Procedure for Re-evaluations and Appeals

Forms:

• ‌request for re-evaluation of role/job description (Office document, 90kB)
• Re-grade upwards to generic JD form (Office document, 33kB)
• Appeal Form (Office document, 50kB)

Guidance:

• Job Description Guidance
• Professional and administrative grade descriptors
• Job description example for professional/administrative roles
• Job Hazards Information for Job Descriptions (PDF, 367kB)

1. Introduction – evaluation of an existing role

Professional Services roles may change over time. This can be the result of operational requirements and/or restructures.

If you're a manager and you'd like some advice, the best thing to do is to contact your HRBP. They will be able to give you guidance about whether a re-evaluation is right for a role.

The Role Family Owner, line manager and staff member need to agree that a role has changed significantly. Following this, they will need to revise the job description. They will need to agree the date it becomes applicable and submit for re- evaluation.

Some roles will change slightly, but not enough to warrant a re-evaluation.

We've set out the re-evaluation and appeals process below. This is a consistent and fair way of assessing material changes to existing roles.

Academic pathways are different and have separate promotion and progression arrangements.

Staff can appeal against the outcome of their re-evaluation. Which is why the University has an agreed Appeals policy and process

Appeals go to a panel, which decides whether to uphold the appeal or not. The decision of the appeal panel is final.

2. Deciding whether a job evaluation, or the inclusion of a role in a previously evaluated generic job description, is appropriate and the approval necessary

You will need to complete one of the forms above if a role needs re-evaluating. Your HR contact can give you guidance. Here are a few points to consider.

• • Managers and individuals might find material changes to a role, which results in a re-evaluation. A re-evaluation can result in a higher, lower or the same grade.
  • Sometimes a role might fit an existing generic role. Please ask your HR contact for guidance about using a generic job description.  If you'd like to use a generic job description with a higher grade, then you'll need to use the 'Regrade Upwards' form above.
  • For technical roles, it’s essential to look at the suite of Technical Generic+ job descriptions.
  • Where a role previously matched a generic job description, the role may have changed so that it no longer matches. This would need to be evaluated separately from the generic role.  

3. Writing the Job Description

We've created the Job Description Guidance to help you.

Please use the Professional and administrative grade descriptors to help you complete your job description. These give examples of each grade and responsibilities.

4. Submitting the Job Description to HR

You will need to complete a cover sheet for each job description. This summarises the changes and any additional responsibilities for the role.

Sometimes, in exceptional cases, you can backdate the re-evaluation. The Head of HR Operations makes this decision.

Please email the job description and cover sheet to your HR Business Partner. They will make sure the template and cover sheet are complete. They may want to review these with the School or Division. They will also consider whether the anticipated grade can be met. However, they can't guarantee this.

5. Submitting the Job Description to the Reward Team

The HR Business Partnering Team will send the job description to the Reward Team, for submission to the next available UBJES panel.

UBJES panels currently take place every week.

The HR Business Partnering Team need to submit a job description seven working days before the panel is due to take place. If volumes are high, the job description will go to the next available panel.

Sometimes a Role Expert from the relevant area is invited to the panel. They can answer any detailed question from the panel. Role Expert input is particularly helpful where the work is of a specialist nature.

6. Panel meeting(s)

Each panel decides whether they agree with the anticipated grade or not. If they don't agree with the grade, they will refer to the School/Division for some more information.

The panel will evaluate the revised job description. The re-evaluation could be lower, higher or the same as a previous evaluation.

7. Notification

Panel outcomes usually take approximately 17 working days.  

The Reward Team will email the HR Business Partner when the role has been evaluated. And then the HR Business Partner tells the manager the outcome. If the anticipated grade isn't met, HR can give more information about this.

Appeals policy and process

 

1. Deciding whether to submit an appeal

Sometimes an employee is not happy with the outcome of the re-evaluation. If this happens, they can talk to their manager and submit an appeal.

In these cases, HR can help with further advice.

