Promotions, Non-Clinical Professorial Salary Pay Review and PS Re-grading

02 Dec 2020

Pay uplifts withheld in 2020 to be awarded and promotions, re-zoning and PS re-grades to go ahead as usual in 2021

Dear colleagues,

In June 2020 we announced that some difficult decisions had been made regarding staff costs due to the financial uncertainty that our University, like many others, faced at that time. I am now pleased to announce that because student recruitment, and particularly international student recruitment, has been much better than initially predicted these measures have been reversed.  This means that staff who were awarded academic promotions, academic pay re-zonings or Professional Services (PS) re-grades in 2020 but had their pay uplifts withheld, will now receive their uplifts from January 2021 with payments backdated to 1 August 2020. 

We will carry out our usual annual academic promotions and non-clinical professorial pay review rounds in 2021 and the PS re-grading process will recommence with immediate effect. We will also be launching our Rewarding Exceptional Performance scheme soon.  In addition, I am pleased to let you know that we are no longer considering mandatory pay reductions for staff.  More details on all of these decisions are outlined below. 

We are also offering to repay all salary given up by colleagues who took a voluntary salary reduction or declined an honorarium payment, with the exception of members of the Senior Leadership Team. We are offering staff who voluntarily reduced their hours the opportunity to return to their previous working arrangements.  

All colleagues who have been directly affected by these measures during 2020 are being written to and the payments due to them will be made in their January 2021 salary. We would like to thank all of these colleagues for their generosity and understanding over the past few months.

Whilst it is good that we are able share this news with you, we must all remain vigilant in keeping control of staffing costs because of significant future uncertainties.  This is why some measures will remain in place, including only appointing essential new staff, however responsibility for agreeing new roles has been delegated to Heads of School and Professional Services (PS) Directors.  

I would like to end by thanking colleagues for their exceptional commitment and hard work over the past year and assure you that your contributions are greatly valued.  I’m certain that, like me, you are looking forward to a well-deserved break over the extended Christmas and New Year closure period this year.

Best wishes

Karen Heaton

Director of Human Resources

OVERVIEW OF KEY DECISIONS:

Mandatory pay reduction: This is no longer being considered as an option.   

Academic promotions: Colleagues who received academic promotions in 2020 and had associated pay uplifts withheld will now receive these from the January 2021 payroll and receive uplift payments backdated to 1 August 2020. The academic promotions process will go ahead as usual in 2021 and associated pay uplifts will be awarded to those who are successful. 

Non-clinical professorial pay review: We will be reinstating pay uplifts associated with re-zoning under this policy from 1 January 2021 with uplift payments backdated to 1 August 2020.

PS re-grades: PS re-grades were put on hold in June 2020 but are now being reinstated with immediate effect. All cases previously placed on hold will now be considered and any new cases can be submitted for assessment in line with the normal procedure. Colleagues who had successful PS re-grades in 2020 but who did not receive the associated pay uplift will now have this uplift applied in the January 2021 payroll, with payments backdated to 1 August 2020.

Voluntary staff measures: Those staff who voluntarily reduced their salary or declined honorarium payments are being offered the opportunity to be repaid in full, apart from Senior Leadership Team members who took a temporary voluntary 20% salary reduction. Those staff who voluntarily reduced their hours are being offered the opportunity to return to their previous hours. 

Staff recruitment: Recruitment activity will continue to progress for essential roles only and approval for new roles will now be delegated to Heads of School or the relevant PS Director.  Roles which are R Funded can now be approved for recruitment following their normal Faculty process aligned to funding agreements.

Rewarding Exceptional Performance (REP): Any outstanding REP applications from 2020 will be concluded as soon as possible.  Successful applicants will be informed and the relevant payments made.  Where additional salary increments are awarded payments will be backdated to 1 August 2020.   The REP scheme will go ahead as usual in 2021 and further details on how to apply will be communicated shortly.

Thank you scheme: This scheme whereby managers can use local budgets to purchase small gifts for staff has been re-opened.

Senior salaries review: This did not take place in 2020 but will resume in 2021.