Variation of contract form - DOC

							      Variation of Contract form
      Guidance Notes

1.    Please complete this form to instruct the Human Resources Directorate to change an
      existing employee’s contract of employment. Please complete all sections of Part 1 and
      the relevant section of Part 2.

2.    Individuals and any other affected parties should be consulted on any changes in contracts.

3.    The Research Office must approve any contract variations for external research grant
      funded employees and will complete this form and send it to the Human Resources
      Directorate.

4.    Executive Board must authorise any permanent changes to contract (e.g. permanent
      changes in working hours or transfer of fixed-term appointments to permanent
      appointments) and changes not covered by the existing budget and changes that cost over
      £20,000 including on-costs.

5.    Budget-holders and the Director of Finance and Planning can authorise any temporary
      changes (such as award of a responsibility allowance or temporary changes in hours)
      which are covered by existing budgets and cost less than £20,000 (including on-costs).

6.    Please refer to ‘Staffing Costs: Authorisation levels’ for further information.

7.    For School funded changes, please complete the form, obtain the Budget Holder’s
      signature and send it to the Director of Finance and Planning for authorisation.

8.    In order for this request to be processed in time for the employee to be paid correctly,
      please ensure this form is authorised normally at least one month before the change is
      due to come into effect. Please ensure that this form is sent to the Director of Finance and
      Planning by the second working day prior to the last day of the month at the very latest.
      The Human Resources Directorate will need to have received the authorised form by the
      third working day of after the first day of the month in order to issue a letter to the
      employee; normally letters are issued in five working days following receipt of the Variation
      of Contract form.

9.    If the variation of contract effects an individual’s salary payment (e.g. responsibility
      allowance, change in hours etc), please note that no change in payment will be processed
      until the individual has returned their signed acceptance letter to the Human Resources
      Directorate.

10.   Incomplete or inaccurate forms will be returned to the department for completion,
      resulting in delays.

Part 1: Key Employee and Change Details
Name:                                                Job title:
Department/Directorate:                              Faculty: Select
Effective date for change:                           Cost centre:
Reason for change:
Permanent change?            Yes           No      If no, please give end date:

Please continue on Part 2 on Page 2

      Page 1 of 2
 Part 2: Please complete the relevant section depending on the type of change:
 Change in hours:             Please state revised hours of work/FTE:

                              Please state new job title:
 Revised job title:
                              Updated job description attached?

 Revised job description:     Please attach updated job description:

                              Please state the amount of allowance: £
 Responsibility allowance     Please give details of the additional duties to be undertaken or attach a job
                              description:

 Contract tenure              Is the employee transferring to a permanent appointment?               Yes       No

                               Extension of fixed-term contract to the date in Part 1 above?         Yes
 Extension of fixed-term
 contract                     If yes, please tick the relevant box to indicate the objective justification for why the
                              post remains fixed-term;
                                   The post requires specialist expertise or recent experience not already
                                   available in SOAS in the short term.
                                   To cover staff absence such as research leave, maternity leave or long-term
                                   sickness absence.
                                   The contract is to provide a secondment or career development opportunity.
                                   Where input from specialist practitioners is required for a limited period or for
                                   project/activity lasting for a limited duration.
                                   Where student or other business demand can be clearly demonstrated as
                                   particularly uncertain, such as the development of a new course or service.
                                   Externally funded posts where there is no reasonably foreseeable prospect of
                                   short-term funding being renewed nor other external or internal funding
                                   becoming available. Where short-term funding has already been renewed,
                                   continuing use of the fixed-term contract would need to be justified by objective
                                   reasons.
                                   Where the post is wholly or largely supporting a specific business or academic
                                   function/activity which the School has decided to cease in the future
                              If none of the above apply, please consult your designed HR Manager
                              immediately. In accordance with the School’s Fixed-term Staff Policy, if the a fixed-
                              term contract is required for a reason not listed above, consultation must be carried
                              out with the School’s recognised trade unions and the objective justification must be
                              approved by the Director of HR.
 Other change:                Please give details:

Authorisation:
External grant funded contact changes only:
 Research Office              Signature:                                          Date:

School funded contract changes only:
 Budget-holder                Signature:                                          Date:

 Director and Director of
                              Signature:                                          Date:
 Finance and Planning

For contract variations requiring authorisation by Executive Board:
 Chair of Executive Board/
 Director of Finance and        Signature:                                        Date:
 Planning
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