Employees

This guidance was last updated on 6 September 2011

An employee is an individual who has a contract of service with the employer.  University employees hold standard contracts of employment where the employer is identified as the 'Chancellor, Master and Scholars of the University of Oxford'.

University employees work in approved, graded posts and are paid from the main payroll. 

The contract is usually explicit and written, but may be implied.

Employees are protected by a full range of employment rights, access to some of which is subject to a qualifying period of continuous service.  These are given in the summary table of employment rights.

Employees also have access to the full range of benefits offered by the University, for example enhanced annual leave, sickness and maternity leave entitlements.  Terms and conditions of employment are set out in:

Standard, fixed hours employees

Standard employees work regular, fixed hours which may be full-time, part-time or term-time only.

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Variable hours employees ("paid as claimed")

Variable hours employees have an ongoing contract of employment but work to an intermittent pattern, where the hours are hard to predict.  They must submit time-sheets for the hours worked.  Such staff are sometimes referred to as 'paid as claimed' employees.

Variable hours employees are paid on a monthly basis through the main payroll for hours worked:

  • For support staff hours worked in excess of 36.5 per week should be paid at the appropriate overtime rate.
  • For academic-related staff the nominal full-time hours are 37.5 per week and no more than the full time equivalent for the role can be paid.

Variable hours employees are entitled to all the same benefits as a standard (i.e. fixed hours) employee on a pro rata basis where appropriate.

Variable hours employees should be inssued with a standard Chancellor, Masters and Scholars contract of employment.  The standard template includes the option to select a   paragraph concerning variable hours of work.

The period of variable hours employment can be fixed-term or permanent, but the hours worked should be subject to regular review:

  • if the hours worked remain frequent but unpredictable, continue with the variable hours contract
  • if the hours have stabilised, consider moving to a standard (i.e. fixed hours) permanent or fixed-term contract
  • if no work has been undertaken for a period of three months, and no work is planned, consider ending the contract.
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Further information