Silver Birch Care: Ensuring employee well-being and retention through responsible use of zero-hours contracts  

7th February, 2025

Silver Birch Care, a supported living provider for young people across the UK, is an early adopter of the Good Business Charter, having accredited just six days after its launch in February 2020. They are part of  Silver Birch Care (Holdings) Limited, now also accredited, incorporating its four other care providers and employing over 400 employees in total.  We recently spoke with Abs Latif, Group Head of HR & Payroll, to discuss the Fair Hours and Contracts component of the Charter and how Silver Birch Care employs zero-hours contracts in a fair and transparent manner to ensure the highest standards of care for the young people they support, as well as the well-being of their employees. 

Why are zero hours contracts necessary for your services? 

“Our referrals come from local authorities and our numbers fluctuate, so to maintain our services, Silver Birch Care currently employ 127 people, 11 of whom are bank staff on zero-hours contracts. These contracts allow us to meet the required level of  support for the young people and ensure that minimum staffing levels are always maintained. We need cover when staff are unwell or on annual leave. Additionally, when we receive new referrals, there is an incident at one of our homes, or a young person’s needs increase, we require an immediate boost in staffing levels. Having dedicated, experienced bank staff is crucial in limiting our reliance on agency staff.” 

How do you schedule shifts and manage cancellations? 

“We schedule all our shifts four weeks in advance, using a system called Planday.  All employee shifts are visible on this system, including open shifts where cover is needed.  Zero-hours contract staff can request these shifts, providing them with ample notice to plan their schedules.  Because we value our zero-hours staff, we always ensure there are enough open shifts to meet their desired working hours. Due to the nature of our work, shifts are rarely cancelled, but if something does change, we arrange alternative shifts in agreement with the staff member. If this is not possible, we would pay for the cancelled shift. 

“There are no penalties for turning down shifts, although we are transparent in our contracts, stating that if three shifts are turned down or an employee has not worked for more than three months, we may end their contract.  However, we would discuss this with employees and where circumstances have prevented the uptake of shifts and they would still like to work for us, we look at their availability so they can continue to work.” 

How do you ensure that this contract type suits the employee?

“During the recruitment and onboarding of bank staff, we are very clear of the requirements, discussing our work practices and expectations. We encourage staff to communicate their needs regarding working hours and patterns from the outset, so we can ensure we can meet these. 

All staff on zero-hours contracts have the same reviews and support as those with contracted hours. They have six-weekly supervisions and an annual review, during which we discuss whether the contract terms still suit their needs. If a staff member wishes to switch to a fixed-hours contract, we facilitate this as soon as possible. In addition, some of our zero-hour staff have transitioned from full-time roles due to a change in their personal circumstances and they feel that they are better served in the zero-hours role. 

How do you ensure these employees are looked after?

“All staff receive the same induction training and have access to the same ongoing training and development opportunities.  All our employees on zero hours contracts have the same rates of pay and benefits as our full and part time contracted hours staff; this is written in to their contracts. 

 “For example, they are entitled to the same annual leave and sick pay arrangements and are made familiar with all our policies and procedures. They are also invited to join our Employee Forum, ensuring their voices are heard. We offer all staff access to our round-the-clock Wellbeing Services, which include a GP service, counselling and discounted shopping schemes. They are eligible for our Employee of the Month scheme, Long Service Awards, and receive a day off each year for their birthday. As with all staff, we ensure they understand their rights and the benefits they’re entitled to.” 

When reviewing use of these contracts, what are your measures of success? 

 “We have had employees working on zero-hours contracts for many years. For instance, one woman has worked every other weekend for six years while raising a family, and another has taken extended breaks for religious reasons for over five years. Many employees have transitioned from zero-hours contracts to fixed-hours contracts—ten in the last eighteen months—and some have moved into senior roles within the company. This clearly demonstrates that development and career opportunities are equal for all employees. At the same time, a few employees have requested to move from fixed-hours contracts to zero-hours contracts to accommodate changes in their personal circumstances. We are pleased to work with our employees to ensure their contracts meet their needs, allowing us to retain their valuable experience.” 

Inspiring ethical employment practices 

We are incredibly inspired by the commitment of our GBC-accredited organisations who demonstrate their dedication to fair employment practices with such clarity, transparency and integrity. These organisations not only understand the significance of ethical employment—ensuring fairness and support for all staff, including those on zero-hours contracts—but they have also taken meaningful steps to communicate this commitment to their employees. 

Abs Latif, Group Head of HR & Payroll at Silver Birch Care, encapsulates this ethos:

“The quality and continuity of care for our young people is our highest priority, and our zero-hours employees are essential in helping us achieve this. We value them all and could not run our services without the support, dedication, and flexibility of our zero-hours contracted employees.”