Latest news

Working in hot weather

As the hot spell continues you may like to be aware of the following University guidance:

• The Occupational Health service have guidance on “Working in a Heatwave”.  This also links to the HSE website on working in high temperatures which can be downloaded for free.
• There is no national regulation on ‘maximum working temperatures’ (see HSE guidance)  however the Safety Office can advise departments on any specific problems with working environments that local Safety Officers are unable to answer.
• Our severe weather policy is not primarily intended to cover hot weather but gives some guidance on practical adjustments.

You may also like to be aware of the advice issued by Public Health England (PHE), which states:

"During very hot weather, pregnant women and people who have chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular, respiratory, renal conditions, diabetes or Parkinson's disease, may experience discomfort if indoor temperatures are particularly hot and in using public transport. Employers should ensure indoor areas are kept cool and consider allowing these individuals to travel to or from their place of work during cooler, or less busy, times of the day. For those working or exercising outdoors, strenuous physical exertion during the hottest part of the day should be kept to a minimum." (see the full advice issued by PHE)

2013 salary increases for clinical academic and related staff (16 July 2013)

2013 revision of salary scales for clinical academic and related staff.  Details can be found in circular PERS(13)07.

Revised guidance for the recruitment and selection of academic staff (13 June 2013)

Guidance for the recuitment and selection of academic staff has been revised. Details can be found in circular PERS(13)06.

Reward and recognition scheme - introduction (30 May 2013)

Introduction of a reward and recognition scheme for academic-related and support staff. Details can be found in circular PERS(13)05.

Retirement and pensions update (21 May 2013)

Changes have been made to the University's policy and procedure on the Employer Justified Retirement Age (EJRA). Details can be found in circular PERS(13)04.

Staffing figures 2011/12 (13 May 2013)

Latest staffing figures are available.

New International staff website now available (25 April 2013)

http://www.internationalstaff.ac.uk/  is a website which provides information to help new staff moving to UK Universities.  The site has been customised with local links,  including how to find accommodation and schools in the Oxford area as well as lots of information to help new starters settle into living and working in Oxford. We will be linking many webpages for new starters to this site in the coming weeks.

Change to grade 1 of the salary and grading structure to reflect the "Living Wage" (19 March 2013)

Adoption of the current "Living Wage" as the minimum rate of pay for university employees. For full information see circular PERS(13)03.

Change to length of unpaid parental leave (8 March 2013)

Each parent can now take up to 18 weeks' unpaid leave for each child. Full details are available in the parental leave area of the web.

Latest maternity tables (7 March 2013)

The maternity tables showing important dates for SMP and maternity leave has been updated for 2013/2014. This can be found in the maternity section.

Auto-enrolment for pensions (1 March 2013)

A circular is available explaining how the new auto-enrolment for pensions regulations will be implemented across the University.

The Pensions website now has information about auto-enrolment. There is a web page for managers, which includes the slides from the recent briefings together with downloadable copies of the recent communications to staff.

Casual pay spine with equivalent grades (17 January 2013)

A revised chart of hourly rates is available Casual pay spine with equivalent grades 2013 (19kb)

See also guidance on casual workers.

August 2012 salary scales (14 January 2013)

August 2012 revision of university salary scales: all non-clinical staff