Frequently asked questions

If you have been offered work via the Temporary Staff Bank (TSB), the team will provide you with information regarding eClaims. 

Claims must be submitted by the payroll deadline.

Assignments will normally last between one month to three months. If workers work continuously in numerous assignments for 12 months they will be required to take a four week break.

Depending on the number of hours worked in a year; you are entitled to a maximum of 28 days' paid annual leave (these can include Bank Holidays). Leave days may be taken by prior arrangement with the College or Service in which you are working. More information can be found on the About your pay webpage.

To view your payslips and P60 information please login to the Trent HR Self Service system using the same login details you would for eClaims. You will only be able to login to this system after your first pay day. If you are experiencing difficulties logging into Trent Self Service, then please contact hrsystemsteam@exeter.ac.uk to activate your login.

If you are going to be late, have an emergency that prevents you from reporting to work, or you are unable to go to work through illness you must contact the supervisor of your current assignment and the TSB as soon as possible. In the event of sickness this must be done on the 1st day of absence. If you have more than three days consecutive absence though illness you must provide a self certificate (available from the TSB). A sick note from your GP must be sent to the TSB after seven consecutive day's absence (this includes weekends).

Sick pay

Sickness absence may be covered by Statutory Sick Pay. More details are available from the Temporary Staff Bank Office (hr-temp@exeter.ac.uk). However, you should note that you are not eligible for Occupational Sick Pay.

The government now requires employers to enroll their workers into a pension scheme. There are various eligibility requirements: if you meet these you will be automatically enrolled into our workplace pension scheme for individuals on a claims basis and you will be notified of this. You can choose to opt out of the scheme if you want to, but if you stay in you will have your own pension which you can get when you retire. You can also choose to opt-in at any time if you meet the eligibility criteria. Further information can be found on the pensions website.

Employees of the University are entitled to use the extensive sports facilities and the library. There is a bank, mini-supermarket and bookshop on the site and limited car parking is available for those living outside the EX1, EX2 and EX4 postal code areas - please look at the web pages for University parking for more information. In order to encourage alternative transport, a shuttle service between the nearby rail station and the Streatham Campus is available.

The University is committed to a comprehensive policy of equal opportunities in employment in which individuals are selected and treated solely on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities and are given equal opportunities within the University.

These terms govern all assignments undertaken by the Temporary Worker.

No contract shall exist between the University of Exeter and the Temporary Worker between assignments.

For the avoidance of doubt, these terms shall not give rise to a contract of employment between the University of Exeter and the Temporary Worker.

These terms do not impose or imply any ‘mutuality of obligation’: the University of Exeter is not obliged to provide work, and the Temporary Worker is not obliged to accept any work which is offered.

The Temporary Worker acknowledges that the nature of temporary work means that there may be periods when no suitable work is available or where suitable work is available but the University of Exeter decides not to offer it to the Temporary Worker; and agrees that the suitability of the work to be offered and who it shall be offered to shall be determined solely by the University of Exeter; and that the University of Exeter shall incur no liability to the Temporary Worker should it fail to offer opportunities to work.

The University of Exeter reserves the right to vary these terms. The University of Exeter will give written notification to the Temporary Worker of any changes to these terms no later than the commencement of their next assignment.

When an assignment is offered to the Temporary Worker, the TSB Office will advise the Temporary Worker of the date the work is to commence and the duration or likely duration of the work; the type of work; the location and hours during which the Temporary Worker would be required to work; the name of the manager of the assignment to whom they should report; and the rate of remuneration.

Intellectual Property Rights (“IP”): If you undertake an assignment which is likely to or does result in your creating outputs, deliverables, or any other resulting material or data which is new (“Results”) the University, as your employer in respect of the assignment, will either automatically own such Results or is likely to seek to have ownership of the Results transferred to it, including any form of IP which subsist(s) or may subsist therein. The Results may be created as part of a research project, consultancy or other academic or educational activity; please ensure that you understand the terms of any such research agreement or other contract which may affect your assignment and the relevant IP ownership or use.

In addition, please be aware that you may need to use existing third party owned content/IP during your assignment, which is likely to be subject to third party rights; please make sure that you are permitted to use such third party content and IP before doing so. If you are unsure about any IP related queries, including possible contract terms that might apply to your assignment, please contact your line manager, who may be able to assist you or who can contact a colleague for further guidance.

Payment will only be made for hours worked. Subject to any statutory entitlement to paid leave (see the Paid leave entitlement accordion below), Statutory Sick Pay or Statutory Maternity Pay (see the Other absences accordion below) or any other statutory entitlement, the Temporary Worker is not entitled to receive payment for time not spent on an assignment, whether in respect of illness or absence for any other reason unless otherwise agreed.

