| Publication July 19, 2017 |
California Supreme Court Ruling on Right to Statewide Discovery in PAGA Actions Is Not as Bad for Employers as It Looks
By Ramon A. Miyar and Jaime D. Walter
In a blow to the defense bar—and, in particular, retail employers—the California Supreme Court, in Williams v. Superior Court (Marshalls of CA, LLC), S227228 (July 13, 2017), held that there is nothing unique about claims filed under the California Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (PAGA) that would justify restricting the scope of discovery under California law. The Supreme Court reversed a decision of the California Court of Appeal that would have precluded PAGA plaintiffs from obtaining the contact information of other potentially aggrieved employees beyond the discrete location at which they work(ed) without first making a threshold evidentiary showing that (a) they were aggrieved employees and (b) they had knowledge of systemic statewide Labor Code violations. Rather, to justify disclosure of the contact information of all employees in California, the Supreme Court found that it is sufficient for a named plaintiff to allege that the at-issue violations occurred, that plaintiff himself or herself was aggrieved, and that the defendant employer had a systemic, statewide policy that caused injury to other employees across California.
While the decision deprives employers of the ability to limit the scope of discovery to some extent, the holding in Williams is actually quite narrow and should not be read as a carte blanche invitation to propound unlimited statewide discovery without any preliminary showing of good cause. The Supreme Court emphasized that its decision was limited to the particular facts before it—i.e., interrogatories seeking the contact information of similarly situated (allegedly aggrieved) nonexempt employees throughout the State of California. It specifically noted that its decision did not apply to other discovery devices—including requests for production, where, the Court noted, a statutory good-cause requirement exists.
Separately, the Supreme Court found that privacy objections typically will not merit altogether withholding contact information. In reaching this conclusion, the Court expressly endorsed the reasoning of Belaire-West Landscape, Inc. v. Superior Court, 149 Cal. App. 4th 554 (2007), noting that, in general, any concerns about keeping contact information private are adequately addressed through the issuance of a Belaire-West-style notice of the claims to employees, and permitting them an opportunity to opt out from disclosure of their contact information.
The takeaway? Absent unusual circumstances, be prepared to turn over contact information for all potentially aggrieved employees, but continue to push back with respect to any overbroad discovery requests that seek statewide information prematurely.
Procedural History and Background
Plaintiff Michael Williams (“Williams” or “Plaintiff”) was a retail worker for defendant Marshalls of CA, LLC (“Marshalls”). In 2013, Williams sued Marshalls under PAGA, alleging that Marshalls failed to provide Williams and other similarly situated (i.e., aggrieved) employees meal and rest periods under Labor Code sections 226.7 and 512. Slip op. at 2.
At an early stage of discovery, Williams propounded on Marshalls two special interrogatories seeking the name, address, telephone number, and company employment history of each nonexempt California employee during the alleged statutory period. Id. at 3. Marshalls responded that there were 16,500 employees, but it refused to provide their contact information on the grounds that the request (a) exceeded the scope of permissible discovery because it sought information beyond Williams’ particular store and job title; (b) was unduly burdensome because Williams sought private information without first showing that he himself was an aggrieved employee or that any other similarly situated employees were aggrieved as alleged in the complaint; and (c) invaded the privacy of third parties under California Constitution, article I, section 1. Id. at 3.
Williams moved to compel disclosure of the contact information of Marshalls’ nonexempt employees statewide. The trial court granted Williams’ motion in part and denied it in part. Id. at 3. It ordered Marshalls to provide the contact information of other employees, but only at the Costa Mesa location at which Williams worked, subject to an opt-out notice under Belaire-West. As to the remaining 130 store locations, the court denied Williams’ request for contact information but left open the door for a renewed motion after Williams sat for at least six hours of deposition and established that there was some evidentiary basis for his allegations of a statewide, unlawful practice of violating the Labor Code. Id. at 4.
The Court of Appeal affirmed the ruling. See Williams v. Superior Court, 187 Cal. Rptr. 3d 321 (2015). Relying on statutory language that requires that requests for production be justified by “good cause” (Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 2031.310(b)(1)), the Court of Appeal reasoned that Williams’ request for statewide contact information was premature. Id. at 325. Specifically, it found that Williams had failed to “evince any knowledge of the practices of Marshalls at other stores [or] any fact that would lead a reasonable person to believe he knows whether Marshalls has a uniform statewide policy.” Id. (emphasis added). Absent such a threshold showing, the Court of Appeal held Williams was not entitled to the contact information of employees beyond his store location. Alternatively, the Court of Appeal held that because his request for contact information implicated third-party privacy interests, Williams “must demonstrate a compelling need for discovery” by showing “the discovery sought is directly relevant and essential to the fair resolution of the underlying lawsuit.” Id. at 327.
Reversal by the Supreme Court
The Trial Court Abused Its Discretion by Limiting Discovery to Plaintiff’s Store Location
The California Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeal’s decision, holding that the trial court had abused its discretion by requiring Williams to demonstrate good cause for the production of contact information. In sweeping terms, the Court noted, “The disclosure of the names and addresses of potential witnesses is a routine and essential part of pretrial discovery. Indeed our discovery system is founded on the understanding that parties use discovery to obtain names and contact information for possible witnesses as the starting point for further investigations ... ” Slip op. at 10 (quoting Puerto v. Super. Ct., 158 Cal. App. 4th 1242, 1249-50 (2008)) (internal citations and quotation marks omitted). While recognizing that “in a particular case there may be special reason to limit or postpone a representative plaintiff’s access to contact information for those he or she seeks to represent[,] ... the default position is that such information is within the proper scope of discovery, an essential first step to prosecution of any representative action.” Slip op. at 11.
That the action was a PAGA action and not a putative class action did not change the outcome. According to the Court, nothing in the text of PAGA requires a particular threshold of evidentiary weightiness “beyond the requirements of nonfrivolousness generally applicable to any civil filing.” Id. at 12; see also Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 128.7. Moreover, although restricting access to confidential information could help curb abuses by plaintiffs or plaintiffs’ counsel, such protection is unnecessary. Class certification requirements exist to protect the due process rights of absent litigants because class actions result in the final adjudication of the private, personally held claims of absent plaintiffs. PAGA actions, by contrast, are public rights of action brought on behalf of the state. No such private due process concerns are at issue and, in any event, Court approval is necessary in order for any final settlement to be binding.
More relevant to the Supreme Court was the fact that the statutory scheme “imposes no obligation” on parties propounding interrogatories to establish good cause or show an evidentiary basis for their claims. Slip op. at 19. Although Code of Civil Procedure section 2031.310(b)(1) requires that demands for inspection, copying, or sampling be supported by good cause, no such requirement exists for interrogatories.
The Court rejected Marshalls’ argument that not requiring good cause would lead to unwarranted “fishing expeditions.” It noted that the California Legislature was aware of such a risk when it granted a broad right to discovery and that it “granted such a right anyway, comfortable with the conclusion that ‘[m]utual knowledge of all the relevant facts gathered by both parties is essential to proper litigation.’” Id. at 20.
