Workforce Management Guideline – Academic Workloads and Faculty Boards of Review  

Parent policy

Workforce Management Policy

Preamble

The following guidelines are to govern the operation of Faculty Boards of Review under the academic workloads provisions of clause 60 of the Monash University Enterprise Agreement (Academic and Professional Staff) 2009 (the “Enterprise Agreement”) and operate subject to the provisions of clause 60.

1. Appeal to a Faculty Board of Review

An eligible staff member wishing to appeal to a Faculty Board of Review under clause 60.14 of the Enterprise Agreement is to lodge his/her appeal in writing with the relevant Dean, fully setting out the staff member’s workload, the staff member's concerns and also identifying the workload that the staff member considers would not be unreasonable.

On receipt of a staff member’s written appeal, the Dean will arrange for a Faculty Board of Review to be established within 10 working days where practicable and will appoint the Chair of the Board.  The Board will convene to consider the matter within five working days of its establishment, or such further period as determined by the Chair.  The Deputy Executive Director, Monash HR (or his/her nominee) will be Secretary to the Board.

The Board of Review will consist of no more than 3 members and will normally be chaired by the Dean.  Where the appeal is against a workload decision of the Dean, the Board of Review will be chaired by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) or his/her nominee, and in those circumstances reference to the Dean in these guidelines will be read as references to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education).

2. Faculty Board of Review Proceedings

At the time of its establishment the Board will be provided with a full copy of the staff member’s written appeal and a copy of the appropriate workload model.  A copy of the written appeal will also be provided to the staff member’s supervisor and Head of Department/School, and they will be invited to provide any comments or information that they wish to provide.

The Board may, if it determines necessary or appropriate, require the supervisor or Head of Department/School or the staff member to submit further information or to attend in person to provide further details of the workload allocation and operational requirements or, in the case of the staff member, the staff member’s concerns.

The Board’s review will take into consideration the staff member’s written appeal, any comments and information provided by the staff member’s supervisor and/or Head of Department/School, the operational needs and requirements of the Department or School, the Faculty and the University as applicable, any relevant guidance from the appropriate workload model and the factors referred to in clause 60.13 of the Enterprise Agreement.

The conduct of the review will otherwise be as determined by the Chair.

The Board will operate on a consensus basis.

3.  Recommended Remedies

Where the Faculty Board of Review is satisfied that the allocation of workload or hours is unreasonable it may recommend:

• that the supervisor consider the workload allocation further, with a view to alleviating the unreasonable workload;
• an alternative proposal for consideration of the staff member, the supervisor and the Head of Department/School which also takes into account the effect on the workload of the staff member and of other academic staff within the work unit.

If the Faculty Board of Review is not satisfied that the allocation of workload or hours is unreasonable it may recommend to the staff member that the workload be accepted by the staff member.  This recommendation may be made with or without any additional conditions that the Board may wish to recommend for the consideration of the staff member, the supervisor and/or the Head of Department/School.

Related Enterprise Agreement Clauses

• Clause 12 – Dispute Resolution Procedure
• Clause 60 – Academic Workloads