Reward Review

• Heads may bring forward proposals for payment of lump sums and for team awards at any time during the year (see Section A and B below for details).
• Submissions for additional increments and contribution pay for all groups of staff in Grades 1 to 8 will be considered at the May meetings of the Reward Review Committees (Faculty Directorates and the Non-Faculty Staff Sub-Group).  Full details of the operating procedures, including criteria for these awards as well as relevant forms, will be made available to all staff.
• Cases for promotion to Senior Lecturer will be considered annually by the Faculty Reward Review Committees (Directorates).  Full details of the operating procedures, including criteria for promotion as well as relevant forms, will be made available to staff.

The effective date for the award of accelerated increments and contribution pay, and for approved promotions to Senior Lecturer will be 1 August.

For further information please see below:

► Section 1 : Lump Sums
► Section 2 : Team Awards
► Section 3 : Submission Procedure and forms for Lump Sums and Team Awards
► Section 4 : Additional Increments and Contribution Pay
► Section 5 : Promotion to Senior Lecturer
► Section 6 : Additional Information and Monitoring

Introduction

Heads may bring forward proposals for payment of lump sums at any time during the year.  This is to allow for a cash award for a specific activity to be made close to the event itself.

• It should be noted that such rewards are exceptional and their award, therefore, should not be expected to be the norm.
• Only in the most unusual circumstances will an individual be considered for a merit award more than once in a twelve-month period.  In this event, reference to the previous award should be made and clear reasons given for the further submission.
• Lump sum payments are set at £500 and £1000, the amount awarded depending on the nature and scope of the additional activity, rather than the status of the individual, and will not be paid pro rata for part-time staff unless otherwise recommended.
• All staff groups on Grades 1 to 8 are eligible for consideration for these awards.
• A lump sum payment may be made to recognise a one-off outstanding contribution or performance in any area of work within the last year or so, for an individual who has taken on an additional short-term or one-off piece of work, and has met required outcomes over and above what could reasonably be expected for their role and grade.
• It should also be noted that central funding is not available for these awards, and that responsibility for payment rests with the individual Department/Section.  Despite this, the financial situation in Departments/Sections should not preclude Heads from submitting cases for award.

Operating Procedures

• It is not envisaged that any decision regarding these awards will be made unilaterally by a Head of Department/Section.  Heads should therefore discuss any activity which in their view warrants such an award with other senior staff in their Department/Section (including Superintendent Technician, Departmental Administrator, Section Managers etc as appropriate), to determine whether to recommend this.
• If there is agreement within the Department/Section, the Head should submit a proposal on the Lump Sum Award form to the relevant HR Adviser who will forward this to the Dean of the Faculty or, in the case of Support Service Sections, to the Provost and Chief Operating Officer.
• The Dean or Provost/Chief Operating Officer will complete the form to indicate their decision and return this to the HR Adviser who will then confirm this in writing with the individual (copied to Head) and, if approved, arrange payment.
• If approved, payment will be made as soon as practicable – if possible with the salary for the following month.
• If the Dean or Provost/Chief Operating Officer is not able to approve the proposal, the Head of Department/Section will be informed of the reasons.  The Head will then be responsible for giving feedback to the individual concerned.
• Submissions for lump sums will normally be made by a Head of Department/Section.  However, individuals do have the right to make a self-submission if they feel that they have been overlooked, but should make the relevant Head of Department/Section aware of the nature of their proposal.  This is because a Head will subsequently be asked by the appropriate HR Adviser to provide comments on the submission.
• Decisions on self-submissions will not be made unilaterally by a Dean or the Provost and Chief Operating Officer   Such cases will be taken to the next available Directorate meeting for discussion (or an equivalent group for those from Support Services Sections).  At the Directorate meetings, Heads will be asked to leave the meeting at the point when any self-submission from their own area is being considered.
  

 

