Annual Academic Year Review 2007-2008 (17th edition)

13.4 Formal Procedures

As previous year, all staff involved with formal procedures were White. In a change from the last few years, women were equally as likely to be involved in formal procedures as men. Because of the very low numbers involved, no firm conclusions can be drawn from this data.

13.5 Leavers

The overall proportion of leavers who were from Black or ethnic minority groups is 1.2% lower than in 2006/2007, at 8.6%. This figure is higher than the overall representation rate for staff from Black and ethnic minority groups at the university (5.0%). The proportions of leavers who were from Black and ethnic minority groups varied according to staff category, with the highest proportions coming from research staff (10.5%) and senior staff (10.0%) and the lowest proportion coming from lecturing staff (3.8%). With the exception of lecturing staff, the proportion of leavers from Black and ethnic minority groups was higher for each staff category than the overall representation of Black and ethnic minority staff in those categories.

13.6 Staff Development

13.7 New initiatives in 2007-8

13.7.1 Preferred temporary staff agency

On 1 August 2007 the University entered into an agreement with Blue Arrow for the supply of a ‘managed agency service’ for the supply of temporary workers. Blue Arrow, as the main agency, manages the supply of temporary workers either through its own resources or through approved secondary suppliers. The secondary suppliers can be nominated by the university and they adhere to the terms and conditions of the main agreement.
Prior to 1 August 2007 the university spent on average more than £650k per annum on agency temporary workers and there were no contracts or controls in place to ensure a consistent and cost-effective service that met legal requirements. The contract with Blue Arrow has enabled the university to take advantage of VAT mitigation whereby VAT is charged only on the agency’s fee, however this facility is due to be withdrawn by the HMRC with effect from April 2009.
With the launch of the new service, managers were provided with guidelines and documentation to increase quality, centralise and streamline administration and provide management information. The university is now in a position to verify responsible expenditure of public funds, risk management and legal compliance.

Table 29: Summary of the use of agency temporary workers from 1/8/07 to 31/7/08

Total cost to the university	£366,000
Reduction in cost from previous average per annum	£284,000
Total hours worked by agency workers	37,545 (equivalent to 22 FTE)
Category of staff most frequently needed	Administrators Kitchen porters

The administrators were needed mostly to cover extra work and Kitchen Porters because of the extreme difficulty in recruiting and retaining this category of staff.

Evaluation forms indicate that managers are satisfied with the service, except regarding the supply of kitchen porters where Blue Arrow has had difficulty keeping up with the university’s demand, especially at very short notice. The agency is working with catering managers to resolve the problem.
February, April and July were the months when most temporary cover was needed.

13.7.2 Cycle Scheme

In July 2008 the Cycle Scheme was introduced. It allows staff to save on the cost of a new bike and related safety and security equipment under a government initiative (Green Transport Plan) aimed at getting more people on their bikes to work. To be eligible for tax relief the bike/equipment must be used mainly for work-related travel.

The university has linked with a partner called Cyclescheme to loan staff up to £1000 worth of cycle and/or related equipment. Staff pay the loan back over 12 months. The savings are made through an arrangement called salary sacrifice which enables saving on income tax and NI payments (up to 31% for lower rate taxpayers and 41% for higher rate taxpayers).

The scheme helps staff to save money and keep fit, allows them to use the bike for leisure and contributes to the university’s sustainable development initiatives.
In the first month, although it was the vacation period when many staff are absent, 32 staff joined the scheme. It is anticipated that more will join when staff return at the beginning of term.

13.7.3 Revised Sickness reporting arrangements

A new sickness reporting scheme was introduced on 1 August 2007 enabling the reasons for sickness, and working days lost through illness to be analysed for the first time. Inevitably with a new system, there have been some problems with staff and managers completing the new forms accurately and there are a significant number of ‘gaps’ in key data which are currently being worked on within the Personnel Department. Where a particular data field has not been completed on the new sickness reporting forms, this is being checked with the Faculty/School/Department and/or individual concerned and therefore it has not been possible to produce the full report by the deadline required for submission of the 2007-8 annual Academic Year review.
Once the data is complete and reports have been produced, they will be made available to the university’s Management Group, Heads of School and Department, Safety Committee, the trade union Common Interest Groups/Joint Negotiating Committee and the Finance and Employment Committee of the Board of Governors.

13.8 Staffing Strategy

Work has commenced to update the 2004-6 Staffing Strategy to link in with the Corporate Plan, Faculty, School and Departmental plans, and themed strategies for Learning and Teaching and Research. The original strategy for 2001-4, and its 2 year extension, were written to meet a series of headings prescribed by HEFCE, although the structure of our Staffing Strategy was geared around a set of ‘staffing principles’ which have been in existence since incorporation.
In constructing the shape of the new Staffing Strategy, Management Group has been asked to comment on whether these staffing principles still apply as a set of guiding principles, or whether they should be reviewed and updated – and if so how. These are critical to the sort of employer the university wishes to be, and indicate a broad direction of travel within which specific actions can be crafted.
The broad shape of the actions in the proposed revised Staffing Strategy arise from 3

main sources:

• 
  actions planned for 2004-6 but not yet delivered, or which require updated or
  

revised objectives and targets for 2007-12

• 
  objectives contained in the Corporate Plan
  
• 
  support for targets in Faculty and Departmental plans, and thematic strategies
  

Central funding (£180,000) has been allocated for 2008-9 to support activities arising from the revised Staffing Strategy.

