UniWorkforce administer casual work assignments in the University, conduct right to work checks and help source suitably qualified casual workers for a wide range of assignments.
UniWorkforce is currently contactable by email only, uniworkforce@soton.ac.uk, we will aim to respond to your email in due course.
UNIWORKFORCE IS CHANGING – WE ARE MOVING ONLINE!
We will be making the transition in stages so please keep checking to see how this will affect you.
From 30 November 2020 if you are looking for casual work and want to hear about opportunities within the University you must be registered on e-Recruit and consent to being in the mailing pool
To join our mailing pool click here.
Claims for work impacted by lockdown
The University has once again agreed that any casual worker (normally paid through UniWorkforce) who had a commitment from a line manager for work between 4th January 2021 and 28th February 2021, will be paid for that work, even if the work was no longer required due to lockdown restrictions. Where this is the case, line managers should submit time sheets in the normal way and highlight the hours that the worker could not complete due to current restrictions.
Sickness and self-isolation
If you are unwell including suffering with coronavirus symptoms, you must inform your manager immediately by following the usual sickness reporting procedure for your department. If you have tested positive for COVID-19 or have been told to self-isolate by the NHS or public health authorities, you may be eligible for statutory sick pay (SSP) from the first day of sickness.
You cannot get SSP if you’re self-isolating after entering or returning to the UK and do not need to self-isolate for any other reason.
If your illness is not related to coronavirus, you can get SSP, if you are eligible, from the fourth day you are off sick.
How to report sickness or self-isolation
Please ensure that you notify your manager of your absence by following the usual sickness reporting procedure for your department.
Casual work assignments cover a huge range of opportunities, including being a Student Ambassador; helping with Open Days, Campus Tours and Graduation; gaining teaching experience (for PGRs) through Postgraduate Demonstrating and Fieldwork assignments; undertaking Research Assistance; providing temporary cover in our Administrative support functions, Sports facilities, Catering outlets, Cleaning services, on-site Nursery, and other similar customer-facing roles; participating in our Excel Internship Programme; working as a Guest Lecturer or Exam Invigilator, and many more.
Consultancy and Royalty payments are also administered via UniWorkforce, to ensure appropriate right to work checks are conducted.
External Examiners are dealt with via the Quality Standards and Accreditation department, who are responsible for conducting the right to work checks (undergraduate external examiners only).
Self-employed Contractors or Consultancy Services (IR35) - Due to government changes to the tax legislation, in April 2017, known as IR35, the University is responsible for ensuring that individuals working through their own limited company or partnership (known as a personal service company or PSC) pay the correct tax and NI. University staff who engage contractors or consultancy services to provide services to their department must first contact procurement. Further information can be found on the following link Off Payroll Workers (IR35). Any checks with procurement must be undertaken in good time AND prior to any work taking place. Procurement will indicate if payment can be made via an invoice or if it must be made via payroll. If via payroll the worker must register with UniWorkforce and undertake a Right to Work check before work commences.
Casual workers can be members of our local community, talented individuals with the required skills, or undergraduate and postgraduate demonstrators and student workers. Casual workers are paid monthly by submitting timesheets, which are emailed to the hiring manager before being sent to finance for processing. Normally hourly pay rates are set for each assignment based on the type of work and skills required.
The following documents are designed to answer some frequently asked questions.
UniWorkforce is here to enable you to engage casual workers promptly and legally.
It is a criminal offence to engage a worker who does not have the right to work in the UK. The law requires us to verify all workers’ right to work in the UK by checking and retaining copies of certain documents, and by undertaking regular re-checks if an individual’s right to work in the UK is time limited. This requirement applies to all workers, irrespective of their nationality.
Casual workers must be registered with UniWorkforce before they start work to ensure that appropriate right to work checks are conducted, and that any visa restrictions are adhered to. Once registered, all casual workers are issued with a Casual Worker Permit which shows you - as their manager - that these checks have been conducted.
As a manager, it is your responsibility to:
The University does not use casual workers who have a Visa and Certificate of Sponsorship with another University or employer. Please speak to UniWorkforce before considering engaging someone who has not got a certificate of sponsorship from the University.
It is important to note that ALL students and students on a sponsored visa (Tier 4 or Student visa) on courses at degree level or above must NOT work for more than 20 hours per week in term time, except in the case of an agreed work placement which forms part of the course. Students on a Student or Tier 4 visa will have their specific restrictions detailed on their casual worker permit and as the line manager it is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of these restrictions.
Tier 4 / Student Visa Breach Guidelines
Go to jobs.soton.ac.uk and log in with your normal University username and password.
Select 'Online Staff Request Form', create new request and select 'Casual Worker Request'.
