We will inform you of the outcome of the disciplinary hearing in writing. You have the right to appeal against any
formal disciplinary decision made.

You must make every effort to attend the disciplinary hearing. If you are unable to attend and provide good cause,
we will reschedule it once. Failure to attend the rescheduled meeting will result in the company making a decision
in your absence.

If your conduct is the subject of a criminal investigation, charge or conviction, we will not normally wait for the
outcome of any prosecution before deciding what action, if any, to take.

18.5 Disciplinary Outcome

KFG reserve the right to issue disciplinary action at any stage set out below, depending upon the circumstances
and including the nature of the misconduct.

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No Further action
If deemed appropriate, the Manager will confirm that no further action will be taken and the matter will be
concluded.

Stage 1 - First written warning

Where there are no other active written warnings and your conduct or performance is found to be unsatisfactory
following a hearing, you will be given a first written warning. This warning will remain live for 6 months.

Stage 2 - Final written warning

In case of further misconduct or failure to improve your performance where there is an active first written warning
on your record, you will usually receive a final written warning. This may also be used without a first written warning
for serious cases of misconduct or poor performance. The warning will usually remain active for 12 months.

Stage 3 – Dismissal or other action

If, following a hearing, there is no satisfactory improvement in your conduct and/or further misconduct occurs
during the course of a live warning, or if you are found to have committed gross misconduct or any other serious
or repudiatory breach of contract, you may be dismissed summarily or on notice, according to the circumstances.

You may be dismissed for further misconduct or failure to improve where there is an active final written warning
on your record, or for any act of gross misconduct. Examples of gross misconduct are given below. Summary
dismissal will be without notice and without payment in lieu of notice.

We may consider other sanctions short of dismissal, including demotion, loss of pay, loss of increment or
redeployment to another role (where permitted by your contract), and/or extension of a final written warning with
a further review period.

18.6 Appeals

If you wish to appeal against any disciplinary decision, you should inform us in writing within 7 calendar days of
being notified of the decision. You should set out the grounds of appeal in writing and send it to the person
identified in the letter confirming the disciplinary action.

As far as reasonably practicable, the appeal will be heard by a more senior manager than the manager who
conducted the disciplinary hearing. The decision made following the hearing of the appeal will be confirmed to
you in writing and will be final.

18.7 Gross misconduct

The following are non-exhaustive examples of the type of conduct, which will normally be considered gross
misconduct and which will normally lead to dismissal without notice:
 any serious or persistent instances of the misconduct matters referred to above;
 unauthorised absence;
 theft, dishonesty or fraud;
 gross negligence or incompetence;
 falsification of any of our records;
 deliberate and serious damage to property;
 disclosure or misuse of intellectual property, confidential information belonging or relating to our businesses
or any other breach of confidence;
 being under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs or other substances at work which we deem has a bearing
on your performance;
 possession, use, supply or attempted supply of illegal drugs at work;
 physical violence at work or threatened violence or behaviour which provokes violence;
 discrimination;
 victimising a colleague who has raised concerns, made a complaint or given evidence to support a complaint
 aggression, threats or intimidation towards colleagues or customers;
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  use of offensive or abusive language towards other people while you are at work;
 bullying or harassment;
 behaving in a sexually offensive or vulgar way while you are at work, whether or not offence is caused;
 carrying out dangerous pranks;
 refusing or purposefully failing to carry out a reasonable instruction from your manager while you are at work;
 serious insubordination;
 Stealing, misusing, deliberately damaging or act carelessly with the Company’s, our customers’, suppliers’,
visitors’, your colleagues’ or the general public’s property;
 serious breach of the rules regarding our food allowance and staff discount scheme;
 serious breach of health and safety rules
 serious breach of our cash-handling procedures;
 carrying out any work or activity which is in competition with, or which negatively affects, our business
interests;
 conviction for a criminal offence that in our opinion may affect our reputation or our relationships with our
staff, customers or the public, or otherwise affects your suitability to continue to work for us;
 accepting or offering bribes (for example from a supplier);
 purposefully recording false or inaccurate financial transactions (for example, if you knowingly put wrong
information into the till keypad);
 serious careless or reckless behaviour while driving as part of your job (including using a hand held mobile
phone);
 smoking in our non-smoking areas;
 seriously misuse of our e-mail, internet or other computer resources, such as our payroll and finance systems;
 serious misuse of the Company telephone/mobile phone policy
 giving false information as to the qualifications or entitlement to work (including immigration status) in order
to gain employment or other benefits
 knowingly taking parental, shared parental, paternity or adoption leave when not eligible to do so or for a
purpose other than supporting a child
 making untrue allegations against a colleague
 copying or using any of our computer software without our permission on computers that we have not agreed
to install;
 stopping our anti-virus software from working without our permission;
 using pirate software on our computers;
 any act or omission which brings us into serious disrepute or which might reasonably be considered likely to
bring us into serious disrepute.

