Extending a fixed term contract

When a fixed term contract is approaching its expiry date, managers should act in good time to take appropriate actions which might include either extending the fixed term, making the position permanent or ending the contract by following the correct procedures - see our Ending FTC on a page for guidance.

Four months before the fixed term employee is due to receive notice, HR will email the manager to remind them that the contract is coming to an end and the steps they must follow in order to either extend, make permanent or end the employment.

As part of the Fair Employment For All initiative and in line with our agreement with trade unions on the use of fixed term contracts, the normal expectation is that fixed term contracts will be made permanent if they are extended beyond four years.  This means that where an individual has been employed on a fixed term contract for four years or more a further fixed term contract will only be appropriate by exception and where there is an objective justification.  Please speak to your HR Advisor for further advice.  You can check your employee's length of service on People Manager.

At least 6 weeks before the employee is due to receive notice, the manager should notify HR whether the contract is to be extended or made permanent and request a "change eSR1" be set up to seek approval:

• To make a fixed term contract permanent, managers should choose the "Fixed term to permanent" option on the eSR1 Proposal Info tab and if the funding is temporary include the funding end date in the "Give details of request" box.
• To extend a fixed term contract managers should include the "objective grounds" in the "Give Details of Request" box if the length of service will exceed four years.