Reward processes to return for 2024/25

Reward and promotions processes suspended for the 2023/24 academic year are to return for 2024/25.

Processes such as the personal titles process covering academic promotions, and lump sum awards to recognise outstanding performance, will be reinstated for the start of the new academic year.

The suspension of these processes was in response to global financial pressures affecting the University. We acknowledge the decision was disappointing to many colleagues and thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Pausing the reward and promotion processes for a year has saved in the region of £88,000 in total. This is an important contribution to us meeting our operational deficit reduction target.

Processes returning

• Personal Titles process, which considers academic promotion to Associate Professor and Professor and Senior Research grades. This process will relaunch for 2024/25, with no changes to previous timeline. Documents will be published in mid to late August.
• Reward processes that consider accelerated pay progression (the award of additional increments and contributions points) for colleagues in Grades 1-8. During the suspension, a full review of this process has been undertaken, involving Heads of Schools and Directorates, which will lead to a more streamlined process and decision making, reducing complexity and bureaucracy. Reward processes will be relaunched from 1 August 2024.
• Promotion of research staff from Grade 6-7. Similarly this process has been reviewed with input from some research colleagues and relevant Heads of Schools / Departments. The new process will provide clearer criteria and streamlined decision making. The revised process will be relaunched from 1 August 2024.
• The Lump Sum Award scheme which provides Schools and Functions with a reward budget to make one-off payments to colleagues to recognise outstanding performance. Lump Sum Awards will be relaunched from 1 August 2024.
• Annual review processes for Professorial Staff and for Grade 9 and Senior Staff. This process considers pay increases and awards for Professorial and Grade 9 colleagues, including Deans and Heads of School. This process will be relaunched in line with the existing timeline later in 2024.

For clarity, cost of living pay awards and inclusion in national pay bargaining processes have not been affected by the suspension of these processes.

Line managers can continue to say thank you to their colleagues through the Celebrating Success voucher scheme, and Long Service Awards as these schemes continue as now.

It is hoped that the Celebrating Success voucher scheme will be moved to a new platform in the coming months.