All Latest News

Pay Negotiations Outcome 2009-10

Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:45:00 GMT

Agreement has been reached with all the trade unions on an increase of 0.5% to all points on the national pay spine, effective from 1^st August 2009.

More information can be found by clicking here

Money Made Clear

Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:52:00 GMT

Money Made Clear - 22 February at 8 am, 12 noon and 4 pm - John Stanley Bell Lecture Theatre - all welcome!

Free money advice seminars for staff. Come along for an hour to one of the presentations by the Financial Services Authority for impartial information to help you work out what's right for you - budgeting, savings, borrowing, retirement etc. Click on the Moneymadeclear website  to find out more from the FSA.

Human Resource Strategy 2009 - 2014

Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:20:00 GMT

The HR Strategy for 2009-2014 was approved by the Council of the University on 22 January 2010.

More information can be found by clicking here.

Volcanic Disruption

Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:16:00 BST

Information for staff and students who may be affected by the disruption caused by the volcanic ash from Iceland can be found here.

Managing Short Term Absence

Date: Mon, 17 May 2010 16:39:00 BST

In conjunction with the Managing Health Related Absence policy and procedure, we have provided some supporting information including a Short Term Absence Process Map, Formal Attendance Interview template letter and an updated Absence Recording Form to assist Managers when dealing with short term absence. 

Managing Staff Reductions - Advertising Process

Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:58:00 BST

In light of recent communication with regard to staffing reductions across the University, the Redeployment Process has now been opened up to most of Corporate Services, the School of Life Sciences and the School of Social and International Studies.  This will have an impact on the advertising process for all vacancies.  Full details of the new advertising and Redeployment processes are explained on the Internal Job Vacancies page.

Advertising - Change to Immigration Law

Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:30:00 GMT

All information regarding advertising and recruitment is available here

A PDF about this can be found here:

• Advertising - Change to Immigration Law

International Staff

Date: Thu, 06 May 2010 11:45:00 BST

A new dedicated site which includes local information about Schools, Nurseries, Supermarkets and Doctors Surgeries etc can be found on our page for International Staff.

Promotions and Re-grading 2010 and future improvements

Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:26:00 BST

There will be a delay in the commencement of the annual promotions/re-grading exercise.  This will apply to all exercises, including staff on grades 1 to 10, readership, professorial and senior management roles.  This is to allow time for consultations to take place to enhance the current role descriptors.  It is anticipated that the promotions/regrading exercise will commence before the end of this academic year.

As part of the HRX project, a programme of improvements to HR processes, HR is also seeking your help in relation to improving our regrading and promotion processes.  Full details are available in a message from the Director of Human Resources.

Relocation and Resettlement Expenses

Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 11:25:00 BST

For clarification see the Relocation and Resettlement Expenses Scheme on the Recruitment pages  The full claim requirements can be found under the useful forms section of the Finance website (password protected).

HR e-briefing - Queen's Speech Developments

Date: Fri, 28 May 2010 09:25:00 BST

As employers, what a new government might bring to bear for education institutions in a difficult financial climate was glimpsed at in the party manifestos, was re-assessed and provided in outline when a coalition government was formed and has only been expanded upon in the last few days. 

The HR-e-briefing-Queen's-Speech summarises some of the proposals which were confirmed in the Queen's Speech.

Stress in Perspective

Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:05:00 BST

The report on findings and recommended actions which came out of the Focus Group meetings following the Quality of Working Life Survey is now available by following the link from the Stress Management page.

The Stress in Perspective report is confidential to Univeristy of Bradford staff - your username and password are required.

Investors in People Review Report

Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:30:00 BST

The Investors in People (IiP) Review Report June 2010 has now been published and is available on the IiP page of the Staff Development Website. 

The document is available to University of Bradford staff only. Follow the links for University Progress and Documentation - Internal Only Access and you will be prompted for your password.

Video demonstration of how to book your holidays on line with myview

Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:24:00 BST

If you want a bit of help with booking your annual leave with myview this video takes you through step by step.

Advertising - Guidance on writing an advert

Date: Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:58:00 BST

For new guidance on writing an advert please see

• Advertising - Guidance on writing an advert

For all other information on recruiting and selecting staff please see the HR Recruitment pages.

HR Staff Changes June/July

Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:47:00 BST

We said goodbye and all the best to two of our Senior Personnel Assistants in June - Lynne Simpson and Leanne Kirkby.  Lynne has been working with Emma Butler to support the School of Engineering, Design & Technology and the Directorate of Research & Knowledge Transfer Support.  These areas will continue to be supported by Emma who will be assisted by .

Leanne has been on leave of absence for some time and we wish her well for the future.

We also extend our best wishes to Amy Sykes who has been working with us on a temporary basis, supporting a number of areas. Following Amy's departure SLED will be supported by , Academic Development Unit and International Office by , Academic Administration and Offices of the VC by . 

New Advertising Process

Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:32:00 BST

New Advertising Process

Further to the communication from the Vice Chancellor (via Staff Briefing) with reference to extending the managing staff reductions (MSR) process across the whole university the revised advertising process is below.  This will commence immediately. 

