Pay and conditions programme

For new starters requiring accommodation in and around Oxford:

• To help staff moving into the Oxford area, a new suite of webpages will be created that provides information and details necessary to help staff settle into the area.
• As part of the recruitment package for eligible new staff moving to Oxford or the surrounding area to take up employment at the University, an interest-free, short-term loan will be offered to ease the transition and help with securing rented living accommodation. This loan will be to cover an initial rental deposit and will be repayable via salary deductions. Further details will be shared via relevant staff communications channels in due course.
• Long-term work is being carried out to determine how best to support the supply of rental housing for staff moving into the area.

Initiatives to improve transport options for staff include the following: 

• Colleagues will be consulted about specific transport challenges faced in getting to and from Oxford and travelling across the city, and on options identified for further support.
• The University will coordinate with Oxfordshire County Council around the Council’s current proposals for city centre transport.  
• Engagement with colleagues and the County Council will be used to explore and inform the development of cost-effective transport proposals for future consideration.

Measures where work on planning is underway:

• The University will enhance the flexibility of its family leave policies to respond to different needs and circumstances and provide better balance in the availability of paid leave for both parents. Specifically:
  • Entitlement to paid leave for new fathers and other co-parents/co-adopters (paternity leave) will be increased from the current statutory allocation of two weeks’ leave to 12 weeks, incorporating 10 weeks of enhanced leave entitlement. It is currently anticipated that, subject to committee approval, the extended entitlement policy will be ready to launch by January 2025.
  • Whilst protecting new parents’ right to take their full leave entitlement if they choose to, new mothers and primary adopters who wish to return to work within the first 26 weeks of their maternity/adoption leave entitlement (which attracts full pay) will be given the option to receive additional financial support for childcare costs up to the end of the 26 weeks, on top of normal pay.

Please note, details of how these changes will be applied, and when they will take effect, will be shared on these webpages and in the University Bulletin newsletter in due course.

Further work to be progressed by the end of Trinity term 2025: 

• To ensure consistent application of existing policy, communications will reinforce the flexibility around requesting leave on alternative days to national bank holidays or other 'fixed closure’ days, subject to business needs.
• Communications to line managers and staff with supervisory responsibilities will also highlight the importance of ensuring that all staff feel able to take their full annual leave allowance.
• Annual leave entitlement will be reviewed in light of evidence gathered during the review.

A series of measures are being put in place to improve support for staff work–life balance, health and wellbeing, following the recommendations of this review. These include: 

• Measures to address workload pressures
• A review of how the New Ways of Working framework has been implemented across the University
• Continued investment in existing workplace wellbeing programmes. 

Further work has been progressed in the 2024/25 academic year including a review of options for: 

• Providing targeted medical and wellbeing benefits for all staff
• Improving staff access to the University’s cultural facilities and intellectual opportunities
• Improving staff access to sports and gym facilities and activities, including options for provision outside of Oxford.
• Improving staff access to the University’s nursery provision for parents/guardians on lower pay.
• Additional digital systems to support effective hybrid working, including easy-to-use workspace booking systems to allow teams to meet and collaborate more easily. 

These initiatives will be subject to further governance review and approval, with next steps being communicated at the appropriate time.

To find out more about these measures, please refer to this further information.

The Pay & Conditions review has highlighted the need for greater investment in personal and professional development opportunities across the University. Actions to address this include:

• A new, annual University-wide induction and welcome event is being offered to academic staff (including researchers) who join the University, building on the existing UAS (University Administration & Services) induction event model. This helps to ensure that new starters feel at home, understand the institutional culture, and settle in effectively.

Further work is being progressed: 

• Further training and support provision for line managers and staff with supervisory responsibilities to support effective management and oversight of professional development for all staff and to ensure that all colleagues benefit from access to relevant development opportunities.
• Work is underway to develop a coordinated Learning & Development Strategy for professional services and support staff.