HR Handbook

The University's new recruitment webpage launched in January 2016. Register an account to apply for vacancies.

• Access the Internal Vacancies webpage

CSP Scotland runs self-marketing workshops which redeployees are invited to attend. The workshops include information relating to CV and interview skills. The feedback received from people who have attended has been very positive. Full details of the workshop agenda are provided below:

A One Day Self-Marketing Workshop Programme

• The Product - You: what is on offer?
• Career/Personal History
• Work Experience
• Skills
• Personal Attributes

• The Market Place
• How to negotiate the job market
• The 5 routes into work
• Personal branding
• Marketing Strategy

• Preparation
• Types of interview

• How to evaluate the offers
• How to negotiate the employment package
• On-going Support

• 12 months prior to project/activity completion date you and your line manager will receive an email notification reminder this is an opportunity to explore opportunities for continued employment at the University but this does not form part of any formal consultation process.
   

• Within 6 months of the project/activity coming to an end you will be invited to a consultation meeting with your Head of School/Section and HR Redeployment Adviser and engage in exploring opportunities for continued employment at the University.
   

• A date will be established for a follow up meeting with your Head of School/Section and HR Redeployment Adviser. Should nothing further be confirmed for continued employment at this point then the steps involved with the redundancy policy will be explained.
   

• Should a formal notice of redundancy be issued, attempts to find continued employment through the established redeployment routes shall continue until your last day of service.

Use this calculator to find out how much statutory redundancy you will be entitled to receive.

Please follow this link and log in to the Redeployment Vacancies portal using your usual username and password.

Please contact Redeployment for any technical difficulties accessing the portal.

For a full listing of vacancies at the University, please see our main Jobs website.

Internal Candidates

Search all current vacancies, including internal and redeployment-only positions.

The University’s e-recruitment site is run by a third party. You must register an account to apply for a vacancy (including internal and redeployment-only vacancies).

Recruiters' Access

Log in to the Recruiters’ Portal

Log in via Shibboleth single sign-on using your normal University IT username and password. If this is your first time using the system as Recruiter, you may need to have access set-up. If you are unable to log in or view information, please contact the Recruitment Team on 01224 273500 or at hrrecruitment@abdn.ac.uk.

If you have never been involved in recruitment previously, you must complete the mandatory Recruitment and Selection Training Online Module (you should arrange a refresher course if your original training was more than 3 years ago). Please contact Recruitment to get enrolled on the training module.

This form should be completed for all posts, however funded, and all increases in FTE or extensions of contract:

• Proposed Expenditure on Staffing (please read the accompanying Process Summary for further guidance)

Once you have received the relevant authorisation, you will be asked to assist in the preparation of the following documents:

• Job Description
• Further Particulars including Person Specification (basic template)
• Job Advert
• Skills Matrix - Recruiting Managers Checklist
• Selection Committee Panel Member - pro-forma for notes
• e-Recruiter Guide.

For complete eRecruiter Manager Guidance notes please click here.

Summary of the timescale you can expect during the recruitment and selection process (new appointments):

• Post approved by Restructuring Committee
• Job Scored/Matched (2 days)
• Redeployment/Internal Job Boards (2 weeks)
• Internal/External Job Boards (2-4 weeks depending on visa status of the role)
• Shortlisting of candidates (timescale at panel’s discretion)
• Interviews (minimum of 1 week notice for candidates)
• Offer made to appointee

All members of staff who are involved in Recruitment (including on a shortlisting and sitting on a Selection Panel), must undertake a mandatory online Recruitment and Selection course. To arrange to enroll upon this course, please contact: HRRecruitment@abdn.ac.uk

The Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme ensures that those who either have regular contact with vulnerable groups through the workplace, or who are otherwise in regulated work, do not have a history of inappropriate behaviour. It excludes people who are known to be unsuitable, on the basis of past behaviour, from working with children and/or protected adults and detects those who become unsuitable while in the workplace.

There are five steps to assessing whether an individual is doing regulated work. This involves the consideration of:

• Who they are working with?
• What are their duties?
• Are any of those duties an ‘activity’, under the 2007 Act?
• If so, is the ‘activity’ part of their normal duties?
• If so, are there any ‘incidental’ exceptions which might apply?