The eRecruit support guide “casual worker request” will help you with requesting a casual worker.
As part of raising your request you will be given three options for selecting an appropriate worker:
Select this option if you would like help finding someone to work the assignment. UniWorkforce will source suitable candidates and send you details for shortlisting and appointment. UniWorkforce will ensure your preferred candidate has the correct right to work checks in place before they start work, including issuing a Casual Worker Permit.
Select this option if you know who you want to undertake the work. You will be prompted to enter the worker's name, Casual Worker Permit number (if they have one) and email address. Remember you must not offer work, and the individual may not start work, until you have seen a valid Casual Worker Permit.
Select this option if you're not sure who you want but will be sourcing them yourself. Often used for new demonstrators or open day events. When you have sourced your candidates email UniWorkforce@soton.ac.uk and provide the names, email addresses and casual worker permit number (if they have one) along with the casual worker request ID number. This will enable UniWorkforce to finalise the request and ensure your casual workers are set up appropriately for payment.
If the worker does not have a valid Casual Worker Permit, ask them to contact UniWorkforce with the Casual Worker Request ID number. UniWorkforce will then conduct the necessary right to work checks and confirm to you and the worker, when the checks are complete, and the worker can commence the assignment.
All casual workers are paid monthly in arrears by submitting a timesheet to you for authorisation. Breaks are unpaid, so you should ensure that claimed hours reflect this.
Timesheets are currently an Excel spreadsheet which is completed by the worker and emailed to you as an attachment.
Once you have checked and authorised the timesheet you will need to send this direct to your Faculty Finance who will make a final check and send to payroll for processing. SAA workstream timesheets must got via SAAHR@soton.ac.uk once the manager has confirmed the working hours are correct. If you work within Professional Services as the hiring manger / budget holder you email the authorised timesheet direct to payroll.
Fully authorised timesheets should be sent to casualpay@soton.ac.uk.
Please note: Payment for work is made at the end of the month following the claim period (i.e.) work carried out in the claim period 2nd to 29th October will be paid at the end of November. Please refer to the timesheet submission dates for more details in the documents tab.
UK Visa and Immigration compliance - To demonstrate compliance with visa restrictions, any casual worker on a visa is required to declare any hours they have worked on other assignments or for other employers, whether paid or unpaid. The timesheet will give you a warning if the hours claimed are over the individuals limit. In this instance do not authorise the timesheet and send it to UniWorkforce, who will undertake the relevant checks.
There are two ways of getting work with UniWorkforce:
Regardless of how work is offered to you, you cannot start work until:
We are moving to an online registration process. During this period of transition, you will need to continue to fill out the current registration form but also join the mailing pool on the e-Recruit system.
If you have not been issued a Casual Worker Permit, you CANNOT start work. Any work undertaken before these checks are in place will be classed as volunteering; you will not be paid for volunteering.
The University’s policy is No Casual Worker Permit, No Work, No Pay.
UniWorkforce source workers for a wide variety of assignments within the university, roles are across all campuses and Halls of Residence locations. If you are looking for casual work, you need to register with UniWorkforce and join our mailing pool which enables UniWorkforce to contact you for suitable work assignments.
PLEASE NOTE: If during the last 12 months you have applied for a permanent or fixed term jobs within the University you will already be on the system and have a log in. Use this log in to register for our mailing pool.
Once you have been offered work by UniWorkforce you must provide your Right to Work documentation.
Due to COVID-19 the government has made the decision to allow virtual right to work checks. This is only allowed during this time and will revert back to physical checks of original documents in the future.
If you have been offered work by a university manager you will need a casual worker request ID number, which will be provided by your hiring manager. You will need this to register with UniWorkforce. Complete the registration form here and e-Recruit here and email your registration form with a copy of your right to work documents (normally passport and BRP if required) to Uniworkforce@soton.ac.uk. UniWorkforce will then contact you to undertake a virtual check of your documents via video call. It is not until the video call has been undertaken that your Right Work Check is complete, and you can then commence work.
Remember you cannot work before the right to work check has been completed which includes the video call and for continued work you need to be registered on our e-Recruit system HERE.
The information you've provided will be entered onto the University's secure HR database for payroll purposes. The information provided will never be shared with any other member of staff at the University or with a third party without your permission.
Once you have successfully registered you will be provided a Casual Worker Permit. This lets a prospective hiring manager know that you are allowed to work, and that appropriate Right to Work checks have been completed.
The Casual Worker Permit will include start and end dates based on the information you have provided. If you are an overseas student or worker, the casual worker permit will summarise any visa restrictions.
While your Casual Work Permit is valid no further Right to Work checks are required.
Complete the Payroll New starter checklist and submit to payroll. Without this your pay will not be able to be credited to your bank account.