19 GRIEVANCE POLICY

The purpose of the Grievance Policy is to encourage employees to raise any complaint or concern relating to their
employment. The Grievance Policy does not apply to ex-employees.

You may use this procedure to deal with any matter relating to your employment. In addition, if you have any
concerns about workplace practices or if you have any suspicions relating to criminal acts or miscarriages of
justice, you should raise them through this procedure.

This procedure does not apply to grievances concerning two or more employees (collective grievances). These will
be dealt with as appropriate to the facts of the case.

19.1 Informal Stage

In the first instance, you should aim to resolve any concerns, problems or complaints informally with your Manager.
This approach allows for most day to day problems to be resolved quickly.

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If a grievance cannot be settled informally, you should make it clear to us that you wish to raise your grievance
formally and in writing.

19.2 Formal Stage

Step 1: Grievance
You should send us a written statement setting out the nature of your grievance. You should include all relevant
details and circumstances about which you are aggrieved and if you can see a way of solving the problem, let us
know your ideas.

In the first instance, your grievance should be raised with your Manager. However, in some cases you may feel it
is inappropriate to approach that person. In those circumstances, you should raise the matter with the next level
of management or HR.

If you raise a grievance during any disciplinary process which relates to some or all of the same issues being
considered in that disciplinary process, we will normally deal with that grievance issue at the same time as the
disciplinary issue. However, we may temporarily suspend the disciplinary process if deemed appropriate.

People may consider sending in anonymous complaints. Please avoid this, as there is often little that we can do
to resolve problems raised anonymously.

Step 2: Meeting
We want to sort out all formal complaints as soon as possible. We will hold a meeting with you as soon as we can.
The meeting will give you a chance to explain exactly what happened and why you felt you had to make a formal
complaint.

You will have the right to be accompanied by a colleague or Trade Union representative at every grievance hearing
and appeal hearing. If you wish to be accompanied at any grievance hearing, you should notify the manager
conducting the hearing, in advance, and give the name of your colleague or Trade Union representative whom you
wish to attend. If you or your colleague or Trade Union representative is not available at the time scheduled for
the hearing, the hearing may be postponed to a more suitable time, normally within the next 5 days.
The person hearing your grievance may carry out an investigation, depending on the circumstances. This person
may carry out the investigation before meeting with you to discuss the complaint, so they know more about what
has happened.

It may be necessary to ask managers or colleagues other than those identified in the procedure to deal with your
complaint, depending upon the nature of your grievance and the identity of any person in respect of whom you
have made a complaint.

You must co-operate fully and promptly in any investigation. This may include informing us of the names of any
relevant witnesses, disclosing any relevant documents to us and attending interviews, as part of our investigation.

We will normally inform you in writing of our decision in response to your grievance. We will set out what action, if
any, we intend to take to resolve your grievance and will inform you of your right to appeal against that decision if
you are not satisfied with it.

Step 3: Appeal
If you wish to appeal the decision, you should do so in writing, setting out the grounds of your appeal within 7
calendar days of the date on which the decision was sent or given to you. You should send it to the person identified
in the letter confirming the outcome of your grievance.

