All universities have a policy regarding the redeployment of
staff being made redundant. It is
interesting and instructive to compare AU’s policy other universities in Wales,
and elsewhere.
Surely a thoughtful employer would want to
consult with an employee to discover their wishes and strive to match upcoming
vacancies as far as possible with the wishes of the employee – by keeping a
database of employees in this position for example? Not having to go through a
recruitment procedure will save the employer time, money and effort. It will
work out better for all concerned. Surely no employer would just expect the
employee at risk to identify vacancies for themselves, and then take part in a
normal recruitment process in competition with people whose jobs were not under
threat? Er, AU does precisely that.
The full AU policy – which has been produced without any
consultation with campus unions - can be found at:
The redeployment part of this policy - in a nutshell - says that staff are
encouraged “ to embrace such initiatives [such]
as redeployment, retraining or transfer to prevent or minimise the need for
compulsory redundancies.” Fair do’s
- I think most staff would be willing to
embrace the opportunity of a job, as opposed to no job.
“Eligible staff shall
be placed on the redeployment register for the duration of their notice period
or alternatively for no more than three months (defined as the redeployment
period).” This sounds encouraging – I wonder what it means? Aha, a few lines further down the policy what
the “redeployment register” means becomes apparent: it means nothing. That’s because if you are
being made redundant, then according to AU’s interpretation of the law it is up
to you to find opportunities from the internal vacancies web site: “Employees are expected to play an active
role in identifying suitable alternative employment and where they consider a
post as potentially suitable, they must complete the application form,
highlighting on the front page in red ink “Redeployment Application” and submit
to the Recruitment Team prior to the vacancy’s closing date. “ So, although there is a redeployment register
it doesn’t actually mean anything – it’s still down to you to identify a
suitable post, not down to HR to actually DO ANYTHING like match upcoming posts
to the staff who are on the redeployment register.
But, the person who is taking the responsibility for their own
redeployment must get some special treatment from their use of that RED INK
surely? Er, no. Their application is bunged in with all the other internal
applicants IF they meet ALL of the essential criteria, and then they take their
chances against all the other internal employees who get an interview. That
“redeployment register” came in handy then. And that red ink – both together
made a lot of difference to the recruitment process: er, none what so ever.
But I expect this is what all universities do, right? In
fact let’s have a look what they do by comparing the policies of some other
universities in Wales:
·
The HR
Department will take a pro-active role in trying to secure suitable alternative
employment for staff on the Redeployment Register by:
- ·
Ensuring
access to details of current vacancies and job specifications.
- ·
Regular
liaison with College and Departmental colleagues to determine any suitable
vacancies
- ·
Advising
the Head of College/School/Department of any applicants from the Redeployment
Register for vacant posts
- ·
Maintaining
regular contact with staff on the register providing any necessary support and
guidance.
Departments with
vacant posts will give prior consideration to staff on the Redeployment
Register BEFORE considering other applicants. Prior consideration involves
considering the member of staff against the Person Specification for the vacant
post. In order for a match to be established the staff member must normally
meet most of (approx 75%) the essential criteria for the post. Appropriate
training can be given if required. The HR Department will assess whether there
is a potential match on the Redeployment Register and will inform the member of
staff both verbally and/or in writing of the match and ask them to consider the
post.
Once a reasonable
match has been established then the individual(s) will be offered an interview
prior to any other candidates (except for other redeployees). If a person meets
most of (approx 75%) the essential criteria at interview then in normal circumstances
they will be offered the post.
So it seems the HR department at Bangor actually use their
redeployment register in a meaningful way and staff on it are getting
preferential treatment. Even more, the HR department takes responsibility for
this process! Enlightened, yes, but surely not the norm? What about…
Cardiff?
Eligible members of
staff will be placed on the University’s Redeployment Register which will be
maintained by the Human Resources Division. ...
Prior to advertising
vacancies, recruiters will be expected to consider all staff on the
Redeployment Register to determine those who may satisfy the essential
selection criteria for interview, or those who could satisfy these criteria
with reasonable retraining. Advice on reasonable training may be obtained from
the Human Resources Division and will be specific to the requirements of the
individual/post…
If a recruiter
identifies a potential applicant from the Redeployment Register, the member of
staff will be contacted to confirm whether they are interested in being
considered for the vacancy. In the event
that they are they will be considered with any other redeployment candidates
with a view to assess their suitability for appointment.
If following any
interview the relevant member of staff fully satisfies the essential selection
criteria with reasonable training, they will be offered the opportunity to be redeployed
to the new position…
So once again, it’s not just down to you to find your job,
and the redeployment register is consulted prior
to advertising and interviewed only against others on the redeployment
register, not all internal candidates.
Swansea: (can you
guess?)
When a vacant post has been authorised and prepared it is
circulated to staff [on the redeployment register] within 3 months of the end
of their fixed term contract on an electronic "Advance Notification"
Circulation list. All eligible staff are able to apply for the vacancy and
will be considered before the post is advertised more widely.
So, once again the HR Department accepts its
responsibilities and makes the post available to redeployment register staff
before more wide advertising – staff do not have to take responsibility for
finding the vacancies and are not in amongst all of the other internal staff
fighting for a job.
The conclusion seems
to be that AU redeployment policy is not in-line with good practice, or the
policies of its peers in Wales. The redeployment register and the use of red
ink appear to be meaningless. The university is not pro-active in offering
opportunities for redeployment. All of the other universities surveyed had
advice to recruiters that they must look at the redeployment register (or local
equivalent) prior to advertising a post. This guidance is not seen in AU’s
recruitment policy and procedures. (
http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/media/English---Recruitment-Policy-and-Procedure-FINAL-100909.pdf
).
If you ever find yourself in the unfortunate position of
being made redundant the union still advises you to comply with AU’s procedures,
and to get in touch with the union as soon as possible.. You might enquire what
the point of the redeployment register is, and remember to use that red ink if
you find any suitable posts. But don’t expect the university to save money and
time by identifying a redeployment opportunity and notifying you. Meanwhile
let’s hope that our new relationship with Bangor results in the use of their apparently
far more progressive and enlightened attitudes to redundancy and redeployment…
Note: this article was sent to HR for comment before
publication and the following comment was made:
"The University introduced the Redundancy and
Redeployment Policy in 2010 having first sought to consult with the recognised
trade unions, although they declined to consult on these policies.
As the policy has now been in place for two
years, in line with all our policies, it is due to be reviewed in 2012.
As part of our policy review process the University is open to any
suggestions from the relevant trade unions or individual members of staff.
I would add that we consult with each employee
in this situation about their wishes and provide information and advice about
the job opportunities available. "
One last thing – the redeployment Policies/procedures/protocols
at the other universities surveyed in Wales were separate and distinct from their redundancy policies. Perhaps another thing that AU could emulate?
