This policy document is currently under review to reflect The Australian National University Enterprise Agreement 2023-2026, which came into effect on 5 December 2023. Until this has been reviewed, the new Enterprise Agreement will take precedence over the provisions outlined in this document.

Policy: Outside work for professional staff

Purpose

To inform professional staff of the University's policy on work outside ANU.

Overview

The University's policy on work outside the ANU by professional staff.

Scope

This Policy applies across the University.

Definitions

Outside work means work performed for another employer, or by the staff member as a private consultant, outside their contracted hours of employment with the University. It also includes outside work performed while a staff member is on paid or unpaid leave by the University.

Policy Statement

Policy Intent

The University does not expect to have control over outside work undertaken by professional staff unless:

The outside work appears to be affecting the staff member's work performance at the University. This situation can only be assessed by the supervisor on a case by case basis. An example would be performing activities associated with the outside work during hours of employment for the University. or;
The outside work is a potential health hazard which may prevent or limit the staff member's ability to carry out their University duties. Without limiting the nature of potential health hazards, examples would be where the number of outside hours worked preclude adequate rest periods between hours of work for the University; the nature of the work is similar to that performed at the University and raises the potential for overuse injury, or;
the nature of the outside work is such that there appears to be some actual or probable conflict of interest arising out of the dual employment. For example, the staff member with a delegation for authorising the purchase of items of equipment/services working for a University supplier. or;
the outside work utilises University resources or Intellectual Property. or;
the outside work could be perceived to be performed by or on behalf of the University.

Implementation

The staff member will notify his or her supervisor of any regular outside work prior to commencing such work. The supervisor and the staff member will discuss and identify any potential conflicts arising from clause 1 above. Where the supervisor concludes that the nature of the outside work falls into any of these categories, they will advise the staff member, in writing, of the nature of the conflict(s), the impact on the work area which would be unacceptable, the steps the staff member must take to minimise conflict, and a caution that the conflict jeopardises employment with the University. Work may not commence until the supervisor indicates in writing that arrangements for the outside work are satisfactory to the University.

Review

A supervisor can review the arrangements at any time and, where appropriate, revoke their approval. Without limiting the generality of the circumstance, likely instances would be where the requirements of the work area change, or where the supervisor believes that the outside work is having an adverse effect on the staff member's University work. It is expected that where approval to engage in outside work is withdrawn, the staff member will be fully informed of the reasons and the supervisor will ensure that the staff member has a reasonable period in which to cease the outside work.
The staff member is required to notify the supervisor, in writing, of any change to the arrangements agreed in clause 3 above.

Serious misconduct

Where the staff member does not comply with the directions in 3 above, their actions will be construed as serious misconduct and the relevant procedures will be invoked. Similarly, a staff member's failure to notify the supervisor that they are is engaging in regular outside work may be deemed serious misconduct.

Approvals and other documents

All documents associated with the outside work will be placed on the staff member's ERMS file.

Information	Printable version (PDF)
Title	Outside work for professional staff
Document Type	Policy
Document Number	ANUP_000435
Version
Purpose	To inform professional staff of the University's policy on work outside ANU.
Audience	Staff-Professional
Category	Administrative
Topic/ SubTopic	Staff - Conduct

Effective Date	2 Mar 2001
Next Review Date	30 Jun 2024

Responsible Officer:	Chief People Officer
Approved By:	Vice-Chancellor
Contact Area	People and Culture Division
Authority:
Delegations	194
Information generated and received by ANU staff in the course of conducting business on behalf of ANU is a record and should be captured by an authorised recordkeeping system. To learn more about University records and recordkeeping practice at ANU, see ANU recordkeeping and Policy: Records and archives management.

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