Some Practical Tips for Managers

Regularly communicate with the member of staff about the status of their FTC or funding expiration and whether there is any chance of an extension or not. Offer them advice on how they can meet their career goals and don’t leave this until just before the end of their contract.

Consult. If the post will end at the end of the current contract or funding then engage in formal consultation with the person in conjunction with HR.

Support. This may be a difficult time for your member of staff. Be aware of the different ways to avoid redundancy (including redeployment within the College) and where the individual can go to get further support.

Fixed term contract expiry dates are provided on the Power BI dashboard called ‘Contract Expiry Dashboard’.  If you do not have access, please contact your Departmental Administrator who will be able to provide the required information.

Funding end dates for staff on open-ended contracts underpinned by external project/research funds are provided on the Power BI dashboard called ‘Fixed Funding End Dates Expiry’.

New data is uploaded at the beginning of each month.

You should review this data and determine whether there can be an extension to the fixed-term contract or external funding.

If a contract extension or further funding is available, you should complete a Contract Change form and submit to the Staff Hub.

If further funding cannot be identified, this may be a potential redundancy situation and you will need to inform the Staff Hub so that they can commence consultation with the member of staff.

You should notify the Staff Hub by completing the Request to Start Consultation form.

Please ensure that the timing of your request to start consultation allows sufficient time to complete the consultation process:

Employees on a Fixed Term Contract (FTC)

• Usually staff with less than four consecutive years' service
• Requests to the HR Staff Hub should be submitted no later than 30 calendar days, plus 5 working days before the contract end date.  The notice period is included within their contract

Employees on open-ended contracts

• Usually staff with more than four consecutive years' service
• Requests to the HR Staff Hub should be submitted no later than 30 calendar days, plus notice period, plus 5 working days before the contract end date.
• Employees on open-ended contracts are entitled to 30 days consultation plus notice period, this will be the higher of either their contractual notice period or statutory notice period (1 week per year of service up to a maximum of 12 weeks).

After you have submitted a Request to Start Consultation form within the correct timeframe, HR will send the staff member a letter to start the 30 day consultation period.

The member of staff may:

• Ask for support and advice from a Trade Union representative or work colleague
• Send questions to you/HR within five working days
• Ask for a consultation meeting with you (which should normally take place within ten working days)
• Ask for support to find an alternative role and be aware they are entitled to reasonable time off to look for work

HR will:

• Answer any queries about redundancy payments
• Offer support with the College’s redeployment* process
• Attend (as required) and write to confirm discussions at any consultation meetings

Where the consultation process has been exhausted, and no future funding has been secured and redeployment has not been possible, you should confirm to HR that the contract of employment will expire.

HR will issue a letter to confirm the end of consultation.

Note

*Redeployment is possible where the essential qualifications for suitable vacant posts of the same grade are met by someone at risk of redundancy. A trial period will be arranged to confirm that the post is indeed suitable.  Managers should refer to the Redeployment Policy and Procedure for more information.  

Need to know more?  You can find the answers to common questions and further information on the management guidance area of these Redeployment webpages.