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[jim73]

A happy new year to you all

Just before Christmas I heard I had been 'green circled' under my institution's pay modernisation process. I was green circled from grade 8 (lecturer) to grade 9 (SL/reader) based on a request for a re-review of my current work. I had initiatially been graded at 8 through a process of equivalence that did not take into account what I actually do and I asked for a review more as a matter of principle than anything else. I didn't expect it to actually alter anything!

At my institution being green-circled means that one must go through some sort of vague 'quality assurance' proceeding before one is confirmed at the new grade. No one seems to know what this might involve and if the process is meant to be real quality assurance or a hurdle of another sort.

Any similar experiences shared would be most helpful.... Thanks

[snape]

Hi and congratulations

There is probably a booklet outlining exactly what is required for pay at each level. If you have to make a written case study it carefully and quote from it if necessary.

[jim73]

Thanks for your comment.

I have already gone through a process of showing how my job description matches the generic description of the higher grade. The university agree this is the case but now apparently want references and a full cv before they confirm the change. Thanks to the power of google this seems a more complex process than what has gone on at other institutions where people are generally confirmed on being green-circled.

The process they want me to go through now seems similar to the undertaking for a more traditional promotion which seems strange to me as I understand re-grading it about 'what you do' not 'who you are'.....

[snape]

You are possibly required to go through a promotions panel. Ours meets about twice a year to approve applications for promotions. If this is the case you HR department probably has a form for this.

The process they want me to go through now seems similar to the undertaking for a more traditional promotion which seems strange to me as I understand re-grading it about 'what you do' not 'who you are'.....

I've had a recent annoyance in that my application as turned down as it was 'too many extra points on the scale'. This is, of course what the new process is supposed to avoid happening. Anyway. I'm starting a new job in a couple months time that pays what I would have got had I got the promotion.

[jim73]

Yes, I suspect they will use something akin to a promotion panel to veto green-circled people by stealth. Its slightly unfortunate that I know people at other universities who were green-circled by a job matching panel and that was that.

One of the real benefits of pay modernisation (from my perspective) is the fact that universities shouldn't be able to turn round and say we can't afford to promote you this year. Allegedly.

[science_expat]

I've had a recent annoyance in that my application as turned down as it was 'too many extra points on the scale'.

Ouch. I've not heard of this at my place. Are you at a post 92?

[snape]

I've had a recent annoyance in that my application as turned down as it was 'too many extra points on the scale'.

Ouch. I've not heard of this at my place. Are you at a post 92?

No, Russell Group!

[jim73]

Mine is Russell Group too and in the past promotion would be a case of having to meet competitive criteria and there being enough money in the pot.

[snape]

In order for the system to work the culture has to change as well as the HR procedures. There is still the notion that you have to do your time at Level A even if most or all your work is at level B.
 

[jim73]

In the past there was certainly a sense of "having to do your time" here. People talked of having to be a lecturer for seven years before even applying for a promotion and then always getting turned down the first time.

Thankfully that is beginning to change. Too many people were getting impatient and making to leave.

[qrypt]

I would think there is no substitute for going to your AUT rep about this, at least to get advice on how you might enhance your chances for success.  I think it's also important to get their advice on whether your experience conforms to the framework agreement.  I generally don't think all that much of the AUT, but this is the sort of situation where they ought to be useful. 

[realbusacad]

as i daily check the job ads to get out of my god-for-saken, staffed by under-acheiving, third rate, ego-centric, obnoxious, arrogant fools, dump of a b-school (pre-92, grade 5 last RAE, answers on a post-card....), saw the below online:

http://www.thes.co.uk/current_edition/story.aspx?story_id=2034708

Times Higher story on how pay modernisation and pay changes have altered standard nationally equivalent pay scales (eg oxford min lecturer 37k vs 22k somewhere else). My experience of HR people everywhere is that they're devious, under-hand, back-stabbing, penny pinching, jobs-worth scum (who'll be first against the wall come the revolution) so promising pay-rises, green-circling then blocking by stealth while the utterly useless AUT do nothing in protest would seem likely.

ps, happy new year (!)

[science_expat]

...i daily check the job ads to get out of my god-for-saken, staffed by under-acheiving, third rate, ego-centric, obnoxious, arrogant fools, dump of a b-school (pre-92, grade 5 last RAE, answers on a post-card....)...

My experience of HR people everywhere is that they're devious, under-hand, back-stabbing, penny pinching, jobs-worth scum (who'll be first against the wall come the revolution) so promising pay-rises, green-circling then blocking by stealth while the utterly useless AUT do nothing in protest would seem likely.

ps, happy new year (!)

Happy new year, as well.

So come on, share a bit more detail....

[jim73]

as i daily check the job ads to get out of my god-for-saken, staffed by under-acheiving, third rate, ego-centric, obnoxious, arrogant fools, dump of a b-school (pre-92, grade 5 last RAE, answers on a post-card....), saw the below online:

http://www.thes.co.uk/current_edition/story.aspx?story_id=2034708

Times Higher story on how pay modernisation and pay changes have altered standard nationally equivalent pay scales (eg oxford min lecturer 37k vs 22k somewhere else). My experience of HR people everywhere is that they're devious, under-hand, back-stabbing, penny pinching, jobs-worth scum (who'll be first against the wall come the revolution) so promising pay-rises, green-circling then blocking by stealth while the utterly useless AUT do nothing in protest would seem likely.

ps, happy new year (!)

I usually don't feel like that until week 3....

If its any consolation everyone I know, no matter where they work, feels pretty much the same about HR/AUT/RAE/IOU. The flipside of this, of course, is that moving jobs will likely just result in institutional groundhog day with Sonny and Cher playing in the background every morning in every meaningless meeting....

The reason I asked the question in the first place is that the AUT didn't even know there would be a quality assurance process post-green circling. Presumably they were present when this was decided as they were, I believe, signatories to the local agreement.

[expatinuk]

The reason I asked the question in the first place is that the AUT didn't even know there would be a quality assurance process post-green circling. Presumably they were present when this was decided as they were, I believe, signatories to the local agreement.

HA! They were too busy trying to stab each other in the back to actually do their freaking job.