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Staff Handbook

Section 1- Divisional Structure
Section 2 - Getting Started

 

Section 3 - A-Z of Services
Access to work
Accidents and Safety
Accounts
Allocation of offices
Annual leave
Appraisal
Building Maintenance
Common Room
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Emergency
Equal Opportunities
Expenses
Fax
First Aid
Doctoral School Conference Fund
Grant Applications
Green Impact
Income Generation Activities
Insurance
Keys
Leave
Library
Maps
Maternity and Paternity Leave		MyView
Pension Arrangements
Post
Postgraduate Funding
Probation
Room Bookings
Rubbish and Recycling
Safety
Security
Seminars
Sickness Absence Policy
Sports Facilities
Staff Parents Information
Stationery
Subjects Payments
Subjects Poster and Ethics Approvals
Tea and Coffee
Telephones
Toasters
Trade Unions
Training
Travel
Work-Life Balance
Work Experience
Work Permits/Right to Work

Introduction

Welcome to the UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences. We undertake world-leading research and teaching in mind, behaviour, and language. It brings together researchers in a range of disciplines such as cognition, neuroscience, linguistics, education, communication, medicine, health, phonetics and development. The Division is a vibrant environment for both study and research. The Division of Psychology and Language Sciences is based across a number of central London sites (Bedford Way, Chandler House, 1-19 Torrington Place, Alexandra House, Queen Square; 2nd floor, 66-72 Gower Street and 49 Gordon Square); consists of over 100 academic staff, over 40 administrative and technical support staff, over 100 PhD students and over 90 research staff. The current Head of Division is Professor Peter Fonagy. General information about the Division (e.g. history, seminars, members of staff, courses offered etc) can be found on the PALS website and, as such, will not be replicated here.

Emergency

The College's emergency number is 222. It should be dialled for security, accident, fire, or any other emergencies. Deaf staff/students should dial 51111 from an internal minicom/textphone. If in doubt, ring anyway. If you suspect an intruder, fire, etc, call.

Section 1 - Divisional Structure

The Division administratively is comprised of seven research departments 

  • Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology
  • Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Language and Cognition
  • Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences 
  • Linguistics
  • Experimental Psychology
  • UCLIC

With the exception of CEHP, ICN and UCLIC which are self-managed groups, support for these groups fall under the main Division's remit.  There are many other units eg Deafness Cognition & Language Research Centre (DCAL), Educational Psychology Group, which are part of the Division and come under the main Division's umbrella.

The Division also has a number of committees which all report to the Staff Meeting. Details of the committees can be found on the intranet.

Various people you will need to know are and who will be referred to in this document are:

Contact details for all staff in the Division.

Section 2 - Getting Started/Induction

1. General

On your first day at work make sure that John Draper (Bedford Way), Cristina Gardini (Chandler House) or your local Team Manager or is informed of your arrival. UCL HR have produced a useful set of induction information

2. ID Cards & Keys

All members of the division need a valid ID card. This is necessary to gain entry to UCL buildings, join the library, join Senate House library etc. ID cards can be obtained from Security Systems in the Andrew Huxley Building (9am to 5pm). You will need to show a form of ID when collecting your card.

3. Safety

All members of the Division should meet their local Safety Officer for a safety induction on their first day.

Safety Officers are:

All new members of staff and postgraduate students must attend a half-day briefing on the arrangements UCL has made for health and safety.

All new staff must complete the UCL safety induction online training shortly after starting at UCL.

The Division's Safety Policy can be found on the intranet at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/intranet/health-and-safety. 

 

4. Photocopiers and photocopying

Photocopier in the Division require users to input their access code. To obtain your acvcess code, please contact:

  • Bedford Way: General Office
  • Chandler House: CH Finance Team or relevant teaching administrators
  • Educational Psychology: Ed Psych Adminstrators
  • Torrington Place: Julia Curl
  • Alexandra House: ICN Reception
  • DCAL: Manjula Patrick

5. E-Mail Lists

The Division makes extensive use of a number of internal e-mail lists. There are guidelines on their use. 

