Merit Awards

Merit Awards recognise exceptional performance over the review period by individuals and teams. To be eligible for consideration for a Merit Award, employees must have participated in the PDR process during the review period.

Employees (other than those paid solely on a fees or claims basis, including the Temporary Staff Bank) become eligible for consideration for a Merit Award after 12 months' continuous service with the University, subject to:

  • remaining in the employment of the University on the date payments are made, and
  • alternative arrangements agreed under paragraphs (1) and (2) under 'Alternative arrangements' below.

Merit Awards should be a minimum of £500 (pro-rata for part-time staff) up to a maximum of 10% of salary. Where teams are rewarded the level of award should normally be the same for each member of the team.

Merit Awards are subject to statutory deductions but are not pensionable and are not recurrent. Subject to notification procedures available from Human Resources (see the Declaration form for Merit Awards), to meet the requirements of HM Revenue and Customs, staff may give prior written notification that any Merit Awards made to them are paid gross into a Professional Development Account (for approved purposes such as conference attendance or personal development) or donated to a charity of their choice via GAYE.

While the Merit Award process will normally be annual to ensure comparability and fairness, Deans of Colleges and Services may exceptionally (with the agreement of other Panel members) recommend awards (to be funded by budget centres) where timeliness is of the essence, eg the achievement of a particularly exceptional task.

Alternative arrangements

  1. The University has agreed that for defined operational staff within Campus Services and Buildings and Estate Services, alternative arrangements will apply based on the financial and operational performance of those Services.
  2. Exceptionally, where Colleges and Services can demonstrate to the Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Group that this would promote a high-performance, high-reward culture more effectively (eg if the whole School or Service has achieved a particularly demanding target), a College/Service may apply to convert all or part of their Merit Award budget into a further ‘Bonus’ (similar to the University Bonus) for all eligible staff employed in the College/Service. Any balance remaining would be available for Merit Awards. A College or Service would need to demonstrate that it had met all the relevant Top 20 metrics and made a surplus before being allowed to make a case.

Further information