Process of grading review and appeal

Introduction

The implementation of the framework agreement and the subsequent assimilation processes commenced in August 2004 and was completed in the University in 2007 for all staff groups. At the time of implementation a formal appeal process was agreed, which was used for support and academic and research staff during this period. A post implementation process of appeal was also drafted at that time and it was agreed that this would be reviewed with UCU and Unison following implementation for all staff groups. This process is now agreed and outlined below.

University Grading Panel

All grading of posts from 1 January 2008 will be undertaken by a University Grading Panel. This is a common approach to grading throughout the sector

  1. The panel will be convened monthly on a Thursday morning for half a day: (The time required will be kept under review).
  2. All panel members will be current fully trained evaluators with experience of undertaking full job evaluation using the University job evaluation scheme. The panel will be made up of the appropriate union representative and at least two of the following from management:
    • Deputy Director, Human Resources
    • HR Team and Business Partnership Manager (Reward & HRMI)
    • HR Team and Business Partnership Manager (Employee Relations)
    • Unison member of either joint consistency team or experience evaluator for support staff posts
    • UCU member of matching team for academic and research staff posts

Agreement of job description content

  1. If a job description being prepared for the job evaluation review cannot be agreed between a post holder and their line manager, the first stage in resolving the issue will be a meeting, involving the line manager (or other appropriate person nominated by the relevant Dean or Director); the link HR Business Partner (or other appropriate person nominated by the Director of Human Resources); a union representative if requested by the post holder; and the post holder. The post holder will be reminded of their right to be represented at the meeting by a union representative, the meeting will be held at a mutually convenient time and the link HR Business Partner will produce notes of the meeting for subsequent agreement.
  2. If this meeting does not achieve agreement, the post holder may ask for arbitration by the Director (or Deputy Director) of HR. If they are dissatisfied by the decision of the Director of HR, they may raise the matter through the Grievance Procedure.

Grading process

  1. Final job description and person specification is presented to the link HR Business Partner. A job description for any new post will only be evaluated once within any 12 month period (unless part of a significant restructuring process). It is the responsibility of the recruiting manager to ensure this is in final form prior to request for grading.
  2. Link HR Business Partner will check job description content and ensure it is in accordance with notes for guidance on writing job descriptions, gather any relevant information on role eg structure, relativities, comparator posts, clarification of requirements of role, log on tracking sheet, and pass the job description electronically to specific email box roleanalysis@brookes.ac.uk.
  3. The University Grading panel will meet on a monthly basis to grade posts. HR Business Partnership Manager (Reward) communicates in writing the final grade to recruiting/line manager, HR Business Partnership Manager and/or role holder as appropriate.
  4. Post is recruited at the grade confirmed by panel.
  5. If the grade is disputed the recruiting/line manager (if post is vacant) or post holder can submit an appeal in writing to the University Grading Appeal Panel. This panel will be held twice yearly in April and October. Dates and deadlines will be notified by the reward team on receipt of the notification of appeal.
  6. Should any appeal result in a change of grade – the revision will be backdated to the date of appointment or in the case of an existing role holder, the date at which the revised job description content was received by the Reward team.

University Grading Appeal Panel

  1. The appeal panel hearings will be held in April and October each year. The next grading appeal panel date and details of the process will be communicated to the role holder and Dean/Director on receipt of their wish to appeal.
  2. The appeal will be considered by a panel consisting of two people fully trained in the University job evaluation system. One person will be nominated by the University management and one nominated by Unison or UCU. Neither person will have been involved in the appellant’s or a related evaluation process previously, including checking the evaluation.
  3. The appellant will be given the total job evaluation score for their post, and on request the scores of each element to enable them to consider their appeal submission.
  4. The appeal will be considered by the Panel on the basis of written and/or oral submissions which shall relate solely to the evaluation of the information contained in the role description and/or record of evidence. The appellant may attend and/or be represented at the hearing.
  5. The written submissions shall be submitted by, or on behalf of the appellant not less than 15 working days before the hearing.
  6. The appeal panel may call for additional evidence and/or a re-evaluation interview.
  7. The panel may decide to uphold or reject all or part of an appeal. If there is disagreement between the panel members, the management representative shall have a casting vote. The Panel shall give its decision in writing within five working days of the hearing, setting out the reasons for each part of its decision and whether or not each part was a unanimous decision.
  8. The effective date for any re-grading decision as a result of the panel hearing shall be backdated to the date at which the revised job description content was received by the Reward team.
  9. The panel’s decision is final.
  10. The outcomes of all appeals (and the related paperwork where requested) shall be available to the Grading Review Group.

Grading of temporary additional duties.

  1. Ideally any grading of temporary additional duties should be submitted for assessment prior to them being undertaken and not retrospectively. However in exceptional cases where the additional duties cannot be predicted, requests should be sent to the link HR Business Partnership Manager within a month of the duties being undertaken by the role holder. These will be assessed by the grading review panel.
  2. If the temporary additional duties change during the active period a review may be undertaken. Managers should follow the same procedure submitting a revision within a month of the change. Proposed additional duties should be submitted to the HR Business Partnership Manager in writing with the current job description of the role holder. These will be assessed in the usual way by the University Grading Panel.
  3. If a post holder is acting up wholly into a different role, for an explicit finite period (this must be given a confirmed start and end date) then the evaluated grade for the acting up role will be afforded to the role holder for the duration. The role holder will be assimilated to the bottom of that new grade or where there is overlap the next spinal point up to their current salary within the normal maximum of the appropriate grade.
  4. If the acting up arrangement is shared between a number of roles, or only part of the role is to be performed by any role holder in an acting capacity, the appropriate manager should add the relevant duties under the heading “temporary additional duties” to the role holders current job description giving a start and end date, and forward to the link Business Partnership Manager. The job description will be evaluated on a temporary basis using the University job evaluation system. The role will be graded, and if appropriate a temporary new grade allocated for the duration, or an honorarium in respect of the temporary additional duties will be confirmed. Any honorarium agreed will be no more than an increase of 2 increments, within the normal maximum of the current grade of the post holder undertaking the additional duties. In cases where the role holder is already paid at the normal maximum of the grade the honorarium can exceed this point for the period.
  5. All honoraria for temporary additional duties where the duties do not change the grade of the post will be authorised by the HR Director and DVC.


Last update Dec 11