Disclosure Scotland has set up a useful assessment tool which guides you in detail through these 5 steps.

To reflect legislative changes, our Protection of Vulnerable Groups Policy confirms that if a position requires a PVG check to be undertaken then the appointment is conditional upon the clearance and no work can be undertaken until this process is complete.

For full details please read the University's Protection of Vulnerable Groups Policy:

• Protection of Vulnerable Groups Policy

‘Temporary Services’ refers to the appointment of individuals on a casual or hourly-paid basis to resource periods of pressure, unexpected absence or specialist expertise within the University.

For full details please read the following document:

• Temporary Services and Fractional Appointments

The following forms should be completed for temporary services appointments and authorised by the Head of School/Section or nominated Deputy. Once fully completed and authorised, they should be sent to Human Resources:

• TA1 form template
• TA1 form template

Payment for the work undertaken will be processed by Payroll on receipt of appropriately authorised timesheets:

• Timesheet template

To ensure prompt payment is made to individuals for the work they have undertaken, it is important to adhere to payroll submission deadline dates. Please note that payments will not be made retrospectively.

There are three main reasons why it is important to take notes during an interview:

1. To ensure good practice, as decisions will be based on objective evidence and not subjective judgements

2. To protect the organisation from discrimination claims, as decisions will be clearly evidenced against selection criteria

3. To provide appropriate feedback to unsuccessful candidates.

Helps the panel to be more objective and fair

• Gives the panel a level of security and confidence in their decisions
• Helps to ensure all candidates are assessed equally
• Mitigates against the possibility of unconscious bias

Before the interview begins you should ensure:

• Each member of the panel has a copy of the note-taking template as issued by the University (available here: Selection Committee Panel Member - pro-forma for notes)
• Panel members are clear on the questions they are going to ask, and how these relate to the selection criteria
• It is agreed between panel members that the person asking a question will not write down notes on the candidates answer – other panel members can record their notes on their forms

During the interview you should ensure:

• The candidate is briefed before the interview starts that panel members will be taking notes
• To record objective evidence in your notes form – do not write down subjective evidence or judgements. (i.e. ‘Candidate offered a clear response to the question, with supporting evidence linking to the selection criteria’ as opposed to, ‘Candidate is confident in the experience they can bring to the role’)

Do's

• Do comment objectively on candidates (i.e. ‘The Panel agreed that the candidate met the educational criteria for the position.’)
• Do tailor your questions to the Person Specification, this will provide evidence for informed decision making. (i.e. ‘An essential criteria of the position is to be able to manage projects, please tell us about a time where you have managed a project successfully.’)
• Do ensure that you keep notes on why candidates aren’t suitable. In certain circumstances, these can be requested by and sent to unsuccessful candidates for feedback purposes.
• Do ensure your notes are legible or typed up where possible.
• Do be honest and respectful in your language used when note taking. (i.e. ‘the candidate presented well, however their understanding could have been more advanced’)
• Do support statements with examples where possible. (i.e. ‘the candidate presented well, however their understanding could be more advanced – this was demonstrated when the panel questioned the candidate on their presentation to probe further into their knowledge. The panel feels that more background research was necessary’)
• Do try to maintain eye contact whilst note taking.

Don'ts

• Don’t write subjective statements (i.e. ‘I thought the candidate seemed disinterested’)
• Don’t assess candidates against each other, assess them against the person specification.
• Don’t use generic or outdated Further Particulars or Person Specifications. Present detailed information about the requirements of the role to ensure effective questioning and to provide the candidate with ample opportunity to showcase their skills and knowledge. (i.e. if a requirement of the role is to hold an undergraduate degree, should it be in a certain or specific area related to the position?)
• Don’t write rude or inappropriate comments about candidates. (i.e. ‘The candidate was dressed strangely.’)
• Don’t write comments which refer to legally protected characteristics referred to below. (i.e. ‘the candidate seemed too old to adapt to a changing environment.’)

