Information for all new staff

Starting times and where to go on your first day:
The school or service you will be working in will discuss this with you before you arrive. If you haven’t heard from them before you are due to start, please contact Human Resources on the number on your contract letter and we can find you the right number to call.
When you start you will normally need to visit Human Resources and/or Payroll to provide documentation/information if you haven’t already done so:

Payroll will need:

Your National Insurance number
Bank details
Your P45

Human Resources will need:

A signed copy of your contract
If you are a non-EEA member of staff you will also need to take your original ID and proof of right to work (visa).

If you don’t have any of these, visit Payroll /Human Resources and they will be happy to advise you.

Human Resources and Pensions are based in 11.11 on level 11 of the EC Stoner Building, by staircase 2.

The Payroll office is located in room 11.38a on level 11 of the EC Stoner building.

An interactive campus map is available here.

Contract of employment:
You should receive your contract shortly after being offered a position. We need you to sign and return this to Human Resources within 14 days of receiving it, and make sure you keep a copy for yourself. You can also see your terms and conditions online.

Hours of work:

Support staff
The normal full-time hours of work for Clerical, Technical and Operational staff are 35 hours per week. The precise times of work are by arrangement within the Department. It may be possible for there to be some flexibility over the number of hours worked each week to meet departmental needs. Part-time jobs for example, may involve arrangements under which more hours a week are worked during University term-time and fewer during vacations.

Academic and Professional and Managerial staff

Academic and Professional and Managerial staff are required to devote the whole of their time to the duties of the post and your hours of work will be as laid down by your Head of School or the University Secretary/Finance Director/Director of Human Resources/Marketing Director/ Director of Facilities Management/Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching/Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research/Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Staff and Students/Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Knowledge Transfer/Director of Estates.

Criminal records and occupational health clearance:
If your post requires this clearance you will receive the appropriate forms with your contract letter or shortly after. Instructions on completing these will be included with the forms.

International Staff:
To help you with your move to the UK, the International Staff website provides useful information about living and working in the UK. The website is accessible at www.internationalstaff.ac.uk.

Salary scales:
Your contract letter will confirm which scale you are on, as well as your starting salary. Have a look where you fit into the University salary scales.

Health and Safety Responsibilities:
All staff are required to adhere to and comply with the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act, related Regulations, and act in accordance with the University’s Policy on Health and Safety which can be accessed via http://www.leeds.ac.uk/safety

In addition you are also required to co-operate with regard to the implementation of the Health and Safety arrangements and should not interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interest of Health, Safety and Welfare at Work.

Benefits:
You can find detailed information on our benefits pages but you might find the discounted travel, accommodation and healthcare particularly useful before you start at the University
Core benefits:

You will automatically receive all these benefits if you are an employee of the University:

The leave entitlement is 25 days (5 weeks) per year (pro-rata for part time staff). In addition there is an average of 15½ days holiday a year for public holidays and days when the university is officially closed. Unused holiday may not usually be carried over from one year to another, however by agreement with the Head of School/Service employees may carry forward up to one week’s leave for a maximum of 3 months.
Generous maternity, paternity and adoption leave
Sickness benefits increasing with your length of employment
Staff review and development scheme
Benefits +

Benefits + is an exciting collection of optional extras that are open to all staff. The variety of benefits ranges from subsidised transport and meals out, to pensions and special offers on shopping. Visit the benefits page, available at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/hr/benefits/index.htm, to find out more.

Pensions:
Your contract letter will tell you which pension scheme you are eligible to join. You will normally join this scheme automatically and the pensions team will write to you with further information. If you have any questions about the scheme such as transferring in benefits or leaving the scheme altogether, visit the pensions section.

Pensions for Support staff:

The University runs its own final salary pension scheme for support staff.
Most support staff who work at the University are members of the University of Leeds Pension and Assurance Scheme (PAS). It is a final salary pension scheme, so members will continue to get a proportion of their final salary when they retire.