6. General Induction

On the first day a new member of staff should be provided with the following:

  • Instructions regarding the emergency evacuation arrangements for the building(s) in which they will be based;
  • Health and safety policy of the department, names and locations of first aiders and the procedure for reporting accidents and hazards;
  • Details of working hours (including any flexibility and cover arrangements) and local arrangements regarding lunch and other breaks;
  • Arrangements for obtaining security passes, identity and entry cards, library card, computer access codes etc;
  • Arrangements for contacting the authorised departmental contact in the event of unforeseen absence, sickness, etc;
  • An up-to-date copy of the job description for reference throughout the probation period, together with an explanation of the work of the department from the manager;
  • Details of how and when salary/wages will be paid;
  • Where to find facilities such as toilets, kitchen, refectory, etc;
  • Rules regarding personal use of computing facilities and telephone;
  • Security arrangements of the building(s) in which they work.

Within the first week:

  • An explanation of the key aspects of the job including important contacts, an explanation of how the job fits within the rest of UCL and copies of all relevant policy and procedure notes either departmental, faculty, UCL wide and from other relevant partner organisations, e.g. NHS Trusts;
  • Details of key UCL wide policies including Equal Opportunities, Race Equality and the Induction & Probation Policy;
  • Arrangements for booking annual leave – including any restrictions on planning leave, etc;
  • Be booked onto the corporate UCL Induction Course and Safety Induction Course and where appropriate receive a departmental induction to computing systems and contents of the intranet, etc;
  • Explicit discussion of performance standards and any objectives to be achieved within the probationary period. Staff in roles with management responsibilities should be given a copy of UCL’s management competency expectations. In addition, employees in research, teaching or academic posts should be given a copy of ‘Excellence and the UCL community: a shared endeavour’. How they specifically apply to the post holder’s new responsibilities and expected performance should be discussed at this stage;
  • Information on how performance will be monitored and when it will be reviewed informally and formally;
  • An explanation of the UCL facilities available – catering outlets, sports facilities, UCL shop, libraries, etc.

Within the first month:

  • discussion of training needs and identification/booking of relevant courses;
  • review of initial induction period and early feedback on performance.

Within the first six weeks:

Section 3 - An A-Z of Services

Access to Work

Access to Work is a programme run by the Department of Work and Pensions which provides support to disabled people to help them overcome work related obstacles resulting from their disability, if this is likely to last for 12 months or longer.
It is important that disabled staff who think they may qualify for the Access to Work Programme contact their HR Team immediately on starting work for UCL, after discussion with their line manager. An application to the Access to Work Programme should be made by the disabled person within six weeks of starting work at UCL, in order for Access to Work to pay up to 100% of the costs. Access to Work applies to any paid job, part-time or full-time, permanent or temporary. See the HR pages for full details.

Accidents and Safety

Everyone has a duty of care within the Division. Please avoid activity likely to adversely affect others. Should you see anything potentially hazardous, please tell the Divisional Safety Officer, George Joseph, immediately.

In the event of an accident, incident, or near-miss, you must inform the Divisional Safety Officer, George Joseph. See the Division's Health and Safety page for more information. Please also see Safety Arrangements for the building you are based in.

Accounts

All Divisional finance matters are managed by John Draper or Sarah Alleemudder. There are different procedures for Bedford Way and Chandler House. UCLIC finances are managed by Louise Gaynor.

  • Queries about internal purchase orders (IDTs) and external purchase orders (POs) should be directed to Gillian Peacock (Bedford Way) or Maria Wykes (Chandler House). ICN, Research Departments and UCLIC have their own procedures and you should contact the relevant person in that building. For UCLIC, it is Louise Gaynor.

If you are ordering goods for medical-related research please highlight this when ordering so that VAT will not be paid. Before incurring any expenses or ordering goods, you must have the relevant authorization.

Allocation of Offices

Allocation of offices and desk space is managed by John Draper (Bedford Way), Richard Jardine (Chandler House), Julia Curl (Torrington Place), Vicki Brearley (Alexandra House), Manjula Patrick (DCAL) and Louise Gaynor (UCLIC).

Annual Leave

The UCL leave year runs from 1st October until 30th September. Annual leave for full-time staff will be subject to an entitlement of 27 days per annum (pro-rata for part-time staff), plus UCL closure days, and statutory holidays.

