In the Vice-Chancellor’s email update sent to all staff on 20 April 2020, colleagues were informed that the University was exploring use of the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS, often referred to as ‘furlough’).
We can now confirm that, after careful consideration, a small number of externally funded Professional Services roles within our University have been identified as eligible for the scheme. A group of affected individuals have been contacted directly by their line managers.
As the guidance surrounding the external funding of certain roles continues to develop, additional colleagues from Professional Services and the research and enterprise community may need to be placed on Furlough Leave over the course of the scheme. We will communicate any further updates over the coming days.
Colleagues can find detailed information on the University’s use of the CJRS on HR’s dedicated FAQs page. We’ve also included an overview of some key points:
- The University is using the CJRS for externally funded roles where the following two criteria are met –
- working is not currently possible due to the impact of COVID-19, and
- funding for the role has stopped, paused or been deferred.
- In line with Government guidance, we won’t be using the scheme for roles funded from public funding sources – such as UK home student tuition fees – which are being maintained.
- Colleagues who are placed on furlough will continue to receive their full pay and benefits. The CJRS will provide 80% of the funding and the University will ‘top up’ the grant so that furloughed workers will receive their full contractual salary.