Pensions for Academic and Professional and Managerial staff:

For appointments to academic or professional and managerial grades you will be eligible to join the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) and will automatically be entered into this Scheme when you commence employment at the University. Full details of the benefits offered by the Scheme can be found on their website www.uss.co.uk, and more information can also be obtained from the University Pensions Department.

If you are being appointed to a clinical post with the University, you may retain the right to remain in the NHS pension scheme.

If you are an existing University member of staff and are currently on a support grade, you will be eligible to join USS on your appointment to an academic or professional and managerial grade. You may decide to transfer the benefits you have built up in the Pension and Assurance Scheme (PAS) to USS, however this transfer will not be on a year for year basis and you may decide instead to leave these benefits deferred in the PAS scheme. The pensions department will be able to give you further details regarding the options available to you.

If your appointment is to a grade 7 post, in some circumstances it may be possible for you to remain in PAS, please speak to the pensions department for further details.

Trade unions:
Members of staff are free to join a trade union of their choice but union membership is not a condition of employment. The University recognises Unite (Amicus), UCU and UNISON. Primarily Unite (Amicus) supports technical staff, UNISON supports ancillary and clerical staff and UCU supports academic and academic related (professional and managerial) staff.

Each union has their own website with information on how to join. Visit the union page for more information.

University strategy:
We have a bold vision of becoming one of the world’s top 50 universities by 2015, and we have developed a strategy to help us achieve this.
Key staff:

Details of the key staff members you might hear about in the University are available here.
University Values:

All staff are expected to operate in line with the university’s values, which work as an integral part of our strategy and set out the principles of how we work together:

Academic excellence: knowledge, academic freedom, critical independence, creativity, innovation, world-class performance.
Community: public service and citizenship; collegiality, teamwork and mutual respect.
Integrity: openness, transparency and honesty
Inclusiveness: diversity, equal opportunity and access
Professionalism: provision of effective and efficient customer-focused services in all aspects of our work (internally and externally).

More information about the university’s strategy and values is available at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/comms/strategy/
Probation:
You will normally be on probation when you start at the University. Your contract of employment will confirm this and also tell you the length of your probationary period.
For more information on the probation scheme, read our probation policy.

Central induction:
As well as the induction you will have within your school or service, the University runs comprehensive induction courses for all new staff. You should have received an invitation to the introductory programme with your contract, or alternatively you can book your place when you start work.

ID card:
Your school or service will arrange an appointment with the Print and Copy Bureau or you to get your University ID card, normally within your first week here. As well as providing identification this is also your library card, giving you access to the library so you can borrow its books and resources.

Removal expenses:
The University will contribute to removal expenses incurred by new members of Academic and Academic-Related (Professional and Managerial) staff who:

accept a position for two years duration or more, which is University funded,
accept a position that has been advertised nationally (this includes the University website and jobs.ac.uk),
at the time of appointment (i.e. date of letter of appointment) live outside a radius of 25 miles from Leeds (LS2) and who move to within such a distance to take up the post.

Prior to making any travel or removal arrangements please contact your appointing Faculty/Service.
Claims may not cover conveyancing or estate agent's fees or other costs involved in the relocation. Members of staff seeking such assistance should contact the Recruitment Service for the details of approved contractors and a copy of the University Removals Policy.

Key Principles
For qualifying staff the University will reimburse the cost of moving household effects only (by surface freight), the cost of storage (up to a maximum period of six months) and insurance costs (while effects are in transit or storage). The costs must be reasonable and up to a maximum of £5,000.

Staff joining the University from overseas on a University funded position, may receive full reimbursement of economy class fares for all members of their immediate family i.e. spouse/partner and children, together with reasonable costs for removing household effects by surface freight. Receipted invoices or other appropriate documentation should accompany all claims for removal expenses.

Expenses are normally paid only in respect of an initial appointment and must normally be claimed within 12 months of taking up the appointment.

The University is entitled to recover removal expenses for all staff who, at their own volition, terminate their employment with the University within the first 2 years of their contract. The University will not however seek to recover such expenses from staff granted an ex gratia payment on a discretionary basis i.e. staff on University-funded appointments of two years or less or staff on outside-funded appointments.