Panel members should take time to discuss their evaluation of the candidate, supported by their notes

• Keep accurate notes of the decision making process, including clear reasons for offering the position to one candidate and for rejecting the others. Bear in mind that unsuccessful candidates may request feedback on their performance. If you are not certain that your notes are representative of the views of the panel, read them back to the group and invite additional comments
• The panel should use the notes recorded on the template as the basis for a decision by consensus
• At the end of the interview process, the convenor is responsible for collecting the individual panel member notes which should then be scanned and sent to HR immediately following the selection committee meeting. HR will retain the interview notes for 6 months.
• All interview candidates should be rated via eRecruiter prior to any offer being made by HR

The Data Protection Act 1998 gives candidates the right to see notes made about them during interview. HR will retain the interview notes for a period of six months, and they will be provided to candidates upon request. Please be aware that there is the potential for your notes to be seen by the candidates you interview.

Equality legislation protects candidates from discrimination in the recruitment and selection process. The Equality Act 2010 provides protection based on nine protected characteristics:

• Age
• Gender
• Disability
• Race
• Religion and Belief
• Pregnancy and Maternity
• Gender Reassignment
• Sexual Orientation
• Marriage/Civil Partnerships

If a candidate believes they have been discriminated against on the basis of one or more of the protected characteristics, they could take legal action against the University. To reduce the risk of this happening, selection panels should:

• Undertake the specific equality training for selection panels. This is mandatory for any member of staff involved in recruitment and selection. To access this training, please contact the Recruitment Team
• Ensure interview questions are based on the person specification
• Refrain from asking questions regarding the protected characteristics, unless relevant to the post
• Assess candidates objectively
• Refer to the Briefing on Unconscious Bias (in development)
• Be mindful of their own diversity profile, in particular the panel should be gender-balanced.

The University operates an optional Guaranteed Interview Scheme for disabled candidates. If the selection panel is notified that a candidate has applied under the Scheme, then they must interview that candidate if they meet the Essential criteria in the person specification. Some disabled candidates may require an adjustment to the selection process to allow them to fully participate. HR will notify the selection panel of any adjustment which have been requested by a candidate. To find out more about the Equality Act 2010 please see link here.

Help and support on any of the issues discussed in this factsheet is available through the Recruitment Team.

Watch this presentation for further guidance on interview note-taking.

Please read the If you have any questions about Relocation Expenses, please Contact Human Resources.

Further information can be found on Accommodation for Staff.

Aberdeen City and Shire has a wide selection of private accommodation available. You can find out what properties are available by visiting the Aberdeen Solicitors Property Centre.

There are also a number of letting agencies in Aberdeen such as

• Grampian Accommodation Agency
• Aberdeen Property Leasing
• Bain Property Agency

Please note this information is provided for illustrative purposes only and other letting agencies exist within Aberdeen. The University of Aberdeen has no links to private letting agencies within the City.

Information on bed & breakfasts, guest houses and hotels and their location in relation to the University campuses can be found at these web links:

• King's College campus
• Foresterhill campus

There are many major banks and building societies operating in Aberdeen.

Please contact hresc@abdn.ac.uk should you require an employer reference to open a bank account.

This can be provided once you have returned your signed contract of employment and provided copies of your right to work documents.

A National Insurance (NI) number is a personal number used

• to record a person's NI contributions and credited contributions
• because it is needed for claiming social security benefits

You should apply for a NI number if you do not already have one and

• you have started or are about to start work
• you are self-employed
• you want to pay voluntary NI contributions and would benefit from paying them

For these applications you should telephone 0845 600 0643 between 8.00am and 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.

For further information please follow this link: gov.uk/national-insurance.

The King's College campus-based Rocking Horse Nursery provides childcare for preschool aged children of students and staff. The nursery has three 'departments' which cater for 0-2, 2-3 and 3-5 year olds respectively.

This nursery has facilities for 46 children, from 0-5 years of age. Places are allocated according to the waiting list and the age of the child. Early booking is advisable.

The Rocking Horse Nursery is situated at 51 College Bounds, within the grounds of Crombie-Johnston Hall of Residence.

The Local Authority that the University is situated in also provides a pre-school education service Further options for child care may be explored via the external government Childcare Link website.

