52. Workloads

52.1. The University will ensure that workload allocation and the supporting policies:

    1. are equitable, transparent, and sustainable, without risks to health and safety of staff;
    2. enable a balance between working life and family/social responsibilities;
    3. enable workload allocation monitoring via transparent and fair mechanisms through which staff members can address issues and pursue disputes; and
    4. ensure that a staff member’s inability to meet unreasonable workloads does not constitute unsatisfactory performance.

    52.2. Each staff member’s workload will be allocated in an equitable and transparent manner and agreed with the staff member, and be recorded in the performance and development process having regard to the:

      1. organisational requirements of the local area;
      2. staff member’s level of appointment;
      3. career and work goals established as part of the performance and development process; and
      4. leave entitlements and the approved leave plans of the staff member.

      52.3. Supervisors will ensure that any proposed or actual significant variations to work in an area, including any change proposal under clause 70, do not have unreasonable workload implications.

      52.4. Supervisors will ensure that planned absences or vacancies do not have unreasonable workload implications.

        Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workload recognition

        52.5. The University acknowledges that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members have commitments and obligations to maintain their relationship to Country, their communities and to the broader community. These commitments will be recognised in the staff member’s individual workloads.

        52.6. The University further acknowledges that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island staff may at times bear an additional, and sometimes unrecognised, cultural load within a workplace where there are a few or no other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This cultural load will be agreed and recognised within the staff member’s workload.

          Academic workloads factors

          52.7. Academic workloads for teaching and research staff will ensure a well-balanced portfolio across education and related duties, research and scholarship and service. All continuing academic staff will be expected to undertake self-directed research and/or scholarship activity.

          52.8. Because of the diversity of academic work and noting that there are no standard hours during which such work would normally be performed, the parties recognise the right of academic staff to be able to self-manage responsibly the distribution of work time, and the location of work.

          52.9. Each Academic work area will develop and maintain a workload model consistent with the terms of this Agreement. Workload models will:

            1. be based on research, program and course requirements;
            2. be developed in consultation with staff members whose workloads are determined in accordance with this clause;
            3. set out a transparent correlation between clause 52.12 below and the hours of individual allocated workload;
            4. include all activities of academic work;
            5. determine whether it is appropriate for HDR supervision to be considered as teaching and teaching-related, or as research;
            6. accurately reflect the time required to do the work; and
            7. be reviewed in collaboration with staff members on an annual basis.

            52.10. Proposed academic workload models developed and/or reviewed in accordance with clause 52.9 above will be provided to those staff members whose workloads are to be determined by the model for agreement. Once consensus of a majority of those staff members has been reached, the workload model will be implemented and staff members will be provided with access to the model.

            52.11. In relation to teaching activities required for course delivery, each Academic work area will establish and maintain collegial processes to ensure equitable application of workload models and program and course-based workload allocations.

            52.12. The required duties of academic staff will be agreed so they can be reasonably expected to be completed in a professional and competent manner within an average of 37.5 hours per week. Hence academic staff will not be directly instructed to work more than 1725 hours per year.

            52.13. The parties recognise that the ratio of students (EFTSL) to non-casual staff (non-casual FTE) with teaching duties is a measure of the demand on staff time. If allowed to increase unreasonably it can compromise the quality of the University’s teaching and research training programs. It is recognised, however, that many factors can affect student-staff ratio, including the staffing profile of an academic organisational unit, and changes in enrolment patterns. Nevertheless, except in those circumstances where the University has an established target for growth, the University will use its best endeavours to ameliorate increased demands on staff time.

            52.14. In determining the allocation of academic workloads and their qualifications, a range of factors will be taken into account, including but not limited to the following:

              1. needs of early career academic staff to establish their research, education and service profile;
              2. linking research activities to teaching;
              3. modes of delivery, including face–to-face teaching, on-line teaching and blended learning;
              4. the level and complexity of courses taught;
              5. preparation for teaching, curriculum development and the development of courses materials;
              6. class size for lectures, tutorials, seminars and laboratory groups;
              7. supervision and mentoring of staff and students;
              8. the number of students taught;
              9. research, scholarship and creative production undertaken;
              10. requirements for professional development;
              11. field work supervision;
              12. internal and external professional and consulting work;
              13. service and community outreach, including participation in committees, administration and leadership activities;
              14. international commitments; and
              15. any carer’s responsibilities.

              Professional staff workloads

              52.15. Professional staff will be allocated a workload that is manageable within their ordinary hours of work as defined by clause 18.

              52.16. Supervisors are responsible for the ongoing management of workloads in consultation with staff.

              52.17. Workloads will be discussed with the staff member and determined on an equitable, reasonable and balanced basis taking into consideration:

                1. the staff member's appointment fraction (for part-time staff); and
                2. the position description, the staff member’s skills and capabilities and any development needs of the staff member.

                52.18. It is recognised that reasonable overtime may, from time to time, be required to meet operational needs of the University, and it is the responsibility of supervisors to ensure that expectations are not placed on professional staff to perform work for which they receive no payment or time off in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Agreement.

                52.19. Supervisors will ensure that, where an agreement exists to take overtime as time off in lieu in accordance with clause 27, sufficient workload adjustments will be made to facilitate the taking of the time off in lieu.

                  Resolving workload concerns

                  52.20. The process within the Dispute avoidance and settlement provisions (clause 77) can be utilised by staff members to resolve concerns relating to their workload allocation.

                     

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