The page contains information about the University’s redeployment policy and process. It explains what redeployment is, who it applies to and when, and how the process works.
The University recognises the contribution of all staff to delivering its strategy. It is committed to maintaining staff in employment, where this is consistent with its strategy and statutory obligations.
To give effect to this intent, the University operates a redeployment procedure to protect the security of employment for its staff. Redeployment gives employees whose jobs are at risk the chance to find a new job at the University.
Employees will be eligible for redeployment in the following situations:
Redundancy
Where a potential redundancy situation arises, e.g. as a result of:
Disability or permanent medical condition
When, by reason of disability and/or other medical reason, an employee is no longer able to continue in their current role, despite consideration of reasonable adjustments. See below for more information.
Out of scope
Staff will not be eligible for redeployment where:
An employee will be deemed to have been redeployed if they have accepted an offer of a suitable alternative role.
A suitable alternative role is one that an employee can reasonably be expected to undertake where:
Employees are normally redeployed to posts at the same grade. However, it may be possible to consider posts one grade lower or higher than the redeployee’s current post, depending on their qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience.
Where a redeployee is considered for a role one grade lower, salary protection as outlined below would apply. Where a redeployee is considered for a role one grade higher, an interview and/or individual assessment will be required.
Below is a summary of the redeployment process, followed by more detailed explanations of the different steps:
Responsibility for the redeployee lies with the employee’s current department/faculty and line manager. It is expected that every effort is made to explore opportunities for redeployment within the department/faculty in the first instance.
When a staff member’s employment is at risk and they are deemed eligible for redeployment, HR will add them to the Redeployment register. This means they will be notified (by email) of any vacancies at the University in the same job family and at the same level and one level lower, as they are advertised. This will usually be for a three-month period or until the employee’s contract expires or they accept an offer of suitable alternative employment.
Redeployees must apply for the vacancy via the University’s recruitment system using the link in the vacancy email. This flags them to hiring managers as redeployees and therefore eligible for priority consideration.
Priority consideration means their application must be considered prior to the normal selection process. The redeployee will have 5 calendar days from the date the vacancy is advertised to apply as a redeployee.
Redeployees applying for suitable vacancies outside of this process or application period, will generally not be given priority consideration and will be in open competition with internal and external applicants.
Redeployees are entitled to reasonable paid time off for the purpose of attending interviews, whether internal or external, and for appropriate training, throughout the redeployment period.
Where redeployees have applied for a suitable vacancy, hiring managers must consider their application before other applicants. This must happen before any other internal or external applicants are invited to interview. Hiring managers can’t progress recruitment until all redeployee applicants have been considered and a decision reached.
Redeployees will be assessed against only the essential criteria for the post, as outlined in the essential criteria of the Person Specification, normally without the need of an interview and/or individual assessment based on information provided in their application.
If there are multiple redeployees in contention for a post, who meet the essential criteria for the post an interview and/or individual assessment will be required.
If one of the redeployees is currently on maternity leave they must be offered the job over other redeployees (assuming they meet the essential criteria for the role).
Where the redeployee does not meet the essential criteria (even with training), the employee will be given feedback by the hiring manager as to the reasons for not being considered for the post.
A hiring manager must offer a redeployee the job, if the redeployee has demonstrated they have the skills required to carry out the role or could do so with reasonable training.
Where an employee unreasonably refuses an offer of employment, without providing a clear written reason, the University reserves the right to dismiss in accordance with the relevant procedure, and any entitlement to redundancy may be forfeited.
If no suitable alternative employment can be found during the employee’s notice period, then employment will be terminated under the relevant procedure.
Employees at risk of redundancy have a right to a trial period of four weeks in a suitable alternative role. A trial period may also be used where suitability for the post is unclear.
Where a trial period is unsuccessful, the employee will return to the redeployment register for the remainder of their notice period, unless it has expired, in which case their employment will be terminated immediately.
Redeployment may be an option where an employee can’t continue in their role due to disability and/or other medical condition. Following consultation with Occupational Health, where it is determined that the employee could carry out duties in an alternative post, they will be eligible for redeployment support, normally with a redeployment period of up to three months.
Short term salary protection is provided where an employee is redeployed into a role at a lower grade.
Salary protection applies for a period of one year as follows:
Months 1 to 6: full protection;
Months 7 to 9: 50% protection;
Months 10 to 12: 25% protection.
Salary protection applies only to the base salary for the contractual hours of the former role.
For more information on how salary protection works, please see the Redeployment Policy.