Stage 1 - Redeployment (this includes staff on fixed-term contracts with an identified end date within the next six months and staff with health/other issues) - No Change

Stage 2 - Internal Advert - Open to all University staff for 2 weeks

Stage 3 - External Advert - Open to all for up to 4 weeks (where necessary to fulfil the resident labour market test)

As the whole university will be affected by the MSR process we have taken out the current 2 week internal advertising period for staff in certain schools/dept. affected by MSR. 

Staff are encouraged to visit the HR website on a regular basis to see the job opportunities available -  http://www.brad.ac.uk/human-resources/information-for-staff/  (click on Internal Job Vacancies on the left hand navigation - password protected).  Jobs will be added to the site on a Monday/Tuesday and an RSS Feed will be set up to allow staff to be notified of new jobs once they are advertised.

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact me or your usual HR contact.

Eversheds' Education Senior Management Briefing

Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:27:00 BST

The Eversheds' Education Senior Management Briefing Issue 35 from our Employment Lawyers includes some interesting and useful information for Managers.

HRX Goes Live

Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 14:16:00 BST

I am delighted to promote the excellent progress made so far in delivering the HRX project.  The final stages of the project will go live on 1 October:

• other types of absence will be requested, approved and recorded via Myview;
• a number of processes have been updated and streamllined and will include a step by step Process Map;
• the Performance Develoment Review module (PDR) will be available to enter objectives/record progress via Myview as part of the Performance Review cycle.

On 4th October e-recruitment will go live and changes to the recruitment process will come into effect.  Applications and shortlising will be an online process.

For more information on the changes visit the HRX News page.

Janet Jones
Director of Human Resources

HRX - e-recruitment

Date: Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:05:00 BST

As part of the ongoing HRX project HR will be introducing a new online recruitment system.  This will allow applicants to apply online for internal and external jobs; it will also enable Managers to shortlist online and therefore reduce the amount of paper currently used. 

Further information will be available nearer the time and training will be available for Managers.  HR will be aiming to implement the new system over the Summer period therefore please keep an eye out for further details.

Managing Staff Reductions - Voluntary Severance Scheme

Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:03:00 BST

From 5 July 2010 the University is inviting applications through the Voluntary Severance Scheme (VSS).  All staff who may be interested in taking Voluntary Severance should discuss their interest with their Line Manager in the first instance.  Further information and an initial enquiry form for completion by managers are available on the Managing Staff Reductions (MSR) page.  The closing date for applications is 17 September 2010.

HR are running a series of Briefings for Managers in July and August.  Dates, times and venues are detailed on the MSR page.

Advertising Guidance until September

Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:16:00 BST

 Until 17^th September 2010 the following process will be followed

1.  Redeployment (Advertised Thursday to the following Monday)

All positions will be advertised through Redeployment with the following exceptions:

• KTP Associates
• Any position where the salary is not paid by the University ¿ to include NHS posts e.g. a Plastic Surgeon who by definition can only come from outside i.e. the NHS.
• Senior Management positions ¿ eg Dean, PVC, DVC, VC,
• Senior Staff with highly specialist skills eg Professors and some highly specialist academic and professional posts (to be justified on the RSA form)

2.  Internal Advertising (Advertised Monday for 2 weeks)

All posts other than exceptions already agreed to go internal and external at the same time.

3.  External Advertising (up to 4 weeks as per guidance)

Where exceptions are justified and signed off by the Dean/Director on the RSA form the HR Recruitment Co-ordinator will make the final decision and inform the Trade Unions accordingly. 

A judgement can be made about whether the skills could be available across the University.

Managing Staff Reductions - Pre-decision Workshops

Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:33:00 BST

The University has arranged for independent guidance, advice and support to be provided to any staff within the University who are considering whether or not to apply for Voluntary Severance under the Managing Staff Reductions Procedure which is currently in operation.  The University has arranged for 2 group Pre-decision Workshops to be held on the following dates: 

Wednesday 25 August 2010 from 9:30 to 12:30 in Room BO.29 Mezz, Chesham Building and

Monday 6 September 2010 from 13:30 to 16:30 in Room BO.29 Mezz, Chesham Building

Details of the sessions and how to book a place can be found here

Role Descriptors update

Date: Fri, 06 Aug 2010 08:47:00 BST

Thanks to all staff who attended one of the workshops to let us know more about your role and give some examples of typical tasks undertaken at different grades.  Over 100 staff contributed to this data gathering exercise.  The outcome of these workshops is now being captured in a review and update of the role descriptors.  This work is well underway although not quite complete.  Over the next month, the revised role descriptors will be sent out to those involved in the workshops, senior managers and trade unions for checking.  As soon as this has been completed they will be available on the HR website.

At the same time a review of the process for regrading is taking place and the outcome of this will be made available within the next few weeks.

Further information will be available on the Pay, Reward and Progression pages as and when it emerges.

Adverse Weather Procedure

Date: Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:17:00 GMT

The University will remain open in all but the most exceptional of circumstances. A decision to close the University (either early or for an entire day or days) will be taken by the Vice-Chancellor (or a Deputy Vice-Chancellor in his absence) based on advice from Estates, Health and Safety and Security as appropriate.