According to the Court, that the eventual proper scope of Williams’ representative action was uncertain did not render his statewide request for contact information premature. “[A] party may proceed with interrogatories ... precisely in order to ascertain that scope.” Id. at 20 (citing Union Mut. Life Ins. Co. v. Super. Ct., 80 Cal. App. 3d 1, 9-12 (1978)).
This was not to say that Marshalls could not have delayed or modified the scope of discovery had it adduced evidence of the administrative burden of producing this information, or made a proper, timely motion to modify the timing and sequence of discovery. Crucially, the Court noted that the burden was on Marshalls to support its “undue burden” objection with evidence of the amount of work that would be required to respond. Id. at 18. The Court found that Marshalls had failed to produce any evidence showing that the production of contact information on a statewide basis would be burdensome and instead chose to rely solely on legal arguments as to the scope of discovery. The Supreme Court also noted that Marshalls failed to file a motion pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 2019.020, to modify/set a special sequence or timing for discovery, and that it therefore had no occasion to determine whether the production of statewide contact information might have been properly delayed on that basis. Id. at 19-20.
A Belaire-West-Style Opt-Out Notice Is Sufficient to Protect the Privacy Interests of Non-Party Employees
The Supreme Court also reversed the alternative basis for the Court of Appeal’s ruling—i.e., Marshalls’ objection that the disclosure of contact information would invade the privacy rights of the third-party employees under Article I, section 1 of the California Constitution. In weighing the privacy rights of employees, the Court found that the appropriate balancing test to employ is that under Hill v. National Collegiate Athletic Ass’n, 7 Cal. 4th 1, 35 (1994) and Pioneer Electronics (USA), Inc. v. Super. Ct., 40 Cal. 4th 360, 370-74 (2007). Under the test established by those cases, the party asserting a privacy right must establish (a) a legally protected privacy interest, (b) an objectively reasonable expectation of privacy in the given circumstances, and (c) a threatened intrusion of that interest that is serious. Id. at 22. Assuming these threshold requirements are met, the party seeking the information must establish countervailing interests served by disclosure sufficient to overcome the proffered privacy interest. The court must then balance the competing considerations.1
In the context of the contact information of other potentially aggrieved employees in a wage-and-hour representative action, the Court found that the employees had a legally cognizable privacy interest, but that the final two factors—i.e., a reasonable expectation of privacy and a serious intrusion—were not satisfied. The Court expressly endorsed the Belaire-West reasoning, holding that the balancing of interests falls in favor of disclosure of the contact information of putative class members in wage-and-hour class and representative actions. The issuance of a Belaire-West-style notice, which provided notice of the nature of the claims at issue and an opportunity for employees to opt out of the disclosure of their contact information, was sufficient to protect the privacy interest in the employees’ contact information. Id. at 27-32.
Prior to Williams, the restriction of the scope of pre-certification discovery to the specific location at which the named plaintiff worked was a key device in limiting discovery costs and burdens at the early stages of a class action. The Supreme Court’s reasoning in Williams will make it significantly more difficult for employers to avoid disclosure of the names and contact information of all putative class members/potentially aggrieved employees in wage-and-hour class actions/representative PAGA actions.
That said, it is critical to view the decision as limited to the record that was before the Court. The decision applied only to interrogatories seeking contact information and did not foreclose the possibility, based on appropriate facts, of postponing the disclosure of contact information. It acknowledged, moreover, that requests for production, which were not at issue in Williams, must be supported by good cause. It stands to reason, therefore, that at an early stage of discovery, legitimate bases exist for limiting the scope of pre-certification document productions to the location at which a plaintiff works.
In addition, it bears noting that in opposing Williams’ motion to compel, Marshalls failed to provide specific evidence supporting the administrative burden and cost it would be under to produce statewide contact information for 16,500 employees. Likewise, the Court specifically noted that Marshalls had failed to bring a motion under Code of Civil Procedure section 2019.020 for the Court to set a specific sequence and timing for discovery.
Accordingly, while Williams creates a less hospitable discovery framework for employers at the early stages of discovery, it is not a fundamental re-ordering of discovery procedures as we know them. Employers can still avail themselves of a full array of tools to oppose overbroad requests and manage the timing and scope of pre-certification discovery.
1 The Supreme Court found that the Court of Appeals erred in requiring Williams to show a “compelling interest” sufficient to justify disclosure of contact information. It noted that a compelling interest is necessary where the interest at issue is one fundamental to personal autonomy; otherwise, where a lesser interest is at stake, the Hill and Pioneer Electronics framework applies, “with the strength of the countervailing interest sufficient to warrant disclosure of private information varying according to the strength of the privacy interest itself, the seriousness of the invasion, and the availability of alternatives and protective measures.” Slip op. at 28.
Wage and Hour Class Actions


The day’s top national and international news
Doctors Find Brain Abnormalities in Patients of Mysterious Cuba Embassy Attacks
Physicians, FBI investigators and U.S. intelligence agencies have spent months trying to piece together the puzzle in Havana, where the U.S. says 24 U.S. government officials and spouses fell ill starting last year in homes and later in some hotels
By Josh Lederman
Published Dec 6, 2017 at 3:25 AM | Updated at 8:23 AM PST on Dec 6, 2017
The Sound Heard By Americans in Cuba Attacks
//www.nbclosangeles.com/multimedia/The-Sound-Heard-by-Americans-in-Cuba-Attacks-450646943.html
The Associated Press has obtained a recording of what some U.S. embassy workers heard in Havana as they were attacked by what investigators initially believed was a sonic weapon. (Published Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017)
Doctors treating the U.S. embassy victims of suspected attacks in Cuba have discovered brain abnormalities as they search for clues to explain hearing, vision, balance and memory damage, The Associated Press has learned.
It's the most specific finding to date about physical damage, showing that whatever it was that harmed the Americans, it led to perceptible changes in their brains. The finding is also one of several factors fueling growing skepticism that some kind of sonic weapon was involved.
Medical testing has revealed the embassy workers developed changes to the white matter tracts that let different parts of the brain communicate, several U.S. officials said, describing a growing consensus held by university and government physicians researching the attacks. White matter acts like information highways between brain cells.
Loud, mysterious sounds followed by hearing loss and ear-ringing had led investigators to suspect "sonic attacks." But officials are now carefully avoiding that term. The sounds may have been the byproduct of something else that caused damage, said three U.S. officials briefed on the investigation. They weren't authorized to discuss it publicly and demanded anonymity.
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The United States expelled 15 of Cuba's diplomats Tuesday to protest its failure to protect Americans from unexplained attacks in Havana.
(Published Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017)
Physicians, FBI investigators and U.S. intelligence agencies have spent months trying to piece together the puzzle in Havana, where the U.S. says 24 U.S. government officials and spouses fell ill starting last year in homes and later in some hotels. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday he's "convinced these were targeted attacks," but the U.S. doesn't know who's behind them. A few Canadian Embassy staffers also got sick.