The University also has a Childcare Vouchers Scheme which is a tax saving initiative for staff.

The education service in and around Aberdeen is provided by the relevant Local Authority for where you live.

Information on schools in and around Aberdeen

• Aberdeen City Council's website
• Aberdeenshire Council's website
• More information on Education in Scotland

If you are not already registered with a dentist, you are recommended to do so. The NHS Grampian Dental Services website contains information about how to register with a dentist and the Dental Registration Information Sheet provides further guidance.

In addition, the Dental Information and Advice Line can help with a variety of dental enquiries. It is open Monday to Friday 8.05am-5.45pm. The number is 0845 45 65 990.

Call the line if

• You have a dental enquiry,
• You wish to register with a dentist. This line is able to provide details of NHS practices are registering new patients,
• You are not registered with a dentist and are experiencing tooth pain or have a dental emergency (call NHS 24 on 111 outside the hours of this line).

Local services and amenities are provided by the relevant local authority depending on where you live, for those living in and around Aberdeen these will be provided by either Aberdeen City Council or Aberdeenshire Council.

For those living further distance from the University a full list of local authorities in Scotland can be found on the Scottish Government's website.

If you are a citizen of certain countries, and have been given permission to stay in the United Kingdom for more than six months, you will normally be required to register with a police station in the area in which you are living. Information on registering with the police including who needs to register can be found on the Home Office website.

If you need to register, this requirement will be endorsed in your passport. You must register within seven days of arriving in the United Kingdom. To register you will need your passport, two passport size photographs of yourself are usually required and the registration fee.

This should be done at:

Queen Street Police Station
Queen Street
Aberdeen
AB10 1ZA

Tel: +44 (0) 1224 3061058

We are delighted to invite you to attend the University's biannual welcome event for new staff in September. The event is a formal welcome to the wider University of Aberdeen community and is designed to ensure that you receive the support you need to settle into your role here with us. The induction fayre will give you access to important information about the University including our structure, values and support available to you as a colleague.

We will get in touch with further details.

The University has launched an Equality and Diversity e-training facility for all staff. The e-training is an easy way to ensure your knowledge on Equality and Diversity matters is up-to-date. This will help to ensure that the University creates a learning and working environment which is accessible and inclusive. Two modules are available.

'Diversity in the Workplace' provides basic training on the legislative framework and its practical implications. All staff are required to complete this module within three months of taking up an appointment at the University.

The second module, 'Diversity in Teaching and Learning', focuses on the specific issues for teaching staff. It allows colleagues to reflect on their teaching practice and provides guidance regarding developing an inclusive learning environment.

Each module will take approximately 60-90 minutes to complete. They can be started, saved and returned to at your convenience. The modules work best on a PC.

To be set up on the module you must first be enrolled, this will happen automatically within 2 weeks of you starting.

Should you have any issues accessing the system to complete training after you have been enrolled please contact Human Resources for advice or assistance.

• Click here to access the training

Over a two year programme, Core Academic Trainees will be given an academic mentor, an honorary university title, access to the full support of the academic infrastructure, a small budget for research/publications and travel to conferences, help with applying for fellowships and identification of research opportunities. There will not be protected time but rather the support provided is intended to make it possible to set and pursue research goals alongside your training requirements.

A Clinical Academic Training background not only makes for a challenging, exciting and fulfilling career, but can increase career opportunities, opening up exciting doors in the world of research and clinical practice. Our previous Trainees have moved on to complete PhDs, take up SCREDS Clinical Lecturer positions and others have gone on to prestigious Academic Clinical Fellowships.

The University is delighted that this addition to the ACAT programme is supported by University funds and for the next two years matched by the University of Aberdeen’s Welcome Trust funded ISSF (Institutional Strategic Support Fund).

Participation in appraisal is a requirement for pay progression and plays an important part in revalidation processes. The Appraisal documentation for clinical academic staff can be found below:

*Insert documentation*

In order to streamline the process and minimise the circulation of paper records all Clinical Academic appraisals are to be done through the NHS online SOAR system.

