Q&A for Hiring Managers and Approvers of Temporary Workers

From October 2012, temporary recruitment of students at De Montfort University will be undertaken by a Unitemps franchise. This will enable the University to recruit student workers into temporary roles, replacing previous arrangements including casual contracts, or external agencies.

Who are Unitemps? Set up by the University of Warwick in 1997, Unitemps now covers more than 100,000 students at 9 institutions including Birmingham City University and the University of Nottingham. The Unitemps model provides temporary job opportunities, primarily to university students, which meet the temporary staffing needs of university administration and service departments.

Why the change to Unitemps? Unitemps offers a great opportunity for students to enhance their employability skills for the future gaining essential experience in the workplace environment. Other reasons for the change were to: Reduce our VAT liability where external recruitment agencies were used Maximise student temporary labour opportunities Ensure compliance with new legislation Establish additional income stream for the University from commercial clients Gain greater control over costs and risks

Will the University be using other agencies? Yes, however, Unitemps must be contacted in the first instance to establish whether the assignment can be fulfilled internally. If an internal placement is not possible, the University proposes to continue using external, second tier, agencies to supply temporary workers if the correctly qualified/ experienced worker does not exist within the Unitemps temporary pool.

What are the benefits of Unitemps? Overview: Assignments can range from 1 hour to 1 year and can be filled the same day by Unitemps, or can be shortlisted for and be subject to internal recruitment and selection procedures. Unitemps can arrange interviews - the recruitment process is bespoke to each client. The candidate base will grow very quickly and, in other Unitemps branches, it has proved to be rare for a vacancy not to be filled. Unitemps has 15 years of experience of providing staff supply for the HE sector. The systems used have been specifically designed to meet the requirements of the sector. Unitemps will have potentially 12 offices in the next 12 months. This will allow Unitemps to bid competitively for national tenders for large organisations with high turnovers of temps and allocate the nearest office to supply them. 2

Differences from other agencies: Unitemps staffs do not work on commission and are driven by helping students and providing excellent client service, rather than sales targets. No 'first come first served policy'. All roles are advertised and then shortlisted based on the client's requirements (unless they have sourced someone themselves). Links with the Careers Service ensure joined up messages of employability and the importance of enhancing students' CVs. A member of Unitemps staff will be onsite every day to answer any queries either face to face, on the phone or via email. Candidate base & student employability: Increased employability of the students - during their course and after they graduate. Using transferrable skills from their studies applied in the workplace. Enhances the student's university experience. Candidate base mainly consists of students and graduates. Due to the high volume of candidates, the roles are highly competitive. As such, once a candidate has been through the full recruitment process and received a job offer, they are determined to do well. Unitemps can provide vital experience of working in the UK for international students. The University will be able to pay temporary workers at a rate equivalent to a permanent member of staff doing broadly similar work. Website: Reports for every role are available to the hiring manager and deputy at all times. This can be split into total costs, specific roles, specific students or certain dates. 24 hour availability to apply for jobs and check their application status. Timesheets are completed and signed off online - no paperwork Finance: Internal staff supply is VAT free. A fair and equal pay structure, but also the ability to have lower pay roles for noncomparable job roles such as student ambassadors. Whilst Unitemps is not aiming to make a profit, it does need to cover its costs. Any profits will be retained within the University and reinvested into developing student employability and campus facilities.

How will Unitemps work at De Montfort? De Montfort University will have a branch of Unitemps managed by employees of the University, and there will also be a Unitemps branch located at the University of Leicester. Both branches will have one shared employee between them who will focus solely on external business and ensuring that both branches are managed and maintained to the appropriate standards. At De Montfort University, the Unitemps office will be situated in the Student Gateway in Gateway House. Anyone wishing to be a temporary worker can register online (at www.unitemps.co.uk) and they will then be able to apply for job opportunities as they arise. When they have been offered an assignment for the first time they will need to visit the Unitemps 3

office to show their ID, prove their eligibility to work and complete a payroll form. Temps will enter their timesheets online each week. The deadline is for this is Sunday.

How do I book a temp under Unitemps? Before a booking can be made you must already be set up on the system. When you set up a new assignment you will need to provide Unitemps with the following information: Name of role e.g. payroll administrator Brief role description (this can be used to determine the grade in conjunction with the Hiring manager ) Pay rate (see what hourly rate should I be paying temps?) Estimated duration Hiring Manager/Timesheet Approver and deputy Department Hiring Manager/ timesheet Approver's phone number and email address SAP Cost Code/Project code When you want to book a temp you can do so by phoning the Unitemps office, by emailing [email protected] or via the Unitemps website, in which case someone from the office will call you to confirm the booking details. If you have a particular worker in mind for a job they will need to be registered with Unitemps. If Unitemps find the temp they will ensure that they are fully registered. Jobs are advertised online and suitably qualified / experienced temps are sent the details by email or text. Unitemps can produce a shortlist of candidates for you to choose the one best suited to your requirement. Alternatively, Unitemps can make a selection on your behalf.

How do I get authority to book a student temp? You will need to get authority from your Head of Department before making a temp booking. Your Head of Department will be asked to identify people who are authorised to hire student temporary workers. These names will then be added to the Unitemps system as approved hiring managers/approvers. If you wish to book a temp for the first time then you will need to ensure that your Head of Department has completed either an Agency Worker Requisition form or a Post Authorisation form. An authorised signatory for your department should sign the form and a copy should be emailed to the HR department at [email protected]. Once the post has been approved, please send an e-mail to [email protected] with a signed PAF/Agency Worker Requisition form and a job description attached. Once set up as a hiring manager, you will be sent a username and password (you can change the password if you wish) by email.

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I already know who I want to work for me and just need them set up with Unitemps. How do I do this? You may have identified/trained a particular individual(s) already that you want to work as a temp. When you contact Unitemps to book the assignment they will book the candidate in at the same time. If the temp hasn't worked for Unitemps before, they must register and visit the Unitemps office with their ID and complete the payroll form before they can work.

I only want to offer shifts to those in the group of student temps I have trained. How do I do this? When you set up your job(s) you can give Unitemps the details of all the individuals to be booked against these jobs. They must, however, already be registered with Unitemps. They will then be sent confirmation and terms and conditions. When you then wish to find a temp for a particular shift, inform Unitemps and they will send an email to everyone in your bank of temps. Unitemps are happy to help you with the identification and selection of temps for you to train. Please contact the Unitemps office if you wish to discuss this option.

How are timesheets completed? Timesheets are entered weekly by the temp online at www.unitemps.co.uk. If a temp has any problems doing this then please ask them to contact the Unitemps office. Timesheets are then approved by the Hiring Manager/Approver (or nominated deputy). When you are first set up as an approver you will be sent a user name and password to use at www.unitemps.co.uk where you will be able to approve timesheets online. Timesheets are best approved on a weekly basis (by 10am every Tuesday). If any timesheets are still unapproved at the payroll cut-off date (8th of the month) then an email will be sent to remind you to approve the outstanding timesheets. If you know that you will be away when a timesheet needs approving please contact the Unitemps office to ensure that a deputy has been set up.

How will Unitemps workers be paid? Unitemps workers will be paid monthly through the University's payroll.

What will it cost my department? When you book the assignment and agree the hourly rate for the temp(s) Unitemps will give you the total cost that you will be recharged. This will include holiday pay as well as Employer's National Insurance.

What hourly rate should I be paying student temps? A new schedule of grades and pay rates has been produced that is linked to the University pay scale. 5

The Unitemps team will be happy to discuss the pay rates with you to ensure that similar temps are working at similar grades across the university. The following table shows the overall cost to the department for each grade:

Grade A (SP4) Grade B (SP5) Grade B (SP8) Grade C (SP12) Grade C (SP15) Grade D (SP19) Grade E (SP23) Grade E (SP26) Grade F (SP31) Grade G (SP35) Grade G (SP38) Grade H (SP44) Grade H (SP47)

Hourly Rate (£) 7.44 7.64 8.25 9.23 10.05 11.29 12.70 13.87 16.08 18.07 19.76 23.57 25.74

Client Rate (£) 10.13 10.40 11.23 12.56 13.67 15.36 17.28 18.87 21.88 24.59 26.89 32.07 35.02

If you have an assignment continuing past the Unitemps launch date then please look at the Schedule to confirm whether or not the temp will be on an increased rate of pay with Unitemps. Please note that if you have a temporary worker providing cover for a permanent employee it is only necessary to pay them at the lowest point for the same grade.

If someone left the University through Voluntary Severance within the last year, will they be able to work for Unitemps without having to reimburse their severance payment? If someone is returning to the University as a Unitemps worker within a year of accepting a tax free severance package from the University they should ensure that their case is reviewed in detail by the University's payroll department. If HMRC determines that tax is due on their severance payment they will be responsible for settling the liability. An individual in this situation is welcome to contact the University payroll department for advice before registering with Unitemps as a response from HMRC may take a while. Otherwise, when they are offered an assignment they will be asked if they are working/ have worked for the university when they complete the Payroll form at which point they should speak to the Payroll Department. If they start work as a Unitemps worker without having done so it is at their own risk. If you are considering hiring an individual as a temporary worker who has recently received a severance package please bear the above in mind and advise the individual accordingly.

Can I hire someone as a student temp who is already employed within the 6

University? Yes you can. When they complete their Unitemps registration the temp will be asked this question and payroll will ensure that the correct procedure is followed to comply with Inland Revenue requirements.

I have had two or more no-shows from a particular student temp; can I stop them being offered another assignment with me? If you have any problem with a temp, either one working with you or one who hasn't turned up for an assignment then please contact the Unitemps office.

I have a student temp that has worked on an assignment that ended before the Unitemps launch date, but I may need them to work for me again. What do I need to do? Please ask your temporary worker to go online at www.unitemps.co.uk to register with Unitemps. They will then be able to go online to see any temporary opportunities available and will be sent emails/ texts regarding relevant jobs. They will only have to go into the office to complete payroll forms once they have been offered a temporary job.

Who do I contact if I need more information? If you have any further questions please e mail [email protected] and Unitemps will find the best person to respond to your query.

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