Leave should be taken in consultation with the Head of Department or person deputised by her/him. No payment will be made in lieu of leave not taken, except in respect of the year of termination of employment.

Leave may not be carried forward to the next leave year without the prior agreement of the Head of Department. If agreed, a maximum of five days can normally be carried forward other than in exceptional circumstances.

Appraisal

Heads of Department and Heads of Administrative Divisions will be reviewed annually. Staff review for other groups of staff will ideally take place annually, but no less frequently than every two years.

Appraisers (or for HoRDs their EOs) will organise a mutually convenient time with the Appraisee and ensure that relevant documents are forwarded in advance of the meeting.

The Appraisee must complete the Cover page and Form A (academics also need to provide the Appraiser with an up-to-date CV) and send them to the Appraiser at least five working days before the proposed meeting

Building Maintenance

If you notice a maintenance issue, please contact:

  • George Joseph (Bedford Way)
  • Dave Cushing (Chandler House)
  • Julia Curl (Torrington Place)
  • ICN Reception (Alexandra House)
  • Louise Gaynor (UCLIC).
  • For DCAL, please use self-service on-line maintenance from and send a copy of the request to Andrea Davenport.

Rubbish and unwanted furniture/equipment, must not be left in corridor - this is a fire risk. This applies to all of UCL's buildings. Please notify the refvent member of staff above if you have a large amount of rubbish, or any furniture/equipment which needs to be removed.

Common Room

Rooms 308 (Bedford Way); 431 (Torrington Place); Atruim (Chandler House) and 213/4 (Alexandra House) are each building's common rooms for use by staff and students alike.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

The Division runs a number of CPD events. Some of these are free for members of staff if places are available.

Emergency

UCL's emergency number is 222.

Deaf staff/students should dial 51111 from an internal minicom/textphone.

These should be dialed for security, accident, fire, or any other emergencies. If in doubt, ring anyway. If you suspect an intruder, fire etc., call.

Equal Opportunities 

The Division endeavours to be an equal opportunities environment in which each and every student and staff member should be able to study and work without discrimination. UCL's equal opportunities policy means that all students and staff have the right to work in an environment free from discrimination, prejudice, and all forms of harassment and bullying.

All UCL departments have DEOLOs (Departmental Equal Opportunities Liaison Officers) whose role is to ensure that UCL's Equal Opportunities policies and practice are implemented. 

The Division has 3 DEOLOs:

  • Stefanie Anyadi – DEOLO for Taught Students
  • Sarah Alleemudder – DEOLO for Research Students
  • Cristina Gardini – DEOLO for Staff

The Division holds an Athena SWAN Silver Award

Expenses

Staff expenses are administered online va MyFinance

When completing an online expenses form please note the following:

  1. Provide as much information as possible concerning your claim. e.g Travel to Amsterdam for the XYZ Psychology Conference between 2-5 February 2015. It is advised that you keep a copy of the claim form and your receipts just in case they get lost in the internal mail.
  2. All claims should be made within 3 months of payment. If, for any reason its longer than three months, then please state why.
  3. Your receipts/tickets etc will be checked by staff in Accounts Payable. Please ensure that documentation for your claim is secured to your claim form.
  4. Credit card receipts are not acceptable. If however if it’s the only receipt you have then it should be included but there should be a note in the claim, explaining why you haven't got a receipt...'Only credit card receipt provided' or 'Receipt lost' are acceptable.
  5. All claims must be in sterling. If you're converting from a foreign currency then the rate (www.xe.com) must be noted on the form.
  6. If you're claiming for a meal then all those attending the meal need to be listed

Fax

The department's fax machine, which is for staff and postgrad use is in the General Office of Bedford Way. The number is 020 7436 4276. Torrington Place's is 020 7916 1989 and is located in room 434. Alexandra House's is 020 7813 2835, DCAL's 020 7679 8691. Chandler House fax is 020 7679 4238. 