• enable better priority setting of work and reduce excessive workload
• agree how the individual or their team can most effectively support the wider objectives of the service and meet the needs of patients
• agree how the NHS employer can best support the delivery of these responsibilities
• provide the doctor with evidence for appraisal and revalidation
• comply with Working Time Regulations; and
• reward activity above the standard commitment.

Job planning can therefore be of great benefit. Clinical academics are encouraged to prepare for and participate actively in job planning on an annual basis.

The following flow chart provides a useful summary of the job planning process:

*Insert flow chart*

The job planning documentation for clinical academic staff can be found below:

*Insert documentation*

Based within the School of Medicine and Dentistry this is an exciting opportunity for aspiring clinical academics who wish to pursue a top flight academic career.

These appointments are made with the support of the relevant Postgraduate Dean. They provide "in-programme" clinical specialty training as well as focusing on preparation for competitive entry to phase (ii). In addition they enable completion of clinical training where phase (ii) is substantially concluded. They are funded either directly by universities or by NHS Education for Scotland.

These exciting posts are open to all medical specialties, including public health medicine. Where appropriate, successful candidates will be encouraged (and opportunities sought for them) to spend time at international centres of excellence.

Doctors are eligible for appointment to a SCREDS post if they:

• are on the GMC's Specialist or General Practitioner Registers;
• hold a National Training Number; or
• do not hold a National Training Number but have been appointed to a decoupled Core Training Programme recognised by GMC and hold an equivalent Core Training Number.

Key features:

• are available to support the doctor to the point of the award of a CCT.
• will normally provide for time within the appointment as follows: 20% for research training and 80% time for clinical training. are time limited.
• will have a university mentor.

Applications for a Clinical Lecturer in any specialty or research area (including general practice) will be handled as a separate process outwith the national recruitment and selection process for admission to specialty training in Scotland. In Scotland there is no fixed timetable for recruitment to such appointments.

The appointments are made jointly with the NHS locally and the relevant Scottish university and deanery. They are supported by university contracts.

For more information on SCREDS please visit: www.scotmt.scot.nhs.uk/specialty/scottish-academic-training-(screds).aspx.

Honorary Status is awarded in recognition of an individual’s contribution to teaching, research and service in the University.

Holders of any honorary title cannot also be paid employees of the University.

Honorary status can be awarded for a period of no less than 3 months and no longer than 3 years. Such posts may be renewed for up to a further 3 year period.

Individuals holding Honorary Status will have access to the following University facilities:

• Use of the Library and electronic collections of books and journals
• Access to IT facilities (please note this includes a University email account)
• Free Health and Fitness & Aquatics Off-Peak membership and significant savings on peak memberships at Aberdeen Sports Village
• ID badge to access the University's buildings
• The right to use the University as an academic address for specified academic purposes only
• Titleholders may apply for research grants/funding through the official University channels but can not normally be the Primary Investigator. Titleholders must be part of an existing group within the University rather than an individual grant holder (although exceptions may be considered).
  For further information about applying for grants/funding, please engage with Research and Innovation at an early stage.
• Titleholders may be part of a supervision team for a PhD student provided that they are not the main supervisor or Chair of the team
• Access to chargeable car parking facilities (excluding Foresterhill Campus with effect from 1 September 2017)
• Eligible to book weddings in the University Chapel

*Subject to change

How to Apply

Applications for Honorary Status for an individual should be initiated by a member of University staff (known as the Proposer).

The Proposer should discuss any application and the level of honorary appointment with their Head of School/Section prior to discussion with the nominee.

The Proposer should complete the proposal form (Word Version, Honorary Form 2021 PDF) in partnership with the nominee and send, along with a copy of their Curriculum Vitae (for Academic roles, a proposal must also include a list of recent publications as well as a CV) to the Head of School/Section for approval.

Once this is granted, the paperwork will be forwarded on to the Employment Support Services Team who will make the necessary arrangements to issue a letter to the nominee, confirming their appointment.

Honorary Readership or Honorary Professorship Appointments

If the request is for an appointment at Honorary Readership or Professorship level, in addition to the paperwork outlined above, 3 independent references must also be submitted as part of the application.

