Holiday
Please note, TSS Holiday pay is changing.
If you started working for the TSS before 1st of April 2024 and you have not entered a new leave year since 1st of April 2024, please see the Previous TSS Holiday arrangements section.
As a TSS worker you will accrue holiday on the hours you work at a rate that is equivalent to 38 days per year pro rata. Your holiday will be paid to you during the same payroll month you accrue it and the holiday hours will be clearly itemised on your payslip.
We recommend that you set aside some of this holiday pay to cover periods when the University is closed (e.g. Bank Holidays and fixed closure periods) or you have time off work. The fixed closure periods vary slightly by department/college and it is rare for temporary workers to be required to work on these days, or on Bank Holidays. If your assignment crosses the Christmas period, most departments and colleges have a fixed closure period of at least a week, but you should check your schedule with your manager.
If you wish to take time off during an assignment please agree this with your manager in advance. There are various reasons why a department or college might not be able to accommodate your time off, but if you feel your manager is unreasonably preventing you from taking leave, please contact the TSS.
You do not need to submit a holiday request to the TSS. If there are entire weeks where you don’t undertake any work at all, you may want to submit the blank (zero hours) timesheet, so that the timesheet is no longer visible on the TSS Portal.
You may find that time off between assignments, in addition to Bank Holidays and University closure periods, provides you with adequate time to rest and recuperate. If you are undertaking a longer-term assignment we strongly encourage you to plan additional time off.
Previous TSS Holiday arrangements
This section is relevant to temporary workers who began working through the TSS before 1st of April 2024 and haven’t entered a new holiday year since 1st of April 2024.
As a TSS worker you will accrue holiday on the hours you work at a rate that is equivalent to 38 days per year. Every time you submit a timesheet 17.1% of these hours will be added to your holiday account.
If you wish to take time off during your assignment please inform your manager. To request payment for these hours please submit a holiday request form to us. If you don’t have enough holiday accrued in your account at that point we will pay out what you have and the rest will be unpaid leave.
All holiday request forms must be submitted before the payroll deadlines in order to be processed in that month’s pay.
You will automatically be paid for bank holidays and University fixed closure dates from your holiday account unless you are working or wish to opt out. You will receive communication from us regarding the process during payroll months where this applies.
Your holiday year commences on the day you start your first TSS assignment. All holiday payments must be made within that year as we are unable to carry over any accrual.
Staff benefits
As a temporary worker you can enjoy a range of discounts available with your University staff card. You can also access free online training courses by logging into Self Service Learning with your University email.
Working at the University
While you are working for TSS you will be eligible to apply for ‘internal only’ vacancies. Please visit Oxford University Jobs for more information.
The University of Oxford is committed to being a Living Wage employer. All workers will be paid the Living Wage rate or above.
We are proud that our organisation is one of Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers for diversity and inclusion. The University also holds bronze awards for race and gender equality.
The University of Oxford offers a diverse environment and we hope that working with TSS will give you a varied and rewarding experience.
Still have a question?
Contact us on 01865 612360 or email tssinfo@admin.ox.ac.uk.
