Consultancy, secondary employment and internal work

It is common for staff from one UQ organisational unit to provide a service for another (client) UQ organisational unit.

Internal work includes the provision of work or service to or for a UQ organisational unit other than the unit to which the staff member reports, where no external client exists.

Internal work activities are to be carried out within your normal or existing workload, where possible. When the activities are substantial in nature the UQ organisational unit requesting the service may transfer funds to the unit to which you report, to cover costs incurred in providing the service.

Funds may not be transferred to individual Academic Consultancy Accounts (ACA) and you are not permitted to receive personal payments for internal work.

Where this work is substantial in nature and outside of normal workload, you may be eligible for remuneration for internal work by the home UQ organisational unit through standard remuneration processes. These include a bonus, or where the activity is recurring, through a market loading. The usual HR approval processes required for these mechanisms will apply.

Internal work excludes collaborative service teaching, work which is part of the normal service expectation and work which is minor or incidental to normal workload.

Example scenarios

These example scenarios represent situations that commonly occur at UQ. The examples are a guide only and do not cover every possible situation.

1. Internal work (academic staff)

I am an academic level D from BEL faculty and have been asked by one of the UQ institutes to provide two days training to institute leaders on strategy development.

In the past I have requested a fee of $15,000 for similar work and would invoice the Institute through my sole trader ABN.

1. Is this practice still permitted under the new policy and procedures?
2. What do I need to do before I start this work?

Response

1. Internal work includes the provision of work or service to/for a UQ organisational unit other than the unit to which the staff member reports, where no external client exists. This work would meet the definition for Internal Work (Secondary Employment and Internal Work Procedure).

Staff are not permitted to derive personal income from internal work through payments from the client UQ organisation unit, nor may staff have funds from the client UQ organisational unit transferred to a consultancy account for internal work (Secondary Employment and Internal Work Procedure). Therefore, you are not permitted to invoice UQ for this work.

Wherever possible, internal work should be carried out within the staff member’s existing workload. If it cannot be accommodated within load, staff are eligible for consideration for recognition and reward under the UQ Enterprise Agreement and UQ policies, subject to the necessary HR delegations for approval and with consideration of total existing remuneration packages (Secondary Employment and Internal Work Procedure).

It would be permissible for the Institute to transfer funds relating to the cost of the activity to BEL, and the BEL line-managers (Head of School and Exec Dean) may approve an annual bonus payment for you.

1. Internal work requires the approval of the relevant HR Authorisation Level 5 Authorised Officer (or above) prior to undertaking the work (Secondary Employment and Internal Work Procedure).

Internal work must not adversely impact on the availability of staff to perform the primary duties and responsibilities they are engaged by UQ to perform (Consultancy, Secondary Employment and Internal Work Policy).

Relevant policy and procedures

• Consultancy, Secondary Employment and Internal Work Policy
• Secondary Employment and Internal Work Procedure.