Doctors still don't know how victims ended up with the white matter changes, nor how exactly those changes might relate to their symptoms. U.S. officials wouldn't say whether the changes were found in all 24 patients.
But acoustic waves have never been shown to alter the brain's white matter tracts, said Elisa Konofagou, a biomedical engineering professor at Columbia University who is not involved in the government's investigation.
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"I would be very surprised," Konofagou said, adding that ultrasound in the brain is used frequently in modern medicine. "We never see white matter tract problems."
Cuba has adamantly denied involvement, and calls the Trump administration's claims that U.S. workers were attacked "deliberate lies." The new medical details may help the U.S. counter Havana's complaint that Washington hasn't presented any evidence.
Tillerson said the U.S. had shared some information with Havana, but wouldn't disclose details that would violate privacy or help a perpetrator learn how effective the attacks were.
Tillerson: Cuba Responsible for Acoustic Attack Probe
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the White House holds Cuba responsible for finding out who carried out the accoustic attack on American personnel in Havana.
(Published Friday, Aug. 11, 2017)
"What we've said to the Cubans is: Small island. You've got a sophisticated intelligence apparatus. You probably know who's doing it. You can stop it," Tillerson said. "It's as simple as that."
The case has plunged the U.S. medical community into uncharted territory. Physicians are treating the symptoms like a new, never-seen-before illness. After extensive testing and trial therapies, they're developing the first protocols to screen cases and identify the best treatments — even as the FBI investigation struggles to identify a culprit, method and motive.
Doctors treating the victims wouldn't speak to the AP, yet their findings are expected to be discussed in an article being submitted to the Journal of the American Medical Association, U.S. officials said. Physicians at the University of Miami and the University of Pennsylvania who have treated the Cuba victims are writing it, with input from the State Department's medical unit and other government doctors.
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But the article won't speculate about what technology might have harmed the workers or who would have wanted to target Americans in Cuba. If investigators are any closer to solving those questions, their findings won't be made public.
The AP first reported in August that U.S. workers reported sounds audible in parts of rooms but inaudible just a few feet away — unlike normal sound, which disperses in all directions. Doctors have now come up with a term for such incidents: "directional acoustic phenomena."
Most patients have fully recovered, some after rehabilitation and other treatment, officials said. Many are back at work. About one-quarter had symptoms that persisted for long periods or remain to this day.
Eric Kayne/AP Images for Humane Society of the United States
Earlier this year, the U.S. said doctors found patients had suffered concussions, known as mild traumatic brain injury, but were uncertain beyond that what had happened in their brains. Concussions are often diagnosed based solely on symptoms.
Studies have found both concussions and white matter damage in Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who survived explosions yet had no other physical damage. But those injuries were attributed mostly to shock waves from explosions. No Havana patients reported explosions or blows to the head.
Outside medical experts said that when the sample of patients is so small, it's difficult to establish cause and effect.
"The thing you have to wonder anytime you see something on a scan: Is it due to the episode in question, or was it something pre-existing and unrelated to what happened?" said Dr. Gerard Gianoli, an ear and brain specialist in Louisiana.
As Cuba works to limit damage to its reputation and economy, its government has produced TV specials and an online summit about its own investigation. Cuba's experts have concluded that the Americans' allegations are scientifically impossible.
The Cubans have urged the U.S. to release information about what it's found. FBI investigators have spent months comparing cases to pinpoint what factors overlap.
U.S. officials told the AP that investigators have now determined:
The most frequently reported sound patients heard was a high-pitched chirp or grating metal. Fewer recalled a low-pitched noise, like a hum.
Some were asleep and awakened by the sound, even as others sleeping in the same bed or room heard nothing.
Vibrations sometimes accompanied the sound. Victims told investigators these felt similar to the rapid flutter of air when windows of a car are partially rolled down.
Those worst off knew right away something was affecting their bodies. Some developed visual symptoms within 24 hours, including trouble focusing on a computer screen.
The U.S. has not identified any specific precautions it believes can mitigate the risk for diplomats in Havana, three officials said, although an attack hasn't been reported since late August. Since the Americans started falling ill last year, the State Department has adopted a new protocol for workers before they go to Cuba that includes bloodwork and other "baseline" tests. If they later show symptoms, doctors can retest and compare.
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Doctors still don't know the long-term medical consequences and expect that epidemiologists, who track disease patterns in populations, will monitor the 24 Americans for life. Consultations with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are underway.
AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard contributed to this report.


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See Grace on Video
Interview with Grace
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Grace is a former faculty member with the Canadian Management Centre having participated in their Management and Leadership Courses as well as designing training courses and keynotes for their corporate clientele. Grace started her speaking career by working as an International Seminar Leader with Fred Pryor Resources, the world’s largest one-day seminar company. She delivered hundreds of seminars to business professionals in Canada, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Grace was well loved by her attendees boasting one of the highest “satisfied customers” ratings in the company.
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Journalism and Mass Communication Faculty HandbookAll www.kent.edu
Journalism and Mass Communication Faculty Handbook
Matters of School Governance and Related Procedures
Close Matters of School Governance and Related Procedures Overview
Revision of the Handbook
Faculty Instructional, Professional and Ethical Responsibilities
Faculty Workload
RTP Criteria and the Criteria and Processes Relating to Other Faculty Personnel Actions
Close RTP Criteria and the Criteria and Processes Relating to Other Faculty Personnel Actions Overview
Reappointment, Tenure, Promotion for Tenure-Track and Full Time Non-Tenure Track Faculty
Criteria, Performance Expectations and School Procedures Relating to Merit Awards
Close Criteria, Performance Expectations and School Procedures Relating to Merit Awards Overview
Other School Guidelines
Close Other School Guidelines Overview
Structure and Organization of the School
Close Appendix Overview
Reappointment for Tenure-Track Faculty
The policies and procedures for reappointment are included in the University Policy Register 6-16 and Addendum C of the Tenure-Track Collective Bargaining Agreement (TT CBA). Each academic year, reappointment guidelines for faculty are distributed by the Office of the Provost. These guidelines will be given to all tenure-track faculty and Ad Hoc Committee members. Tenure-track faculty members are reviewed by the Department’s Ad Hoc Reappointment Committee.
For tenure-track faculty, reappointment is contingent upon demonstration of appropriate progress toward the requirements for tenure. Performance expectations develop from initial letters of appointment, any additional written initial expectations and the Director’s annual reappointment letters. These expectations of individual faculty members may differ significantly, given each faculty member’s experience, background and assignments. In annual reappointment materials, the faculty member must establish and articulate both short- and long-term goals, then document progress toward meeting those goals. Specific concerns expressed by the Ad Hoc Reappointment Committee members and/or the Director in annual reappointment reviews during the probationary period must be addressed by the faculty member in subsequent reappointment reviews.
According to the University Policy Register (6-14) and Addendum B of the TT CBA assistant professors following the traditional tenure clock are granted or denied tenure by March 15 of their sixth year. However, if an assistant professor carries some years of credit toward tenure, he or she could be eligible earlier. The maximum credit toward tenure is typically two years, but “in extraordinary circumstances” additional credit may be granted at the time of appointment after consultation with the Faculty Advisory Committee. Faculty members appointed as either associate professors or professors have a three-year probationary period before they are eligible to apply for tenure.
For faculty members following the traditional tenure clock for Assistant Professors, the review after completion of three (3) full years in the probationary period at Kent State University is particularly critical. Upon completion of the third year of the probationary period, faculty reviewing a candidate for reappointment should consider the record of the candidate’s achievements to date. This record should be considered a predictor of future success. The hallmark of a successful candidate is compelling evidence of positive development in teaching, scholarly/creative activity, and service, per the criteria detailed in this section of the Handbook.
If concerns about a faculty member’s performance are raised during the reappointment process, the Ad Hoc Reappointment Committee and the Director shall provide detailed, prescriptive comments to serve as constructive feedback. If such concerns arise during a review that occurs after completion of three (3) full years in the probationary period, the Director and the candidate’s mentor, in consultation with the FAC, will advise and work with the candidate on a suitable, positive plan for realignment with the School’s tenure and promotion expectations; however, the candidate is solely responsible for her/his success in implementing this plan. Failure to meet performance expectations or failure to satisfactorily address concerns expressed by the Ad Hoc Reappointment Committee or by the Director may result in a negative reappointment recommendation to the Dean.
Tolling Policy
From time to time, personal and/or family circumstances may arise that require a probationary faculty member to request that her/his probationary period be extended. Upon request, a faculty member may be granted an extension of the probationary period, which has been traditionally called “tolling” or “stopping the tenure clock.” The University policy and procedures governing modification of the faculty probationary period are included in the University Policy Register. (See University Policy Register 6-13)
Tenure and Promotion for Tenure-Track Faculty
The policies and procedures for tenure and promotion are included in the University Policy Register 6-14 and 6-15 and in Addenda A and B of the TT CBA. Each academic year, tenure and promotion guidelines for Kent and Regional Campus faculty are distributed by the Office of the Provost. These guidelines will be given to all tenure-track faculty and Ad Hoc Committee members.
Tenure and promotion are separate decisions. The awarding of tenure must be based on convincing, documented evidence that the faculty member has achieved:
1. a strong record of effective instruction and curricular engagement
2. a significant body of scholarly/creative work that has undergone meaningful peer review and that has had a demonstrable impact on her/his discipline and profession, meeting or exceeding expectations as defined in initial appointment letters and other written initial expectations and in annual reappointment letters (See below for further detail.)
3. a track record of effective service relevant to the mission of the School and to the mission of the University
Tenure considerations may include evaluation of accomplishments prior to arrival at Kent State University, but primary emphasis should be on work conducted while on the tenure track. Such considerations also may include grant proposals submitted but not funded, proposals pending, creative works and papers “in review” or papers “in press,” graduate students currently advised, and any other materials that may reflect on the candidate’s potential for a long-term successful career. The tenure decision is based on all of the evidence available to determine the candidate’s potential to pursue a productive career.
Promotion, on the other hand, is based solely on a candidate’s accomplishments completed during the review period.
Candidates for promotion to Associate Professor must meet all the qualifications for tenure. They must also show potential for a career likely to achieve national/international recognition, as evidenced by the body of work presented in the promotion file.
Promotion to Professor recognizes the highest level of university achievement and national/ international prominence. Evidence for this prominence includes:
1. sustained excellence in teaching and service;
2. a record of scholarly/creative activity in highly significant venues that has undergone meaningful peer review and that has had a demonstrable and sustained impact on the candidate’s discipline and profession;
3. a record of substantial prominence in and impact on the field.
External funding for scholarly/creative activity or programmatic support also provides strong evidence of prominence and external validation of excellence. Many factors and criteria, both subjective and objective, are considered in recommending a faculty member for tenure and advancement in academic rank. The overall evaluation of a candidate for tenure and promotion shall include consideration of the faculty member’s personal integrity and professional behavior, as recognized by the University community. A sound ethical approach to all aspects of teaching, research, publication, and the academic profession are expected of all who seek tenure and promotion in the School.
Criteria for Tenure and Promotion for Tenure-track Faculty
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication hires tenure-track faculty at the assistant professor level, generally with a terminal degree of either a Ph.D., J.D., or a M.F.A.; or a master’s degree with significant professional experience, as determined by the search committee in consultation with the Director and Dean.
Faculty are expected to develop a strong track record in the classroom, as exhibited by responsiveness to teaching evaluations from professional colleagues and teaching peers, as well as students, professional improvement and industry engagement as appropriate. Criteria for the evaluation of teaching are listed in Table 1 in the Appendix to this Section of the Handbook. Course revision is defined as making a substantial modification to a course, such as addition of distance learning options or multi-media instruction, formally proposing to change course content/format, etc. Other information, such as written comments from students, colleagues within and beyond the School, College, or University administrators shall be considered when available. Peer reviews and summaries of Student Surveys of Instruction (including all student comments) must be submitted as part of a candidate’s file for reappointment, tenure and promotion. Copies of representative syllabi, examinations, and other relevant teaching material also should be available for review.
Scholarly/Creative Work
The School’s tenured and tenure-track faculty are expected to be engaged in endeavors that support the School’s mission. It is expected that these activities will lead to presentation and then to publication in quality scholarly or professional venues. Evaluation criteria are listed in Table 2 in the Appendix to this Section of the Handbook.
The quality of the work and the venues are important components in tenure and promotion decisions. Tenure is granted with the expectation that the faculty member will continue to be engaged at the same or a higher level of quality.
Given the School’s professional mission, published journalism of the highest quality qualifies as published research, using standards defined in more detail below.
Publication, for purposes of this document, is used in the broadest sense to include multiplatform distribution to defined audiences in print, web, audio, video, or mobile formats. Considering the proliferation of open-access information and audience-generated content, we anticipate that scholarly/creative activity may be published and evaluated in new ways, such as online or in other digital venues. It is up to the tenure or promotion applicant to assess and document how his or her work is significant in leading professional change. Such documentation must include meaningful peer review conducted in a detached and dispassionate manner.
Generally, the School expects tenure-track faculty to build a body of scholarly, journalistic, and/or creative work that:
a. shows substantial and consistent engagement by exhibiting focused growth that is documented by professional evaluations or assessments.
b. extends to publication or presentation in appropriate professional or academic venues as defined below.
c. engages peer or juried review or other evidence of detached, dispassionate vetting by peers or recognized experts as defined below.
d. creates a positive recognition and reputation for those scholarly and creative endeavors, leading in time to national recognition measured by citations or letters of recognition, invitations to present or publish, awards and honors, or other documented means.
e. aids communities and media organizations in better understanding their roles in a democratic society and/or advances the body of knowledge about the processes, economics, uses, effects, freedoms, and responsibilities of professionals and audiences of journalism and mass communication. The School recognizes the importance of faculty working in and with emerging media and technologies. Such work is essential to the future of media-related businesses and organizations. We also encourage faculty to build partnerships locally, regionally, and nationally.
The School defines service as administrative service within the university, professional service through academic and professional associations and provision of professional expertise to public and private entities beyond the university.
Service activity is expected and required; however, service of any magnitude cannot be considered more important than a candidate’s teaching and scholarly/creative responsibilities. Nonetheless, a faculty member’s willingness to make contributions to the overall progress of the School is an important measure of the faculty member’s fitness for tenure or promotion.
Contributions as a University citizen include service to the School, the College, and the University as outlined in Table 3. The merits of University service should be evaluated as to (1) whether or not the candidate chaired the committee listed and (2) the importance of the service to the mission of the unit served. Other components of citizenship include active participation in School events, such as faculty- undergraduate- and graduate-student recruitment, seminars, and department meetings, etc.
Additional components of service include public outreach and professional or academic service. These may differ in their importance among faculty members, depending on each faculty member’s duties and responsibilities within the School.
Expectations in service for promotion to Professor are higher than for promotion to Associate Professor.
Note on external funding and collaboration
The School recognizes and supports the value of teaching, scholarly/creative, or service endeavors that generate external funding, particularly when the work is aligned with the goals and missions of the School, College, University, or our professions. Similarly, collaboration among colleagues within the School, College, and University and other universities is encouraged.
Evaluation tables and documentation examples
The text in this section and the tables in the Appendix to this section are designed to facilitate assessing performance of candidates being evaluated for tenure and promotion. During the probationary period, these tools should be used for developmental assistance and projection of future success in achieving tenure and promotion and for determining the faculty member’s qualification for reappointment.
Tables 1, 2, and 3 in the Appendix provide worksheets for use in the evaluation of candidates. For promotion from Assistant to Associate Professor, the faculty member must meet the criteria for at least a “very good” evaluation in scholarly/creative activity and at least a “very good” evaluation in teaching. University citizenship must at least meet the minimum School criteria as outlined in Table 3. These same categories and assessment tools apply for tenure decisions.
A candidate for promotion to Professor must meet the criteria for an “excellent” evaluation in either scholarly/creative activity or teaching and no less than “very good” in the other category. Service must exceed the minimum School criteria. A candidate for promotion to Professor may not have equal activity in scholarship, teaching and service, as he/she becomes more specialized.
Given the wide range of venues in which scholarly/creative work may be published or presented, faculty are expected to provide clear documentation regarding publication or presentation of scholarly/creative work. Such documentation should include an assessment of its quality, impact or contribution to the body of professional or scholarly knowledge.
Conference papers and presentations, for example, generally do not carry equal weight with published articles or creative work. Original scholarship or journalism based on original reporting or research, for example, generally would be weighted more heavily than analysis or review of another’s work. In collaborations, the contributions of each author should be clear.
Assessment may be through traditional scholarly peer-review processes, demonstrated by client or external colleague evaluation, or adjudication (e.g., critical reviews, letters from acknowledged experts). Examples of acceptable assessment are provided below. Reviews by close colleagues and collaborators do not carry the same weight as dispassionate reviews by more objective, detached, external colleagues.
For peer-reviewed articles, faculty are expected to document:
quality of the publication
impact of the article
For peer-reviewed paper sessions, faculty are expected to document:
significance of the organization
indication of how paper or presentation may advance to publication
For invited papers or presentations, faculty are expected to document:
the significance of the organization
significance of the presentation, cited in a letter from the person who extended the invitation
audience for the paper or presentation
Books also represent scholarly/creative activity. The relative weight depends on such factors as the original research behind the text, the importance of the book to the field and the candidate’s role as single author, multiple author or editor. Faculty are expected to document:
copies sold
reviews or other evaluations
For articles in professional media, faculty are expected to document:
the circulation of the publication
description of audience
significance of the article, cited in a letter from the supervising editor, when available
other external validation such as awards or contests
citations, references
description of the reporting, research and/or creative process used to produce the article
For articles and blogs online, faculty are expected to document:
unique visitors or other accepted measures
significance of the organization that owns the web site
significance of the work, cited in a letter from the supervising editor, critical reviews or other evidence or in the case of a blog, qualified outside resources
other documented citations
For video/broadcast work in professional reporting or production, faculty are expected to document:
selection for distribution by a television station, network or online
significance of the work, cited in a letter from the supervising producer, when available
assessment through professional or academic awards competitions
reviews from relevant professional or academic experts.
In addition to reporting/writing/producing, the practice of journalism encompasses such creative activities as editing, photography, and design for print and digital media. These are to be vetted in a similar fashion to the three preceding examples.
The practice of public relations, on behalf of businesses and/or nonprofit organizations, encompasses:
Conducting formal communication audits and/or research initiatives.
Developing strategic public relations campaigns or programs that produce measurable results.
Developing and executing substantial public relations initiatives such as websites, social-media campaigns, large-scale events, etc.
Providing senior-level counsel leading to the adoption of more effective and ethical public relations practices.
Although the School puts the highest value on original research and creative activity, the following also are valued as part of a candidate’s portfolio: book reviews, grant proposals, as well as reviewing manuscripts and programs.
Faculty also may apply their expertise as advisers or consultants in significant problem-solving activities for an organization and may create workshops and seminars for professional audiences. Candidates will be expected to provide evaluation and impact of their work.
Because of the heavy teaching responsibilities for tenure-track faculty members at the regional campuses, expectations for scholarly and creative activity will not be as great as they are for faculty on the Kent campus.
Negative Decisions on Reappointment, Tenure and Promotion
In the event of negative decisions on reappointment, tenure or promotion, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication will follow the procedures described in the TT CBA and the University Policy Register.
Full Time Non-Tenure Track Appoint, Renewal and Promotion
Appointment and Renewal of Full Time Non-Tenure Track Faculty
Assignments for full time non-tenure track (FTNTT) faculty vary widely. Terms for renewal are explained in Article X of the Collective Bargaining Agreement for Full Time Non-Tenure Track Faculty (FTNTT CBA). Criteria are developed by the academic units. Documentation guidelines for FTNTT Full Performance Reviews are provided in the FTNTT CBA, Addendum B. For regular FTNTT faculty, formal third-year reviews are required. For FTNTT faculty in JMC, evaluation should follow standards for teaching and service in Tables 4 and 5. Evaluation criteria for professional development are outlined in the next section and standards are noted in Table 6. For FTNTT faculty with duties other than teaching, evaluation appropriate for their assigned duties will be developed.
Promotion of Full Time Non-Tenure Track Faculty
Faculty may apply for promotion in the third year of a cycle of three one-year appointments.
There are six academic ranks for FTNTT faculty members: Lecturer, Associate Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor. Criteria for promotion are set forth in Addendum C of the FTNTT CBA. Candidates are eligible for promotion to Associate Lecturer or Associate Professor after completing five consecutive years as an FTNTT and successfully passing one three-year performance review. They are eligible for promotion to Senior Lecturer or Professor after five full years in rank as an Associate Lecturer/Associate Professor. They will be assessed on their performance of assigned duties, professional development and university citizenship. See the FTNTT CBA, Addendum C, Section 1, Paragraph F for a more complete statement of criteria.
According to the FTNTT CBA, evidence of “significant and continuous accomplishments in Performance, Professional Development, and Professional and Creative Activity” is required for promotion. Contributions in university citizenship will help the candidate’s file and may be required. The Provost ultimately makes promotion decisions after receiving recommendations from the college Dean. The Dean is advised by the Non-Tenure Track Promotion Advisory Board, whose members review the candidates’ files.
Criteria for Promotion of Full Time Non-Tenure Track Faculty
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication hires most full time non-tenure track faculty at the assistant professor level, generally with a terminal degree of either a Ph.D., J.D., M.F.A., or a master’s degree with significant professional experience, as determined by the search committee in consultation with the Director and Dean.
Full time non-tenure track faculty generally teach more than tenure-track faculty, and they are evaluated primarily on their track record in the classroom, as exhibited by responsiveness to teaching evaluations from professional colleagues and teaching peers, as well as students, professional improvement, and industry engagement as appropriate. This rigorous review is detailed in Table 4 of the Appendix to this Section of the Handbook.
Full time non-tenure track faculty in JMC who have service obligations specified on their workload statements or letters of appointment are expected to provide service to the school. A faculty member’s willingness to make contributions to the overall progress of the School is an important measure of the faculty member’s fitness for promotion.
Contributions as a University citizen include service to the School, the College, and the University as outlined in Table 5. The merits of University service should be evaluated as to (1) whether or not the candidate chaired the committee listed and (2) the importance of the service to the mission of the unit served. Other components of citizenship include active participation in School events, such as faculty- undergraduate- and graduate-student recruitment, seminars and department meetings, etc.
Expectations in service for promotion to Senior Lecturer/Professor are higher than for promotion to Associate Lecturer/Associate Professor. The former requires that the candidates exceed service expectations. The latter requires that the candidates meet them.
In addition to showing significant success in teaching, full time non-tenure track faculty candidates for promotion must show they have accomplished a great deal professionally. Given that the areas for professional development within JMC are broad, professional development is evidenced via the effective alignment of activities to the workload statement/appointment letter. Examples might include (but are not limited to) professional awards, active roles in professional organizations, or publication / appearance / presentations in an industry specific outlet, or creative works relevant to the field. Table 6 in the Appendix to this Section of the Handbook outlines evaluation criteria.
Expectations in professional development for promotion to Senior Lecturer/Professor are higher than promotion to Associate Lecturer/Associate Professor. The former requires that the candidates exceed professional development expectations. The latter requires that the candidates meet them.
Other Faculty Personnel Actions
Appointment and Employment Procedure and Regulations of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication
In accordance with the definition in the University Policy Register, the sum of a faculty member’s “teaching, research, and/or administrative responsibilities and assignments constitutes full-time employment (one hundred percent full-time employment) at Kent State University.” JMC faculty include employees who are either tenure-track (those both tenured and probationary) or full time non-tenure track at the Kent and regional campuses.
Graduate student appointees who are assigned responsibility for sections of structured courses are considered members of the instructional staff for the period they have such classroom or laboratory responsibilities.
Faculty Additions and Replacements
Should a faculty position become available, after approval of the Dean and Provost, the Director will convene a search committee from among the full-time faculty members, though members may also come from other schools, departments and the student body. This committee will institute a formal search, in line with University, College, Equal Opportunity Commission and Affirmative Action regulations.
When any candidate is interviewed on campus, all faculty members shall have the opportunity to meet with the candidate and express their confidential observations and recommendations, either written or oral, to the Director. The Director will consider these observations and recommendations, and, after formal consultation with the search committee and the FAC, nominate a candidate to the Dean.
Formal letters of appointment for both probationary tenure-track and full time non-tenure track faculty shall be formulated, stating terms and expectations for the individual faculty member in teaching, scholarly/creative activity and service, so that he or she may be positively considered for reappointment, tenure, and promotion. This is normally done at the time of hiring.
The letters must be approved and agreed to by the Dean, the Director, and the faculty member and may be revised with the permission of the faculty member. Ultimate approval of letters of appointment is the responsibility of the Provost. In addition to the formal letters of appointment, the Director and the new faculty member, in consultation with an assigned mentor, may develop additional written expectations for specific teaching, scholarly/creative activity, and service in the initial year of work.
Graduate Faculty Membership
1. Graduate faculty membership shall be assigned to those faculty members with appropriate educational backgrounds, who have produced scholarly/creative activity of sufficient quality and consistency to merit professional recognition and who are effective in providing the appropriate training for graduate students (or have the potential for providing such training).
“Appropriate educational background,” as it relates to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, normally shall mean possession of the doctorate or terminal master’s degree. It also may mean possession of a non-terminal master’s degree with significant professional experience. Appropriate degrees vary within mass media-related disciplines and across the country, depending upon the emphases of the program and the academic/professional expertise of the faculty member.
Scholarly/creative activity of sufficient quality to merit professional recognition as it relates to JMC should be interpreted through Tenure and Promotion criteria described in this section.
Graduate Faculty Status for Kent Campus Faculty Members
Graduate Faculty status for Kent Campus faculty members is obtained by preparing documentation (application and supporting data sheet) and submitting it to the Graduate Faculty Committee of the School for evaluation and recommendation to the Director, who in turn recommends to the College Dean and to the Associate Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies.
2. The following statuses may be recommended for a graduate faculty member:
a. Associate Member, Level 1 (A1): May teach graduate courses and serve on master’s thesis and project committees.
b. Full Member, Level 1 (F1): May do the above and may direct projects and comprehensive exams at the master’s level. Before serving as a sole director of a project, the member must first co-direct two projects with a graduate faculty member eligible to be the sole director of a project. Before serving as a sole director of an exam, the member must first co-direct two exams with a graduate faculty member eligible to be the sole director of an exam.
c. Full Member, Level 2 (F2): May do the above and may direct theses. Before serving as a sole director of a thesis, the member must first co-direct two theses with a graduate faculty member eligible to be the sole director of a thesis.
d. Full Member, Level 3 (F3): May do the above and may serve on doctoral committees and co-direct doctoral dissertations.
e. Full Member, Level 4 (F4): May do the above and may direct a doctoral dissertation.
Criteria for Membership in the Graduate Faculty
General criteria for membership is set forth in the University Policy Register (6-15.1).
1. In JMC, a Full Member (Level F1) of the Graduate Faculty:
a. Must possess a doctorate or other appropriate terminal degree and demonstrate the potential for substantial scholarly research or creative activity, or
b. Must possess a master’s degree and significant professional experience and a record of substantial and sustained professional publication or creative activity, or
c. Must possess a bachelor’s degree, along with significant and prominent professional experience in his or her field and an outstanding record of professional publication or creative activity.
2. A Full Member (Level F2) of the Graduate Faculty:
a. Must hold a doctorate or equivalent terminal degree appropriate to the faculty member’s teaching and research discipline, and must demonstrate a substantial and sustained record of appropriate scholarly research or creative activity, or
b. Must hold a master’s degree for which a thesis was written, along with significant professional experience in his or her field, and must demonstrate a substantial and sustained record of appropriate scholarly research or creative activity.
a. Must meet all criteria for Level F2, and
b. Must demonstrate a significant record of graduate teaching, advising, and research direction, including experience in directing or co-directing graduate-student research, and
c. Must have demonstrated significant scholarly or creative activity in the past five years, and
d. Must demonstrate a significant record of professional involvement.
b. Must demonstrate a significant record of research direction, including experience in directing or co-directing graduate student research, and
c. Must demonstrate a current and continuing record of scholarly or creative activity, and
d. Must demonstrate a continuous record of significant professional involvement.
5. An Associate Member of the Graduate Faculty:
b. Must possess a master’s degree and significant professional experience, and demonstrate the potential for substantial scholarly or professional research or creative activity, or
c. Must possess a bachelor’s degree plus significant and prominent professional experience and must demonstrate the potential for outstanding professional publication or creative activity.
6. Temporary Graduate Faculty Member: This status shall be assigned to a faculty member whose participation in the graduate program is desired by the graduate department for a limited period or for a limited objective. Normally, this status should be assigned to lead to the appropriate instruction of a graduate course for a semester or appropriate service on a graduate examination committee, a thesis committee, or a dissertation committee. Upon the completion of the temporary assignment, the status of Temporary Graduate Faculty Member is withdrawn.
Summer Teaching
While summer teaching is not included as part of regular 9-month faculty contracts and appointments, faculty wishing to teach during the summer will be given the opportunity to do so, primarily on the basis of program need and secondarily on the basis of available financial resources. Generally, all faculty members shall be consulted by the Director and/or sequence coordinators concerning their desire to teach during the summer. The Director follows the guidelines and procedures for summer employment set forth in Article IX, Section 4 of the TT CBA and Article IX, Section 2 of the FTNTT CBA.
Evaluation of Teaching
Formal student evaluations, using KSU-mandated evaluation questions, plus additional questions devised by the School, are conducted for each course taught during regular academic semesters by full- and part-time faculty. Results of the evaluations are made available to the individual faculty member, along with the average score for courses in the appropriate norming group. Evaluations are public records.
1. Travel:
Faculty are encouraged to attend professional and academic meetings and conferences for professional enrichment. Attendance at such meetings is considered an authorized absence, provided that appropriate arrangements have been made for class coverage. The required forms for this type of leave are available from the Director. The form must be completed and approved before the faculty member’s leave.
2. Leaves of Absence:
Leaves of absence, including sick leave, shall follow College and University regulations as stated in the University Policy Register 6-11 and must be approved by the Dean. Appropriate documentation must be completed by all concerned parties.
3. Professional Improvement Leave for Tenure-Track Faculty:
Faculty professional improvement leave may be available to all those who qualify, in accordance with regulations and provisions in the University Policy Register 6-12 and 6-12.101. Faculty members requesting a faculty professional improvement leave must submit a proposal to the FAC and the Director for review, after which it is reviewed by the College Advisory Committee, the Dean and other appropriate University officials and committees. Final approval comes from the Provost and is subject to available funding.
4. Professional Development Leave for FTNTT Faculty
Full time non-tenure track faculty may apply for leaves of absence for professional development according to the provisions of the FTNTT CBA, Article XVI, Section 2.
Faculty Grievance and Appeals
A. University Procedures
Kent State University maintains a formal grievance and appeals procedures established by the TT CBA (Article VII) and the FTNTT CBA (Article VII).
B. School Procedures for Informal Resolution
The faculty and the Director are encouraged to maintain open communication to the extent that formal University grievance and appeals procedures will normally not be required. To this end, the following procedure is recommended for the internal arbitration of a faculty grievance, should it be necessitated:
Step 1: The grieving faculty member shall meet with his/her sequence coordinator, and a reasonable effort shall be made to resolve the grievance.
Step 2: If the grievance is not resolved in Step One, the faculty member may elect to bring his/her grievance before the FAC, which shall make an advisory recommendation to the Director.
Step 3: If the grievance is not resolved in Step Two, the faculty member shall meet with the Director who will make a final effort to resolve the grievance at the School level.
Should the issue remain unresolved at the School level, the Director’s Office will notify the Dean regarding the unresolved grievance and the results of the informal actions that have occurred in Steps One through Three.
In regard to the above procedure, it is important to note the following from the University Grievance and Appeals Procedure: “Any settlement, withdrawal, or other disposition of a grievance at the informal stage shall not constitute a binding precedent in the settlement of similar complaints or grievances.”


Living and Working in Glasgow in 2019
2. Working in Glasgow
3. Financial Services in Glasgow
4. Education in Glasgow
5. Living in Glasgow
6. Moving to Glasgow from Abroad
7. Culture in Glasgow
You most likely know Glasgow as one of the friendliest cities on earth or for its reputation as the former shipbuilding capital of the world.
But what you might not know is that Glasgow is one of the best places to live and work in the UK.
Scotland’s biggest city, Glasgow is known for its rich history, excellent shopping and vibrant nightlife.
Dynamic and ever-changing, both residents and visitors never fail to be impressed by what the city has to offer.
As one of Europe’s leading financial centres, financial services also play a key role in the city, with some of the biggest companies in the sector having a presence in Glasgow.
If you are considering a move to Glasgow, this guide should give you a flavour of what the city has to offer its residents.
Key Info:
Glasgow sits at the heart of Scotland’s only metropolitan region of 1.8 million people, while the population of the greater Glasgow region is around 2.3 million – making up 41% of the entire population of Scotland.[1]
Language: English is the main language with Scots, British Sign Language and Gaelic as recognised languages. Other languages spoken in the city including Spanish, Urdu, Mandarin and Polish. Strong numbers of foreign language speakers including Asian, Eastern European and Western European languages.
Currency: Pound Sterling (GDP)
Time Zone: UTC+00:00
Climate: Temperate. Glasgow benefits from long summer days with as much as 17 hours of sunlight. However, winter days tend to be much shorter and darker. There are on average 170 days of rainfall and between 15-20 days of snowfall in Glasgow.[2]
Similar to the rest of the country, the weather in Glasgow can sometimes be unpredictable and it’s not uncommon to experience all four seasons in one day.
No matter what career path you choose to pursue, Glasgow is one of the top places to work in the UK.
The city’s workforce combines the strong Scottish work ethic with the friendliness of its residents. This had made it an attractive location and some of the biggest companies in Scotland have a base in Glasgow.
