Guidance for workers

Whilst you are on assignment you may find the following information useful:

University card

You will be issued with a University card when you start your first assignment with us. 

If you lose your University card please inform us immediately so we can cancel it. You will need to pay a £15 replacement fee for a new card.

If your card has been stolen please inform us immediately so we can cancel the card. There will be no charge for a replacement in this case but you will need to provide us with a crime reference number so we can request a new card for you.

If you are in between assignments or leaving TSS you must return your University card to us as soon as possible.

Single Sign-On (SSO) and University email address

The SSO is your Oxford username and will give you access to a range of web-based services including your University of Oxford email address. Your SSO will be issued to you when you start your first assignment with us. Your university email account is created 24 hours after your card and will be in this format: [email protected]. IT Services will send an activation code for your account to your personal email. 

SSO expiry

If your University card has expired then your SSO will no longer work. You will need to contact us to request a new card.

Reporting absence

If you are unable to go to work you must inform your line manager and TSS as soon as possible. You can contact your department via telephone or email your line manager and copy in [email protected]. It is important that you communicate your absence in a timely manner so arrangements can be made for cover if required. 

Updating your CV

As you approach the end of a temporary assignment we would recommend you update your CV with your latest skills and experience and send this to us so we can update our records. If you require further guidance on writing your CV please review our CV tips.

Leaving TSS or transferring to another University department?

We understand that your circumstances may change whilst you are working for us and this may impact on your availability to finish your temporary assignment. Whist there is no contractual notice period for temporary workers, we would appreciate as much notice as reasonably possible to ensure a smooth transition. 

If you are leaving TSS please let us know so we can arrange for your P45 to be issued and any remaining holiday accrual to be paid to you. If you are transferring to another University department a P45 will not be issued and we will process any remaining holiday accrual for you. Whether you are leaving or transferring you will need to return your University card to TSS as soon as your assignment has finished. 

Problems with your assignment

We hope that your TSS assignment will be interesting, rewarding and enjoyable however we understand that occasionally problems may occur. If you need support you can call us anytime or pop into our office for a confidential chat.

Still have a question?

Contact us on 01865 612360 or email [email protected].

Please log into our secure timesheet portal to submit your hours:
https://www.tss.ox.ac.uk/login.aspx 

Further guidance can be found in our step-by-step guide.
If you are working and do not have a timesheet please let us know.

Please remember:

•    Do not enter hours for days you are not working
•    Submit a zero hours timesheet for the whole week if you are not working by selecting the ‘did not work this week’ box
•    Breaks are unpaid - the timesheet will automatically deduct break times from hours worked
•    If you work more than 6 hours in a day, you are required to take a minimum 20-minute break
•    Before working any overtime hours please check with your Line Manager, once agreed inform TSS

Still have a question?

Contact us on 01865 612360 or email [email protected].

The TSS payroll is processed monthly and runs from the middle of each month. For example, if you start working mid-January, you will be paid at the end of February for all hours worked up to mid-February. This may mean waiting a little longer for your first payment depending on which part of the month you start in. 

TSS Timesheet deadlines 2026
Here is a list of upcoming timesheet deadlines. If you do not submit your timesheets before the deadline we will not be able to pay you for those hours until the next payroll run. 
The table below shows monthly payroll periods and timesheet deadlines for 2026

All payments are made via BACS transfer on the penultimate working day of each month. Here is a list of upcoming pay dates - https://finance.admin.ox.ac.uk/pay-dates . 
 

Still have a question?
Contact us on 01865 612360 or email [email protected] . 


 

As a Temporary Staffing Service worker, you earn holiday pay as you work rather than booking and taking paid holiday leave.

Each hour you work builds up a small amount of holiday pay.  Over a full year, this is equivalent to 38 days holiday on a pro rata basis depending on how many hours you work. This is calculated as 17.1% of the hours you work.

Examples:

You work 100 hours during a TSS payroll month, when you are paid for the hours worked you will have an additional 17.1 holiday hours at the same rate of pay.

You work 36.5 hours during a TSS payroll month, when you are paid for the hours worked you will have an additional 6.24 holiday hours (17.1%) at the same rate of pay.

Instead of holding this holiday pay until you take time off, your holiday pay is paid to you automatically each month, at the same time as your normal pay. 

This means:

•    Your holiday pay is included in your monthly pay
•    The holiday pay amount is shown separately on your payslip, you can see exactly how much you     have received

Because holiday pay is paid monthly rather then when you take time off, any time off you take is unpaid. For this reason you are advised to set aside some of your holiday pay to cover:

•    Time between assignments
•    Bank holidays
•    College or department closure periods
•    Any other time you choose not to work

If you need time off during an assignment, you must agree this in advance with your Line Manager.  

You should still only record the hours you actually work on your timesheet.  If you do not work during a week, you should submit a zero hours timesheet.  When taking time off to attend interviews or appointments, please try and arrange for these to take place at either the beginning or end of the day, to minimise disruption for the department.