You are now able to request annual leave and record sickness absence through Staff Connect; the University’s integrated HR and Payroll system.
This is part of the continuing development of Staff Connect which aims to streamline our HR processes and extend employee and manager self-service, providing a one-stop-shop for as many HR activities as possible.
With this new module, requests for annual leave will be automatically forwarded to line managers to authorise. If your line-manager does not usually authorise your annual leave, they can delegate this responsibility to another member of their team. User guides for both managers and staff regarding delegation set up and management are available on the Staff Connect Delegation page.
Staff Connect replaces existing local systems of recording leave and absence. If you have annual leave already booked or agreed for 2019, it will need to be re-entered into Staff Connect. This can be done retrospectively for staff who have taken leave in the first days of the New Year.
As well as booking annual leave, sickness absence also needs to be reported and recorded via Staff Connect which will automatically inform the Pay Office of your absences. This means paper-based or electronic sickness absence forms no longer need to be submitted to the Pay Office. You will also be able to securely upload any doctors’ notes or medical certificates into the system which will reduce the amount of sensitive personal data that is currently recorded on paper and sent via internal mail.
Managers will also be able to record other absences for their team including compassionate leave, academic visits and trade union duties.
For colleagues in European centres, local arrangements will continue as usual.
If you have any questions about Staff Connect and the launch of this new module, there is further guidance and support available, including;
- Support sessions – available in January and February 2019
- Overview for managers of annual leave and absence management
- User guides for employees
- User guides for managers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Who to contact for further support (pdf)
This is the latest update in the Staff Connect Phase 2 project. The new staff recruitment system, replacing i-Grasp, will go live in February.