Month: January 2012

Will my fixed-term contract impact on my entitlement to Paternity/Maternity Support Leave and Pay

If your contract ends after the baby is born you are entitled to Ordinary Statutory Paternity Pay (OSPP) only (see 1.5 above) subject to meeting the qualifying conditions.  However, if you start work for a new employer, you cannot get OSPP for any week they work for them.

If the contract end date falls within the period of Additional Statutory Paternity/Maternity Support Leave and the contract is not renewed, the College will continue to pay the remainder of the Additional Statutory Paternity/Maternity Support Leave period.  However, if you start work for a new employer, you cannot get additional statutory maternity leave from their new employer for any week they work for them.

Arranging payments for casual workers

The following information explains how to submit payment forms for casual workers either electronically or by hard copy.

Electronic submission

 In order to submit forms by email:-

  1.  You should download a copy of the relevant casual form onto your own computer (or H drive), complete it on screen, and then submit it to the Payroll Office as an email attachment.
  2.  In order to collect information which is needed on the form (for example the casual worker’s personal details) you may forward the form to others at the preliminary stage, and without going through the digital authentication process, providing the final submission to Payroll Office complies with the procedures described below. 
  3.  In all instances the Joining form requires supporting documentary evidence of the person’s eligibility to work in the UK, this includes UK/EU students.  Original signed photocopies of the eligibility to work in the UK document must be retained on departmental files for inspection by the UK Border Agency should they wish to check these.  Scanned copies should be submitted with the Joining form if you opt for electronic submission of this form (please see section 3 below).
  4.  Electronic submissions will be accepted only from those who have been authorised by their faculty/department for this purpose.  A list of those currently authorised can be found here: https://workspace.imperial.ac.uk/finance/Internal/payroll/bursary-temppay_approvers.pdf
  5.  In order to ensure that electronic payment requests are genuine and secure, they must be digitally authenticated and encrypted at the final stage of submission, using the “public key infrastructure”. If you are unfamiliar with this procedure, please follow the instructions below:-

    6. To set up your own digital signature please follow the steps detailed on the ICT “Public Key Infrastructure email” web page in the following order:

             a) Obtain your certificate

    b) Back up your private key
    c) Use your certificate to send secure email
    d) Please note that digital signatures can also be installed on your homecomputer by following the steps detailed on the following ICT “Public Key Infrastructure” web page

       6.   You must send the form to the following dedicated e-mail address weeklypay@imperial.ac.uk

        7.  If you submit a casual payment form by email, please do not also submit a paper copy.  This could result in the payment being duplicated.

 Hard copy submission

The revised Casual Worker Joining and Payment forms when submitted as a hardcopy must be signed and stamped with a tri-colour stamp prior to submission to the payroll office.

In all instances the Joining form requires supporting documentary evidence of the person’s eligibility to work in the UK, this includes UK/EU students.  Original signed photocopies of the eligibility to work in the UK document must be retained on departmental files for inspection by the UK Border Agency should they wish to wish to check these.  A photocopy should be submitted with the Joining form.

What happens if the placement is delayed after I have started adoption/surrogacy leave?

If you commence you adoption/surrogacy leave at any time before the actual date of placement, you must be sure that the placement will be going ahead on the date agreed before they start their leave. If the placement is delayed for whatever reason and you have already begun your adoption/surrogacy leave, you cannot stop leave and start it again at a later date.

I have been called for Jury Service. What happens if the case lasts for several months?

If an individual is called for Jury Service and selected and it is known at the outset, or becomes apparent, that the case is likely to last for several months the individual must let their line manager know immediately so that any necessary local arrangements can be made for cover during their absence.

What happens in the event of a still birth or miscarriage?

After 24 weeks of pregnancy, there will be no distinction between live and still births in the granting of maternity leave. If the baby is born alive at any time during the pregnancy but subsequently dies, the member of staff will be entitled to maternity leave and benefits.

In cases of miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy, the sickness absence procedures will apply and there will be no entitlement to maternity leave or pay.

How will my fixed-term contract impact on maternity leave and pay entitlements?

Where a member of staff has a fixed term contract and qualifies for maternity leave, they will be accorded the same entitlements as comparable staff employed on open-ended contracts. If there is funding available to extend a fixed term contract, the extension will be offered regardless of the pregnancy or maternity leave. A non-renewal of contract due to reasons related to pregnancy or maternity leave would constitute sex discrimination.

If the contract end date falls within the period of maternity leave and the contract is not renewed, any College benefits due will continue up to the date of termination of the contract and will cease on termination of employment. Where there has been less than 39 weeks of maternity pay at the termination date, the College will continue to pay the remainder of the Statutory Maternity Pay.

How will sickness absence impact on my maternity leave arrangements?

Sickness Absence Prior to Maternity Leave

Staff absent from work due to illness, will normally be able to take sick leave in line with the College sickness absence scheme until she starts maternity leave on the date notified. If the illness is unrelated to pregnancy the member of staff can remain on sick leave and receive Occupational Sick Pay/Statutory Sick Pay/Incapacity Benefit right up to the date of the baby’s birth or until the date the member of staff has notified as the intended start date of her maternity leave.

If the member of staff is absent from work during the 4 weeks before the expected week of childbirth due to pregnancy-related illness, the maternity leave period starts automatically. This applies even if the day of absence is before the date the member of staff has notified as the date on which she intends her leave to commence. Once maternity leave has started, it will run continuously until after the baby is born and the member of staff is due to return to work. Staff cannot stop and restart a period of maternity leave.

Postponing the Date of Return due to Sickness

If unable to attend work at the end of the maternity leave due to sickness, the normal

arrangements for sickness absence will apply. The manager should be notified of any sickness absence, and kept informed of progress in the normal way.

What are the regulations relating to me returning to work so that my partner can take additional paternity leave?

 A partner cannot commence additional paternity leave until the member of staff has returned to work, it may then commence at 20 or more weeks after the child’s birth, or placement, in the case of adoption.

Further details can be found in the College’s Paternity/Maternity Support Leave policy, although it should be noted that this policy applies to College staff only and that members of staff whose partners are not employed by Imperial College should consult their own employer for information and guidance.

I am a line manager and one of my staff has been called for Jury Service. It will be inconvenient to my section for this person to be absent. Is there anything I can do?

Jury Service is a matter between the individual called and the court. In certain circumstances, a line manager may support the individual’s case for deferment (see above) if necessary. If it is solely a question of convenience, there is nothing a line manager can do to prevent an individual member of staff being called to attend for Jury Service.