A valid appeal should meet one or more of the following conditions:

1. A non-trivial flaw in the re-evaluation process; and/or
2. The job holder is arguing that their job description has been incorrectly scored
3. The job compares directly with another job that has a different evaluation*

When considering whether to submit an appeal, managers and staff should consider the following:

• Non-trivial flaw in the process, or the role has been incorrectly scored according to the UBJES scheme

An appeal must be submitted within 4 weeks of the date of the re-evaluation outcome letter from HR. Otherwise an appeal will not be considered.

• Direct comparator with another job

Please use this category when a member of staff believes their role is directly comparable with another similar role. And they believe their role should be the same grade.

A role is a direct comparator when it carries out very similar responsibilities.

Also, the role holder needs to have a very similar set of skills, qualifications and experience as the comparator role.

• Generic roles

Some appeals may relate to re-evaluating a generic job description. If this is the case, at least 80% of existing role holders must have signed the appeal submission.

2. Writing the Appeal

When writing an appeal, managers and staff should ensure that:

• A full explanation of the grounds for appeal is in the appeal form. The form should highlight the appropriate evidence within the existing job description. The job description must not be amended.
• If the appeal mentions incorrect scoring, this should be clearly explained. For example, the panel have underestimated the knowledge, skills and experience required for the role.
• The line manager and Role Family Owner must comment in the appeal document.

3. Re-submitting the Job Description to HR

The completed appeal form should be emailed to the relevant Faculty HR Business Partnering Team. They will ensure that the Appeal form is complete.

4. Submitting the job description to the Reward Team

HR Business Partners send the Appeal form to the Reward Team. They will send it to the next available panel.

5. Panel meeting

The Appeal Panel completes a full review of the Appeal. They check the reasons for the appeal alongside the job description. They also check the panel's rationale and scoring decision, plus any other relevant information. They may also ask for further information.

There are three grounds for appeal, the possible outcomes are:

1. Non-trivial flaw in the process – the Appeal Panel may confirm that there has not been a non-trivial flaw and will reject the appeal. The panel may confirm that there has been a non-trivial flaw. In this case they will agree next steps, depending on the nature of the flaw in the process. The Panel’s decision will be final.
2. The role has been incorrectly scored according to the UBJES scheme – the Appeal Panel may confirm that the role has been correctly scored. And they will reject the appeal. Or the panel may confirm that the job has been incorrectly scored and record a new score. The Panel’s decision will be final.

3. Direct comparator with another role– the Appeal Panel decides if the role is an appropriate comparator. If the role is not seen as comparable, the appeal will be rejected. If the role is seen as comparable, the score of the comparator role will be given to the appellant. The Panel’s decision will be final.

If the Appeals Panel concludes either the appellant’s role or the comparator role, has been scored too highly, but that the score awarded remains within the range of what’s considered reasonable, the panel will not amend the score.

In these cases, the panel will tell the HR business Partnering Team about the outcome. The HR business partnering team will discuss the result with the appellant or the comparator role- holder and their line manager. The aim of this discussion is to make sure that the job description reflects the duties and responsibilities of the role.

The appellant or comparator role holder can ask a trade union representative to attend with them. Or they can ask another representative to attend.

Once the job description is amended, it can be submitted for re-evaluation. It will be treated in the same way as any other re-evaluation process. And there will be a right to appeal the outcome of the re-evaluation panel.

Relationship to the Staff Grievance Procedure

The Board of Trustees has prescribed the Appeals Procedure for challenges to decisions arising from the job evaluation process. No alternative route or right of appeal exists in relation to individual job evaluation outcomes.

6. Notification

The relevant HR Manager will send a letter to the member of staff. This will include the results of the Appeal Panel and any changes to salary (where applicable).

Implementation of change in grade

If an Appeal results in a change in salary, this will be backdated to the date HR received the original re-evaluation. In exceptional cases the school or division may make a case to limit backdating. This information must be included in the Appeal submission.

The Director of People Partnering’s decision on the effective date is final.