We will invite you to attend a further meeting to discuss your appeal. You are entitled to be accompanied to that
meeting by a colleague or Trade Union representative.
20
Where reasonably practicable, the appeal meeting will be conducted by a more senior manager than the person
who conducted the Step 2 meeting and who has not previously been involved in the case.

We will normally inform you in writing of our decision in response to your appeal within 5 working days following
the meeting, depending upon the circumstances. There is no further right to appeal against this decision, which
will be final.

20 ANTI-HARASSMENT AND BULLYING POLICY

Harassment related to any of the Protected Characteristics (see Equal Opportunities Policy) is unlawful.
Victimisation is also unlawful. Broadly, victimisation occurs if someone is subject to a detriment because the
employee has done, or might do, a protected act. Protected acts include complaining or giving information about
discrimination or harassment, or supporting someone else's complaint.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all employees are treated and treat others with dignity and respect,
free from harassment and bullying. All employees should take the time to ensure they understand what types of
behaviour are unacceptable under this policy.

This policy covers harassment or bullying which occurs during the course of employment which can include both
in and out of the workplace, such as at work-related social functions.

20.1 What is harassment?

Harassment is any unwanted conduct which has the purpose or effect of violating a person's dignity or creating an
intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them. A single incident can amount to
harassment.

Sexual harassment is unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, and the conduct has the purpose or effect referred to
above. Treating someone less favourably because they have submitted or refused to submit to such behaviour is
also harassment.

Unlawful harassment may involve conduct of a sexual nature (sexual harassment), or it may be relate to a
Protected Characteristic (as defined in the Equal Opportunities Policy). Harassment may be unacceptable to KFG
even if it is not unlawful.

Harassment may include, for example:

 unwanted physical conduct or "horseplay", including touching, pinching, pushing, grabbing, invading their
personal space, and more serious forms of physical or sexual assault;
 unwelcome sexual advances or suggestive behaviour (which the harasser may perceive as harmless), and
suggestions that sexual favours may further a career or that a refusal may hinder it;
 continued suggestions for social activity outside of work, after it has been made clear that such suggestions
are unwelcome;
 sending or displaying material that is pornographic or that some people may find offensive (including e-
mails, text messages, video clips and images sent by mobile phone or posted on the internet);
 mocking, mimicking or belittling a Protected Characteristic;
 racist, sexist, homophobic or ageist jokes or comments or derogatory or stereotypical remarks about a
particular Protected Characteristic;
 outing or threatening to out someone’s sexuality; or
 ignoring or shunning someone, for example, by deliberately excluding them from a conversation or a
workplace social activity on the grounds of a Protected Characteristic.

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A person may be harassed even if they were not the intended "target" i.e. it is not necessary for the offended party
to possess the Protected Characteristic in question. Harassment can also take place on the basis of a perception
that someone holds a Protected Characteristic even if that is not in fact the case.

20.2 What is bullying?

Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour involving the misuse of power that can make a
person feel vulnerable, upset, humiliated, undermined or threatened. Power does not always mean being in a
position of authority, but can include both personal strength and the power to coerce through fear or intimidation.

Bullying can take the form of physical, verbal and non-verbal conduct. Bullying may include, by way of example:
 offensive or intimidating comments or gestures, or insensitive jokes or pranks;
 shouting at, being sarcastic towards, ridiculing or demeaning others;
 physical or psychological threats;
 overbearing and intimidating levels of supervision;
 derogatory remarks, which are not constructive, about someone's performance in an open environment;
 abuse of authority or power by those in positions of seniority; or
 deliberately excluding someone from conversations, meetings or team communications without good
reason or ignoring someone who is participating in such conversations or meetings.

Legitimate, reasonable and constructive criticism of an employee’s performance or behaviour, or reasonable

instructions given to employees in the course of their employment, will not amount to bullying on their own.