There is a fixed hourly rate for each type of work and such rates will be reviewed at appropriate intervals, at the discretion of the University. The hourly rate of remuneration will be confirmed for each assignment.

The actual hours to be worked in any assignment will be notified to the Temporary Worker by the TSB Office or the manager of the assignment in the College or Service concerned, up to the full-time equivalent hours of 36.5 per week. If, by mutual agreement with the manager of the assignment, the Temporary Worker works in excess of 36.5 hours in any week, the Temporary Worker will be paid for the hours worked at the standard 'plain' time hourly rate.

Payment will be paid to a bank or building society monthly in arrears*, subject to deductions in respect of Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions and any other deductions which the University of Exeter may be required by law to make.

(* subject to the Payroll Office  processing timetable).

Payment is based on approved weekly timesheets. At the end of each week of an assignment (or at the end of the assignment where it is for a period of less than one week or is completed before the end of a week), the Temporary Worker shall login to the eClaims system to complete and submit an online timesheet indicating the number of hours worked during the preceding week. It is the responsibility of the Temporary Worker to ensure that their timesheet is completed, submitted, and approved by the allocated approvers in accordance with notified Payroll Office deadlines.

The University of Exeter will accept no liability for delays in the payment of claims which are not accurately completed or approved or which miss the Payroll Office processing timetable.

Payment will not be made in advance for work which has not yet been carried out. Claims/ Timesheets should be submitted via eClaims as soon as possible on completion of the work carried out. Any claims submitted 90 days after the “week end date” will be declined for payment, unless there are exceptional circumstances for the delay.

Paid leave entitlement will be in accordance with the Working Time Regulations (as amended), which is currently pro-rata 28 days per year. Paid leave entitlement will be paid within your hourly rate and disclosed in a breakdown of the rate at the start of your assignment.

This calculation includes the Temporary Worker’s full entitlement to paid leave: there is no additional entitlement in respect of any Bank Holidays or University Closure Days which may fall during an assignment.

The annual leave year runs from 1 January – 31 December each year. All entitlement to paid leave must be taken during the course of the leave year in which it accrues and none may be carried forward to the next year.

The University reserves the right to make payment for any untaken accrued paid leave at the end of each assignment.

Accrued leave days may be taken by prior arrangement with the College or Service in which the Temporary Workers is currently working and the Temporary Staff Bank Office. During an assignment, the Temporary Worker is requested to give as much notification as possible of the days they wish to take as paid leave. However, the nature of temporary work means that there may be occasions when the University may give counter-notice to the Temporary Worker (in accordance with the Working Time Regulations) to postpone or reduce the amount of leave that the Temporary Worker wishes to take.

Where this arrangement is terminated by either party and a P45 is requested, the Temporary Worker will be paid shall be entitled to request payment in lieu of any untaken accrued paid leave.

If the Temporary Worker is unable for any reason to attend work during the course of an assignment, s/he should inform the manager of the assignment and the TSB Office at the earliest opportunity and in any event within one hour of the normal commencement time.

The Temporary Worker may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provided that s/he meets the relevant statutory criteria. To assess whether there is any entitlement to (SSP), after four days' sickness absence the Temporary Worker must submit a PD77 Self Certificate to the TSB Office. After seven days' sickness absence the Temporary Worker must obtain a sickness certificate from their GP and send this immediately to the TSB Office.

A Temporary Worker who is working on a placement should notify the TSB Office as soon as they know they are pregnant or if they know they are pregnant when they start an assignment. Where appropriate, the TSB Office will advise the manager of the assignment so that a risk assessment can be made.

The Temporary Worker may be entitled to statutory maternity leave and, subject to meeting the qualifying criteria, Statutory Maternity Pay. If the Temporary Worker is not entitled to receive Statutory Maternity Pay, they may be able to claim Maternity Allowance from the Department of Work and Pensions. The TSB Office will arrange for further information to be provided by Human Resources.

The government now requires employers to enroll their workers into a pension scheme. There are various eligibility requirements: if you meet these you will be automatically enrolled into our workplace pension scheme for individuals on a claims basis and you will be notified of this. You can choose to opt out of the scheme if you want to, but if you stay in you will have your own pension which you can get when you retire. You can also choose to opt-in at any time if you meet the eligibility criteria. Further information can be found on the pensions website.

