Week 1 FAQs
Where do I get a staff card?
Staff cards can be collected from the Library Reception, and you will need to take a note of your staff number with you.
What should I do with my P45 from my previous employer when I receive this?
Please forward your P45 on to our Payroll Team, who are based at Tay House.
When will I get paid?
Salary payments are made on the last working day of the month.
What training is compulsory as a new member of staff?
The following courses are compulsory for all new staff:
What would I use the HR System (Core HR) for?
The Core HR System can be accessed on this link, using your GUID and password to log in. The HR Self Service system allows you to:
- Amend personal details such as contact info and next of kin
- Update bank details
- Request leave
- Download payslips and P60
- View training courses and submit training requests
- Declare diversity related information (declare a disability, let us know which languages you speak)
- Submit expenses
Guidance on using the Core HR System is available on our Systems webpages.
Who do I contact if I have system access issues with Core HR?
You can contact the HR Systems team by email on hrsystemhelp@glasgow.ac.uk or by phone on extension 6161.
Who do I contact if I have issues with my computer, log-in, file access or email?
How can I find contact details for another member of staff?
Staff contact details are publicly available on our Staff A-Z list.
Are there any Induction Events at the University for new staff?
Employee & Organisational Development offer the following Induction events which are available to all new staff and can be booked via your HR Core Self-Service.
- Induction to the University of Glasgow
- Introduction to Higher Education
Contractual FAQs
How long is my probation period?
The probation period lasts for a minimum of 6 months. The Managing Probation Policy provides further guidance.
Where can I find information about salary scales?
Salary scales can be viewed on the HR webpages.
How does incremental salary progression work?
On the anniversary of your start date in your new role your salary will increase to the next incremental point of your grade, until you reach the top of the scale for your grade (unshaded points).
I am here on a residence permit/visa, where can I find more information about this?
Further information on working in the University on a visa, and your responsibilities, is available on the HR webpages.
How do I get employment confirmation for a travel visa?
Contact your local HR team, they will be able to provide you with a confirmation of employment for this purpose.
Where do I find information on the University’s HR policies?
Please visit the A-Z of HR policies for full details of all our key policies and processes.
How do I claim expenses?
Expenses are claimed through the expenses tab in your employee dashboard in the Core HR System.
Guidance on claiming expenses is available in the CoreHR Expenses Guide.
Leave/Benefits FAQs
What is our annual leave entitlement?
Our annual leave entitlement is 32 days (including 4 fixed annual leave days at Christmas and New Year). This is pro-rated for part time staff.
I started part way through the year, how is my annual leave entitlement calculated?
The annual leave year runs from 1 January - 31 December.
Annual leave is pro-rated to the days worked in the year. For example if you started on 1 February your annual leave is calculated based on you working 334 days in the year (1 February-31 December). If you work full time your annual leave for the year would be calculated as below:
32 days/365 x 334 = 29.28, rounded to 29.5 days. The 4 fixed annual leave days are deducted from your annual leave balance so you would have 25.5 days to take in the calendar year.
Does the University have a flexible working policy?
Yes - you can read the full Flexible Working Policy here.
What are the contact details for the employee assistance programme?
Further information on our employee assistance programme including counselling can be found on our Health and Wellbeing Hub.
What kind of benefits do I have if I or my partner is pregnant (are expecting children) or adopting?
We have a host of family friendly policies explaining the various types of leave available and how to apply, which can be viewed on our Parental Leave Policies webpage.
Training/Development FAQs
Will I receive a performance appraisal with my manager this year as I am new to the University?
You will not receive a performance rating, however your manager should have a meeting with you to agree objectives for the upcoming year.
How do I view available training?
Training can be viewed and booked through your PDR portal in your HR Self-Service screen.
What is the Athena Swan programme?
The Athena SWAN Charter covers women (and men where appropriate) in: academic roles in STEMM and AHSSBL, professional and support staff and trans staff and students. In relation to their: representation; progression of students into academia; journey through career milestones; and the working environment for all staff.
What other training do I have access to?
Details of further training available from the Learning Enhancement & Development Service, IT Services, Health & Safety, Researcher training can be viewed here.
Research & Teaching FAQs
Is there any compulsory training for Research and Teaching staff?
Research Integrity Training (online) is mandatory and further details can be found on the 'Your Learning' webpage.
Where can I find information on ECDP – Early Career Development Programme?
The University has an Early Career Development Programme Policy, and an ECDP Portal.
How do I get access to the student system?
MyCampus is our student information system. Further information on access and training on the system is available here.