 

First Aid

The Division has a number of first aiders, here is a list of colleagues you can contact:

Alexandra House

  • Nobuhiro Hagura, room B205 AHB, ext 21149
  • Oliver Robinson, room 308 AH, ext 21149
  • Hannah Pimperton, room G07 AH, ext 21123
  • Beth Parkin, room 303 ext 21160
  • Sam Evans, room 211 ext 27529
  • Sharda Gurung, room B02 ext 25441

Bedford Way

  • Matthias Gobel, room BW411, ext
  • Maria Coker, Bedford Way Security, ext 25513
  • George Joseph, room B10 BW, ext 25328
  • Antonietta Esposito, room 210 BW, ext 25332

Chandler House

  • David Cushing, room B08 CHB, ext 24016
  • Library Staff 2nd Floor Library 24210

49 Gordon Square (DCAL)

  • Ann Jones, ext 28678
  • Velia Cardin, ext 25822
  • Alan Wendt, ext 28690

UCLIC

  • Louise Gaynor, ext 57050
  • Jo Pearson, ext 57043

1 – 19 Torrington Place

  • Position Vacant

There are various first aid kits kept throughout buildings in the division: eg secretarial offices and general offices - please see local Safety Arrangements for location in your building.

UCL Doctoral School Conference Funds

See the Doctoral School webpages for more information about available funds

Grant Applications

Making grant applications can take some time. Prior to submission, all applications must be costed on pFACT by your local Finance Officer and then approved by the Head of Research Department, John Draper or Sarah Alleemudder and then Research Administration. The process of Research Administration checking and signature can take up to 8 days so please allow this in your timescale.

Green Impact

The Division takes part in the UCL Green Impact scheme, and was awarded the titel of 'Greenest UCL Department' in 2014. Further information on green issues can be found on the Division's Green Awareness pages, and the UCL green pages.

Income Generation Activities

The Communication, Language and Speech Science (CLaSS) Unit works in partnership with the Head/Deputy of Division and the HoRDs to develop income generating strategies and support its specific programmes of activities and projects

Its aims are:
• To generate additional external income and raise the profile of the Division regionally, nationally and internationally;
• To support the dissemination and exploitation of research and development results and to explore industry-university partnerships;
• To strategically explore and develop business opportunities in psychology, language sciences, education and training;
• To utilise the considerable resources of the Division and offer help for the setting up of activities which meet the Research Groups specific needs;
• To lead the way in its delivery of administrative and organisational services, including consultancy and setting up and provision of professional development courses and activities.

The Unit Administrator can be reached on 020 7679 4204 (internal: 24204).

Insurance

If you need to move equipment outside of its usual building you must first obtain insurance. 

Keys

Key requisition forms can be obtained from John Draper and Harriet Lilley (Bedford Way), Dave Cushing (Chandler House), Julia Curl (Torrington Place), Manjula Patrick (DCAL) or Vicki Brearley (Alexandra House). See Louise Gaynor for how to obtain keys and access issues in UCLIC.

Leave

All employees are required to ensure that they have appropriate authorisation for any absence from work, including (click to follow links):

To book leave please use the online application.

Library

The main UCL Library is in the Wilkins Building on Gower Street; the Psychology section is housed separately in the DMS Watson Science Library on Malet Place. There is a library in Chandler House based on its 3rd floor.

Senate House Library houses the BPS collection. All members of UCL can gain membership to Senate House Library.

Maps

Maps of UCL are available from the General Offices in the Division or online. UCL Routefinder is also a useful tool.

Maternity and Paternity Leave

See UCL's policy on maternity and paternity leave.
UCL offers staff paid leave of up to 20 working days (4 working weeks).  This can be taken any time from 3 months before the expected week of childbirth to 3 months after the actual date of birth (or the date of adoption in the case of adoptive parents). Paternity/partner's leave does not have to be taken at one time and can be spread over the 6 month period.
Partners can include same-sex partners, they do not necessarily have to have registered under the Civil Partnership Act 2005.

In addition to the provisions of this policy, those that take 3 months or more of Additional Paternity/Parental leave are entitled to one term of sabbatical leave without teaching commitments for research active academics after returning.

See also the locations of rest rooms, breastfeeding rooms and baby-changing facilities for maternity and parenting needs in PaLS and other UCL locations.

