Staff Interchange Scheme

Preamble

The Information Technology & Resources (ITR) Staff Interchange Scheme (ITRSIS) is an arrangement whereby ITR staff are encouraged to "swap" positions with suitably qualified staff in other departments or units and whereby departmental staff may work for a period in ITR.

The concepts behind the scheme are to improve the relationship between ITR and academic departments and to further the mutual understanding of the needs and aspirations of each.

It is considered that by so doing the quality of computing services throughout the University will be improved.

1. Interchange Arrangements

The basic scheme envisages two types of arrangement whereby staff of departments would spend some time working in ITR to broaden their skills, to enhance their knowledge of the work undertaken by ITR and to provide improved services throughout the University:

1. Where a suitable general match of skills is available, a staff member from ITR and a staff member from a Faculty/Division may exchange roles for a negotiated period. Generally the period will be between 6 weeks and 6 months. Special arrangements may be considered where there is not a complete overlap of skills.
2. Where there is not a suitable match of skills:
   1. a staff member from a Faculty/Division may be seconded to ITR for a negotiated period to acquire specific skills or general knowledge of ITR operations;

   and/or

   2. a staff member from ITR may be seconded to another area of the University to gain specific skills or undertake specific agreed tasks.

Under either scheme, all costs are borne by the staff member's "parent" section.

Normally, because of the workload carried by ITR and its responsibility to provide services to a wide range of users, it is difficult to consider a secondment of a member of ITR staff to another area without a corresponding secondment to ITR. However, ITR is prepared to consider such an arrangement in circumstances where funding can be provided to enable ITR to employ additional staff or where it is otherwise possible to ensure that it can continue to meet its ongoing responsibilities. This could include cases where by virtue of the secondment ITR's workload would be reduced for the period of the secondment.

2. General principles to be followed

General principles to be followed to ensure that the scheme has the support of all parties are:

1. Both the Head of Faculty/Division and the Director, ITR agree that the arrangement proposed is acceptable.
2. Any member of staff involved agrees to the arrangement proposed.
3. The duration of the arrangement is a matter of negotiation among all involved parties.
4. During any period of exchange or secondment, the staff will be responsible to the head of the area in which they are working for day-to-day management but to the head of the "parent" section for all other matters.
5. The question of leave during exchanges or secondments is negotiated among all parties and resolved prior to the arrangement commencing.
6. All salary and salary-related costs are borne by the "parent" section.
7. In the event that any of the parties involved determines that an exchange or secondment is not working, the arrangement may be terminated at any time by agreement between the Director, ITR and the relevant Head of Faculty/Division.