Introduction

• Heads may bring forward proposals for team awards at any time during the year.  This is to allow for a non-cash reward for a specific activity to be made close to the event itself.
• It should be noted that these rewards are exceptional and their award, therefore, should not be expected to be the norm.
• Only in the most unusual circumstances will an individual be considered for a merit award more than once in a twelve-month period.  In this event, reference to the previous award should be made and clear reasons given for the further submission.
• A team award is a method of rewarding groups of people who are working together in a team, on the basis of the results they achieve by their joint efforts, and can be used to promote a collaborative work environment ethos with shared goals.  The team may include staff at all levels, across Departments/Sections, and across all job families.
• The nature of the team award should be proposed by the Head(s) of Department/Section, in consultation with the team, and the activity decided before the submission is made.  A team award is designed to be applied flexibly and might, for example, consist of an activity or event such as a theatre visit, a golf tournament, spa visit, dining or wine tasting.  It should be appropriate to the scope of activity or performance, and appropriate and of value to the particular team itself.  In the event of individuals not wishing to be party to a generally-agreed (non-cash) award, they will receive the cash value of their share of the team award.  (Team awards constitute a taxable benefit and it has been agreed that this should be declared through recharge to the Department or Section concerned and not by the individual.)  Where payment of cash to the whole team is preferred, submissions should be made for lump sums, not team awards.
• Cases should identify the team purpose and its members and should provide evidence as to how the team has met the objectives set to achieve team goals.  The quality of output and input should be shown and participation, adaptability and flexibility may also usefully be described.
• Team award submissions should show how the collective value or qualitative impact of the work of the team is notable to others and should demonstrate how it contributes to the overall quality of the institution.  Cases should describe the award the Head of Department/Section wishes to propose and its estimated cost.
• All staff groups on Grades 1 to 8 are eligible for consideration for these awards.
• It should be noted that central funding is not available for these awards, and that responsibility for payment rests with the individual Department/Section.  Despite this, the financial situation in Departments/Sections should not preclude Heads from submitting cases for award.

 

Operating Procedures

• It is not envisaged that any decision regarding these awards will be made unilaterally by a Head of Department/Section.  Heads should therefore discuss any activity which in their view warrants such an award with other senior staff in their Department/Section (including Superintendent Technician, Departmental Administrator, Section Managers etc as appropriate), to determine whether to recommend this.
• If there is agreement within the Department/Section, the Head should submit a proposal on the Team Award form to the relevant HR Adviser who will forward this to the Dean of the Faculty or, in the case of Support Service Sections, to the Provost and Chief Operating Officer.
• The Dean or Provost/Chief Operating Officer will complete the form to indicate their decision and return this to the HR Adviser who will then confirm this in writing to the Head of Department/Section.
• If approved, the Head of Department/Section will then be responsible for ensuring the activity is organised and takes place as was proposed.
• If the Dean or Provost/Chief Operating Officer is not able to approve the proposal, the Head of Department/Section will be informed of the reasons.  The Head will then be responsible for giving feedback to the individual concerned.
• It is usual for the cost of the activity to be paid directly from a Department’s/Section’s budget, or for individual members of staff to submit claims for expenses, as this is not a cash award.  In any event, for tax purposes, it is essential that the Head of Department/Section ensures that, once the activity has taken place, Finance is informed of its nature, the names of those involved, and costs.
• Submissions for team awards will normally be made by a Head of Department/Section.  However, a group of individuals does have the right to make a self-submission if they feel that they have been overlooked, but they should make the relevant Head of Department/Section aware of the nature of their proposal.  This is because a Head will subsequently be asked by the appropriate HR Adviser to provide comments on the submission.
• Decisions on self-submissions will not be made unilaterally by a Dean or the Provost and Chief Operating Officer   Such cases will be taken to the next available Directorate meeting for discussion, or an equivalent group for those from Support Services Sections.  At the Directorate meetings, Heads will be asked to leave the meeting at the point when any self-submission from their own area is being considered.

 

All submissions for lump sum and team awards must be made on the appropriate form:

Submission Form for Lump Sum Award

            or

Submission Form for Team Award

The form should be completed by the Department/Section Head and not by an individual, unless a self-submission is being made.  No other documentation is required.

For a team award, only one form should be submitted but this should include the names of all team members.

All forms should be forwarded to the relevant HR Adviser in Human Resources for onward transmission to a Dean or the Provost and Chief Operating Officer.

Any self-submission will be copied by Human Resources and forwarded to the Head of Department/Section with a request for written comments. 

In the interests of equity, submissions will only be considered if presented in the specified format and full details are provided.

 

More detailed information about arrangements for submissions will be made available at the appropriate time.

 

More detailed information about arrangements for submissions will be made available at the appropriate time.

Additional Information

• Although a Dean, or the Provost and Chief Operating Officer, have responsibility for deciding on the above merit awards, all decisions will be reported to the Human Resources Committee which retains a policy and monitoring function in relation to reward matters (see also Monitoring below).
• Any queries about the 2008/09 Reward Review process should be addressed to the relevant Faculty/Non-Faculty Section HR Adviser

Monitoring

• The University is committed to monitoring and evaluating its reward procedures and activities to ensure consistency, equity and fairness.
• Reward data is stored on a central database held in Human Resources and summary data made available to the Human Resources Committee and to its Equality and Diversity Sub-Committee.
• Specifically, on an annual basis, the Equality and Diversity Adviser will identify those to whom merit awards are given in proportions of men to women, different racial groups, those with a disability, by grade and by job family, and this information will also be reported as part of the on-going equal pay audit and impact assessment work.
• Anonymised data will be published to all staff to give summary information about the reward process from that audit and impact assessment.

 

Author: Human Resources (MET) August 2010