These should be obtained by the Head of School/Section and should not be submitted by the Proposer or nominee. Once the application has been approved by the Head of School/Section, the full set of papers will be sent to the Senior Vice-Principal for final approval, prior to processing by HR Services, who will issue a letter confirming their appointment.

The award of Emeritus Status is automatic for all academic staff following retirement, in good standing and will be communicated by Human Resources on behalf of Court.

The appointment will normally have no end date and will therefore last for life.

Exceptionally the University will award Emeritus Status to academic related staff. If academic related staff wish to receive Emeritus Status they are required to submit an application, as it is not automatically granted.

Emeritus staff will receive the following privileges:

• Use of the Library and electronic collections of books and journals
• Access to IT facilities (please note this includes a University email account)
• Free Health and Fitness & Aquatics Off-Peak membership and significant savings on peak memberships at Aberdeen Sports Village
• ID badge to access the University's buildings
• The right to use the University as an academic address for specified academic purposes only
• Titleholders may apply for research grants/funding through the official University channels but can not normally be the Primary Investigator. Titleholders must be part of an existing group within the University rather than an individual grant holder (although exceptions may be considered). For further information about applying for grants/funding, please engage with Research and Innovation at an early stage.
• Titleholders may be part of a supervision team for a PhD student provided that they are not the main supervisor or Chair of the team
• Access to chargeable car parking facilities (excluding Foresterhill Campus with effect from 1 September 2017)
• Eligible to book weddings in the University Chapel

*Subject to change

Due to the changing nature of activities which are undertaken within the University, there has been an increase in (i) the number of spin-out companies being established and (ii) the volume of collaborative work with external organisations which is being undertaken on campus. It is therefore, acknowledged that there will be an increasing number of individuals who are based on campus who require access to buildings and/or facilities, but are not expected to make any regular contribution to the life and work of the University.

Holders of any honorary title cannot also be paid employees of the University.

Honorary appointments will end on the expiry date or after a maximum period of 3 years. Such posts may be renewed for up to a further 3 year period.

Individuals holding Honorary Partner Status will receive the following privileges:

• ID card
• Access to relevant University buildings
• Access to chargeable car parking facilities (excluding Foresterhill Campus with effect from 1 September 2017)

How to Apply

Applications for Honorary Partner Status for an individual should be initiated by a member of University staff (known as the Proposer). The Proposer should discuss any application and the level of honorary appointment with their Head of School/Section prior to discussion with the nominee.

The Proposer should complete the proposal form (Word Version, Honorary Form 2021 PDF) in partnership with the nominee and submit to the Head of School/Section for approval. Once this is granted, the paperwork will be forwarded on to the Employment Support Services Team who will make the necessary arrangements to issue a letter to the nominee, confirming their appointment.

When the University is notified by NHS Grampian that they have appointed a member of staff as a Registrar or above (e.g. Consultant), the University of Aberdeen automatically awards the individual with Honorary Associate Status. This is done in recognition of the working Partnership that takes place between the University and NHS Grampian and is formally stipulated in the Memorandum of Understanding in place between the two organisations.

Individuals holding Honorary Associate status will be provided with:

• Use of the Library and electronic collections of books and journals
• Access to IT facilities (please note this includes a University email account)
• Free Health and Fitness & Aquatics Off-Peak membership and significant savings on peak memberships at Aberdeen Sports Village
• ID badge to access the University's buildings
• The right to use the University as an academic address for specified academic purposes only
• Titleholders may apply for research grants/funding through the official University channels but can not normally be the Primary Investigator. Titleholders must be part of an existing group within the University rather than an individual grant holder (although exceptions may be considered). For further information about applying for grants/funding, please engage with Research and Innovation at an early stage
• Titleholders may be part of a supervision team for a PhD student provided that they are not the main supervisor or Chair of the team
• Access to chargeable car parking facilities (excluding Foresterhill Campus with effect from 1 September 2017)

* Subject to change

Should the individual wish to have their Honorary appointment upgraded to reflect an Academic title such as Lecturer, Senior Lecturer etc., a formal application will require to be submitted, copy of which be included in the letter the individual receives confirming their Honorary Associate status.