Fill out a timesheet which can be accessed via the Documents area. Once completed forward by email to your hiring manager/supervisor for authorisation. If you work in more than one job you will need to complete a timesheet for each job.
If you hold a visa you must enter all the hours you have worked, both paid and unpaid, for whole time period you are claiming for. If you work in more than one job you must fill out a separate timesheet for each and declare the hours you have worked in your other job(s).
It is essential that you complete and submit your timesheet(s) for authorisation each month that you work, so that we can pay you the correct amount. All casual workers are paid monthly in arrears by submitting a timesheet to you for authorisation. Breaks are unpaid, so you should ensure that claimed hours reflect this.
Please note: Payment for work is made at the end of the month following the claim period (i.e.) work carried out in the claim period 2nd to 29th October will be paid at the end of November. Please refer to the timesheet submission dates for more details, in the documents tab.
The cut off for timesheets to be paid is three months following the work being carried out. If you submit a timesheet after this time you will not be paid.
To demonstrate compliance with visa restrictions, any casual worker on a Tier 2/Skilled Worker, Tier 4/Student Visa or T5 visa is required to declare any hours you have worked on other assignments or for other employers, whether paid or unpaid. If you have not worked elsewhere you must declare 0 hours. The timesheet will give you a warning if you have not filled it out correctly. Only correct timesheets should be sent to your line manager for authorisation. If you require assistance filling out the timesheet, please speak to UniWorkforce.
Any purchases that you are required to make in the course of your role should be requested through the Purchasing team (buy@soton.ac.uk). If for any reason you need to incur personal expenses (agreed by your line manager in advance), these should be added to your timesheet on the Expenses tab along with receipts.
Purchases that are made outside the University’s policy will not be reimbursed. If you are claiming for expenses through a research grant this must be accompanied by original receipts.
Please note: Casual workers cannot claim expenses through the University’s finance on-line system (Business World) and paper claims will not be accepted. Claims should also be made within one month of the expense being incurred.
Terms of engagement apply to all casual workers and you will be asked to sign these when you register with UniWorkforce. A copy of the terms of engagement is available from the Documents tab.
Due to COVID-19 the government has made the decision to allow virtual right to work checks. This is only allowed during this time and will revert back to physical checks of original documents in the future. A Right to Work check is not complete until a video call has been undertaken with you to verify the documents.
Remember you cannot work before the right to work check has been completed which includes the video call.
Under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, the University can only engage workers who are legally permitted to work in the UK. The law requires us to verify all workers’ right to work in the UK by checking and retaining copies of certain documents, and by undertaking regular re-checks if an individual’s right to work in the UK is time limited. This requirement applies to all workers, irrespective of their nationality.
You cannot work for us until you have provided documents which prove your right to work in the UK and have been issued a Casual Worker Permit.
Settled workers are those who have Indefinite Leave to Remain (a visa with no end date) or for other reasons do not have restrictions on their stay in the UK.
If you are not subject to immigration control, or have no restrictions on your stay in the UK, you should be able to produce a document, or a specified combination of documents, that evidence that the requirements of the Act are met for the duration of your employment. The most convenient way of satisfying the requirements of the Act is to bring a valid passport (if you are a member of an EU/EEA member state).
Please note that if you have an endorsement to show that you are exempt from immigration control, this must be in a current passport. We are unable to accept endorsements in expired passports. For details of how to transfer your endorsement to a new passport, please visit https://www.gov.uk/transfer-visa.
If your leave to enter or remain in the UK is time-limited, you must provide the document or documents specified by the Home Office. It will be necessary for the University to conduct follow up checks before your permission to work in the UK expires.
In the event that you are unable to produce document(s) which satisfy the requirements by your first day of employment, then it will be necessary to ask you to leave work and/or to delay your start date. If you continue to fail to meet the requirements, you cannot work for the University.
If your current visa is in an expired passport and you have subsequently renewed your passport, although you are entitled to remain in the UK legally under the conditions attached to your visa, you may face difficulty in obtaining employment or continuing to work if you already have employment. This is because your employer is under a duty to the Home Office to check that you have the right to work. We are bound by the Employers' Guide to Right To Work Checks which states that you must be able to present "A current passport endorsed to show that the holder is allowed to stay in the UK and is currently allowed to do the type of work in question". If you cannot show this because your visa is in an expired passport then we cannot employ you and you should not work.
The Solution
You can make an application to the Home Office to have your visa issued as a separate biometric residence permit (BRP) so that you meet the requirement in the employers' guidance. The application you need to make to transfer your old visa into your new passport depends on the type of visa you currently have, for further information visit https://www.gov.uk/transfer-visa. Please note this transfer of visa into a new passport or document is required to demonstrate your right to work and not to travel outside of the UK.
