The Total Reward Package

The University offers a significant total rewards package of salary, superannuation, annual leave and a wide range of other benefits. This should be taken into account when negotiating a starting salary with a candidate. Use the Total Reward Calculator showing the total value of salary plus benefits to inform your decision-making/discussions. 

Salary Levels

The selection panels role is to recommend an appropriate starting salary, considering the following:

• salary range approved and advertised for this post.*
• candidate’s current salary
• candidate’s job-related experience
• internal consistency; the salary levels of colleagues performing roles of similar responsibility, particularly with relation to Equal Pay legislation
• potential salary progression
• offers should normally be made at the starting point of the approved scale. Any request beyond this must be supported by an objective, transparent case which justifies the request.
• position on NHS Scales, where this is applicable

*The recommended salary level must be within the range of funding confirmed for the required period provided by the Department of Finance, as specified within e-Recruitment prior to advertisement.

Panels should not offer a firm salary or contract at this stage. It must be made clear to candidates that any salary suggested to her/him must be ratified by HR.

Any proposed variance to the pre-approved salary range or grade will be considered a significant change and will require re-authorisation with HR and the Department of Finance. Such requests will be considered in full, but may not necessarily be approved. This will lead to additional delays in the process of issuing a contract. If you wish to appoint on a different grade, higher or lower than that advertised, then you should consider halting the process and re-advertising the post with the new details. Advertising on a different salary range may lead to a different pool of applicants, of which one may be more appropriate for the role than your current selection.

Pensions

The University automatically enrols all members of University staff into the appropriate pension scheme on joining, or on reaching certain age- or earnings-based criteria. These criteria are established as part of legislation requiring employers to automatically enrol staff into a pension scheme. Those who do not meet the age/earnings criteria will not be automatically enrolled, but they do have a right to join the appropriate pension scheme at any time.

If an appointee opts to join or, following automatic enrolment, remains in the pension scheme available to her/him, the 'on-costs' of the appointment are increased. The Department of Finance should include these costs automatically in the salary range available for the appointment. If the appointee decides to opt out of the pension scheme or is not automatically enrolled and chooses not to join, her/his salary cannot be increased by the sum equivalent to the savings made on on-costs.

In order to benefit from reduced costs to the University in terms of reduced employer's NI contributions, after a period of 4 months' pension scheme membership, the default position is that pension scheme members will transfer to a Pay Plus for pensions arrangement – this is a salary sacrifice arrangement that reduces both the employer's and employee's NI contributions.

Further guidance is available from your Faculty or Professional Services finance team.

Academic Probationary and Review Periods

The University currently operates a formal probation system of up to 3 years for all open-ended appointments to Clinical and non-Clinical Lecturers. Probation provides a new appointee and line manger with the opportunity to regularly review the individual's development in the post, assess training needs and consider the direction in which both parties perceive the post progressing. Probation does not apply to direct appointments into senior posts.

The appointment panel should agree

• an appropriate probationary period to reflect the recommended appointee’s experience in relation to the role and grade of the post.
• an appropriate probationary advisor. Ideally this should be the line manager of the appointee or someone in a position to assess the individual's progress and development on an ongoing basis.

See also Academic Staff Probation

Proof of registration with a professional body

Many University posts require staff to be registered with the appropriate professional body, for example GMC, GDC, NMC. If this is the case, this should be identified as an essential criterion within the advertised About the Job and all candidates at interview/selection action stage should be reminded that the appointment will be subject to current registration.

See also Checking Professional Registrations

Action by recruiting department: Pre-appointment

Personal current registration status must be confirmed with the successful candidate before a contract of employment can be issued. You are advised to build this in as a check on the day candidates attend for interview/selection tests. Include a copy of the current registration with the appointment paperwork in order for the appointment to be confirmed. After the new member of staff's record has been created on uBASE by HR, the recruiting department should ensure that the professional registration and expiry date is recorded in myTeam.

During appointment

Departments should ensure that the member of staff's registration with the professional body is kept up to date and record renewals of registrations in myTeam after checking the relevant website. If registration is not successfully renewed prior to the expiry date, staff will be in breach of their conditions of appointment, which could lead to a suspension from their duties.

A copy of the member of staff's clinical insurance certificate/card should be provided to Human Resources as soon as possible after appointment in order to be retained on the member of staff's personal file. This condition of appointment should also be recorded in myTeam.

Authorisation from the NHS

Certain University posts will require NHS authorisation in order to undertake elements of the role eg Honorary NHS contract, NHS Letter of Authority. Be aware that meeting this essential check will be additional selection action and you will need to timetable this into the process.

Action by recruiting department

• Establish with the NHS the correct level of authorisation required for the post at the preparatory, pre-advertisement stage.
• Be clear within the About the Job for the post that the appointment will be subject to NHS authorisation
• Remind candidates at interview/selection stage of this requirement and explain what it will mean in practice eg the NHS Trust/Hospital/Body may wish to undertake its own CRB check for the individual even if the University, as the substantive employer, has already undertaken one; additional health assessment may be required etc.
• Once you have confirmed an appointee through the full University process, inform the NHS representatives as soon as possible in order to progress action on their side.
• Once the appropriate NHS authorisation, eg Honorary NHS contract/Letter of Authority, has been obtained from the NHS Trust/Hospital/Body, (a) record the details in myTeam and (b) send a copy of the document to your customary HR contact for retention on the appointee’s personal file.

Appointing candidates with disabilities

The University is a Two Ticks employer, committed to the employment, retention and development of staff with disabilities.

If a recommended appointee has informed you that:

• s/he has a disability or health concern which s/he feels is relevant to the job in question
• and/or s/he would require any special equipment or adjustments to be made to enable them to do the job

The Chair of the interview panel should note this in the appropriate section of e-Recruitment, and contact their customary HR support to discuss this further. Your HR team will work closely with you to consider any equipment or adjustments required, and will advise on financial support available, such as the Access to Work scheme, which offers grant assistance of up to 100% of costs incurred in this area if an application is made within six weeks of appointment.

See Two Ticks for further information.

If an offer of appointment is made, this will be subject to a satisfactory pre-employment health assessment from the University Staff Occupational Health Service, and it is essential that the recommended appointee does not start work until this has been received.

See also Reasonable Adjustments

Employing non-EEA nationals

We are legally obliged to verify that all appointees are eligible to work in the UK before they start working at the University. If your recommended appointee is a non-EEA national additional action is required.

Full guidance and action for non-EEA nationals is available at Eligibility to Work

Dates of the appointment

A post may only be appointed to where confirmation of funding for the required period has been given by the Department of Finance. This will be as specified within e-Recruitment prior to the post being advertised. Any variance to the approved appointment dates may be considered a significant change, particularly if it has impact upon funding approval. If you wish to vary the dates of an appointment, discuss options with your Faculty or Professional Services finance team in the first instance.