The University will soon submit an application to the Government’s Job Retention Scheme (JRS) as a result of the financial impact of Covid-19.
The scheme enables the University to ‘furlough’ or stand down workers for whom work is unavailable or not possible to do from home, due to the current Coronavirus pandemic.
As set out by the Vice Chancellor the University sector as a whole is faced with a very challenging financial outlook and Sussex is not alone. Taking advantage of this Government measure will help to ease some of the financial burden in the short-term.
There are a number of permanent and casual roles at Sussex which, whilst important to us, are very difficult or impossible to carry out when the vast majority of staff have been asked to work from home as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak.
In addition, the activity on campus has scaled back considerably with less than a fifth of student residents remaining on site.
The University has also decided to pay those casual staff who are not eligible for the scheme but who were expected to work during the identified period.
What are the features of the scheme?
If a member of staff is furloughed, they continue to remain employed with the same terms and conditions of employment. The University can then apply for a grant to recover a proportion of their wages.
The current scheme will be in operation until 31 July 2020 and allows Government funding to cover 80% of the furloughed staff’s wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month.
The University has decided that it will top up the employees’ pay so any furloughed staff member will continue to receive their full contractual pay as normal.
Staff will still be entitled to the same holiday and other staff benefits, including pension contributions.
The scheme is also open to casual staff who may have expected to work at the University during the period from the beginning of the lockdown to the end of July.
Although the Government has announced the scheme has been extended until the end of October, the detail for the period beyond July is not yet clear, so the University will be reviewing arrangements as information comes to hand.
What happens next?
Heads of School and Professional Services Divisional Directors have been working closely with Human Resources and Finance colleagues to identify staff who meet the Government’s criteria. This has been the basis for extensive discussion with the University’s Executive Group (UEG) and the subject of an audit.
Staff who are going forward to furlough will receive a letter from HR and will then have seven days to consent or opt out. UEG will then have an approved list for submission to HMRC later in June. Casual workers who cannot be furloughed, but who were scheduled to work during the lockdown period will also receive a letter outlining details and will be paid at the end of June.
What happens if I am furloughed?
It is a temporary arrangement and means you are unable to undertake any work for the University whilst on furlough. You will still be able to read emails to keep up to date with what’s going on but you will not be able to do anything else at the University which would be defined as work. Staff on Furlough will be able to undertake voluntary work during this period and work elsewhere.
How can I find out more?
Staff will be able to find the answers in these FAQs on the furlough scheme.