When contracts of employment come to an end the following procedures should be followed:

1. The relevant project director should inform the Unit Manager of this fact at least two months in advance of the end of the contract. In some cases it may not be clear exactly when the contract is going to end, but the project director needs to keep the Unit Manager informed of any new information or changes of plan. When the member of staff is employed on Unit funds then the Unit Manager should monitor the situation. When the member of staff manages their own projects then they need to keep the Unit Manager informed of their situation.
2. The Unit Manager should keep the Unit Management Committee (UMC) informed of any upcoming end of contracts. The UMC should ensure that a senior member of staff discusses with the member of staff the future end of contract and any possible options in variation or in addition to the current plans.
3. When it is clear that a member of staff is likely to leave the Unit, then the Unit Manager should ensure the following:

(i) the overall situation is considered by the UMC as early as possible;
(ii) arrangements are made to mark the departure of the member of staff (for example, a thank you farewell card) ;
(iii) the project director (or staff member themselves if project director) has made arrangements with the member of staff concerning archiving or other appropriate disposal of research and other work related data and documents (including electronic data);
(iv) the Unit Information Systems Officer is advised at least 2 weeks in advance that the member of staff is leaving;
(v) The member of staff to return any equipment or materials belonging to the Unit or Institute of Education before the date of leaving. In most cases, this includes items bought on research projects;
(vi) the member of staff to remove their belongings and leave their desk and working area in a clean and tidy condition by the day of departure;
(vii) the member of staff should sign a sheet confirming that all of the above has occurred;
(viii) formal agreement of Unit management is obtained for any variation to this policy in particular cases.