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Parts of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 came into effect on 1 August 2025. These strengthen the legal duties of universities in relation to free speech and academic freedom. Regulation of the new duties is undertaken by the Office for Students (OfS), which has published regulatory guidance on the topic. The University is fully committed to securing and promoting freedom of speech within the law for staff, students and visiting speakers in all activities relating to academic life. The University’s Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech sets out the University’s values, approach and associated procedures in detail. This policy/guidance/information is currently being reviewed against the OfS’ regulatory guidance. Any amendments arising from the review will be subject to approval being sought through the University’s normal governance processes. In the meantime, this policy/guidance/information is to be interpreted and applied in a manner consistent with the Code of Practice; in the case of any perceived conflict, the provisions of the Code of Practice will take precedence insofar as that is lawful and reasonably practicable. For further information on the new legislation, please see the Governance and Compliance Division website. |
Redeployment Support
Support in seeking redeployment will be offered to all employees who have been placed at risk of redundancy, including those employed on fixed-term contracts. Employees will be provided with details of where the University advertises its vacancies, and a list of current vacancies can be sent to those without access to a computer. Staff may seek support from their relevant HR School Team, who can provide assistance in preparing job applications, CVs and cover letters. Advice can also be sought on job and training opportunities at the University and how to go about obtaining feedback from recruiting managers.
The following additional resources and sources of support are available to employees as set out below:
The Career Transition Service provides expert, confidential and impartial support to employees at risk of redundancy, as a result of organisational change (as defined under the University’s Organisational Change Policy), with the aim of maximising their opportunities of securing alternative employment. Support includes access to on-call consultants, daily job alerts, connections to recruiters, career coaching, and upskilling and training resources.
This service is currently provided by LHH Penna Ltd, who are a specialist career transition support provider. HR Schools Teams arrange referrals to the service for affected staff.
The University’s Careers Service provides comprehensive careers support for post-doctoral staff, including one-to-one appointments with dedicated Careers Advisers. Its extensive online resources are also available to any employee via its website and by registering with Handshake (instructions for setting up a Handshake account can be found here).
In particular, staff should visit Careers Support for Postdocs, Finding Jobs & Work Experience and Applying for jobs, which offer guidance on CV writing, interviewing and psychometric testing. A summary of key support offered by the Careers Service can also be found here.
The University’s Personal and Professional Development team offers a range of development opportunities:
- A three-part Career Development Programme for Professional Services staff including a workshop, one-to-one career coaching session and access to the University’s Online Career Development Tool.
- Tools to help staff identify any gaps in skills and attributes with suggestions for development opportunities to progress to a new role (see Career development tools)
- Guidance on searching and applying for jobs: search for a job and apply for a job (a comprehensive guide to CV and interview preparation).
- A LinkedIn learning pathway curated by PPD to help you Managing your Career. To sign-up to, and access LinkedIn learning, please follow the instructions on the UIS webpage.
- Careers Essentials Collections from the University Careers Service are also available on LinkedIn Learning including Building Your Network, Get Recruitment Ready, and Career Planning Tools. Although these resources are primarily directed at undergraduates, postgraduates and postdocs there are some useful pointers and techniques that can be applied to the non-academic employment market.
- Resources for longer-term career planning: assess where you are now, identify your career goals and look for career opportunities and resources to help you find out about different careers.
Other support
- A LinkedIn Learning pathway curated by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team: Coping with uncertainty and change.
- The University’s Staff Counselling Centre
- Wellbeing SharePoint Site
- Trade unions
The University’s Redeployment Framework
Employees may also be eligible to be treated as a priority candidate under the University’s Redeployment Framework.