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University Work Plan Policy

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Section 1 - Purpose and Context

(1) The University Work Plan Policy exists as a requirement of the Western Sydney University Academic Staff Agreement 2022. The policy’s currency is maintained by the University Work Plan Committee.

(2) The Academic Staff Agreement 2022 states the University will have a University Work Plan Committee consisting of:

  1. Chair: A Deputy Vice-Chancellor nominated by the Vice-Chancellor and President, or by a nominee of the Vice-Chancellor and President
  2. 3 Heads of Academic Units nominated by the Vice-Chancellor and President and
  3. 3 Employees nominated by the Union.

(3) The role of the University Work Plan Committee is to:

  1. Provide oversight of the Academic Unit Work Plan Policies and their implementation in accordance with the University Work Plan Policy
  2. Maintain currency of the University Work Plan Policy and
  3. Deal with Individual Work Agreement Disputes under subclause 23.37 of the Western Sydney University Academic Staff Agreement 2022.

(4) Accordingly, the University Work Plan Policy aims to ensure Academic Unit Work Plan Policies are collegial, equitable, transparent, and comparable across the institution.

(5) The Academic Staff Agreement 2022 also requires the Committee to make decisions by consensus and be transparent in its processes.

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Section 2 - Definitions

(6) For the purpose of this policy:

  1. Academic Unit means a School or Institute
  2. Employee means an academic staff member of the University employed on an ongoing or fixed-term who is covered by clause 23 of the Western Sydney University Academic Staff Agreement 2022
  3. Enterprise Agreement means the Western Sydney University Academic Staff Agreement 2022
  4. Head means a Dean or Director
  5. IWA means Individual Work Agreement
  6. Supervisor means the person nominated by the University to whom an Employee reports, whether directly or indirectly and
  7. Union means the National Tertiary Education Industry Union (NTEU).
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Section 3 - Policy Statement

(7) All work plan policies should aim to positively promote quality educational experiences for students and support career development aspirations of Employees.

(8) This policy recognises that Academic Units across the University have different needs and circumstances that affect delivery of student and Employee outcomes.

(9) This policy therefore sets out broad processes and procedures to guide collegial development and administration of contextualised Academic Unit Work Plan Policies.

(10) Academic Unit Work Plan Policies provide local frameworks for the development of IWAs.

(11) IWAs should balance the professional autonomy of Employees with the resource and operational needs of an Academic Unit.

(12) Academic Unit Work Plan Policies should acknowledge the variation between Academic Unit resourcing issues and work plan issues.

(13) The academic workload process should be collegial and focused on supporting Employees to achieve their career aspirations and the mission of the University. This policy seeks a balanced workload for Employees, in which academics focus the majority of their time on teaching and research.

(14) The standard academic profile is 40% teaching, 40% research, and 20% administration and service.

(15) An Employee’s academic profile may be varied from the standard academic profile by agreement between the Employee and their Supervisor, however subject to clauses 53 to 58 of this Policy, the Employee’s profile must allocate a minimum of 20% to research and a maximum of 60% to teaching. Any variation to the standard profile must be clearly articulated in the Employee’s IWA. Profiles that depart from the norm may include:

  1. 60% teaching, 20% research, and 20% administration and service or
  2. 60% research, 20% teaching, and 20% administration and service.

(16) To support transparent and consistent decision-making and to provide a basis for workload negotiation between the Employee and their Supervisor, Academic Unit Work Plan Committees will develop one or more illustrative case studies or examples for each of the workload profiles.

(17) The case studies or examples will describe a variety of possible teaching, research and administration/service combinations, outlining the general research expectations in each case. The case studies do not need to be prescriptive or exhaustive, but should provide a reference-point for negotiation between the Employee and their Supervisor, when preparing a workload allocation with reference to a particular category.

(18) An Employee who has negotiated a change to the standard academic profile may request a return to the standard academic profile which will, if required, be supported by an appropriate plan approved by their Supervisor.

(19) Support and professional development will be put in place in 2026 to assist Employees, including those:

  1. with existing high workload allocations for administration and service
  2. with existing high or low research allocations and
  3. appointed under the Academic Decasualisation Program.

(20) Where research performance expectations under the 40:40:20 model are significantly different from those which guided staff members’ previous performance measures, research performance expectations will be subject to a three-year stepped transition period, starting in 2026. Where an Employees requests a higher research allocation under this system than they obtained in 2025 and previously, their research performance relative to their new academic profile will first be assessed at the end of 2027, with feedback on progress provided at the end of 2026. This will account for the need to set reasonable standards for Employees transitioning to higher research workloads.

(21) Academic performance in research and related activities will be assessed relative to the percentage research allocation agreed between Employee and Supervisor in each annual IWA.

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Section 4 - Procedures

Part A - Academic Unit Work Plan Committees

(22) Clause 24.7 of the Enterprise Agreement states Academic Unit Work Plan Committees must consist of:

  1. a Chair who is the Head of the Academic Unit, or a delegate
  2. at least two Employees appointed by the Head of the Academic Unit and
  3. elected Employees equal in number to those appointed by the Head under clause 24.7(b).

(23) Clause 24.8 of the Enterprise Agreement specifies that a quorum for an Academic Unit Work Plan Committee is 4, and to be quorate a meeting must include the Chair (or nominee) and at least 1 elected academic representative.

(24) The Academic Unit Work Plan Committee must annually review its Academic Unit Work Plan Policy, taking the University Work Plan Policy and feedback from the Academic Unit’s Employees into account.

(25) An Academic Unit Work Plan Committee must monitor the equitable distribution of workloads in accordance with the Academic Unit Work Plan Policy it develops.

Part B - Academic Unit Work Plan Policies

(26) The Enterprise Agreement requires each Academic Unit to develop and maintain an Academic Work Plan Policy.

(27) Heads of Academic Units will consult with their Academic Unit Work Plan Committee before designating academic groups and defining their respective teaching responsibilities.

(28) Quality of student learning, and the opportunity for staff to develop their scholarship in related areas, should be considered when developing IWAs. This includes taking account of staff disciplinary expertise, promoting a strong nexus between teaching and research, and the need for time to provide quality feedback to students.

(29) Academic Unit Work Plan policies must reflect the need to deliver on an Academic Unit’s teaching requirements while meeting University targets to reduce reliance upon casual staff. Teaching allocations cannot exceed the caps prescribed by clause 23.5 of the Enterprise Agreement.

(30) All Employees should have an opportunity to develop their scholarship as part of their professional development, subject to the approval of a plan and reporting against same. Academic Unit Work Plan Policies should be developed transparently and collegially.

(31) Academic Units must integrate key academic workload principles (such as the teaching caps and minimum workload allocations for research) of the Enterprise Agreement and the University Work Plan Policy into their Academic Unit Work Plan Policies.

(32) Academic units must use their Academic Unit Work Plan Policies to explain how the requirements of the Enterprise Agreement and University Work Plan Policy are operationalised in context. This means the strategic objectives and specific needs of the Academic Unit should be reflected in the Academic Unit Work Plan Policy clauses.

(33) Academic Unit Work Plan Policies should emphasise collegiality and choice in academic workloads, avoid micro-counting effort and involve discipline group dialogue (see Part C).

(34) Academic Unit Work Plan Policies must include the following elements:

  1. Principles and procedures, including how the Policy guides the development of IWAs in the Academic Unit
  2. A commitment to annually:
    1. review the Academic Unit Work Plan Policy and
    2. report to the University Work Plan Committee by 30th September of each year
  3. A description of how the Academic Unit defines the areas of academic work, taking into account clauses 23.22 to 23.26 of the Enterprise Agreement
  4. Teaching work plans, addressing the allocation requirements specified in clauses 23.5 to 23.6 of the Enterprise Agreement and
  5. Clear dispute resolution processes.

(35) Pro rata workloads for part-time staff are to be used to create equitable allocations between full-time and part-time staff.

Part C - Academic Groups

(36) Academic groups must be designated by the Head of the Academic Unit Work Plan Committee and articulated in the Academic Unit Work Plan Policy.

(37) Academic groups must be based on disciplinary, teaching, or research concentrations.

(38) Academic groups must conduct open and collegial work plan negotiations with Employees working in Academic Units.

(39) Work plan negotiations within Academic Units will be conducted in an open, collegial manner in designated groups, based on disciplinary or teaching and research concentrations, to be known as ‘academic groups’. They will also provide the security of IWAs co-signed by Supervisors and Employees. This aims to provide a balance between the professional autonomy of Employees and the ability of Heads of Academic Units to manage staff resources and operational needs.

Part D - Individual Work Agreements

(40) IWAs are negotiated on an annual basis between an Employee and their supervisor, who should be familiar with the Enterprise Agreement, the University Work Plan Policy, and their Academic Unit Work Plan Policy. IWAs must reflect the terms of the Enterprise Agreement.

(41) Supervisors must then recommend the signed IWAs for approval by the Head of an Academic Unit, as per clause 23.34 of the Enterprise Agreement.

(42) IWAs are agreed through a process of negotiation.

(43) IWAs must be approved annually by the Head of Academic Unit no later than 31 March of each year.

(44) IWAs must be collegially negotiated and agreed in writing.

(45) IWAs are subject to renegotiation if circumstances substantially change after the date they are agreed.

(46) Copies of IWAs must be stored in a location where they are available to Employees of an Academic Unit and to the Academic Unit Work Plan Committee.

Part E - Dispute Resolution

(47) Disputes about Individual Work Agreements must be referred to an Academic Unit Work Plan Committee (clause 48) unless the dispute is too significant to be handled by that Committee (clause 49).

(48) An Academic Unit Work Plan Committee must either:

  1. Attempt to resolve the dispute or
  2. Escalate the dispute to the Head of the Academic Unit.

(49) The Head of an Academic Unit must attempt to resolve any dispute referred to them.

(50) If a resolution cannot be reached between the Head of Academic Unit and the Employee, the matter must be referred to the University Work Plan Committee. Either party may refer the matter.

(51) The University Work Plan Committee must determine whether the workload allocation process has complied with the Enterprise Agreement, the University Work Plan Policy, and the Academic Unit Work Plan Policy.

(52) Decisions of the University Work Plan Committee will be binding and final.

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Section 5 - Allocations

Research Allocations

(53) Research allocations will reflect an Employee’s academic profiles. School policies must include:

  1. a description of the recognised forms research activities, noting that such descriptions are not exhaustive and
  2. provide illustrative examples of research outputs on a triennium basis for each academic profile to provide a clear point of reference for workload negotiation

(54) Workload negotiations between Employees and Supervisors will draw upon the Employee’s research achievements over the previous triennium, as well as their aspirations for the coming year.

(55) An Employee who is currently enrolled for a higher degree by research (HDR) relevant to their discipline group may have within their IWA an expectation that they undertake such studies as part of their research.

(56) Employees appointed under the University's Academic Decasualisation Scheme have a specific research profile for the first three years of their appointment, as follows:

  1. An allocation of at least 10% for research and maintenance of disciplinary currency during the first year of appointment
  2. An allocation of 10-20% for research and maintenance of disciplinary currency during the second year of appointment
  3. An allocation of 10-30% for research and maintenance of disciplinary currency during the third year of appointment and
  4. Thereafter in accordance with clause 23 of the Enterprise Agreement.

(57) An Employee appointed under the University’s Academic Decasualisation Scheme may:

  1. maintain the workload trajectory prescribed by clause 56 of this Policy or
  2. move to the standard academic profile within the first three years of their appointment where this is suitable having regard to the Employee and the operational requirements of the relevant Academic Unit.

(58) An Employee’s entire workload may be allocated to activities other than research where, in the preceding three years, the Employee:

  1. has had opportunities to produce research outcomes and
  2. without good reason, has consistently not produced evidence of reasonable productive engagement in research consistent with the expected outcomes for the Employee’s academic level, discipline and personal career plans.

Teaching Allocations

(59) Teaching allocations will reflect an Employee’s academic profile.

(60) All Employees must have a minimum of 20% of their workload allocated to teaching, including honours and higher degree by research supervision. The teaching of undergraduate and/or postgraduate coursework students, and/or postgraduate research students undertaking coursework as an approved component of their higher degrees must represent at least 10% of their work. This allocation does not apply to Heads of Academic Units or Associate Deans.

(61) No Employee is expected to teach more than 50 EFTSL in a calendar year or 12 hours per week, unless the mode of teaching involves minimal or no preparation.

(62) In addition to the teaching hours specified in clause 23.5c of the Enterprise Agreement, no Employee is expected to mark more than 150 students per teaching session.

(63) Employees responsible for marking more than 150 students per teaching session will be eligible for marking relief.

(64) Subject to the operational requirements of an Academic Unit, Employees may concentrate their teaching to manage their research.

(65) The following principles will be used to specify specific teaching allocations with Academic Unit and discipline-level elaborations and variations in Academic Unit Workload Policies.

  1. Delivery: The actual hours spent delivering teaching activities, either face-to-face or online
  2. Preparation: Preparation time must be allocated for non-repeat lectures and tutorials at a duration at least equal to the corresponding teaching activity
  3. Other teaching related activities: Workload allocation to teaching-related activities other than lectures and tutorials will be covered in the individual Academic Unit Workplan Policies, including development
  4. First-time delivery: An additional allowance will be given for the first-time delivery of a teaching activity, as specified in Academic Unit Workplan Policies
  5. Inter-campus travel: When teaching on more than one campus in a single day, travel time between campuses will be counted towards teaching workload. Staff and supervisors should minimise travel time, where reasonably practicable
  6. Marking: An allocation that accurately reflects the time required perform the work, elaborated in Academic Unit School Workload Policies
  7. Coordination: A minimum number of hours per semester for subject coordination, plus a progressive scale of additional allocations for larger subjects
  8. HDR supervision: Academic Unit Workplan Policies will also prescribe reasonable hours for the supervision of HDR candidates, according to the practices in Academic Units.

Administration and Governance Allocations

(66) All Employees are expected to participate in administration, governance and other forms of service. In practice this expectation will be managed and negotiated through the annual workload process between supervisor and Employee. The expectations on governance and service vary according to an Employee’s level of appointment. The Academic Capabilities Framework provides guidance on the ways that Employees at different academic level can lead and serve.

E-Learning Principles

(67) Teaching allocations for subjects that use e-learning should have regard to tasks such as: material preparation, learning and technological support, and technological platform.

(68) Workload allocations for fully online subjects should be broadly equivalent to allocations for the same subjects taught face-to-face, even though distribution of work across teaching tasks may vary. However, for the purposes of subject development, online materials preserved for use in future years should be fully reviewed and reworked on no less than a three-year basis.

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Section 6 - School Work Plan Policies    

(69) Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Work Plan 2026

(70) Institute for Culture and Society Work Plan 2026

(71) MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development Work Plan 2026

(72) School of Business Work Plan Policy 2025

(73) School of Computer, Data and Mathematical Sciences Work Plan 2026

(74) School of Education Work Plan 2026

(75) School of Engineering/ School of Built Environment Work Plan 2026

(76) School of Health Sciences Work Plan 2025

(77) School of Humanities and Communication Arts Work Plan 2025

(78) School of Law Work Plan 2026

(79) School of Medicine Work Plan 2025

(80) School of Nursing and Midwifery Work Plan 2026

(81) School of Psychology Work Plan Policy 2025

(82) School of Science Work Plan 2026

(83) School of Social Sciences Work Plan 2025