MyView

MyView Self Service is an online application which allows UCL employees to view their HR record. Employees must use their UCL login details to gain access.
MyView allows employees to:

  • View their payslips and P60s online
  • View their appraisal and probation history at UCL
  • Edit their own personal details using online forms. This includes employees contact details, emergency contacts, next of kin or bank account details
  • Allow an employee to submit an electronic request for leave directly to their manager for approval.

Pension Arrangements

Queries concerning pensions arrangements etc. should be directed to the UCL Pensions Service in HR

Post

Post can be collected from your designated pigeonholes in appropriate General Offices (staff and postgrads) or Common Rooms (undergrads). Envelopes (both internal and external) can be collected from appropriate General Offices. Please do not send out personal post.

Postgraduate Funding

Research Councils provide funding for their PhD students' research costs and an account code is held for each research student. Similarly the Division provides £1k per year for the research costs of all Divisional demonstratorships/studentships which is transferred to the supervisor's discretionary account. The situation for other PhD students depends on which research department they belong to as below:

  • EP and CEHP: £1k is transferred to supervisor's discretionary account
  • Language & Cognition, SHAPS and Linguistics: a request needs to be made to the HoRD
  • ICN: students should contact their supervisor to obtain authorisation and an account code before expenditure
  • UCLIC: contact Louise Gaynor for details.

In addition the Doctoral School has a fund available for conference attendance.

Probation

It is UCL policy that all new staff, including those on part-time and fixed term contracts, undergo a probationary period during which they will be introduced to the main duties and responsibilities of their post, the performance standards expected of them, the colleagues with whom they will be working most closely and the context of their work, within the department, division or UCL as a whole.

During the probationary period the onus is on the manager to provide the necessary information and training that will equip the individual to undertake all aspects of their role at UCL and on the individual, to demonstrate their suitability for the post. Managers must ensure systems are in place to support and monitor the probationer’s work throughout the probationary period in order that s/he receives such assistance as is reasonable to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the post.

Probationary periods at UCL are 6 months or 9 months depending on the nature of the role.

Room Bookings

Lecture, seminar and research lab rooms at Chandler House and Bedford Way are booked online. See the UCLIC intranet for how to book rooms or labs in UCLIC or CS.

Rubbish and Recycling

Rubbish is collected every day. Contact your local building liaison officer if you have any problems.

Reducing waste and making sure waste materials are recycled are essential parts of creating a more sustainable UCL. UCL currently recycles around 69% of its waste, but aims to increase this to 85%. Please ensure that you use the bin system correctly:

  • mixed recycling: all recyclable items go in the bins marked 'mixed recycling'. These materials just have to be dry and largely food-free. They're taken away and sorted off-site to ensure the highest amount of recyclable materials are collected. 
  • food only: all food waste should go in the bins marked 'food only' in orange. This is taken off-site and broken down using anaerobic digestion. 
  • non-recyclable waste: All those items that are left, items like food-contaminated containers, go in the bins marked 'non-recyclable waste' in black. These items are incinerated and the heat they produce is used to generate energy.

Further information on green issues can be found on our Green Awareness pages.

Safety

The Division's Safety Officer is George Joseph. All new members of staff and postgraduates need to attend a half-day briefing on the arrangements UCL has made for health and safety. Contact UCL Safety Office (x46988) for details of upcoming sessions. See note below, regarding subjects and safety.

Security

Each building is serviced by Security, contact numbers are as below:

  • Bedford Way: 25513
  • Chandler House: 24001
  • Torrington Place: 32108 or 41262
  • Alexandra House: 21177
  • 66-72 Gower Street: TBC
  • 49 Gordon Square - no onsite security. Please report to UCL Security Control Room, ext 33333

Being an educational establishment based in Central London we are deemed to be an easy target for thefts, and a number of petty thefts have occurred in recent years. Everyone is advised to keep their rooms locked when they are unoccupied.

If you see anything suspicious or of concern you should contact the appropriate Building Attendant and/or UCL Security immediately. The UCL Emergency number is 222. Deaf staff/students dial ext 51111 from an internal textphone/minicom.

Seminars

Details of seminars can be found at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/news-and-seminars/departmental-seminars. Seminar organisers also email staff about upcoming events.