If you are planning on resigning from your post you should notify your Line Manager in writing within your contractual notice period. Please find some resignation FAQs below. Should you have any additional queries, please contact your HR Adviser.

What should I include in my resignation letter?
Please include your intended resignation date, your reason for leaving and whether or not you have any outstanding annual leave. Your resignation letter or email should be passed to your Line Manager.

Once your Line Manager has received your resignation letter or email, they should complete a Leavers Form and this should be returned to your HR Adviser.

How long is my notice period?
Your notice period is dependent on your grade. Standard notice periods are as follows, however they may be negotiable with your Line Manager.

• Grades 1 – 4 (Secretarial, Manual, Technical): 1 month
• Grades 5 – 8 (Research, Teaching, Academic, Academic Related): 3 months
• Lecturer/Senior Lecturer: 6 months
• Professorial and Grade 9: 6 months

What happens to my annual leave?
Once you have calculated how many annual leave days you have remaining (see Holidays page for information), a discussion should take place with your Line Manager to agree if you will use them all before you leave or if you will receive payment for these days in lieu. Once you have come to an agreement with your Line Manager regarding this, Human Resources should be informed.

When will I receive confirmation from Human Resources?
Once your Line Manager has confirmed your outstanding leave entitlement, you will normally receive an acknowledgement letter from Human Resources within two working days. The letter will be sent to your University email address along with information regarding your pension and a link to the exit survey.

Can I keep my University Staff email account?
Unless Honorary Status is requested and approved, access to your staff IT account will not be granted. Your user/email account will be closed on your last day of service and you will not be given access to business related data, documents and emails when you cease employment. Please ensure to transfer all important data to your line manager and return all University property (including ID card, laptop, mobile phone etc) prior to your employment ceasing.

If you are planning to retire you should notify your line manager in writing. Should you require additional information before submitting a formal notification, please contact your HR Adviser.

USS pension scheme members may have the option of flexible retirement. For further information regarding retirement in relation to your pension please contact The Pensions Office.

Retirement Course

The University provides training for employees considering retirement, which aims to encourage a healthy and financially secure retirement. For further information and to book a course, visit the Courses and Workshops page.

The University of Aberdeen is committed to providing security of employment for all staff and therefore it seeks to avoid redundancies where possible.

However, when circumstances arise that necessitate reductions in staffing levels, the University, in consultation with the appropriate campus Trade Union(s), will seek to avoid, minimise and/or mitigate the impact of compulsory redundancies. Please read the following policies together for further information:

• Redundancy Procedure
• Consultation on Avoidance of Redundancy Policy

If you have any questions or concerns regarding redundancy, please contact our Redeployment Adviser.

Employees leaving the University are encouraged to complete our electronic Exit Interview Questionnaire just before they go. Participation is voluntary but, from the University’s perspective, the primary aim is to learn the reasons for you leaving, and the information you provide will be used to help drive organisational improvement. From your perspective, an exit interview is a chance to give some constructive feedback.

You will be sent a link to the questionnaire along with the acknowledgement of your resignation. If you experience any issues whilst completing this questionnaire, please contact a member of the Employment Services Team.

Alternatively, if you wish to request a face-to-face Exit Interview, please contact your HR Partner to arrange.

The University owes a duty of care to departing/former employees when submitting a reference. Responses to questions will be factually correct and subjective personal opinions will be avoided.

Our standard reference template is designed to be accurate and fair and supplies information under the following headings:

• Position Held
• Start Date of Employment
• End Date of Employment
• Nature of Employment
• Salary

If you require a reference please contact the Employment Services Team.

Your HESA information is used by some organisations to help carry out public functions connected with education in the UK. These organisations are data controllers in common of your HESA information under the terms of the Data Protection Act (this link explains what this means). Such organisations may include:

• Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
• Welsh Government
• Scottish Government
• Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland
• Higher Education Funding Council for England
• Higher Education Funding Council for Wales
• Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council
• Research Councils
• Department for Education
• Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
• National Health Service

and any successor bodies. Your HESA information may also be used by some organisations who are also data controllers in common to help carry out public functions that are not connected with education such as monitoring of public expenditure by the National Audit Office. HEFCE will link information about academic staff to Research Excellence Framework submissions in order to monitor equal opportunities in relation to that exercise.