During every assignment, the Temporary Worker will:

1. co-operate with the reasonable instructions and accept the direction, supervision and control of the manager of the assignment or other responsible person identified by the manager;
2. comply with the rules, regulations and standards of the College or Service in which the assignment is based and not engage in any conduct detrimental to the interests of the University of Exeter;
3. comply with the University's commitment to the prevention of bribery. Bribery or other improper conduct, both inside the United Kingdom and abroad, by employees or other individuals or organisations who perform services for or on behalf of the University will not be tolerated. Further information on what is meant by bribery and the University's code of conduct.
4. comply with the Health and Safety policies and procedures of the University of Exeter and in the work area in which the assignment is based and take all reasonable steps to safeguard his/her own health and safety and that of any other person who may be present or be affected by his/her actions on the assignment. The manager of the assignment will advise the Temporary Worker of any risks to health and safety in relation to the assignment and the steps taken to prevent or control such risks;
5. not at any time divulge to any unauthorised person, nor use for his/her own or any other person’s benefit, any confidential or personal information. Any questions relating the confidentiality or otherwise of information should be directed to the manager of the assignment or to the TSB Office.

Data protection: You are advised to read the University’s staff data privacy policy. Further information is also available at https://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/gdpr/

If a Temporary Worker, has a grievance relating to their assignment, they should attempt, as far as is reasonably possible, to resolve the grievance informally through discussions with the manager of the assignment or the TSB Office, as appropriate. The Temporary Worker may wish to seek advice from a trade union representative or, for issues covered by the Policy on the Protection of Dignity at Work and Study, a Harassment Adviser, to facilitate the informal resolution of their concerns.

If the grievance cannot be resolved informally through discussions, because informal discussions are inappropriate or have failed to resolve the grievance, then the Temporary Worker should write to the Director of Human Resources clearly stating the issue about which they are aggrieved and the remedy sought.

The Director of Human Resources will refer the grievance to another manager in Human Resources for consideration. Where appropriate, the Temporary Worker will be invited to a meeting to discuss their grievance and may be accompanied by a trade union representative or fellow worker. The manager considering the grievance will write to the Temporary Worker advising of their decision.

If the Temporary Worker is not satisfied with the decision, they may submit a written appeal to the Director of Human Resources within one week. The appeal should provide a full written statement of the grievance to be considered, together with the remedy sought. The appeal will be considered by a manager nominated by the Director of Human Resources who has not been previously involved. The outcome of the appeal will be notified to the Temporary Worker in writing and this decision will be final within the procedures of the University.

Minor shortfalls in performance or minor breaches of discipline (eg lateness, careless mistakes, lack of attention to detail/instructions/procedures) will be discussed with the Temporary Worker by the manager of the assignment or the TSB Manager, as appropriate. The Temporary Worker may be offered additional support, training, advice, guidance or counselling, as appropriate.

In cases of more serious shortfalls in performance or breaches of discipline or repeated minor shortfalls/breaches, the TSB Manager (or other manager in Human Resources) will invite the Temporary Worker to a meeting to discuss the concerns. The Temporary Worker may be accompanied by a trade union representative or fellow worker. Following the meeting, the manager will write to the Temporary Worker advising of their decision. The manager may give the Temporary Worker a written warning or, where appropriate, may decide that that Temporary Worker should be removed from the TSB and terminate any current assignment.

If the Temporary Worker is not satisfied with the decision, they may submit a written appeal to the Director of Human Resources within one week. The appeal should state the grounds on which it is made. The appeal will be considered by a manager nominated by the Director of Human Resources who has not been previously involved. The outcome of the appeal will be notified to the Temporary Worker in writing and this decision will be final within the procedures of the University.

The University of Exeter may terminate the Temporary Worker’s assignment at any time without prior notice or liability, although the University of Exeter will endeavour, so far as is reasonably practicable, to give one week's notification of the termination of any assignment which lasts longer than four weeks.

The Temporary Worker may terminate an assignment at any time without prior notice or liability although the Temporary Worker is requested, so far as is reasonably practicable, to give one week's notification of the termination of any assignment which lasts longer than four weeks.

If the Temporary Worker does not comply with the notification requirements detailed in the first paragraph of the Other absences section, should they be unable to attend work during the course of an assignment, this will be treated as termination of the assignment by the Temporary Worker in accordance with the first paragraph in this section unless the Temporary Worker can show that exceptional circumstances prevented him/her from complying with the other absence procedure outlined above.

If the Temporary Worker does not undertake any assignments for six months, the University of Exeter reserves the right to withdraw him/her from the Temporary Staff Bank.

The Temporary Worker may be issued with a University Card, IT access and an Authority to Park badge to enable them to work effectively in assignments (please note: that those living within the EX1, EX2 and EX4 postal code areas will not be eligible for a parking permit). These facilities are made available solely for University business while on a current assignment and the Temporary Worker should not use these University facilities in between assignments. The University reserves the right to withdraw these facilities at any time. The Temporary Worker must return the University Card and an Authority to Park badge when requested.