Headline actions to be included in the revised Staffing strategy are set out below:

13.8.1 Equality and diversity policy action plans

• 
  Revise equal opportunities policy statement (completed)
  
• 
  Implement Disability and Gender Equality Scheme action plans
  
• 
  Develop single equality scheme and associated action plan (in draft)
  
• 
  Equality and diversity training programme (see below)
  
• 
  Review of the delivery of equality commitments
  

13.8.2 Develop/revise new staffing/personnel policies

• 
  Dignity at work
  
• 
  Work-life balance
  
• 
  Coping with stress
  
• 
  Guide to employing fixed-term staff including managing redeployment and
  

redundancy dismissals

• 
  Managing staff reorganisation
  
• 
  Management of sickness absence including long term sickness/DDA
  
• 
  Enhancement of occupational health services
  
• 
  Health promotion and staff welfare/wellbeing
  
• 
  Promote flexible working – part time/homeworking and work-life balance
  
• 
  Updating grievance and disciplinary procedures
  
• 
  Responding to changes in employment legislation (e.g. agency workers,
  

parental leave)

13.8.3 Post Framework Agreement and embedding and actions

• 
  Develop new regrading/promotion procedures
  
• 
  Review use of role profiles in recruitment – identify expectations of staff at each level, career progression pathways
  
• 
  Develop new templates for job descriptions (for grading and recruitment) and selection criteria for recruitment
  
• 
  Revised contractual documentation
  
• 
  Undertake a full equal pay audit/impact assessment
  
• 
  Review of all pay-related benefits (overtime, honoraria, allowances, additional payments, agreed/consultancy fees)
  
• 
  Review of non-pay benefits and recommendations for enhancements to terms and conditions (e.g. working hours)
  

13.8.4 Recruitment and Personnel Department operations

• 
  Develop revised templates for job descriptions and selection criteria for recruitment
  
• 
  Revise and issue new recruitment procedures and guidance with specific emphasis on equality commitments
  
• 
  Simplify recruitment processes and reduce time taken to advertise and fill vacancies
  
• 
  Develop a comprehensive training programme for those involved in recruitment and selection of staff
  
• 
  Personnel Department reshaping and reorganisation – greater emphasis on personnel support/advice to managers - consultancy/advice/training, separation of activities relating to recruitment, contracts and personnel administration with streamlining of processes and efficiency improvements,
  
• 
  Develop enhanced capability for reporting and data management including management access to data on Resourcelink – and enhancements to Personnel handbooks and web-based information
  

13.8.5 Staff feedback/surveys

• 
  Undertake staff attitude/satisfaction survey – to inform future policy/service development, benchmarked with other organisations/HE sector if possible
  
• 
  Undertake HSE organisational stress audit/work-life balance survey follow up
  

13.8.6 Staff development policy

This policy review was subject to a Staff Development Group working group and an Equality Impact Assessment was completed following discussion at the last SDG meeting.

• 
  The revised policy will be finalised and presented to SDG at its first meeting in 2008/9 (Autumn term).
  
• 
  The policy will be distributed to Heads and managers and wider staff communication will take place using the Staff Development Brochure, Staff Development Website, StaffCentral and E-Channel
  
• 
  The revised policy will inform subsequent reviews and proposed enhancements to induction, the SDR scheme, sponsored study, career development and progression, Concordat for research staff
  

13.8.7 Staff Development Review Scheme

This was an action planned for 2004-6 but which had to be rescheduled pending completion of the Framework Agreement implementation of revised pay and grading structure, mainly because of a lack of trade union and Personnel Department capacity.
The planned revision of the SDR scheme is about to commence with a working group comprising management and trade union representatives, mindful of the fact that that the current SDR scheme is a collective agreement incorporated into staff contracts of employment. The working group was agreed prior to the QAA visit but it is now desirable to change the pace of the review.

• 
  The Working Group was planned to meet during the summer to identify the scope of the review and has a target to conclude the review and report to JNC in December 2008. The review is intended to be ‘light touch’ and will pick up from the consultant’s report and recommendations from 2003.
  
• 
  A revised scheme will be documented and publicised during the Spring term 2009
  
• 
  A training programme to support the implementation of the policy will follow the completion of the work to review the policy and will commence in 2009. The training programme will inevitably need to be extensive and ongoing resources to deliver the training will need to be identified for 2009/10 and in subsequent years
  

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