HESA uses your HESA information to produce and publish information and statistics. This includes some National Statistics publications and online business intelligence and research services. HESA will take precautions to ensure that individuals are not identified from any information which is processed for Purpose 3.

HESA and the other data controllers in common listed under Purpose 1 may also supply information to third parties where there is a legitimate interest in doing so. Examples of use for this purpose include:

• Equal opportunities monitoring
• Research - This may be academic research, commercial research or other statistical research where this is in the public interest
• Journalism - Where the relevant publication would be in the public interest e.g. league tables
• Provision of information to students and prospective students

Users to whom information may be supplied for Purpose 3 include:

• Higher education sector bodies
• Higher education providers
• Academic researchers and students
• Commercial organisations
• Unions
• Non-governmental organisations and charities
• Local, regional and national government bodies
• Journalists

Information supplied by HESA to third parties within Purpose 4 is supplied under contracts which require that individuals shall not be identified from the supplied information. A copy of HESA’s current agreement for the supply of information is available at www.hesa.ac.uk/bds-details#e.

If you work in a clinical or health-related role or department the following organisations may use your HESA information for the additional purposes described below:

The Medical Schools Council and Universities UK through the activities of its Dental Schools Council – for the purposes of:

• Monitoring trends in clinical academic staffing as a basis for partnership between the NHS and universities.
• Promoting, maintaining and improving high quality education, research and clinical practice in the UK.
• Publishing results of research into clinical academic staffing at a detailed statistical level from which there may be a risk of identification of individuals through combinations of characteristics.

The University of Aberdeen seeks to ensure that its policies and procedures promote equal opportunities for all members of staff and potential members of staff. The following policies provide guidance to all staff regarding personal relationships within the University, in order to avoid any real or perceived conflicts of interest, or misuse of power and authority:

• Staff: Staff Relationships
• Staff: Students Conflict of interest

These policies are intended to safeguard staff members’ work relationships and to secure the interests of students within the University.

The primary purpose of this policy is to support staff and to ensure any problems are dealt with effectively and consistently. The University is concerned where the inappropriate use of drugs or alcohol impairs; conduct, safety, work performance or has an adverse impact on colleagues/students.

Individuals are expected to follow the guidelines in the Policy on Drugs and Alcohol by taking personal responsibility and reporting for work free from the adverse effects of alcohol or drugs. Please read the Policy for full details:

• Policy on Drugs and Alcohol

Further information is available on the Healthy Working Lives website:

• Drugs
• Alcohol

The University provides a smoke free environment for staff, students and visitors. All staff are required to adhere to the Policy on Smoking in the Workplace (this Policy applies equally to electronic alternatives to traditional cigarettes/cigars). Please read the Policy for full details:

• Policy on Smoking in the Workplace

Please note all NHS sites in Scotland will be smoke-free. University staff, students, contractors and visitors at Foresterhill are asked to wait until they are off NHS grounds before lighting up (or using electronic alternatives) and smoking shelters will be removed from hospital grounds.

We are committed to supporting anyone who wishes to stop smoking. Smokers who are dedicated to stopping can take advantage of the following services:

• Occupational Health available to provide advice and support
• Smoking cessation workshops are run on a regular basis

Visit the Healthy Working Lives page or call the Smoking Advice Service helpline 0500 600 332 (Freephone) for further information relating to smoking and advice on how to stop smoking.

If you have recently changed your name, please scan a copy of the legal document (marriage certificate, deed poll certificate etc) confirming the change to HRESC@abdn.ac.uk. The certificate should be accompanied by an email outlining the change, including your preferred title.

To amend your email account name please contact IT Services (servicedesk@abdn.ac.uk).

If you are a holder of a Tier 2 or Tier 4 visa, you are responsible for notifying us of any changes to your personal contact details including change of name, home address, home and mobile telephone number. There are additional conditions for your visa, for more information please visit the Immigration pages.