Any closure will be announced via emails to all staff and students and all other available channels (web, twitter etc). Line managers should cascade this information to staff without access to email.  The Adverse Weather Procedure provides further information.

Future Jobs Fund

Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:13:00 GMT

The Future Jobs Fund is a recent initiative which aims at giving unemployed people in the community an opportunity to have 6 months work in an organisation through a fully funded Government initiative (Future Jobs Fund).

We feel this initiative will benefit the University and help to raise our profile within the local community.  Other local participants include Bradford College and Huddersfield University.

If you are interested in participating in this scheme please submit a Job Description to Alexa Copley a.copley@bradford.ac.uk in the HR department.  We will be working in conjunction with Aspire I to ensure the process is easy and straightforward for you.  You will of course be involved in the interview process and provision of any required training.

The last opportunity for people wishing to start a placement is March 2010 therefore we would like to take advantage of this opportunity as soon as possible.  Please forward this on to anyone in your area who may be interested, and we will collect all expressions of interest by 3rd December 2010

Regrading and Performance Recognition

Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2010 08:47:00 GMT

It is still the intention of the University to consider cases for regrading and performance recognition across all grades. 

The consultative work on the revision of the Role Descriptors and the revised procedure is well on its way.  It is anticipated that this work will be completed and available on the HR website early in the New Year.

USS proposed changes - some facts

Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2011 09:00:00 GMT

The Employers Pensions Forum have issued some information about the proposed changes to the scheme. 

The fact sheet is available at:  USS Proposed changes - some facts. 

Join the Metro Scheme

Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:00:00 BST

1st October  2011 is the next start date for anyone wishing to join the Metro scheme.

Metro card application forms are available from the SMART Move Travel pages of the Ecoversity Website, where you can also find further information about the scheme.  

Completed application forms must be received in Human Resources by 15 August 2011 at the latest.  Please note that new members will be required to bring two passport size photographs for the application to be processed.

For further information please contact Jennie Pratt j.pratt@bradford.ac.uk  ext 3094.

Guidance for Chairs of Interview Panels

Date: Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:17:00 BST

Please visit http://www.bradford.ac.uk/human-resources/information-for-staff/recruitment-and-selection/shortlisting/ for new specific guidance for Chairs of Interview Panels.

Myview Feedback

Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 09:11:00 BST

Have you checked your payslip in Myview?  Have you booked any annual leave yet via Myview? 

We'd like to hear your views on using Myview to help us with future developments, so would appreciate you taking a few minutes to complete our Feedback Form.  Thankyou.

Recruitment and Selection Update February 2011

Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:25:00 GMT

The Equality Act 2010 has resulted in changes to the recruitment and promotion of staff.  Key changes are:

• Positive action - appointment of under represented groups
• Limitations on the use of health related questions during recruitment and selection exercise.

All staff involved in the recruitment and selection process should read and familiarise themselves with the briefing below.
Recruitment - Equality Briefing

Employment Equality (Age) - Changes to Regulations

Date: Fri, 08 Apr 2011 09:03:00 BST

Amendments to the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations came into effect on 6 April 2011. This means that there will be no Default Retirement Age in the UK.  The only exception will be for staff who are due to reach retirement age on or before 30th September 2011 and have been notified of their impending retirement on or before 30th March 2011.

Further information about Retirement is available in the Departure section of the HR website. 

Shared Redeployment Scheme

Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:55:00 GMT

The organisations; University of Bradford, Bradford College, InCommunities, Bradford and Airedale NHS PCT, West Yorkshire Probation Trust and Bradford Council have agreed to the sharing of Redeployment Pools in order to provide opportunities for our collective employees to seek to avoid compulsary redundancies within the Public Sector.  This is a voluntary final option before redundancy.

Redeployment will be fully explored within each organisation in the first instance.  Any jobs not filled this way will be advertised internally before being opened up to the shared pool.  This will be done before jobs are advertised externally and will add a further 5 days to the current advertising process.

Shortlisting and interviewing will be done in the usual way and a job will not proceed any further until any shared Redeployment applications have been considered.

If you have any queries please contact Alexa Copley, Recruitment Coordinator in HR on a.copley@bradford.ac.uk ext 6016 or your HR Adviser.

Recruitment and Selection Refreshers

Date: Thu, 09 Jun 2011 11:48:00 BST

Recruiters are you discriminating without realising it? The aim of these briefings is to update staff on recent legislative changes, and refresh knowledge and awareness of important considerations in the recruitment and selection process.

Recent legislation, particularly the Equality Act 2010, is having a significant impact on the recruitment and selection of employees and over the last year there has been a significant increase in case law in this area. It is therefore a UoB requirement for all recruiters to attend a Recruitment and Selection refresher briefing.

Please note that if you have not yet attended the University's training you should attend the full 2-day Recruitment and Selection course. All managers should also note that these briefings are classed as part of the core development for managers and are therefore compulsory.

Revised Constitution of Appointment Committees

Date: Wed, 07 Sep 2011 08:15:00 BST

The Constitution of Appointment Committees has been revised when interviewing for internal appointments Grade 1 - 6.