Guide to your HR data

Learn about the data held about you in HR Self-Service

The University holds data about you in its HR system, some of which you can view and edit in your Employee Self-Service (ESS) account. To ensure your details remain up-to-date, please check them regularly, and make updates where required; refer to the ESS How-to Guide. For any changes you cannot make yourself, contact your local HR team. 

Below you will find an overview of the data in HR Self-Service, as well as a breakdown (with explanations) of some key data items found on the various screens in your ESS account.

Overview

We use your data for different purposes, such as to pay or contact you, or to help us understand the makeup of our workforce in order to inform policy development. Anonymised staff data is also used for reporting purposes, such as:

  • We are legally required to monitor and report on the diversity of our staff under the Equality Act. We have made a series of commitments to increase our diversity and enhance equality for underrepresented groups of staff and students. Visit the Equality and Diversity Unit website to find out more.
  • The University is required by law to submit an annual anonymised staff return to HESA (the Higher Education Statistics Agency). For further details visit the HESA website and read HESA’s staff collection notice.

Read also the University's Staff privacy policy.

The data in ESS is only accessible to individuals who have been authorised to access the University’s HR system for specific purposes. This includes certain departmental, divisional and central HR, Payroll and IT staff. 

Self-Service Managers are provided with an overview of their team’s details in HR Self-Service, so they do not need to contact local HR for basic employment or personal information. Your Self-Service Manager cannot see the following information about you:

  • Bank Details;
  • National Insurance (NI) number;
  • Tax Code;
  • Service Details;
  • Diversity Details (except for ‘Sex’ and ‘Date of birth’).

Your local HR team can view and update, if necessary, your legal sex and date of birth in the University’s HR system; they cannot access any other diversity data.

ESS screens

 

 

 

emloyee dashboard home

Employee Dashboard home screen

Data item Item description
1. Personnel No. This is your unique Personnel No., generated by the University’s HR system. You can also find it on your full payslip.  
2. Position This represents the broad group for your job title; used for reporting purposes.
3. FTE This reflects your contracted hours. FTE of 1.0 is full-time. Term-time workers/non-typical working patterns may see the FTE of their annual averaged hours here; used for pay purposes.
4. Length of Service This shows the length of service for your most recent employment, including your continuous service. This is not your long service.

 

employee dashboard my payslips

Employee Dashboard – My Payslips

Data item Item description
1. Tax Detail

Your NI No. is vital for HMRC tax/National Insurance contributions purposes; it may also be shared with University pension providers to which you may belong.
 
NI Letter represents your national insurance category; the University uses this to ensure correct employer/ employee NI contributions.

Your Tax Code is allocated by HMRC, based on your earnings.
2. My Bank Accounts Your bank details are used by the Payroll team to pay your salary.

 

employee detail contact details

Employee details

Data item Item description
1. Contact Details

These are your personal and work contact details. Your home address is essential for HMRC purposes and for us to be able to write to you. We may also share it with University pension providers to which you may belong, and the Home Office, for visa holders, visit ‘While in the UK’ web pages.
2. Emergency Contact

Your Emergency Contact details enable your department to contact the person(s) you specify in the event of an emergency.

 

Background

 

Access to diversity data is granted on a strictly ‘need-to-know’ basis. You will not be identifiable from any of the data used for diversity monitoring, reporting and analysis.

 
diversity background3

Diversity - Background

 

Data item Item description
1. Sex

This should match your current official documentation, eg passport, and must be ‘Male’ or ‘Female’, to comply with HMRC legislation.
2. Gender identity

This is your gender identity.
3. Sexual orientation

This indicates who you are emotionally / sexually attracted to.
4.  Date of birth

Used for HMRC and pension purposes.
5. Ethnic background

The group to which you feel you belong, as defined by a shared history/ancestry, language, or distinctive shared culture.
6. Country of citizenship

The country of which you may be a national and legally allowed to reside.
7. Are you trans/have you a trans history?

Used to record whether your sex / gender identity matches your sex registered at birth.
8. Religion or belief

The religious / philosophical belief or group, to which you belong, including no religion or belief.
9. Caring responsibilities

Used to record day-to-day caring responsibilities that you may have for children and / or adults.

 

Disability

disability2

Diversity - Disability

 

Data item Item description
1. Disability/long-term health condition?  Used to record a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on the individual’s ability to do normal daily activities.
2. Type of disability 1 Used to record the type of disability/long-term health condition they may have.
3. Type of disability 2 As above.

 

Providing Disability data may result in our Staff Disability Advisor contacting you to discuss any support you may require at work. Visit: https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/disability-support. We will never contact you as a direct result of you updating other diversity details.
 

Contract

contract

Contract

 

Data item Item description
1. Job title This is your actual job title, as stated in your employment contract.
2. Status

This shows your contract type.
3. Reporting To

This will either show your line manager or your local HR contact. Where this is blank it means that you have not been allocated a Self-Service Manager.
4. Increment Due

Your pay increment details should be stated in your employment contract. Increment dates are used to move eligible employees up to the next pay stage (ie scale point) of their grade.

 

Salary

salary

Salary

 

Data item Item description
1. Salary History

This illustrates a history of your pay, as processed by Payroll. 
2. Grade

Your grade is stated in your employment contract. The point shows the pay stage of your grade. Visit: Salary scales.

 

ld teaching qualification3

Teaching Qualification

Data item Item description
1. Teaching Qualification

For academic staff with teaching responsibilities only. Forms part of the annual HESA data return.

 

other information

Other information

Data item Item description
1. HESA Staff ID

This is allocated for all new employees who don’t already have it from a previous Higher Education Institution (HEI) employment. The HESA Staff ID is transferable from one HEI to another and is used in the annual HESA staff return.
2. Outside Appointments

This shows any outside appointments, as may be held by academic, academic-related staff, emeriti and visitors, and is included in the University’s Higher Education - Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) data return. See: HR Support website.
3. Right To Work

This is used to confirm your right to work in the UK. This may be shared with the Home Office and used for other reporting.

 

Login to HR Self-Service

Available on the University's network and VPN only:

LOGIN

Contact

If your query isn't answered here, please contact your HR administrator for help.

Useful links