Sickness Absence Policy

Divisional Implementation of UCL Sickness Absence Policy

The Division has to act in accordance with UCL Sickness Absence Policy.

  1. Academic and academic related staff should report to the Head of Research Department via the Team Leader/Manager. Research Staff should report to their Principle Investigator. Secretarial and technical staff should report to their immediate line manager.
  2. If taken ill at work you should report your illness and, where necessary seek medical attention.
  3. You should report your illness within 30 minutes of the start of the working day.
  4. If the absence exceeds 7 calendar working days the employee must obtain a medical certificate from a GP and forward it to the HR Team or your local Team Manager. Repeated short-term absence. Six periods of absence in a rolling 12 month period or a total of twelve or more working days within the same period will normally trigger a formal Sickness Absence Review.
  5. The HR Team or your local Team Manager should be advised of all absences by the end of each month so as to be able to make the Divisional return to College.
  6. When staff return to work they should complete the Sickness Absence Record Form. This should then be forwarded as soon as possible to the HR Team or your local Team Manager.
  7. Doctor, dentist and hospital appointments are covered by UCL’s policy on Leave for Domestic and Personal Reasons.

Sports Facilities

UCL staff can get discounted membership to Bloomsbury Fitness on Gordon Street and Student Central's Enerybase on Malet Street.

The Division has a football team and new members are always welcome (contact John Draper).

Staff Parents Information

The UCL webpages provide resources for Divisional staff who have or will soon have parenting responsibilities, or who are interested in parenting issues, including Maternity Leave, Work/Life Balance, the UCL Nursery, UCLH Maternity and the UCL Occupation Health Service.

See also the locations of rest rooms, breastfeeding rooms and baby-changing facilities for maternity and parenting needs in PALS.

Stationery

  • Stationery for Bedford Way can be obtained from the General Office (303).
  • In Chandler House, stationery can be obtained from the stationery cupboard in the reception area. Any queries or requests for stationery orders should be addressed to anyone in the Finance team in room 309.
  • Those in Torrington Place should contact Julia Curl.
  • Those in Alexandra House should contact ICN Reception
  • Those in DCAL contact Andrea Davenport. 
  • Stationery in UCLIC can be obtained from the 2nd floor Print room

Subject Payments

The divisional procedure for subject payment is:

1. Payment of participants must be made upfront by the researcher who then claims their money back. Subject payment forms must be fully completed by all participants. An incomplete address or an indecipherable name means that Finance will not reimburse the experimenter for that particular subject. Addresses must be complete ie include postcode. if participant is unsure of postcode then the area, borough must be entered.

2. The subject rate for all experiments is £7.50 per hour (as of 1 January 2015). This applies to whoever the experimenter is. A higher rate applies for fMRI scanning experiments.

3. Any experiment lasting less than an hour should pay its participants at the respective rate, eg £3.75 for half-an-hour, although no less than £2.50 per experiment.

4. If an experiment will last longer than an hour then it must be cleared with John Draper beforehand as petty cash will not be handed over to anyone who has more than £7.50 against any individual subject payment.

This applies to all experiments that takes place under the auspices of the department and includes research grants, postgrads, and whoever puts notices around the department.

Recommended safety guidelines for experimenters to use when running subjects, particularly people from outside the Division are as follows:

  • don't book subjects that you do not know/are not members of the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences outside office hours.
  • tell a colleague where you are going and how long you expect to be. In front of the subject.
  • If you don't have to be in the room while the subject is doing the experiment then wait outside. Alternatively, if you can run the experiment with the door open then do so. If you must be inside with the door shut put a sign on the door saying what you are doing and when the room will be free. Make up some 'whiteboard' signs for every lab door.
  • ask subjects to 'sign in' before starting the experiment. This could be filling out their name and address on a subject receipt form or providing demographic details (inc. name and address). Ask all subjects to show ID.
  • use your intuition/intelligence and don't take any risks. If a situation doesn't feel right then make an excuse and leave. Return with a colleague?
  • keep an organized diary of subject appointments including for each subject name, address/phone/e-mail, time-date of appointment, whether they attended
  • give subjects an appointment card stating where/when/who is running the experiment - which they should expect to produce on demand around the department
  • don't be afraid to terminate an experiment if a subject's behaviour gives cause for any concern about your safety, and remember that a subject has the right to terminate at any time without being required to justify it .
  • if you have doubts about a subject's intentions in gaining access to the building, escort them to the exit at the end of the experiment or arrange that someone does this
  • do and say what your ethics application said you would do and say!
  • the guidelines should alert experimenters to all the following risks that they are designed to minimize: (a) harassment of experiments by subjects, (b) accusations of harassment of subjects by experiments, (c) access to the department by individuals with malign intentions
  • get subjects from outside the department to show proof of address as well as ID. as experimenters you could say you have to do this in order to authorize payment

