Introduction to the Casual Workforce Project
The purpose of the workforce project is to review how the University manages and engages its casual workforce and to implement effective and efficient processes, including the:
- introduction of the casual worker management system to manage and pay casual staff; and
- development of a more strategic approach to workforce planning, to ensure that staff are engaged on the most appropriate contract.
The project aims to facilitate cultural change across the University in the engagement and employment of casual staff and improve the experience of casual workers when interacting with the University.
Progress
- The Cambridge Casual Worker System (CCWS) was introduced in 2022 to help engage and manage our casual workforce in an efficient and effective way. Over 11,000 workers are now registered in the system for work at the University.
- New Workforce Policy and Procedural Guidelines were introduced, setting out the University's approach to engaging its workforce and describing the contractual arrangements available for use by the University’s institutions. These set out the circumstances in which each contractual arrangement should be used for employees, workers and contracts for services.
- A Decision Tree was also introduced to enable institutions to decide whether an individual should be engaged as an employee, worker or self-employed. This Decision Tree is currently under review and will be further updated in 2027.
- A review of the status of hourly paid workers who are teaching was carried out within departments to determine whether they should move to employment contracts.
- A new Guaranteed Minimum Hours Contract will be available from January 2027 for staff on the Teaching & Scholarship Academic Career Pathway, where individuals are teaching in a flexible, variable hours way on an ongoing basis. The new employment contract will guarantee a minimum number of hours of work per annum.