Pay review

Pay Review: 2025 timeline

W/C 12 May

University-wide communications will also commence, with specific guidance provided to managers, including finance costings and submitting recommendations.

W/C 19 May

Process opens: Review of all colleagues and recommendations from Heads of Departments, supported by Heads of People Function, from this date.

23 June – end of August (see below):

1 September – 30 September
Managers will be informed of the unsuccessful outcomes, after which, the approved Pay Review letters will be created and distributed.

Equality Impact Assessment and costing shared with the relevant University Management Board member.

By mid-October
Implementation in time for the October payment run.

The process is designed to objectively review each staff member’s salary in line with relevant internal benchmark data. This is to ensure parity among colleagues in similar roles across Imperial.

The Equity Pay Review criteria are:

• To address a significant misalignment of a member of staff’s salary when compared to others within the organisation who have a similar role size and profile
• To address equal pay differentials

The Achievement Pay Review is designed to objectively review staff across all Imperial job families who have made an exceptional contribution that must be in addition to the usual expectations and contributions of the role, in line with the Imperial Values and the remit of the grade, and meet the criteria listed below.

The Achievement Pay Review criteria are:

• To recognise substantial and sustained exceptional ongoing individual achievement beyond the usual expectations of the role
• To recognise substantial and exceptional one-off individual and or collaborative or team achievement beyond the usual expectations of the role.

Recommendations for achievement pay reviews should consider how individuals or teams have contributed towards and exceeded Imperial's mission in at least one of the following categories:

• Research and Innovation
• Education, Teaching and Student Experience
• Service and Contribution to Imperial

The full breakdown of the sub-criteria is available in the Pay Review Framework booklet below.

The Pay Review processes commence annually in May, and approved awards are implemented in the October payroll.

Members of staff may request a meeting with their manager to discuss their salary and how it relates to relevant internal benchmarks. However, staff are not permitted to request insight into other staff members' salaries. The Head of the People Function can support managers with salary-related requests for staff.

Recommendations are subject to a review by a Faculty/Support Services decision-making board, and all recommendations are subject to an Equality Impact Assessment and verification that consistent processes have been applied.

For substantial, sustained, and exceptional contributions, individuals will be awarded a consolidated pay increase. For exceptional one-off performance, employees will receive a one-off payment (non-consolidated and non-pensionable). Payments will be prorated accordingly for part-time staff.

What is the Pay Review?

The annual Equity and Achievement Pay Review processes enable managers to address equal pay and internal benchmarking disparities within their areas and to reward colleagues for exceptional contributions and achievements. The processes apply to all colleagues on Imperial’s terms and conditions, with the following exceptions:

• Colleagues with a live Employee Relations sanction are not eligible for the Achievement Pay process.
• Colleagues on Clinical Academic/NHS/Agenda for Change pay scales are not eligible for consideration in relation to the Equity Review criteria, or the Achievement criterion relating to ‘ongoing individual achievement’, but can be considered for awards recognising ‘one-off’ individual achievements for university activities.

The process applies to all colleagues on Imperial terms and conditions, except for those with a live Employee Relations sanction.

What is the Equity Pay Review process?

The Equity Pay Review is one aspect of the Pay Review. The Equity Pay Review process is to ensure that pay is consistent, fair, and balanced across roles so that colleagues receive equal pay for work of equal value. This is a legal requirement; however, it differs from the gender pay gap, which measures the differences between the average pay of male and female colleagues regardless of their role or seniority. 

What are the criteria for Equity Pay Review awards?

1. To address a significant misalignment of a colleague's salary when compared to others within the organisation who have similar role size and profiles
2. To address equal pay differentials

 More information on pay differences for similar roles is available in the managers’ guidance.

What is the Achievement Pay Review process?

This aspect of the Pay Review process is designed to objectively review and identify colleagues across all university job families who have demonstrated exceptional achievement.

What are the criteria for Achievement Pay Review awards?

1. To recognise substantial and sustained exceptional ongoing individual achievement beyond the expectations of excellent performance in the role.
2. To recognise substantial and exceptional one-off individual achievement beyond the usual expectations of the role.

Exceptional contributions by colleagues must go beyond the usual expectations of their role, as outlined in their job description.

Can an employee approach their line manager to be considered under the Pay Review process?

Employees may request meetings with their line manager to discuss their pay, but the outcome of any pay review decision should not be communicated unless the recommendation is approved.

Is there a link between the ARC process and the pay review process?