Employees should disclose any instances of harassment or bullying of which they become aware to their Manager.

20.3 Breaches of the Policy

If you believe that you may have been subjected to harassment or bullying, you are encouraged to raise the matter
through our Grievance Policy.

Allegations regarding potential breaches of this policy will be treated seriously and in confidence and investigated
in accordance with the relevant procedure. Employees who make such allegations in good faith will not be
victimised or treated less favourably as a result. False allegations, which are found to have been made in bad faith
will, however, be dealt with under our Disciplinary Policy.

Any employee who is found to have committed an act of harassment or bullying will be subject to disciplinary
action. Such behaviour may constitute gross misconduct and, as such, may result in summary dismissal. We take
a strict approach to serious breaches of this policy.

21 WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY

KFG are committed to conducting our business with honesty and integrity, and we expect all employees to maintain
high standards. However, all businesses face the risk of things going wrong from time to time, or of unknowingly
harbouring illegal or unethical conduct. A culture of openness and accountability is essential in order to prevent
such situations occurring or to address them when they do occur.

The aims of this policy are:

 To encourage employees to report suspected wrongdoing as soon as possible, in the knowledge that their
concerns will be taken seriously and investigated as appropriate, and that their confidentiality will be
respected;
 To provide employees with guidance as to how to raise those concerns; and

22
  To reassure employees that they should be able to raise genuine concerns in good faith without fear of
reprisals, even if they turn out to be mistaken.

21.1 What is whistleblowing?

Whistleblowing is the disclosure of information which relates to suspected wrongdoing or dangers at work.

This may include:

 criminal activity;
 miscarriages of justice;
 danger to health and safety;
 damage to the environment;
 breach of any legal obligation;
 the deliberate concealment of any of the above matters.

A whistle-blower is a person who has a reasonable belief that one of the above is occurring and raises the matter
which is in the public interest.

Normally a complaint relating to your own personal circumstances (such a breach of your own contract) will not be
an issue in the public interest. In those cases you should use the Grievance Policy or the Anti-harassment and
Bullying Policy.

If you want to raise a concern under this procedure, you should discuss it with your Manager or HR. We will then
investigate your concerns thoroughly, quickly and in confidence. After we have done this, we will let you know in
private what we found in our investigation.

If you are a genuine whistle-blower, it will not negatively affect you in any way and there will be no effect whatsoever
on your future career with us. If you make a malicious allegation, we may investigate you and take disciplinary
action.

21.2 Confidentiality

At KFG we hope that staff will feel able to voice whistleblowing concerns openly under this policy. However, if you
want to raise your concern confidentially, we will make every effort to keep your identity secret. If it is necessary
for anyone investigating your concern to know your identity, we will discuss this with you.

22 NO-SMOKING POLICY

We are committed to protect your health, safety and welfare by providing a safe place of work and protecting all
staff, customers and suppliers from exposure to smoke. All of our workplaces are smoke-free and all employees
and customers have a right to a smoke-free environment.

Smoking is banned at our workplaces. The ban applies to anything that can be smoked and includes, but is not
limited to, cigarettes, pipes (including water pipes such as shisha and hookah pipes), cigars, e-cigarettes and
herbal cigarettes.

Breaches of this policy will be dealt with under our Disciplinary Policy and, may be treated as gross misconduct
leading to summary dismissal.

23 SUBSTANCE MISUSE POLICY

KFG are committed to providing a safe, healthy and productive working environment for all our employees and
customers. This includes ensuring that all employees are fit to carry out their jobs safely and effectively in a working
environment which is free from alcohol and drug misuse.
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All employees are expected to arrive at work fit to carry out their jobs and to be able to perform their duties safely
without any limitations due to the use or after effects of alcohol or drugs.

Misuse of alcohol and drugs can lead to reduced levels of attendance, reduced efficiency and performance,
impaired judgement and decision making and increased health and safety risks, not only for the individual but
also for others. Irresponsible behaviour or the commission of offences resulting from the misuse of alcohol or
drugs may damage our reputation and, as a result, our business.

