1. Introduction
This document applies to short absences, absences for outside work, study leave, and secondments for members of the academic staff. It is not applicable to absence on the grounds of sickness, maternity leave, or annual holiday entitlement.
All members of academic staff are required to attend the University in order to perform their normal duties, such as lectures, tutorials, seminars, supervisions, examinations, committee meetings, and any others duly assigned by the Head of Department. Unauthorised absence that prevents the performance of such duties, or that otherwise adversely affects the running of the Department or University, is unacceptable regardless of whether the absence is in term time or vacation time.
Nevertheless, it is understood that the normal work of academic staff includes activities, such as attendance at relevant conferences and meetings that may entail absence from the University.
During any short absence, absence for outside work, or study leave, members of academic staff must be able to be contacted by the Department if required.
2. Absences
A member of academic staff may pursue his/her normal work at a location other than the University, provided that the following requirements are met:
(a) For an absence of 1-4 consecutive working days, the member of staff must notify the Head of Department in advance.
(b) For an absence of 5-25 consecutive working days, the member of staff must obtain prior written approval from the Head of Department.
(c) For an absence of more than 25 consecutive working days, the member of staff must apply in writing to the Dean at least one month before the proposed absence; the application must be endorsed by the Head of Department. The decision to approve or reject such an application must be reported to the Human Resources Sub-Committee (Academic & Related).
Note: A Head of Department's absence must be notified to or authorized by the Dean.
Note: For the purposes of this document, "Head of Department" should be interpreted as Head of Division where appropriate.
3. Outside paid work
A member of academic staff may apply to undertake outside paid work, such as consultancy work, not necessarily related to his/her normal work. Such an application must be made to the Research & Enterprise Office.
(See www.gla.ac.uk/R-E/int/procedures.)
4. Study leave
Each Faculty and Department should have a study-leave programme that has regard to the following guidelines:
(a) Study leave is an absence of three months or more whose purpose is to enable a member of academic staff to further his/her research or to gain significant new professional experience relevant to his/her duties. Thus it is expected that both the member of staff and his/her department will benefit from the study leave.
(b) Study leave is not an entitlement. However, a member of academic staff may reasonably expect to be granted paid study leave on the basis of one academic year in nine, or pro rata for shorter periods. In addition, unpaid study leave may be granted more frequently, subject to its academic value and the staffing needs of the department.
(c) A probationer may apply for study leave, provided that he/she can meet his/her probation objectives and Teaching & Learning Service course requirements within the specified probationary period. Probationary service counts towards the number of academic years stated in clause (b).
(d) The period of study leave normally includes the immediately-following vacation. For example, study leave from April to June normally includes the summer vacation.
The following procedure must be followed:
(1) A member of academic staff who wishes to be considered for study leave must apply in writing to the Faculty, setting out specific goals and a plan of work for the proposed study leave. The application must be made on a standard form, and must normally be submitted at least six months before the start of the proposed study leave. The application must be endorsed by the Head of Department.
(2) In considering the application, the Faculty must take into account how well the proposed study leave accords with the strategies and commitments of the Faculty and Department, and what resources if any will be needed to cover the member of staff's absence.
(3) The Faculty's decision to approve or reject the application must be reported to the Human Resources Sub-Committee (Academic & Related). The Sub-Committee will not normally override the Faculty's decision, but it reserves the right to do so.
(4) Within three months of the end of study leave, the member of staff must submit a report to the Faculty, setting out the study leave's outcomes and relating them explicitly to the goals stated in the application.
(5) The Faculty shall inform the Human Resources Sub-Committee (Academic & Related) whether the report is satisfactory or unsatisfactory. The Sub-Committee shall consider what action to take in the event of an unsatisfactory report.
Note: For the purposes of this procedure, "the Faculty" shall mean whatever internal mechanism the Faculty has put in place for the consideration of study-leave matters.
5. Unpaid leave
A member of academic staff may apply for unpaid leave, for instance to undertake work unrelated to the member of staff's normal work. The following procedure must be followed:
(a) The member of staff shall write a detailed case for the proposed unpaid leave, including its duration.
(b) The Head of Department and the Dean shall signify their support (or lack of support) by endorsing the case. Where the member of staff is him/herself currently a Head of Department or Dean, the case must be endorsed by the Principal.
(c) The Human Resources Department shall advise on any contractual or superannuation implications.
(d) The case must be reported to the Human Resources Sub-Committee (Academic & Related).