If you have a temporary visa (limited leave to remain), such as a Student/Tier 4 visa, and the visa vignette (sticker) is in your expired passport, you must make an application to transfer your information to a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). The Home Office will effectively issue you the same visa but on a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), which will then ensure that your current visa is endorsed on a current document.
If you have indefinite leave to remain, and the visa vignette (sticker) is in your expired passport, you must make an application to transfer your information to a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). The Home Office will effectively issue you the same visa but on a Biometrics Residence Permit (BRP), which will then ensure that your current visa is endorsed on a current document.
We will not be able to hire you until you receive your new Biometrics Residence Permit Card.
Once you have submitted your application to transfer your information to a Biometrics Residence Permit, we, as your employer can contact the Home Office to verify that the application is in progress. This then covers the employer and allows us to employ you.
Due to COVID-19 the government has made the decision to allow virtual right to work checks. This is only allowed during this time and will revert back to physical checks of original documents in the future. Please refer to the top of the page for information on what the virtual checks involve.
You must provide copies of your right to work document(s) before you start work. Due to COVID-19 restrictions you must email a copy of your original documents to UniWorkforce@soton.ac.uk and undertake a video call to check the validity of the document(s).
The University must receive evidence of your right to work in the UK before you start work. If you have not presented or emailed your documents by your first day, you will be asked to leave work until you can present the necessary documents.
PLEASE NOTE: Even though you are allowed to email your documents to us a Right to Work check is not complete until a video call has been undertaken with you to verify the document(s).
If you hold a visa issued by the UK Visa and Immigration Service, there may be limitations on the type or amount of work you can do.
Students must ensure they are aware of their own visa restrictions - See the Student Services page student services/visa-and-immigration/faqs, before undertaking any work for the University of Southampton or any other employer. As a casual worker you will be required to sign a student declaration confirming you are aware of your responsibilities under your student visa.
Student visa holders may have limited right to work in the UK during term time. To check the term times applicable to you please click here.
Please note the University of Southampton does not engage students who have a Student visa from another University.
If you are sponsored under the Skilled Worker Route, Tier 2 or Tier 5 visa you can do additional paid work as long as you are still doing the job you are being sponsored for. You can also do unpaid voluntary work. This is called supplementary work.
Before any supplementary work can be undertaken at the University of Southampton, a supplementary employment check must be undertaken in all instances. If you are not a current employee of the University a right to work check must also be completed.
You can work up to 20 hours a week in a job that’s either:
Check if your job is on the list of:
Skilled Worker / Tier 2 sponsored Research staff may be permitted to undertake supplementary work such as marking or dissertation supervision. Whilst the Certificate of sponsorship is for a Research post, it would be part of their normal role to be routinely involved in supervision in their specialist area and therefore would be classed as a job in the same profession. This will be determined and confirmed by UniWorkforce when undertaking the pre-work checks.
If the individual is asked to undertake supplementary work where no specialist skills are required (eg exam invigilation) it would not meet the criteria of being at the same professional level and is not included on the shortage occupations list, therefore it would not be permitted.
Contact uniworkforce@soton.ac.uk before any supplementary work is undertaken to ensure the relevant checks are completed.
Supplementary employment must:
Contact uniworkforce@soton.ac.uk before any supplementary work is undertaken to ensure the relevant checks are completed.
To assist you with completing the new Casual Worker Request OSRF form, we have provided three short video guides outlining the basic requirements;
Video 1 – demonstrates where and how to access the casual worker request form
Video 2 – demonstrates how to request a single casual worker for a single assignment
Video 3 – demonstrates how to request multiple casual workers for a single assignment (i.e. multiple workers carrying out the same work)
Click to open video guides in a new tab
Click to open video guides in new tab
CASUAL WORKER TIMESHEET VIDEO GUIDES
Register with UniWorkforce (registration form) - on-line version or printable version.
Payroll New starter checklist (must be completed and submitted to enable payment).
UniWorkforce Hourly Timesheet (standard version) for the majority of UniWorkforce pay claims
UniWorkforce Hourly Timesheet (extended version) for claims that include more than one type of work for the same hiring manager in the same claim period. (In all other cases, please use the standard UniWorkforce timesheet above).
UniWorkforce Fixed Fee Timesheet for claims being paid on a 'sessional' or 'per item' basis, such as consultancy, lecturing, marking or research claims. Not to be used for any claims being paid on an hourly basis. (For all other work please use the Hourly Timesheet above).
Timesheet Submission Dates 2021-2022
Click to open video guides in a new tab
UniWorkforce Terms of Engagement (2021)
Please familiarise yourself with the policies below: