They will also encourage the contract researcher to review his or her work regularly and will carry out an appraisal interview within one year of the commencement of his or her appointment by South Bank and then annually. Each stage in this career management process is designed to support the contract researcher in identifying his or her development needs, drawing up an action plan and monitoring progress towards targets. The supervisor also has line management responsibilities. These will include agreeing annual leave arrangements, agreeing any teaching commitments, receiving sickness reports and carrying out the probation procedures. The Staff Development Unit will organise training sessions for supervisors on the effective supervision of research students and research staff normally every one to two years.
Different procedures are likely to operate in different faculties and research areas.
For example, a pool of mentors could be set up or all of the contract researchers could be assigned to one member of staff. The mentor is responsible for the pastoral care of the contract researcher during induction and throughout the first six months of employment. The mentor should be an experienced member of the staff who is familiar with the work of the Faculty or School, both research and administrative. He or she should also be familiar with the structure of the University and with its policies and procedures. He or she does not need to be a senior member of staff and should not be the contract researcher s supervisor.