6. Secondments
A member of academic staff may be seconded to another organisation. The following procedure must be followed:
(a) The member of staff shall write a detailed case for the proposed secondment, including its duration, its location, and the nature of the work to be done. The case shall be accompanied by a letter, signed by a responsible officer of the other organization, confirming the duration, location, and nature of the work to be done.
(b) The Head of Department and the Dean shall signify their support (or lack of support) by endorsing the case. Where the member of staff is him/herself currently a Head of Department or Dean, the case must also be endorsed by the Principal.
(c) The case must be reported to the Human Resources Sub-Committee (Academic & Related).
(d) The proposed secondment shall be approved only if the case shows demonstrable long-term benefits to the member of staff's career development and to the University, and only if suitable arrangements can be made to cover the member of staff's absence.
(e) Following discussion with the Dean and Head of Department, a legal secondment agreement must be signed by the University, the member of staff, and the other organization. The secondment agreement shall cover the necessary employment issues, including pension arrangements.
(f) The secondee's salary shall normally be unpaid from University funds.
1. Introduction
This document applies to short absences and secondments for members of the academic-related (administrative, computer, library, other related, and research) staff. It is not applicable to absence on the grounds of sickness, maternity leave, or annual holiday entitlement.
All members of academic-related staff are required to attend the University in order to perform their normal duties, as stipulated by their Head of Department. Unauthorised absence that prevents the performance of such duties, or that otherwise adversely affects the running of the Department or University, is unacceptable regardless of whether the absence is in term time or vacation time.
Nevertheless, it is understood that the normal work of academic-related staff includes activities, such as attendance at conferences and meetings that may entail absence from the University.
During any short absence, members of academic-related staff must be able to be contacted by the Department if required.
2. Absences
A member of academic-related staff may pursue his/her normal work at a location other than the University, provided that the following requirements are met:
(a) For an absence of 1-4 consecutive working days, the member of staff must obtain prior approval from his/her Line Manager.
(b) For an absence of 5-25 consecutive working days, the member of staff must obtain prior written approval from his/her Line Manager and Head of Department.
(c) For an absence of more than 25 consecutive working days, the member of staff must apply in writing to the Head of Resource Unit at least one month before the proposed absence; the application must be endorsed by the Line Manager and Head of Department.
Note: For a member of staff of an academic department or faculty, the Head of Resource Unit is the Dean of the Faculty.
Note: For a research assistant, the Line Manager is the Principal Investigator; the Head of Department need be involved in (b) and (c) only if the research assistant has general departmental duties as well as research duties.
3. Outside paid work
A member of academic-related staff may apply to undertake outside paid work, such as consultancy work, not necessarily related to his/her normal work. Such an application must be made to the Research & Enterprise Office. (See www.gla.ac.uk/R-E/int/procedures.)
4. Unpaid leave
In exceptional circumstances, a member of academic-related staff may be granted unpaid leave, for instance to take up a short-term appointment elsewhere. The following procedure must be followed:
(a) The member of staff shall write a detailed case for the proposed leave, including duration, location, and the nature of the work to be done elsewhere.
(b) The Head of Department and the Head of Resource Unit shall signify their support (or lack of support) by endorsing the case. The Head of Department must show how the member of staff's work will be covered. Where the member of staff is him/herself currently a Head of Department or Head of Resource Unit, the case must also be endorsed by the Principal.
(c) The Human Resources Department shall advise on any contractual or superannuation implications.
(d) The case must be reported to the Human Resources Sub-Committee (Academic & Related).
5. Secondments
A member of academic-related staff may be seconded to another organisation. The following procedure must be followed:
(a) The member of staff shall write a detailed case for the proposed secondment, including duration, location, and the nature of the work to be done.
(b) The Head of Department and the Head of Resource Unit shall signify their support (or lack of support) by endorsing the case. The Head of Department must show how the member of staff's work will be covered. Where the member of staff is him/herself currently a Head of Department or Head of Resource Unit, the case must also be endorsed by the Principal.
(c) The case must be reported to the Human Resources Sub-Committee (Academic & Related).
(d) The proposed secondment shall be approved only if the case shows demonstrable long-term benefits to the member of staff's career development and to the University, and only if suitable arrangements can be made to cover the member of staff's absence.
(e) Following discussion with the Head of Resource Unit and Head of Department, a legal secondment agreement must be signed by the University, the member of staff, and the other organization. The secondment agreement shall cover the necessary employment issues, including pension arrangements.
(f) The secondee's salary shall normally be unpaid from University funds.
Application form for Leave
Updated October 2003
