SOAS Recognition and Rewards (November 2019)

1. Introduction

The November Recognition and Reward round considers applications for one-off payments for individuals and team.  Nominations can be made by line managers, colleagues, or individuals themselves and reward activities that demonstrate SOAS citizenship and/ or promote SOAS’s core values.

2. Eligibility

All SOAS employees in Grades 2-9 who have been in post for at least one year on 1 December are eligible to be nominated for an award.  This includes fractional colleagues and those in IFCELS.

In 2019, exceptionally, people who moved posts as part of the One Professional Services restructure (expressions of interest or internal recruitment) will be eligible if they have been employed by SOAS for at least one year.

The work undertaken cannot be rewarded through these rewards if the person is already receiving additional remuneration in another way (for example, a Responsibility Allowance or additional hours/ overtime payments).

3. The Reward Panel

Recommendations for one-off payments will be considered by the Reward Panel:

  • Chief Operating Officer/ Registrar
  • 1 Pro-Director
  • 1 member of academic staff
  • 1 member of professional services staff

Panel members may delegate appropriately if needed.   There should be a diversity of gender, ethnicity and grade on the panel.   HR will support the panel.

Notes will be taken of the panel’s decisions and feedback provided on request.  An anonymised report of the outcome broken down by ethnic origin/ race, gender and disability will be collated, based on the diversity data held in the HR system.

4. Criteria

The work should usually have been undertaken in the past 9 months and, where time-limited, would usually already be completed.

For individuals, the Panel will be looking for evidence of:

  1. Additional duties that have furthered SOAS’s strategic objectives or values and been performed to a high standard, or
  2. Where an individual has undertaken part of their core role in a way which role models or promotes SOAS’s values.

For Team Awards the Panel will be looking for evidence of:

  1. Cross-team work that has furthered SOAS’s strategic goals or values and has been performed to a high standard, or;
  2. Work within a team that is notable or innovative and undertaken in a way that role models or promotes SOAS’s values

Please use the “reasons for reward” section on the form to tell us which criteria you think the nomination falls under and why and, where relevant, which of the SOAS values you think has been demonstrated.

The Panel will also consider the Supporting Statement from either the line manager of the person nominated or (for line manager nominations) the budget holder, and whether the budget holder has supported the nomination.  If the line manager/ budget holder is not supportive, the Panel will also consider the reason(s) given for this.  The panel may choose to accept a nomination that is not supported by the line manager/ budget holder.

For Departmental Managers, the Supporting Statement should be completed by their line manager/ budget holder as for other nominations.  However, following a decision by the Executive Board, the relevant Head of Department will be asked to provide an additional supporting statement.   This will be requested by HR following the submission deadline.

5. Value of Awards

Rewards for all grades are usually £1000 with an award of £1500 being given in exceptional circumstances.  The panel may agree different amounts in response to individual nominations and should record their reasons for this.

Rewards will be paid pro rata for part time members of staff (with a minimum award of £250) and individual reward applications will be paid alongside February 2020 salaries.  PAYE deductions are made on the payments, in line with HMRC’s rules.

Team awards will be at the value of £50 per person in the team to be used towards food/drink at a team building event.  The team leader may include people who have since joined the team, where appropriate.

6. Application Process and Timeline

There is one form for all types of nomination.   Drop -in sessions with the HR team are being held in December if you would like advice on completing your nomination:

  • 02/12/19 – Rewards Surgery HR (10:00 – 11:00 Room FB03)
  • 05/12/19 – Rewards Surgery HR (15:00 – 16:00 Room FB03)
  • 12/12/19 – Rewards Surgery HR (15:00 – 16:00 Room FB03)

Both the person nominating and the person writing the supporting statement need to have completed the form before submitting.

If the supporting statement is completed by the line manager and they are not also the budget holder, the line manager is responsible for finding out whether the budget holder (who is usually the line manager’s line manager) would fund the award.

Send completed applications forms to hr-rewards2019@soas.ac.uk before the Christmas closedown (20 December 2019).

7. Appeals

Staff have the right to appeal the decision of the Reward Panel in respect of their application under this procedure.  The appeal will be heard by a senior member of staff supported by an HR representative.

Written appeals, including the grounds for appeal, should be submitted to the HR Director (Alix Langley, al63@soas.ac.uk ) within 10 working days of the date of the outcome letter.  Appellants will be offered the opportunity to attend the hearing and present their case in person, should they wish.

Appeals may only be made on the basis of a procedural error and/ or with reference to the original material submitted and the panel’s recorded outcome.

Human Resources

November 2019