There is no formal link between the two; however, the outcomes of the Annual Review Conversations (ARCs) will be one source of information to consider in the Pay Review Process.

How will the Equity and Achievement Pay awards be funded?

When considering awards for members of your team/department, please note that any charges will be billed back to the applicable budget/cost centre. It is imperative to ensure sufficient funds are available to cover these awards.

For colleagues funded by Research Grants, under the terms and conditions of the UK Research and Innovation body (UKRI), salary increases and one-off payments as part of the Pay Review process are not eligible for charging to research council awards or other externally funded research projects/grants. These increases/payments are also an ineligible cost for Imperial’s other core funders, including:

• European Commission
• CRUK
• Royal Society
• Welcome Trust

Therefore, departments must ensure that the relevant budgets/cost centres can cover these payments for externally funded Research colleagues, as they cannot be charged back to the external grant/funds.

Is the onus on the individual or the manager with this process?

The process is openly advertised, with details publicly posted online, and employees are entitled to speak with their manager about it if they wish. However, the onus is on the manager to review the dashboard data and all individual salaries, not just those who have come to them for initial conversations. This is to ensure that everyone is fairly reviewed.

How can I view a colleague’s individual pay data?

You can view this on the ‘Pay Review Table’ and ‘Pay Review Table for Extract’ pages on the Power BI dashboard. The ‘Progression status’ column demonstrates where a colleague currently sits within their grade.

Further information on how to approach awards is available in the Managers’ guidance.

Who has access to the Power BI dashboard data?

Department-level managers/Heads of Departments (HoDs) will have access to the data. Managers below this level who wish to recommend a member of their team must submit a request to their HoD or senior manager.

How can I review other roles (outside my team/area) which are comparable to the roles my colleagues are undertaking?

You can only view comparable roles within your team/area. You will not be able to view colleagues' roles/salary information outside your team. The Heads of People and the HoD/Director/senior manager for your area will have wider oversight of data outside your team if you have concerns or queries about comparators. The Strategic Partnering and Reward team within the People Function will also review all data and comparable roles from a broader university perspective.

Would the Pay Review be applicable to teams who have individuals that are paid less than some of their colleagues (i.e. due to historic pay awards)

If it is found that some individuals’ salaries are out of sync with their colleagues', other factors need to be considered regarding the natural progression through the grade. The following elements should be considered: whether the colleagues being compared are working at the same level and delivering the same output in their roles; whether they started at the same salary; and whether there were any market differences when they commenced employment at Imperial. The dashboards will also provide information on each colleague’s previous Pay Review awards, if they have had any. In this scenario, it would be advisable to review their history since being employed by Imperial and to discuss this with the Head of People for your area.

If there are no comparable roles within the division, can the role be compared with other divisions, and if so, how could this evidence be obtained?

In this scenario, you will be advised to speak with your Head of People. They will have access to the data and will review comparable roles across the organisation during the analysis. The senior managers with access to the Pay Review dashboard can also view the Faculty and Imperial benchmarks.

Are managers expected to do analysis on external benchmarks as part of this (e.g. from other Russell Group organisations)? If yes, is there a dashboard, or do we do our own research?

This process is very much focused on internal benchmarking.

What types of awards are available?

• For substantial, sustained, and exceptional contributions and achievements, individuals may be awarded a consolidated pay increase.
• For a one-off exceptional achievement, employees will receive a one-off payment (non-consolidated and non-pensionable).
• Colleagues who have reached the maximum spine point for their grade and/or discretionary range can be awarded a one-off payment only.
• Both consolidated increases to pay and one-off payments will be prorated accordingly for part-time employees.
• Employees on fixed salaries can be awarded either a consolidated pay award or a one-off payment.
• Further detail is provided in the Managers’ Guidance.

When submitting pay recommendations for colleagues, do awards need to be within the staff member’s grade, or can they be advanced to the next grade?

The awards must be within grades. You can view internal benchmarking data in the Power BI dashboards to see where staff sit within their grade range. If the staff member is already at the top of their grade and would be better placed in a higher grade, this should be considered under the Promotions process or the Establishment Review process. You can speak to the Head of People for your area for further guidance on this.

What is the process for those at the top of their automatic increments who request an increment into the 'discretionary' increment range?

If contribution points are available within the employee’s grade, they can be awarded an additional increment to bring them into the grade's contribution range. They must meet the criteria in the Achievement Pay Review Framework in addition to being in line with Imperial’s Values. If it isn’t available, they can be considered for a one-off payment.

