UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD
HERA Project
Higher Education Role Analysis
The HERA Project:- Briefing Note
What is HERA?
HERA stands for Higher Education Role Analysis. It is used to systematically analyse all roles found in Higher Education.
It is recognised throughout the sector that there are special difficulties in grading the wide range of jobs undertaken in Higher Education institutions in a fair, equitable and consistent way. Although different job evaluation schemes exist, there is a general lack of confidence that these schemes can really cover the diversity of HE jobs. HERA was developed especially for the HE sector.
HERA. produces a total points score which can be used to assess the relative value of the roles in a consistent and equitable manner. It also creates role descriptions and profiles which can be used to support recruitment, selection and promotion, training and development needs analysis and career planning.
Information is obtained by Role Analysts through structured meetings with Role holders, and is recorded in detail. The written documentation is supported by computer software.
It is important to understand that HERA is not about how well you perform in your job. It is not an appraisal interview, and the pilot scheme does not have any links to the appraisal scheme. It is a means of identifying the factors that make up your job.
HERA is owned by the Educational Competence Consortium (ECC) Ltd. Membership gives access to user support and training, networks, provision of information and continued development of the product. The University of Bradford is a founder member of ECC Ltd.
Why are we doing it?
It is important to the University, as a good employer, that we grade all jobs in a consistent way, and reward people fairly for the differing levels of skills and responsibility that their roles require. An effective job evaluation scheme also helps the University to meet its obligations under current pay legislation, which requires ‘equal pay for work of equal value’.
We therefore need a reliable way of assessing the value of all the different jobs in the University, compared with each other.
How will HERA affect me?
The scheme will examine a number of ‘benchmark’ jobs, chosen to give a broad picture of range of jobs undertaken in the University. We estimate that this will cover around 20-22% of employees. This is quite a high number, but we want to be sure that we look at as wide a range as possible.
People holding the posts that we decide to look at (‘Role holders’) will then be asked to take part in a meeting with a trained Role Analyst to discuss their jobs in detail.
If you hold one of the selected posts, we hope that you will be willing to take part in the HERA scheme. In some cases, we might ask a small number of people who do the same jobs to take part in joint or group interviews. We will be holding short briefing sessions with Role holders to share more detailed information, and answer any questions before the meetings with Role Analysts begin.
Role Holders will also receive a Guide to the questions the Role Analyst will be asking, prior to the meeting taking place.
All the Unions recognised by the University (except AUT) support HERA and have a senior representative who has attended training in HERA and role analysis. They will be able to give you independent advice if you have any concerns.
You may also bring your Union representative to the meeting as an observer if you feel more comfortable doing this. The contacts in the Unions, and others, are given at the foot of this note.
If you are not a selected Role holder, you can of course still discuss any concerns about HERA with any of the people listed as contacts.
What will Role holders have to do?
Role holders will be first asked to outline the purpose and main duties of their role. A copy of the job description and a simple diagram showing key reporting relationships would also help the Role Analyst understand what the role comprises.
Role holders will then be taken through each of the 14 HERA job elements and asked to answer questions about their role. The Role Analyst will be gathering evidence to assess the main requirements of the role, not situations in which a Role holder has developed out of personal interest or rare or extreme examples of activities they might have undertaken.
Some of the questions may seem obvious to someone doing the job, but Role holders will need to ensure that their answers will help the Analyst understand their role in detail. Remember that you are the expert on what your job involves!
A meeting will typically last 2-3 hours. There are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers, Role holders just need to give normal, typical examples of what they are required to do.
After the meeting or discussion, someone who knows the role well and has the necessary authority to do so will confirm the information the Role holder has given. If there is any difference of view, this will be discussed with the Role holder so that, at the end, an accurate and full description/representation of the role can be compiled.
The Role holder will be given a description and profile of their role and will have the opportunity to ask for the information to be explained as necessary.
HERA Contacts
Helen DewhirstProject Managerext. 5169
Anne CopleyProject Administratorext. 5168/6046
Fiona MartinRole Analyst/Expert Userext. 3092
Graham PearsonAEEU representativeext. 4656
Sue WilsonUNISON representativeext. 4996
Glenn LeedhamGMB representativeext. 4885
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HERA Briefing Note.docHMD 10/04/03