Subject Posters & Ethics Approval

All subject posters need to meet the requirements of the Ethics Committee as failure to do so could nullify the ethics approval were it to become known more widely.Therefore all subject posters need to meet the requirements of the Ethics Committee as per the following:

1. They must be on Divisional headed format.
2. They must include researcher's contact details: room number, phone, and e-mail details.
3. They can include the payment rate but it must not be the major feature.
4. Posters must include a brief statement as to what the experiment is about.
5. Posters should state that the research has been approved by either the UCL Ethics Committee or the Departmental Ethics Committee, whichever is appropriate.
6. They should include an end-date of the experiment after which date the posters should be taken down.
7. Requests for subjects should only be displayed in the appropriate media and not displayed randomly across the Division. Should this criteria not be met then they will be removed. 

Tea/Coffee

The XLNT Cafe is located in the Bedford Way Common Room, and serves a wide variety of teas, coffees, sandwiches and snacks. Its open most of the year. The Cafe is run by XLNT Catering, if you require catering, please contact them.

Telephones

To make an outgoing call from any UCL phone you will need to dial '9' first. See also the UCL Directory which holds contact details of UCL staff

Toasters

Toasters are a fire hazard and are not allowed in any offices nor research space.

Trade Unions

UCL has 3 recognised Unions that staff can join.  They are: UCU which represents mostly academic staff; UNISON which represents administrative and support staff; and UNITE which represents technical staff.

To join the appropriate union, you will need to contact the UCL union offices.

Training

Please visit the Information Services Division (ISD) website for information about IT training.

See the HR Organisational Development pages for other training available at UCL.

UCL staff are also able to to use Lynda - an online training resource.

Travel

The Division has arrangements with Ian Allen Travel who will organise all your travel requirement. To use them simply contact them via UCL Procurement website

Work-Life Balance

At UCL everyone is encouraged to take annual leave regularly and maintain a healthy work life balance. For those who need them, there are provisions for flexible working, maternity/paternity/adoption leave, sabbatical leave, special leave and sick leave.
See the HR pages on work-life balance for more information

Work Experience

If you are approached by parents or by Secondary Schools asking for a work experience placement for the summer, please inform the PaLS HR team and we will try to help you organise a 1 or 2-week placement between June and August. If you wish to organise a placement yourself please make every effort to ensure that the jobs you are offering are not just admin duties but are varied and interesting for the students. Guidelines are also available. 

Work Permits/Right to work

Under the Points Based Immigration System (PBIS), a non-European Economic Area (EEA) or Swiss national will need to pass a points based assessment before being given permission to enter or remain in the UK and, if applying under Tier 2 or 5, will require a sponsor to do so. UCL will issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to an applicant with a job offer, or a sponsored researcher, when satisfied that there has been strict adherence to the sponsorship duties detailed by the Home Office UK Border Agency.

Tier 1- Highly skilled or post study
Individuals apply directly to the highly skilled or post study category which is not linked to specific employment. So an applicant who is in one of these categories is free to look for a job (with only limited exceptions) without requiring sponsorship.

Tier 2- Sponsored skilled worker
Linked to specific employment. An applicant must meet specific requirements about the type of job, salary and qualifications. Individuals will also need to meet English language and financial maintenance requirements.

Tier 5- Sponsored researchers
Limited to specific sponsorship arrangements. 

The UCL HR pages provide information and FAQs on the  Right to Work and Certificate of Sponsorship: