Time Allocation Survey: FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Is your query:

What is included in a particular category?

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General questions

Why do you need this information?
The survey is needed to enable us to more accurately cost all our activities and to fix appropriate prices where we are able to decide these for ourselves. It is also a mandatory requirement of Office for Students (OfS) that we do this annually. The survey is of great strategic importance to the sector and to the University of Sheffield.
The hours worked will be converted into percentages to compute the split of University costs between the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC - information required by OfS) required headings.
The information will be used anonymously and in the form of aggregated data without any association back to individuals.

I am self-isolating or sick with COVID-19 (coronavirus), how should I record my time?
If you are self-isolating or sick with COVID-19 you should record the time as if it were sick leave. You are not expected to do this whilst you are off sick, but please do it on your return.

What does the survey form look like?
A sample copy of the survey form can be seen here. Note that this is a snap shot of the form and so the links with additional information will not work as they will in your personal web based form.

What if I take annual leave during my allocated survey week?
Holidays should be recorded in the Absence box near the top of the form. If you were on holiday for the whole 7 days required by your time allocation survey, you would return a form with no hours on; however, please fill in the Absence box in the top section of the form. Time on private work carried out in personal time should be excluded.

What if I take flexi leave during my allocated survey week?
Record as absence in the appropriate box near the top of the form.

What if I am on holiday during my allocated survey week?
Holidays should be recorded in the Absence box near the top of the form. If you were on holiday for the whole 7 days required by your time allocation survey, you would return a form with no hours on; however, please fill in the Absence box in the top section of the form. Time on private work carried out in personal time should be excluded.

What do I do if I am on sick leave for some or all of my allocated survey week?
Sick leave should be recorded in the absence box near the top of the form. If you were on sick leave for the whole 7 days required by your time allocation survey, you would return a form with no hours on; however, please fill in the box in the top section of the form.

I was on strike during my sample week. Do I still need to complete the survey?
The University respects everyone's right to strike. You are not expected to complete the survey while you are on strike. But when you return to work, you should complete it for any days which you worked during the sample period. If you record time spent on strike it should be recorded in the same way as any other absence, such as annual or sick leave.

I was taking part in a boycott during my sample week and was not paid. Do I still need to complete the survey?
In this case any activity undertaken is voluntary, so you may choose to complete the TAS or not, we can not mandate this. If you do fill in the survey, time on boycott should be recorded as any other absence, such as strike or sick leave.

I work part time. How should I complete the survey?
If your appointment is part time, please fill in the correct box at the top of the form with what proportion of full time you work. For example you may work 50% (half time) or 20% etc. Then complete the rest of the form with the hours you actually worked during your survey week. Alternatively you can complete the number of hours you are contracted to work and leave the % time box empty.

The survey collects the number of hours worked, but you report the results as a percentage. Why do you not report the total hours worked in each area?
The main purpose of the survey is to enable us to apportion the cost of staff time to activities and thus to establish the cost of each activity. We design the survey to be sufficiently robust to provide data that meets this objective. The sampling method used in the survey is not suitable for reporting on the total time worked.

How are different patterns of activity at different times of year taken into account?
We design the sampling strategy carefully to cover the required period of activity, and to ensure that the coverage of departments, categories of staff, and the period itself, is representative.

How confident can we be that the survey results are representative of the actual activity?
The design of the sampling strategy for the survey aims to achieve a 95% confidence interval width of within +/- 2.5% at department level. The actual confidence interval will depend on the number of respondents in each department.

If I record more than 35 hours work and my work outside normal hours is all research related doesn’t this suppress the proportion of time I spend teaching?
We report the survey results as a percentage. For example, if you spend 30 hours working on teaching during your normal working hours and 15 hours working on research (5 hours in normal time and 10 outside normal time) then this will be recorded as 66.7% teaching and 33.3% research.

Why don’t you restrict the recording of time to normal hours?
We have constructed the survey to meet the national requirements set by the Office for Students (OfS), which are that: “Time data collected through academic survey or workload planning should only reflect the time being managed by the institution. This is irrespective of any ‘standard’ or ‘contracted’ working week.” Therefore, if you could describe your activity as ‘managed by the institution’ you should record it, even if it is outside your normal hours. However, if the activity is of personal interest only, then you should not record it.

I have more than one role how should I record my time? Will I need to complete separate time sheet forms for each role?
You only need to complete one time sheet form for each sample week. You should include all the time that you work in the sample week, regardless of which role it relates to.

Will the survey result affect my job?
No. Individual responses will not be reported. The survey results are only used for reporting at University and Department level.

How do I find out about the results from the survey?
About three months after the end of the survey a summary will be sent to each Head of Department. You can ask to see this summary.

I am a professional services staff member working in an academic department. Should I expect to record time against all the survey categories?
Professional services staff play a crucial role in delivering departments' activities. Normally the activity will be coded as a supporting role. If possible, please attribute time to supporting a specific activity:

Support and administration for teaching (T1), for example helping to recruit students
Support and administration for research (R1), for example helping with a research grant application
Support and administration for other activities (O1), for example helping with a consultancy project.

If it isn't possible to identify a specific activity, for general departmental administration, this should be coded as: General support, administration and management (G1).

I work in an academic department as support staff, do I need to complete all these boxes?
Usually, support staff in academic departments and central department support staff will only spend their time on:

Support and administration for teaching (T1)
Support and administration for research (R1)
Support and administration for other University activities (O1)
General support, administration and management (G1).

How do I record a Bank Holiday on the Time Allocation Survey form?
Bank Holidays and other Statutory Holidays should be counted in the Absence box on the TAS form.

Who needs to complete this time allocation survey?
All staff working in departments that deliver teaching, or research, or both, including part time and short term contract staff.

How will I be informed when I need to complete the survey?
You will receive advance notice by email one week before the start of your survey week. In your survey week you will receive a further email providing a link to your personal survey form. You cannot complete the survey before the selected week.

Is the survey confidential?
We will treat the information you submit as confidential and will only use it to produce aggregated data on departmental, faculty and university time and cost proportions. Because participation in the survey is compulsory, we will inform your Head of Department if you do not complete the survey, but they will not see your individual data.

Do I need to record all my working time, including evenings and weekends?
Yes, you should include all the time you spend on University activities during your sample period. This includes time outside your normal working hours and at home, if it relates to activities that are managed by the University. Please do not under or over report the total time but aim to provide a fair assessment of how you spent your time. Remember that your return is anonymous and confidential. The survey covers working time only. You should exclude breaks, for example lunchtime, but include overtime.

The survey weeks allocated to me are not typical of my working pattern. How can the survey be accurate?
We choose the survey weeks to ensure representative coverage over the whole year. This means that some sample weeks will occur during un-typical periods such as vacations, exam weeks and times when the University is closed. The specific weeks allocated to you may not be typical of your working year, but, across the University as a whole, the data will be representative of how staff spend their time.

Why do I have to complete it if I am on Study Leave?
Study Leave is paid employment and primarily intended to permit uninterrupted research time, in which case completion of the return should be more straightforward than it would otherwise be. Although under the terms of the scheme, staff are expected to suspend teaching and administrative duties, the expectation is that it is within the spirit of the scheme that this "one off" return can be completed.

Why do I have to complete it if I am on holiday for the week in question or part of that week?
The design of the exercise will take into account the fact that some staff chosen in the sample will be taking their annual leave entitlement in a specified week or part of that week. In this case, please mark the time clearly as holiday, and categorise any work done in the same week in accordance with the guidance given. Note that Bank Holidays and other Statutory Holidays should be counted as absence on the TAS form.

What do I record Covering for absent staff as?
Classify the activity as you would if it were your own activity

Do I have to complete it if I am on Special Leave or other unpaid leave?
Special Leave is usually permitted to take up a fixed period of employment elsewhere, in which case, you should not complete the survey but email the TAS team (tas@sheffield.ac.uk) with that explanation. Any other unpaid leave, whether for a personal reason or any other reason, should have the same response. The key factor is whether you are, in the specified week, undertaking your normal job (Holiday and Study Leave being part of it).

Do I have to complete it if I am on Maternity Leave?
If you are on maternity leave you do not have to complete the survey. If you contact the TAS team (tas@sheffield.ac.uk) with the dates of your leave TAS emails can be suspended for the duration of your maternity leave. Any surveys you complete before or after your maternity leave will be included in the final results.

I am not carrying out my normal duties in the week allotted to me; can I change my week?
No. It does not matter if your pattern of work for a sample week is unusual for you. For any person who is doing more research than normal it is likely there will be another doing more teaching than normal and the aggregated results over the year will give a reasonable position for the departments as a whole. We do not consider individual results, only the aggregate outcomes.

I carry out some activities that fall into more than one category. How should I code the time spent?
If the activity has a clear primary purpose then code the time spent to that category. If the activity has a mixed purpose then split the total time equally between all the relevant categories.

What should I do if I can’t find my activity in the lists?
Consider the TAS category headings. From what you know about the activity is it reasonably clear which category it relates to? If it is then apply that category. If you are still unsure please email (timeallocationqueries@sheffield.ac.uk) providing details of your activity. They will be able to advise you.

I am a research assistant how can I code my work?
Research assistants would normally fill in section R, boxes R2 to R7 depending upon the sponsor of their work. Any teaching undertaken would be allocated appropriately under section T for teaching.

My research has more than one source of funding. Which category do I put the time in?
Research activities need to be split into the categories shown on the time allocation survey. If there is more than one source of funding, pro rata the hours against the appropriate headings.

My research has multiple funding sources. Which category do I put the time in?
Research activities need to be split into the categories shown on the time allocation survey. If there is more than one source of funding, pro rata the hours against the appropriate headings.

My research has split funding sources. Which category do I put the time in?
Research activities need to be split into the categories shown on the time allocation survey. If there is more than one source of funding, pro rata the hours against the appropriate headings.

My research is externally funded, where do I record that?
Categories R3 to R7 are for research which is not internally funded.
This needs to be split by sponsor as shown on the time allocation survey.
NB: For research which is not internally-funded, as well as time spent carrying out research, include within items R3 to R7 the time you spent on management of funded research projects and production of research reports required under the terms of the grant or contract as these are classed as direct activities, not support activities. Also include time spent preparing papers for publication in journals, conference proceedings, etc.
Please note that time you spend supervising postgraduate research students is to be shown separately under category P2.