What is the guidance on the amounts to be used for ‘one-off’ payments?

This information is available but has not been communicated widely to the rest of Imperial. You can contact your Head of Department and/or your Head of People to obtain this information if required.

How would team contributions and achievement awards be agreed upon if team members are in different departments?

It is essential that you discuss and agree on recommendations with the other line managers/HoDs for these individuals, and on how the awards will be funded (which budget/cost centre they will be paid from). There also needs to be consideration for which individuals within that team have performed exceptionally above the normal requirements of their role.

What if I am unsure of the contributions and achievements of certain individuals (particularly if they have moved teams throughout the year)?

You should seek feedback from previous line managers/HoDs who have worked with the employee to ensure everyone is considered fairly.

How can HoDs submit recommendations for pay awards?

All recommendations must be submitted via the Pay Review Recommendations Form supplied by Reward. An instructions tab will be available in the spreadsheet, providing detailed guidance on completing and submitting the form. 
HoDs will be expected to submit a supporting statement detailing evidence of the employee's exceptional contributions and achievements. 

What is the supporting statement, and how long should it be?

The supporting statement is an important part of the recommendation process. Statements must provide clear, specific examples of either how the employee is working beyond the usual expectations of their role or the disparity in the employee’s salary. Statements will be scrutinised, and the recommendation may be rejected if they do not provide sufficient detail. There is a maximum word limit of 300 words.
Strategic Support can share a separate guidance note on writing supporting statements for managers.

How should I approach making recommendations for awards?

• Using data in the Power BI dashboard, managers should review internal benchmarking for their area, along with the gender and ethnicity analyses. Together, these resources will enable managers to identify where current pay equity issues exist (by gender and ethnicity) and help determine where pay awards should be focused to address them.
• Review the criteria set out in the Pay Review Framework and the Managers’ Guidance, which can help you to identify individuals who have demonstrated exceptional contribution and achievement beyond the requirements of their role.
• The outcomes from the ARC process that have been undertaken with staff can also be used to inform your decisions on potential recommendations (and can also provide a basis for the evidence required in the submissions). These, along with other conversations and employee feedback sessions, can be considered part of the overall review of an employee’s performance.
• Pay benchmarking is the comparison of an employee's salary to the midpoint (median) and/or upper quartile of their grade. This can help with decision-making: you may choose to award a higher pay increase to someone at the lower end of the pay scale and limit increases for those near the top. You can also use this information to evaluate where employees are in the internal market.
• The Managers’ Guidance will also provide additional clarity.

Managers will be expected to submit a supporting statement as part of the recommendation process, providing specific, detailed evidence demonstrating how the employee’s salary differs from others and the remedial action required.  

For achievement awards, managers will need to include evidence of the employee’s exceptional contribution and achievements when making decisions and submitting recommendations (whilst always applying equal treatment and fairness).

I have someone in my area who is the only one in Imperial with a particular role. Other organisations are offering them higher salaries. How can we match pay to alleviate the risk of losing staff to other organisations?

Please contact the Head of People for your area for further guidance.

Is there a limit on the number of recommendations that Faculties/Departments can submit?

No. If an exceptional employee meets the Pay Review Framework criteria, they should be considered for a pay award. All recommendations will be reviewed by Local Decision-Making Boards, who will also be reviewing the overall costs of pay awards.

What is the timeline for the Pay Review?

The pay review process will commence in May, and approved awards will be implemented in the October payroll. From the start of the process, Heads of Department (HoDs) have a 5-week window to submit recommendations for individual and team pay awards within their area. Individual colleagues may approach their line manager to discuss their pay, which may prompt a recommendation to the relevant HoD.

How will the recommendations be reviewed and approved?

The recommendations will be reviewed by local decision-making boards (at the Faculty/Support Service area level). The Board members will ensure that the submitted recommendations meet the criteria and include the appropriate evidence. Outcomes of Equality Impact Assessments will also inform decisions around individual pay awards. The Board membership is likely to include Dean(s), Vice-Dean(s), Faculty Operating Officers, Support Services Directors and Deputy Directors, and Heads of People.

When should I inform individuals that they have been offered an award?

You must not inform individuals that they have been recommended for an award until the pay awards have been formally agreed.

What information can I use to aid the decision-making?

• Pay Review web page
• Pay Review - Managers Guidance
• Salary pay scales for each job family
• Strategic Support
• Power BI Dashboards
• Imperial Values