Frequently asked questions
Schools/Services FAQs
What is Dashboard?
Dashboard is the University's system for registering, booking and paying casual workers.
How do I get departmental admin /coordinator access to Dashboard?
The user will need to fill in the dashboard access form. They will then be contacted by the data and system team to confirm set-up . The data and system team conduct regular monitoring of this access, if users have not logged into dashboard within the last 6 Months this access will be removed.
Can I recruit students on a visa?
Yes, however there are restrictions to the number of hours a student can work.
Under the terms of a Student visa, they must not undertake any paid or unpaid work above the restricted working hours limit of 10 or 20 hours per week stated on your visa. For the purpose of monitoring, a working week is defined as a set 7-day period Monday to Sunday.
The postgraduate research student (PhD) working hours restriction applies during all vacation periods. Postgraduate taught students (Masters) can work without restriction during the Christmas and Easter vacation periods only. Further education and undergraduate students can work without restriction during all vacation periods.
Any breach of this limit will affect their right to study in the UK and their visa could be at risk and revoked by the Home Office, including a fine of up to £60,000.
If the casual worker isn't paid at the bottom of the grade, what do I need to do?
A casual contract is required if the rate is to be enhanced above the base of the grade to align with the salaried contract procedure. This applies only in cases where a spot salary has been agreed to a designated role or where the role being recruited demands niche expertise.
The Dashboard system will otherwise assume the base rate of the grade for a piece of work if a contract is not in place. The Dashboard system is set up to help you in paying the appropriate rate for types of casual work and will assume a payment at the base rate of the relevant grade. It will show the pay before holiday pay and London weighting (if the work is completed in London) is added.
Can an individual have a salaried contract open during their casual registration process?
If the salaried contract is full time then any hours worked over a normal 1 FTE should be first discussed with your HR Business Partner but for any contracts under 37 hours a week then a casual position can be added with no problem.
How long will it be before a worker appears on Dashboard?
A worker must first complete the casual sign-up form and have completed a RTW check, if the RTW check has been done by the School/Service, this must be sent to the recruitment and resourcing team.
Please note: The above process must be completed before the worker is scheduled to work. Make sure these steps are completed in a sufficient amount of time before the workers is due to start.
When the two above steps have been completed, please allow for 72 hours (this does not include weekends) before the workers appear on Dashboard. Times can differ depending on busy periods of the year and volumes. If workers do not appear on Dashboard after 72 hours, please contact the recruitment and resourcing team who can investigate further. You will need to provide the following details:
- Workers full name that they used to complete the sign-up form with.
- Worker's applicant reference number (workers will receive this when they complete the sign-up form)
These will allow the team to be able to locate the worker.
How long does a casual worker stay on the Dashboard system for?
In all cases if no work has been carried out within the previous 6 month period, the individual will be made a leaver and the account removed from Dashboard.
How do I allocate work to a student when the date has passed?
Ideally if all the steps are completed ahead of time the work should be assigned to the workers before they have completed the work. However, in circumstances which arise where you are notified after the event, you will need to request after the event access to your booking which will allow you to allocate the shift on dashboard for the correct dates worked.
How to get after the event access?
The user will need to email HR Services to request this, they need to let the HR Services team know how long this is required for so it can be removed when not required further.
Who do I contact if I cannot find a casual worker / student on Dashboard and want to find out where they are in the process?
Please contact the Recruitment and Resourcing Team and they will be able to confirm where they are in the process. If you are are aware that they have been transferred on iTrent by the HR Services team and it has been 48 hours and they still are not appearing on Dashboard please contact the HR Services Team.
How do I pay a one-off Guest Lecturer?
Please complete a Claim for Payment for Casual Services form – First Claim form. When appropriately authorised, please forward to payroll@mailbox.lboro.ac.uk in line with the usual payroll cut-off date for payment at the end of that month.
Please ensure you also follow the guidance on the Right to Work check page in relation to right to work compliance prior to the individual giving their lecture.
Casual worker FAQs
How to sign up as a casual worker?
Before you can access Dashboard, you will need to complete the casual sign-up form (you do not sign up directly to Dashboard), the link to access this will be provided by your School / Service offering you the work.
When signing up for the first time, you will need to register as a new user. If you are a Loughborough student, you will need to complete the student form. If you are not a Loughborough student, please complete the worker's form. When completing the student form you will need to add in your student number, this is required for you to be able to access your dashboard profile with your Loughborough student single sign on details.
What is my AP number?
Following completion of the portal link, once you press the final submit button, the screen will confirm that you have submitted your details and the applicant reference number (AP number) is populated on the screen. This is what you need to provide to your School/Service administrator.
How do I re-sign up as a casual worker?
If you have been made a leaver as a worker, you will need to complete the sign-up link again, this is provided by your department. When completing the registration, you will need to use a new external email address as the system will not allow the same email address through twice. If you are still having issues, please contact itrentadmin@lboro.ac.uk
How do I log in to Dashboard?
When you log into Dashboard, you will need to use your university single sign on username and password. Your username is not the email address you signed up with. If you do not know these details, you will need to contact IT.services@lboro.ac.uk.
As a student leaver, can I still do casual work?
If you are a student who is coming to the end of your studies but are staying on at the university to do casual work, you will need to contact itrentadmin@lboro.ac.uk to request them to remove your student number from your iTrent account. You will not need to complete the registration form again. This will then let the system generate you a Loughborough worker email address. Please note this will mean, you will have new single sign on details to access dashboard, which you will need to contact IT.services@lboro.ac.uk to obtain these.
Who do I speak to about my timesheet?
Jobs and timesheets are set up by the department that you complete work for. If you have an issue with your timesheets, you need raise these with your department.
I have claimed but I have not been paid?
When claiming if you have more than one casual position, please make sure you have claimed through the correct position that you have worked on. This will notify the correct authoriser to approve claim.