Reduced Working Week – February 2026

Subject: Reduction in working week – agenda for change staff

Staff covered by Agenda for Change (AfC) terms and conditions working week will reduce from 37 to 36 hours for full-time staff and pro-rata for part-time staff from 1 April 2026 without loss of earnings.  Full details can be found via NHS Circular PCS(AFC)2025/8, which also contains frequently asked questions: Reduction in the working week for Agenda for Change staff in NHS Scotland

The purpose of this communication is to advise of actions required to ensure the successful implementation of the reduced working week.

Webinars will be arranged in the weeks leading up to 30 March to support understanding of the required management actions to ensure successful implementation.  The details will be published separately.

Changes to working patterns

• Managers were required to discuss and agree revised working patterns by October 2025, taking into account service requirements, supporting the aim of an effective work life balance and flexibility within the working week.
• The remaining one hour reduction cannot be accumulated to be taken as extra annual leave. However, where applicable, time can be taken back. The time, however, can be accumulated and taken from the roster/shift pattern where it is mutually agreed and on a pre-planned basis.
• It is not within the spirit of the agreement to reduce time in amounts that are so small that the member of staff does not benefit from an improved work life balance; or to extend unpaid breaks.

To support the reduction in the working hours, eESS, ePayroll and SSTS will all be updated centrally with the new full-time hours and pro-rata part-time hours.  To enable this, the systems will be unavailable from 5pm Thursday 26 March to Wednesday 1 April.  During this period, staff will not be able to access the systems or make any changes.  Any payroll changes processed in eESS which have an effective date after 1 April will be processed after the system comes back online.

SSTS

In SSTS, all AfC contracted hours will be updated centrally and shown on SSTS rosters as follows:

• Full time/conditioned hours will be changed from 37 to 36 per week;
• Contracted hours for full-time staff will be changed from 37 to 36 per week;
• Contracted hours for part-time staff will be reduced on a pro rata basis.

For part-time staff whose contracted hours have been reduced, there is no automatic right to revert to previous contracted hours, unless budgetary approval has been obtained to retain current hours.

SSTS – Action Required by SSTS Administrators

All SSTS rosters will need to be amended manually to reflect reduced working week, revised working patterns; 36 for full-time, pro-rata for part time staff from Monday 30 March 2026.

Note: there is no transitional allowance available, revised working patterns and rosters must be in place and SSTS updated no later than 5pm 26 March.

eESS

Contracted hours will be updated centrally to reflect reduced working week hours except for those noted below.

Actions requiring attention: –

• Pending eESS Transactions– All Manager Self Service transactions awaiting second-level approval at 5:00pm on 26 March will error and be cancelled. Managers should review and clear worklists during w/c 23 March.
• Transactions Already Submitted and Approved with an effective date on or after 1^st April – Contracted hours for these employees will not be updated automatically. Managers will receive an email requesting confirmation of RWW hours.
• Submitting New Transactions with an effective date on or after 1^st April– Transactions will be returned for correction for hours review.
• Part-time employees retaining existing contracted hours – Process transaction with “EMPLOYEE RETAINING EXISTING HOURS” within Temporary Change note field.
• Detailed guidance will be issued to managers

eRostering

For areas live on eRostering, the following actions requiring attention: –

• Review Net Hours balances prior to 1 April – review net hours in the lead up to 1^st April to support an accurate starting position following the RWW change
• Review default unavailability hours
• Review all Annual Leave approved from 1 April onwards.
• Review demand templates and shift times where required 
• Review personal patterns – ensure reflect RWW hours
• Week Commencing 30^th March roster as 36hr week – adjust shift times accordingly
• Detailed guidance will be issued to managers / areas that are live on Optima.

Annual Leave

Full-time annual leave entitlement from 1 April 2026 shall be based on 36 hours per week, part-time staff on a pro-rata basis.  The Annual leave calculator | NHS Workforce Policies has been amended to reflect this.

Managers will require to calculate annual leave and public holiday entitlement based on the revised contracted hours.

Summary of Actions

• Discuss and agree revised working pattern to reflect the reduction in the working week
• Amend SSTS rosters to reflect revised working patterns from Monday 30 March 2026;
• Process eESS transactions as required
• Process eRostering actions as required
• Calculate 2026/2027 annual leave based on revised contracted hours.

For any queries in relation to eESS or eRostering, please raise a query via ServiceNow at: https://nhsnss.service-now.com/

For any payroll queries, please email epayroll.lanarkshire@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk

For general reduced working week enquiries, please raise a call via HR Service Now HR Portal – NHS Lanarkshire HR