Pay & Conditions

Outcomes of the Pay & Conditions review apply to all staff who were in scope of this review. They do not apply to college-only staff nor to staff of Oxford University Press (OUP) or University subsidiaries that set their own terms and conditions of employment. 

The following values and principles set out by the Pay & Conditions Steering Committee and approved by Council, will underpin our approach to pay and conditions in the years to come: 

• Implementation of recommendations from the Pay & Conditions review should be guided by the need to support the medium- to long-term academic, reputational and financial sustainability of the collegiate University.  

• A step-change in approach is needed to promote behaviours and leadership that will, over time, foster a culture underpinned by the pursuit of academic and professional excellence, inclusion, and transformation. This can only be achieved through a concerted and sustained investment in people.

• The collegiate University must work collectively to put in place a consistent and transparent pay and conditions framework that meets the needs of its people in this globally leading institution. This should include working collectively on:  

  • Joint appointments between the University and colleges;

  • Transparent criteria and application of promotion and reward policies;

  • Career pathways and growth opportunities;   

• Equitable access to the relevant elements of the framework for all staff, regardless of their role or position within the University.  

The package of pay and conditions measures approved by Council in response to the findings and recommendations of the Pay & Conditions review rests on these overarching values and principles.  

In addition to these measures, it is anticipated that for academic colleagues, transparent criteria and application of promotion and reward policies, and improved career pathways and growth opportunities will be delivered through the Academic Career & Reward Framework project (ACRF). This work is already well underway and formal consultation on a proposed Academic Pathways Framework is expected to begin in Hilary term 2025.

Council has approved a package of immediate action on pay, based on the strength of evidence gathered during the Pay & Conditions review and prioritisation in relation to affordability, impact and feasibility.

With effect from 1 August 2024, the University will: 

1. Introduce a pensionable Oxford University Weighting of £1,500 a year (pro rata) for all staff on grades 1–10 of the main salary and grading structure. This will be implemented in the September 2024 payroll and backdated to 1 August 2024. Please see the ‘further information’ link below for more information.
2. Apply an uplift of one increment from bottom to top of the salary scale for Associate Professors on grade 10a (which includes payroll system grades 30S, 36S, 38S and 39Q), so that everyone on an Associate Professor pay grade moves up the salary scale by one increment (around a 3% rise), over and above this year’s standard inflationary pay rises and incremental progression. This will also be implemented in the September 2024 payroll and backdated to 1 August 2024. It applies to the University portion of joint appointments. Colleges will communicate separately to academic staff with joint appointments, concerning the college salary contribution.  
3. For research staff, extend the top of the discretionary scale for each grade from 6 to 10 by one incremental point. Details will follow shortly on when this will be actioned in payroll systems, backdated to 1 August 2024.

By the end of Hilary term 2025, the on-call and standby policy for professional services staff, including entitlement to time off in lieu, will also be reviewed. 

For each of these measures, please refer to this further information about Action on Pay for details of how it will be applied, along with information about additional work in response to the review that will be progressed by Trinity term 2024.

For all staff on grades 1–10 (including professional services and support staff and researchers): 

Areas where planning and scoping is getting underway immediately, with further details to follow:  

• The value of pay awards made through the University’s Reward and Recognition Scheme will be increased, to allow departments to offer higher amounts where appropriate without limiting the overall number of colleagues who can be recognised.
• Specific actions to be taken are: 

  • Awards for Excellence: The range of lump-sum payment available will be extended to two increments, giving departments the option of rewarding individuals with awards of the value of either one or two increments on the relevant pay spine. The annual Awards for Excellence reward employees who have performed well in all the key areas of their jobs and consistently demonstrated exceptional performance, significantly above that which might have been expected for their grade.

  • Recognition Scheme: The level of lump-sum awards available will be extended through the introduction of an optional double payment award of £400. Nominees will either be awarded £200 or £400. The Recognition Scheme rewards one-off contributions or examples of high performance by individuals or teams at any time (eg the delivery of an important departmental initiative, or an idea that leads to a saving or service improvement).

