Service Level Agreement

Vision

A Human Resource function which delivers professional services to enable the delivery of University strategic goals, and sustainable high performance which is achieved through people.

Purpose

  • To deliver services and activities which enables all departments in the University to effectively manage and develop staff in an environment which is supportive of excellence and high performance
  • To develop and apply HR practices and solutions which produce positive outcomes for staff, managers and students
  • To build and ensure capability, commitment and compliance
  • To promote change and continuous improvement as a means of achieving departmental and University goals  

Our approach  

  • Customer focussed – provide services that are accessible and responsive to customer requirements and comments
  • Flexible approach to respond to changing priorities – (making clear what can be stopped to make other things happen)
  • Efficiency - Deliver what we do as efficiently as possible within a known model of operating service delivery
  • Benchmark – Consider best HR practice, measure performance through benchmarking and look externally as well as within to achieve service improvements
  • Judgement is informed by understanding the University and what it needs to succeed
  • Outcome based approach – Focus on what we deliver  

Services provided

  • Recruitment and selection – including authorisation to recruit, recruitment advertising, candidate response and organisation of panels for all groups of staff
  • Job Evaluation and review of roles to position correctly within the University pay and grading system
  • Advice to managers and staff on full range of employment/HR policy matters
  • Management of contracts of employment, termination of staff, HR administration to enable work permits, maternity leave, payroll processing
  • Maintenance of effective relations with recognised Trade Unions via JNCC and other working groups
  • Provision of management information on fixed-term contract expiry and support to HoDs on this process
  • Responsible for the delivery of collective consultation as required by legislation in relation to redundancy
  • Pensions advice to scheme trustees, managers and staff
  • Oversight of the University Disciplinary, Appeals and Grievance procedures ensuring activities happen in line with policy or Statute and Ordinances
  • Responding on behalf of University to wide range of government consultation on employment matters
  • Delivery of statutory returns relating to staff
  • Management of Equal Pay Audits and other pay mechanisms such as Rewarding Excellence, Professorial Pay Review etc
  • Case management – harassment, grievances etc
  • Development and provision of a range of Learning and Development programmes e.g. PGCAP – new academics, training for post graduates and early career researchers, support staff development, Leadership and Management Development and some statutory and compliance training
  • Provision of HR KPIs and metrics to various groups/individuals
  • Support to a number of staff forums

Summary of staffing

  • Director of Human Resources – Pat Lofthouse, ext 4862
  • Deputy Director of Human Resources – Paula Tunbridge, ext 4838
  • Director of Professional Organisational Development – Kate O’Sullivan, ext 2013
  • Full-time equivalents:
    • Senior Admin Pay: 3
    • Grade 7 and above: 13.4 FTE
    • Grade 1-6: 24.9 FTE
    • Total = 38.3 FTE (now includes Biology HR Manager and HR Adviser)

Funding 2010-11

  1. HR Staff (excluding Roberts funding): £1,770k
  2. HR Non-staff: £80k
  3. University Costs £1,692k (e.g. budgets for recruitment, relocation, early retirement, redundancy, training, staff counselling and long service)

Customers / clients

  • Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellors
  • Directors and Heads of Support Services
  • Heads of Academic Department
  • Academic Co-ordinators
  • Department Managers
  • HR Policy Committee
  • Pension scheme trustees
  • All staff
  • Post Graduate Research Students

Specific pledges on customer service

  • Respond to HR Enquiries and POD Admin enquiries within three working days
  • Issue papers for main committees at least three working days in advance
  • Respond to customers in a considerate and courteous/friendly manner
  • Incorporate customer feedback and evaluation to continually improve our services
  • Present data, papers, web pages in a clear and accessible manner
  • Operate with minimal bureaucracy/transactional costs

Annual Objectives

  1. Provide strategic HR advice and leadership at SMG and other committees and groups
  2. Implement the new HR Strategy for 2010-14 to support the University Plan
  3. Continue to build leadership capability particularly with new programmes for research leaders and future leaders in 2011, as well as continuous improvement to Strategic Leadership and Leadership in Action programmes
  4. Develop support for Performance Management and Development with a proactive approach to cases, the introduction of a performance management website, and the continued development of a range of Learning & Development intervention to support
  5. Embed and support changes in employment legislation into our policies, procedures and practices
  6. Support the development of action plans in response to the the 2011 staff survey results, and maintain momentum for their implementation
  7. Develop generic role profiles to further simplify the job evaluation process and assist the understanding of career pathways
  8. Implement improvements to the recruitment process, develop market pay data and support to international recruitment and relocation
  9. Work with other internal providers of staff deveopment to continue to develop the learning and development support available to all staff to enable them to deliver their individual, team and departmental objectives
  10. Work with departmental management teams, the Planning Office and Finance to develop and implement workforce planning
  11. Continuously seek to improve HR as a function with further automated workflows and a reduction of inappropriate academic time spent on HR admin/transactional activities
  12. Further work to simplify processes on pay groups (Prof Pay/Senior Admin/HoDs’ Pay)
  13. Commence the procurement process for the replacement or upgrade of the ResourceLink system

Last Updated: February 6, 2012 | Alex McFarlane

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