Closure Day + Avoiding redundancy of research and other staff

Avoiding redundancy of research and other staff - major opportunit

• If you are at risk of redundancy the message below is important.
• If you know of colleagues who are at risk, we would be grateful if you could forward it to them.

The main reason we are writing today - despite the closure - is to report on new opportunities for avoiding redundancy, and negotiations with UCL over this issue. 

This is especially, but not only, important for research staff whose contracts were extended until 31 August (hence the timing of this message). 

UCL’s original student recruitment forecasts (on which they were basing a recruitment freeze) now appear pessimistic. In addition, the Government’s reversal over ‘A’ level grading has boosted expected enrolments for home undergraduates by around a quarter. 

UCL has now unfrozen staff recruitment. There are now a significant number of job opportunities (over 125 posts) for staff to apply for to avoid redundancy. Many posts are administrative roles on Grades 5 and 6 but more senior posts may be available.

We expect there will be a range of teaching posts advertised in September.

Colleagues are entitled to apply on the basis of a temporary arrangement while they wait for projects to start. Part-time arrangements should also be possible (e.g. working part-time in a research group and part-time in another role).

Redeployment - how it works

If you are at risk of redundancy, you are entitled to apply for posts on your current grade or any grade lower through a process known as “redeployment”. Redeployment means applying for a different job role than the role you are currently doing, and will likely require learning new skills. 

Staff who are redeployed maintain their employment record with UCL, are not required to go through probation, and have their application considered as a priority before any external candidate. If you meet the essential criteria for a post (or could do so with training), you are deemed “appointable” to it, and desirable criteria only apply should there be more redeployee applications than posts. (See Redeployment Policy.)

Staff are also entitled to apply for posts on grades higher than their current role, but they do not have this prior right of consideration. 

Additional steps sought by UCU

Currently the largest single group of at-risk staff are the research staff mentioned above. 

We have asked UCL to agree to a number of additional steps at this time:

• To pay staff for any break in service arising from a delayed start date (normally, this is limited to two weeks, but due to Covid-19 we argue that it would be reasonable to apply a longer period to make posts accessible to staff at risk now);
• To offer a limited period of pay protection for staff who are redeployed into a lower-graded role (normally there is no pay protection once staff are confirmed in post);
• To offer research staff the right to return to at least their current salary point on the grade were they to subsequently take up another UCL research post (consistent with a secondment arrangement). We would expect this to apply to other similar staff, such as grant-funded technicians.

Note that if you accept a lower-graded role your salary would normally drop to the top point of that grade (before contribution points). 

Were you appointed to one of these roles you would still be entitled to apply for posts in the future as ‘external’ candidates. Although posts may be offered as permanent jobs, applying for a post does not require you to accept a permanent career change! (That said, many of UCL’s administrative staff were researchers once, and many have found it a rewarding and fulfilling career in its own right.)

If you are written into a research proposal it may be a condition of the award that you be appointed to carry it out, so a return to your current research group may be expected anyway. 

Next steps

While we are waiting to hear back from UCL on the additional measures above, we strongly encourage colleagues who are at risk of redundancy to apply for posts. 

Please do not delay, as this might lead to a break in service to your disadvantage.

In the meantime, the following points may be useful.

• Talent pool. Some posts are organised as a ‘talent pool’ recruitment exercise, where staff can apply for multiple posts with a single application and interview. 
• Deadlines. Deadlines for application for posts posted on the system may be inaccurate, and managers are expected to be flexible to permit redeployment applications. For example, recruitment managers for the teaching admin talent pool told UCU they will accept applications from redeployees until Tuesday at 23:59 for the first round of recruitment, although the deadline was ‘officially’ last night. There will be further rounds, so even a late application after that point may be considered.
• Post-contract applications. UCL has also agreed to consider redeployment applications for posts from staff whose contract may have just ended (e.g., for research staff whose contract is scheduled to end on August 31, after that date). In all applications, colleagues should state the fact that they are applying as a redeployee.

Information on how to apply for posts is in the Appendix below.

UCL UCU Executive Committee

APPENDIX: How to apply for newly-advertised posts (from HR)

Redeployment

You are entitled to apply for redeployment opportunities at your grade and below across UCL, in accordance with the Redeployment Policy. Redeployment opportunities are advertised here for 5 days and you can register for email alerts so that redeployment opportunities are automatically emailed to you as they arise. So that you do not miss out on any opportunity you may want to register for “Any” grade, but remember you can only apply as a redeployee for jobs at your grade or below.

Registering for job alerts

You may also register for job alerts which have already been advertised to redeployees, or for jobs which are at a higher grade than your current grade by registering here. There is useful information on theapplication process and FAQS to help you.

Secondments

You can apply for a secondment at any grade. Secondments are advertised here.  If you are successful the post will not be a secondment but will be a fixed term contract.

Unitemps

You can register for temporary work with UCL’s branch of Unitemps. 

Training and Development Courses

UCL offers its staff a wide range of training and development opportunities. If you would like to enhance your skills in preparation for applying for jobs please visit UCL’s Linkedin Learning portal. Here you will find resources for applying for jobs and interview techniques, as well as training courses on a wide range of job related topics.