  • Communications: Action will be taken to strengthen communications about both Reward and Recognition Schemes, meanwhile, and to encourage departmental participation, so that all eligible staff are aware of the opportunities to nominate and be nominated.

• Confirmation of when these changes will take effect will be shared with all staff via the University Cascade, University Bulletin newsletter and on these webpages, in due course. Update: An FAQ was added to the Pay & Conditions frequently asked questions on 19 July 2024, confirming that the Recognition Scheme measure above will take effect from 1 August 2024. To ensure fairness and consistency and to allow time for full details to be communicated in advance, the action on the annual Awards for Excellence exercise, which typically launches in the spring/early summer, will take effect from spring/summer 2025. Further guidance will follow for divisions and departments in the University Cascade on 31 July 2024.

For all staff: 

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

• Options will be explored for redesigning the Reward and Recognition Scheme to ensure its full alignment with institutional values and, where appropriate, to align with new career progression pathways (eg with the framework for academic colleagues due to be proposed through the Academic Career & Reward Framework project in 2025).

For University international staff requiring a work visa: 

• Financial support will be provided to help University international staff with the UK work visa and NHS surcharge costs they incur. This will help to remove barriers to attracting international staff and support colleagues who incur immigration costs when taking up an appointment at the University. Work visa and NHS surcharge costs are already covered in some parts of the University but the new policy will make this support available to eligible new starters. Further details will follow in the University Bulletin newsletter, on these webpages, and through divisional communications and/or research staff representative channels, confirming the date a University-wide policy will take effect and eligibility criteria.
• Action will be taken in the coming months to support this by ensuring appropriate capacity in the team/s involved in supporting applicants (e.g. the Staff Immigration team), so that visa applicants can be advised and assisted through the administrative processes involved. 

For staff employed on fixed-term contracts: 

• To address the use of repeat fixed-term contracts in some areas, Heads of Department will be explicitly accountable for ensuring that anyone employed on a repeat fixed-term contract by the University for four or more consecutive years has their contract status reviewed annually. This review should consider the objective justification for an ongoing fixed-term contract and whether there is a more suitable contract type (eg an open-ended externally funded contract). Review outcomes will be reported annually to People Committee. Work will get underway this summer to make sure systems are in place to ensure that this is being applied across the University.
• The University will also lobby funders to ensure that the costs of parental and sickness leave are routinely considered as part of any fixed-term research role.
• All employees are entitled to access the University’s contractual benefits equally. Heads of Department must ensure that parental and sickness leave policies are effectively communicated and equally and consistently applied.  

For new starters requiring accommodation in and around Oxford:

Action to get underway from this summer: 

• To help staff search for rented accommodation, a staff accommodation service pilot will launch in Hilary term 2025, focusing on relocation advice. This will act as an intermediary between staff and local letting agencies, to guide and advise new starters who are unfamiliar with the local area. Further details will be shared with all staff ahead of its launch.
• 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 (ie less than one year) 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. This is likely to be available from Hilary term 2025. Further details will be shared via relevant staff communications channels in due course.  

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

• 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 co-ordinate 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. 
• Work will get underway to explore the feasibility of different options for supporting staff to purchase housing in and around Oxford, drawing on evidence gathered during this review. 

In the longer term, work will be carried out to determine how best to support the supply of rental housing for staff moving into the area.

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. 
  • 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 that 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 will be 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 to be progressed in the 2024/25 academic year includes reviewing 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. 

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. Immediate action to address this will commence this summer. 

Action to get underway this summer: 

• A new, University-wide induction and welcome event will be offered to academic staff (including researchers) who join the University, building on the existing UAS (University Administration & Services) induction event model, Statutory Professor dinners and welcome events organised by individual colleges and departments. This will help to ensure that new starters feel at home, understand the institutional culture, and settle in effectively. Further details will be shared when this is ready to launch.

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

• Further training and support provision for line managers and staff with supervisory responsibilities will be scoped out, to support effective management and oversight of professional development for all staff and to ensure that colleagues all benefit from access to relevant development opportunities. 
• Work will get underway to develop a co-ordinated Learning & Development Strategy for professional services and support staff.