This policy is not intended to apply to "one-off" incidents or offences caused by alcohol or drug misuse at or outside
work where there is no evidence of an ongoing problem, which may damage our reputation, and which are likely
to be dealt with under our Disciplinary Policy.

The purpose of this policy is to increase awareness of the effects of alcohol and drug misuse and its likely
symptoms and to ensure that:

 All employees are aware of their responsibilities regarding alcohol and drug misuse and related
problems;
 Employees who have an alcohol or drug related problem are encouraged to seek help, in confidence,
at an early stage; and
 Employees who have an alcohol or drug related problem affecting their work are dealt with
sympathetically, fairly and consistently.

You should not drink alcohol during the normal working day or during breaks, without prior authorisation.

You must comply with the drink-driving legislation at all times. If your job requires you to drive and you lose your
licence, you may be unable to continue to do your job. Committing a drink-driving offence may result in dismissal
in accordance with our Disciplinary Policy.

We reserve the right to conduct searches for alcohol or drugs as detailed in our Search Policy, Any alcohol or drugs
found as a result of a search will be confiscated and disciplinary action may be taken in accordance with our
Disciplinary Policy.

23.1 Management of suspected substance misuse

We will treat any absence because of alcohol and drug abuse in the same way as sickness absence as long as
you:

 comply with the sickness absence notification procedures;

 any absence is certified (by you or a medical professional depending on length);
 seek and receive professional treatment; and
 keep in contact with a member of the HR Department or your Manager regularly.

We will keep all discussions you have with us about your alcohol or drug abuse confidential as far as possible.

If your drug or alcohol abuse affects your performance at work or you behave unacceptably because of your drug
or alcohol abuse (for example, if poor work relationships develop), we will take disciplinary action. We will be
considerate if you have accepted that you have a drug or alcohol problem and you are getting or are going to get
medical help. However, if you commit gross misconduct, such as theft or violent acts, a possible outcome is your
dismissal.

If you do not complete an agreed treatment course or your recovery does not go as planned we will discuss what
further action, if any, should be taken.

24 HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

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KFG are committed to ensuring the health and safety of all employees and customers. In particular we are
committed to maintaining safe and healthy working conditions through control of the health and safety risks arising
from our work activities.

All of our premises have a copy of the Health and Safety manual and you are expected to familiarise yourself with
this document.

You must keep to our health and safety policies and procedures at all times. If you see anything that you think is
dangerous or harmful, you should talk to your Manager immediately.

You must try to stay safe while you are at work. You should also be aware of your colleagues’ and customers’
health and safety. You should follow our fire-safety rules and procedures, which we will have told you about on
your induction.

We will ensure you receive proper training in the use of all potentially dangerous equipment. This includes
chemicals and anything that is electrically powered, including knives;

You must use all such equipment in the manner in which you have been trained and wear proper uniform, including
any personal protective equipment as referred to below.

24.1 Accidents

If you have an accident, you must tell your Manager and write what happened in the accident book. It does not
matter how small the accident was (for example, if you cut your finger) — you should still write it down.

There will be a first aid box at your workplace for minor injuries. It is your responsibility to know where the first aid
box is, if in doubt ask your Manager. Where possible, qualified First Aider’s should attend to any illness or injury.
For any serious illnesses or injuries, always call 999.

24.2 Fire safety

You must make sure you know where all the fire exits and assembly points are at your workplace. You should make
sure you know what to do in case there is a fire.

24.3 Personal protective equipment

Due to the nature of your job, we may give you personal protective equipment. You must wear these. If you lose
any protective clothing you have been given, you may be charged for the cost of replacing them.

You can find full health and safety guidelines in our Health and Safety manual. If you break any of our health and
safety rules, we may investigate you and take disciplinary action.

25 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS POLICY

KFG have the right to access, review, copy and delete any communications that you send, receive or store on our
e-mail system, mobile phone, landline and any material that you look at or download from the internet. We can
legally monitor and record your methods of communication without your consent in certain circumstances. We will
only monitor your communications if we have a reason for doing so.

Misuse or excessive use or abuse of our telephone, e-mail system, or inappropriate use of the internet in breach
of this policy will be dealt with under our Disciplinary Policy.

You are responsible for the security of the equipment allocated to or used by you and your team, and must not
allow it to be used by anyone other than as permitted by us. Passwords must be kept confidential and must not
be made available to anyone else unless authorised by a Senior Manager.

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We do not permit the use of the stores’ internet, e-mail and telephone systems to send personal e-mail, browse
the internet for non-work purposes and make/receive personal telephone calls unless is an emergency call.

If are allocated IT and/or Communications equipment (desktop, laptop, mobile, etc) please ask HR for the full IT
and Communications Policy.

26 SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

Social networking sites like Blogs, Facebook & Twitter are a useful and fun way to keep in touch with friends and
fellow KFG colleagues. We would just like to remind you that information posted on these sites is public and may
be viewed by KFG, customers or the press – so please think carefully about what you post.

We ask that you do not post information or make comments that could give KFG a bad name or cause
embarrassment to other team members, Managers or customers. That does not mean you cannot talk about your
job, but please think about whether you would be happy for them to read your social media comments.

Here are some guidelines for writing about KFG:

 Be Proud to Work at KFG – use your real name & real details. We are all aware that the internet is never truly
anonymous so messages may be tracked back to you
 Keep your Integrity – make sure what you write is true and factual
 Be Courteous – ask permission before posting potentially private information about KFG or other colleagues,
these include pictures from KFG events. If you are unsure please ask your Manager
 Be Smart – never write about anything related to any legal or financial matters KFG may be involved in
 Keep Safe – protect yourself, your privacy & all KFG’s confidential information including any sales, financial
or shop events that may happen (Google has a long memory!)
 We are all one Family – never post anything offensive or embarrassing about anyone, with or without names
 Logos and Brand Protection – all our materials and brand name, logos are protected by copyrights, we would
ask you not to use them.

Finally if you wouldn’t say or do it at work, it is likely to be unacceptable on the internet whether it is about your
shop, other shops, customers, suppliers or colleagues. Please be aware that the disciplinary policy will be used if
inappropriate information, pictures or comments have been posted.

27 DATA PROTECTION POLICY

Everyone has rights with regard to how their personal information is handled. During the course of our activities
we will collect, store and process personal information about you, and we recognise the need to treat it in an
appropriate and lawful manner.

The information, which may be held on paper or on a computer or other media, is subject to certain legal
safeguards specified in the Data Protection Act 1998 (“the Act”) and other regulations. The Act imposes restrictions
on how we may use that information.

While you are working for us and as long as is necessary after you finish working for us, we will need to process
information about you (especially when you join and leave us). ‘Processing’ includes collecting, storing, retrieving,
changing and destroying your information, as well as giving it to people we are allowed to, in line with the above
Act.

The kind of data we will process includes:

 any references you give us when you apply for a job with us;
 conditions of your employment;
 your payroll and bank details;
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  tax and National Insurance information;
 details of job duties;
 details of absence;
 details of your sickness absence;
 details of holidays you’ve taken or are due to take;
 information about how well you’re working;
 details about any disciplinary action we’ve taken against you;
 training records;
 contact names and addresses (including your next of kin’s);
 any letters you’ve written or phone calls you’ve made to us; and
 any other information you have given us.

KFG will use the information you give us for management and administrative reasons only. However, from time to
time, we may need to share some of your information with other agencies where we must do so by law (for example
if HM Revenue & Customs or the police ask us for your information) or if you ask us for a reference when you are
leaving us to join a new company.

27.1 Timely processing

Personal Data should not be kept longer than is necessary for the purpose. This means that data should be
destroyed or erased from our systems when it is no longer required.

How can I see the information being held on myself?

