HR service level statement

In this statement:

Mission

The Human Resources Strategy supports the core strategies of the University’s Corporate Plan in the areas of education, research and outreach. The strategy is distinguished by:

  • promoting a high-performance-high-reward culture in which all relevant forms of excellence are recognised and rewarded in a bias-free way;
  • creating an environment which enables all members of staff to maximise their contribution to the enhancement of the organisation’s goals;
  • establishing the University as the ‘employer of choice’ for locally recruited staff and maintaining a market-competitive position on pay and benefits relative to other HE institutions;
  • promoting line management ownership of personnel issues; and
  • maintaining a commitment to innovative and creative HR initiatives in support of the institutional mission.

The mission of Human Resources is to support the implementation of the Human Resources Strategy and the achievement of its objectives.

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Core aims

In pursuit of this mission, Human Resources will seek to provide:

  • Cost-effective payroll, pension, recruitment and temporary staff services
  • Management information
  • Professional HR support and advice on employment issues
  • Professional occupational health support and advice on work-related health issues
  • A range of training and development services and programmes

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Principles of service

Delivery of core aims will be guided the following principles:

  • To work in partnership with academic Colleges and other Professional Services
  • To be responsive to users’ needs
  • To promote the University as an employer of choice
  • To explain organisational and legal constraints
  • To strive to improve on our previous best.

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Service deliverables

The following are the key areas of service delivery to which service level statements will be attached:

  • Recruitment (academic, research and support)
  • Contracts of employment
  • Management of fixed term contracts
  • Management of probation
  • Management of promotion arrangements
  • Salary administration
  • Certificates of Sponsorship
  • Administration of sickness and family friendly leave and benefits
  • Professional advice
  • Criminal Records Bureau checks
  • HR administration
  • Payroll, employment benefits
  • Pensions
  • Temporary Staff Bank
  • Training and Development

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Management structure, communications, monitoring and review

The Director of Human Resources is responsible for the overall management and direction of the service. Line-managed by the Registrar, he is assisted by the Head of Training & Development, the Head of Employee Administration, the HR Policies Manager and HR Business Partners, who carry day-to-day responsibility for the delivery of operational services and support to Colleges and Professional Services and the senior management of the University. The Director of Human Resources meets with this ‘core’ team on a weekly basis.

The following ‘key contacts’ are responsible for these services:

Concerns about service delivery should in the first instance be raised with the member of staff who provided the service. In the event that the customer/client remains dissatisfied following informal discussion with the member of staff who provided the service, the issue should be raised in writing with the appropriate manager who will normally respond within 5 working days. If the customer/client’s concerns cannot be resolved, they should be directed in writing to the Director of Human Resources.

Human Resources apply, or are developing, the following arrangements for client/customer feedback and monitoring and review of performance against service levels.

  • Training & Development activities are reviewed through an annual review of the Institutional Training & Development Strategy with College Deans, their management teams and Training Co-ordinator; and through course evaluations (completed by attendees) and termly meetings with Union Learning Representatives.
  • Temporary Staff Bank placements will be evaluated through a post-placement questionnaire completed by the manager and employee.
  • Recruitment services will be evaluated through an evaluation with the employing unit following each recruitment exercise.
  • Other services will be evaluated through regular meetings between HR Business Partners and College Deans.
  • Key performance indicators are being developed for the Planning Resources Group and the Strategy and Performance Review Committee to assess the effectiveness of the University’s HR policies and practices.

The Human Resources Committee is a Committee of Council which monitors and reviews the University’s Human Resources agenda and strategy.

The Human Resources website provides information for members of staff and College Deans and Professional Services on HR policies and procedures, terms and conditions of service, current salary scales and the full range of services provided.

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Strategies

The services of Human Resources will be guided by the following strategies:

  • HR Strategy
  • Training & Development Strategy
  • University of Exeter Financial Regulations and audit requirements
  • University of Exeter standards, policies, procedures, codes of practice etc on employment, equal opportunities and data protection (including agreed terms and conditions of employment and Statutes and Ordinances)
  • Partnership agreements (eg for PMS and UEC)
  • Statutory provisions on employment, equality and immigration, work permits etc
  • HM Revenue and Customs regulations
  • Agreements of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff
  • Pension scheme rules.

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Aspirations

Human Resources are/will be developing the following new/enhanced services and developments in its service:

  • Value for Money: Human Resources aim to provide a service which is Fault-free, Fast and Friendly. One of the aims of the Service is ‘Management processes will be simplified and bureaucracy reduced wherever possible, fostering an organisation that is entrepreneurial in spirit and ready to embrace change.’ One of the objectives of the service for 2005/6 is to ‘continue to reduce bureaucracy wherever possible, consistent with needs of good governance’. Along with the other Professional Services, Human Resources will work to improve efficiency and minimise costs.

  • School Planning Groups.
    Added Value: through School Planning Groups, Human Resources will work closely with the other Professional Services, and with Management Accounting in particular, to provide more timely and ‘seamless’ advice and support to managers in Colleges.

  • review and redesign of the SR1 procedure (one of the objectives of the HR element of the Corporate Plan).
    Added Value: to reduce the time taken to gain authority to make an appointment and to reduce bureaucracy, consistent with needs of good governance.

  • development of Temporary Staff Bank to encompass all in-house casual employment of students.
    Added Value: improve student employment opportunities within the University, in line with the University’s employability agenda; improved auditing of casual employment; improved compliance with statutory requirements.

  • a range of employee benefits including childcare vouchers (via salary sacrifice arrangements) and the home computing initiative.
    Added Value: the University aims to be the employer of choice; offering a range of employment benefits will increase the attractiveness of the University as an employer.

  • enhanced management information.
    Added Value: improvements to management information will facilitate the empowerment of managers to make more timely and more effective decisions, with support from Human Resources.

  • remote access to HR system.
    Added Value: remote access to the HR system will facilitate the empowerment of managers to make more timely and more effective decisions, with support from Human Resources, and ensure more accurate and timely management information.

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