How do I add information on my biography and publications to the Staff A-Z?
What is REF and where can I find out more information?
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the system for assessing research in UK Higher Education Institutions. It is a national process of review, carried out by expert sub-panels for each of 34 subject-based units of assessment (UoAs), under the guidance of four main panels. For each submission, three distinct elements are assessed: the quality of outputs (e.g. publications, performances, and exhibitions), the impact of research beyond academia, and the environment that supports research.
Institutional performance in REF2021 will have significant consequences for the University of Glasgow, both for the amount of unrestricted funding we receive from the Scottish Funding Council via the Research Excellence Grant and for our research reputation, reinforcing our standing as a world leading, research-intensive institution and allowing us to attract staff and students of the highest quality.
For further information on the REF and our institutional preparations please see the internal REF website.
What support is available for research?
There is online training available - further details are available on the Research and Innovation Services webpages.
And further information on development in research is available on the Researcher Development for Staff and the PGR Courses and Events webpages.
What other policies and procedures should I be aware of?
Manager FAQs
When is the University’s financial year?
The University’s financial year runs from 1 August - 31 July each year.
What systems will I need access to?
You will need access to Core HR manager dashboard for managing your team and Agresso for managing your budget. You may also require access to Qlikview which is an information providing system.
How do I get access to Agresso?
To access Agresso you will need to attend an Agresso training course. Information about training and how to use Agresso is available here.
If you have any further questions there is an Agresso Support Help Desk.
How do I approve requests e.g. annual leave requests for members of my team?
I need to recruit to my team, how do I do this?
You will need to submit a staff request through your manager dashboard in the Core HR System. Guidance for how to do this can be found here.
Recruitment & Selection Training is carried out by the Employee & Organisational & Development team. Further information on pre-requisite online training requirements and details of how to book onto a course can be found here.
I need to make a contractual change for someone in my team e.g. increase their hours, how do I do this?
You will need to submit a manager request through your manager dashboard in the Core HR System. Guidance on how to do this can be found here.
What are my responsibilities as a manager with regards to health and safety?
For workplace safety line managers are usually the first line of defence. Managers should be familiar with the University’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy, any safety arrangements within their Service, and what is expected from them with regard to health and safety of both the staff that they manage, and others who may be affected by the work undertaken by their staff. Guidance on how to manage health and safety can be found on the SEPS website.
Where can I find information on the University’s insurance?
The University has around 30 active insurance policies to cover its staff, students and business activities. Details on the University’s insurance can be found at on the Finance: Insurance and Risk webpage.
As a manager is there compulsory training that I need to complete?
As well as completing the compulsory training for all employees you will need to complete the Managing Diversity e-learning
Where can I find guidance for conducting performance and development reviews (PDRs) with my team?
As well as the Performance & Development Review policy and process there is guidance on how to prepare and conduct review meetings:
And there is also online training modules.
I need to submit a maintenance request to Estates, how do I do this?
A maintenance request can be submitted via the website.
Who should I contact if I need HR advice?
You should contact your Local HR team; contact details for HR are available here.
Social/Orientation FAQs
I am new to Glasgow, where can I find useful information about the city?
The Scotland Handbook was developed for staff relocating to Scotland.
Where can I find information about travelling to work?
Information on the University’s travel policy, and useful information about public transport and car travel can be viewed here.
How do I find rooms/buildings?
There are maps available of the University buildings and directions to rooms on the maps and travel webapages.
I need to book a room, how do I do this?
There is an online system in place for booking a room which can be accessed through your myGlasgow account on the University website. From here you are also able to check room availability.
How do I update my work address and phone extension number for the Staff A-Z?
In your Core Employee Dashboard click on My Profile and update your contact details in the contacts tab.
I need a coffee…where do I go?
Bring your own reusable cup to get the best value. Open to all there is One A The Square, Fraser Building FOOD (level 3), Atrium Café (Wolfson Medical School), Café Picolino (Boyd Orr Building) and the barn (Garscube Estate). Requiring your staff card for access during the day is the Gilchrist Postgraduate Club (Main Building) with full barista service. All outlets have a loyalty card scheme so collect stamps on each visit to receive a free hot drink. Find your closest catering outlet https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/maps/
What’s for lunch?
Follow @UofGFood on Twitter to see the daily lunch menu for the Fraser Building and One A The Square.
What social groups can I join within the University?
There are several staff social groups including sports groups, the MPA Peer Network, and the LGBT+ Staff Network. Further information is available here: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/clubs/
Yammer is a workplace social networking tool, used by staff at the University.