Date of circulation: 19 July 2021
From: Professor Andy Long
I am writing to let you know more about how our University will begin to implement the recommendations of the Senior Banding and Pay Review across the new academic year, so that we can deliver an improved pay banding system for Level 7 academic colleagues from August 2022.
Please read this letter carefully, but you do not need to take any action at this point, as further details about your personal circumstances will be sent to you by colleagues in Human Resources.
However, let me reassure you from the outset that there will be no immediate change to your current salary and that these changes will not impact other pay measures such as the national pay award, non-consolidated bonuses, leadership and other payments.
A new pay banding system
Following consultation with Heads of Schools/Department and senior academic staff, we are joining the majority of Russell Group universities in adopting a new approach to pay for professorial colleagues that will better reflect your contribution to the research, teaching and leadership of our University.
This will introduce a new banding system and associated salary scale, similar to those at other leading Russell Group universities, which can enable colleagues to progress further, faster and more fairly up the salary scale. The new approach is supported by research undertaken for the Royal Economic Society, co-authored by Professor John Gathergood, Professor of Economics and Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor of Research and Knowledge Exchange in the Faculty of Social Sciences, who has produced a blog to share the findings of this research.
The new senior pay scale will have specific bands to better reflect the fact that roles are of differing weight and that individuals have differing levels of responsibility - and offers opportunity to move faster through the bands based on your contribution and performance, where currently it would take around 17 years to go from the bottom to the standard maximum.
In future, automatic annual increments would be payable in Band A, with opportunities to incrementally progress in Bands B, C, and D made via the Nottingham Reward Scheme. Colleagues may also apply for their banding to be reviewed via an annual re-banding process as well as a three-year review within faculties.
The benefits of the new system
We are an ambitious university that is committed to fairness and strives for excellence, and so we want our senior pay structures to better support these aims, by:
- Providing a fairer and more equitable system to reward and recognise contribution and performance to research, teaching and leadership to support the strategic direction of the University.
- Implementing a Level 7 Academic Framework which clearly articulates the expectations within each of the different bands, based on core and indicative criteria.
- Introducing a system which supports the University to be competitive in recruiting and retaining leading academics from the UK and overseas.
- Helping to address some of the pay gaps experienced by women, minority ethnic staff and staff with disabilities.
Next steps
This is not a cost-cutting exercise, indeed, we expect senior pay costs to increase over the short-term as we transition to the new scale. We will take time and care in transitioning to the new pay scale, implementing pay protection periods where applicable from August 2022, involving you in the process and keeping you informed every step of the way.
An initial re-banding exercise for all level 7 academic staff will take place from July to December 2021 where you will have the opportunity to provide evidence via self-assessment to inform your banding position.
Faculty- and then University-level committees will scrutinise and ratify each decision between February and June 2022, before final positions regarding your band and the new pay scale are confirmed to commence from August 2022.
I hope I can ask for your support as we transition to the new system, and in particular for your participation during the self-assessment period. Detailed information which is personal to your circumstances will be provided by Human Resources shortly. However, should you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me or go to https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/hr/guidesandsupport/promotionandregrading/professorial-banding-review/index.aspx.
Professor Andy Long
Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Last edited Jul 19, 2021