You must submit a formal request in writing for the information that we hold for you to your Manager, who will then
forward it to the HR Department immediately. Please note a fee is payable by the employee for provision of this
information.

Providing information over the telephone

Any employee dealing with telephone enquiries should be careful about disclosing any Personal Data, for example,
personal mobile numbers, addresses, next of kin details held by us and must ask that the caller put their request
in writing to the HR Department if they are requesting such information.

28 RIGHT TO SEARCH & CCTV

KFG have the right to ask you to agree to be searched. We may ask to search you and your personal belongings
including, but not limited to, searches of lockers, filing cabinets and desks, bags, clothing, shoes and packages.

KFG have CCTV cameras installed on our premises. We have installed CCTV cameras to protect you, your
colleagues and our customers and prevent crime. Your Manager will tell you where we have installed CCTV
cameras.

We may install covert CCTV cameras (cameras that you cannot see) temporarily if we are investigating serious
matters, such as theft. KFG have the right to view and monitor CCTV footage for security purposes.

29 COMPANY PROPERTY

You cannot take anything that we own off our premises without your Manager’s permission. If your Manager does
give you permission, you must take good care of anything that you take from our premises. You are responsible
for keeping anything you take safe and in good condition while it is off our premises.
When a Manager asks you, you must return any items that you took from our premises, especially when you leave
us otherwise, it will be deducted from your last pay

If you do not keep to our rules on company property, we may take disciplinary action.
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30 GIFTS AND TIPS FROM CUSTOMERS & SUPPLIERS

You may be employed in a role when you are in contact with outside suppliers, or other third parties, including
franchisor and customers. Such suppliers or third parties may offer you corporate gifts, hospitality etc. and we
would wish you to accept appropriate goodwill gestures gracefully. However, you are required to immediately notify
your Manager of such gifts or hospitality which you have been offered and on behalf of the Company, you have
accepted.

If you work in one of our stores, you cannot accept any gifts from customers. If a customer wants to give you a gift
(for example at Christmas), you must tell your Manager straight away. You should not accept the gift until and if
your Manager has given you permission.

Any gifts accepted on behalf of KFG will be shared amongst the team.

If you do not keep to these guidelines, we may take disciplinary action.

31 TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT

At KFG we hope you stay but if you decide to leave us, you will have to give your notice in writing to your Manager.

Your employment may be terminated by notice given either by you to the Company or by the Company to you. The
notice periods applicable to you are set out in your contract.

KFG reserves the right to make payment in lieu of notice. The rights to all or part of the notice period may be waived
by mutual consent.

There is no entitlement to notice from KFG if your employment is terminated on the grounds of gross misconduct.

On the termination of employment (for any reason) you must provide details of your passwords to your Manager
and return any equipment, uniform, key fobs or cards. Failure to do so may led to appropriate deductions being
made from your final salary.

31.1 During notice

During your notice period (whether notice has been given by you or us), we may exercise one or more of the
following options:

 we may require you to take any outstanding accrued holiday entitlement;

 we may re-allocate you to different duties, which may be less senior than you were previously carrying out;
 we may require you not to attend your normal place of work and to remain at home during normal working hours
which is known as ‘garden leave’. During garden leave, we are not obliged to provide you with work, but your
employment is continuing with pay and therefore you must remain available during your normal working hours
and not undertake work elsewhere.

31.2 Redundancy

In case of redundancies, the Company will follow its statutory obligations. Full details of this policy are available
from the HR department upon request.

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32 CONFIDENTIALITY

You are reminded that the obligation on you to keep company information confidential still applies after your
employment with KFG has ended. On leaving the Company you must hand back all Company data and documents
and any other company property in your possession or under your control, and neither make nor keep any copies.

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33 DECLARATION FORM – To be given to your Manager

I acknowledge the receipt of the Employee Handbook dated June 2017. I confirm that I have read the
Employee Handbook and I will adhere to the rules, policies and procedures relating to my employment
with the Company.

Signature:
Date:
Name:
Position:
Store/
Department:

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