Glasgow has the largest economy in Scotland, with a GDP of 41.6 billion in 2013. Glasgow contributes approximately £20.74 billion GVA to the Scottish economy annually. 19,000 companies make their home in Glasgow, generating an annual turnover of £38 billion.[3]
There are plenty of opportunities and there has never been a better time to work in Glasgow, with the number of vacancies advertised having risen by 52% since 2016.[4]
Residents in Glasgow benefit from an average monthly take-home salary of £1,814[5] which is higher than the UK average.
Formerly one of the world’s leading manufacturing hubs, Glasgow has moved away from a production-based economy to a service-based one, with up to 84% of jobs in the service sector.[6]
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce recently identified six key sectors for the city: low carbon industries; financial and business services; life sciences; engineering; tourism, and education.[7]
But the city is also developing in some of its newer growth sectors, such as software development and biotechnology. The tech sector in Scotland is worth £3.9bn with digital tech turnover per employee reaching £80,000.[8]
Glasgow has particular strength in space tech, as the city rockets towards becoming a world leader. CBRE ranked Glasgow 2nd in the UK in its annual Tech Cities survey.
Glasgow is at the forefront of healthcare and innovation across the UK and Europe. Glasgow is also the biggest media hub in Scotland and has an excellent creative sector.
Glasgow is one of the top places to work in the UK.
Tax and Employment Benefits
Employment benefits offered in Glasgow vary depending on your employer but are likely to include leave from work, sick pay, maternity pay and a pension.
The average working week for a full-time job is between 37 and 40 hours a week. Those working full-time are entitled to at least 28 days of paid holiday each year. If you work part-time, you are also entitled to paid holiday each year.
While it’s not compulsory, many organisations also close for public and bank holidays as an added incentive. Many bank holidays in Scotland are different to the rest of the UK.
If you’re pregnant, you may be eligible for maternity pay from your employer. Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) allows you to take time off work both before and after your baby is born. SMP is paid for up to 39 weeks from when you take leave from your job. Your partner is also entitled to up to two weeks of paternity leave – in addition to another 26 weeks if you decide to return to work early.
If you are eligible, the government will pay you a State Pension when you reach the national retirement age – normally between 60-65 years old. However, the amount you’re eligible for depends on the number of years you have paid National Insurance from your salary in the UK.
The majority of people working in Scotland have tax and National Insurance payments automatically deducted from their weekly or monthly pay. The amount of Income Tax and National Insurance you pay depends on several factors including how much you earn.
If you are not a UK national, you will need to apply for a National Insurance number from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and give it to your employer.
The financial services industry in Scotland is booming, and Glasgow is no exception. One of Europe’s top 20 financial centres, there are 40,500 jobs related to the financial services centre sector in Glasgow.[9] This makes up almost 10% of total employment in the city.[10]
Financial services are a rapidly growing sector in Glasgow, with plenty of jobs and investment. Since the creation of the International Financial Services District (IFSD), there has been over £1 billion invested and more than 15,000 new jobs.
Glasgow is the location of choice for some of the biggest names in the sector. There are over 3000 companies operating in this sector.[11]
Most of Glasgow’s finance sector is based around the IFSD. This includes companies like JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Barclays and BNP Paribas. Glasgow is a base for major global corporations in the financial and services sector, such as Barclays Wealth, Aon and others.
The second largest financial hub in Scotland, Glasgow’s main strengths lie in general insurance, asset administration, legal services and accountancy.
Scotland has a long and distinguished history in banking. You will find many long-established and newer challenger banks in Glasgow including The Royal Bank of Scotland, Clydesdale Bank, Tesco Bank, TSB, Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays.
Glasgow is also a base for many international banks such as the Bank of China, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, Santander and State Bank of India.
With 8,000 people working within the banking field in Glasgow, the city is the perfect place to build your banking career.
Glasgow is one of Europe's top 20 financial centres.
Scotland has a significant concentration of life and pensions activity, accounting for 27% of employment in the sub-sector in Britain.[12]
Glasgow is Scotland’s insurance hub, employing 8,500 people across hundreds of businesses.
Allianz, Axa, Zurich, Hiscox Plc, Aviva and Direct Line Insurance are just some of the big names located in Glasgow.
Asset servicing is a key growth area in Glasgow’s financial services industry. Scotland is now a leading European centre for asset servicing offering a comprehensive range of services, including: custody, securities servicing, investment accounting, performance measurement, trustee administration, shareholder services, compliance, client management and retail fund administration.
Three out of the top ten largest asset servicing organisations operate in Glasgow. They are BNP Paribas, JP Morgan and HSBC.
Scotland is a renowned centre of excellence in investment management with its origins dating back to the nineteenth century.
The sector encompasses a broad mix of large institutional and smaller businesses that deliver a wide variety of innovative investment services to institutional and personal clients around the world.
While this sector is smaller than that of Edinburgh, Glasgow maintains a high quality of asset management expertise.
Glasgow has a large community of professionals providing services to the financial services industry. There are over 13,000 people working in legal and accounting services, and over 4,500 in management consulting.
The UK has high quality professional and support services; it has the largest and most developed market in Europe for legal services, management consulting and accounting.[13] These three sectors contributed £20.1bn, £14bn and £26.8bn respectively to UK output in 2017.
The Scottish legal sector is consistently strong. Corporate and commercial areas of law firms will continue to be busy, and in-house functions of financial sector companies will continue to grow.
Accounting and finance is also an area of expertise in Glasgow. Many leading companies have a presence in Glasgow or neighbouring city Edinburgh. The great bio-diversity of businesses ensures a steady flow of opportunity in this sector.
Scotland’s financial services industry benefits from an extensive chain of providers that deliver the wide spectrum of business services required by businesses operating in the Glasgow financial sector.
This includes companies offering services such as outsourcing, human resources, business consultancy, and technology.
With over 6,000 people working in this area in Glasgow, there are plentiful opportunities with a variety of companies supporting the financial sector.
Named a “fintech powerhouse” by Fintech Scotland, the digital tech sector in Glasgow is growing at a rapid pace. Over the past decade there has been over £37 million worth of investment in Scottish fintech[14] and significant further investment is anticipated.
There are currently 12 fintech companies in Glasgow[15] and many of the world’s largest financial institutions have technology teams located in Glasgow, such as JP Morgan’s Technology Centre.
The city also plays a key part in the development of the Scottish fintech industry. Strathclyde University was the first in the UK to offer a masters course in fintech.
The future of the Glasgow fintech sector is bright as Scotland aims to become one of the world’s top five fintech hubs. The next 12 months will see the emergence of a more broadly connected fintech ecosystem across Scotland[16] and it is expected that 15,000 new roles will be created over the next 10 years.[17]
Scotland is famous for its first-class education system. It is one of the most highly educated countries in Europe and among the most well-educated in the world, with over 55% workforce educated to at least degree level.[18]
The city’s excellent educational system is one of the driving forces behind its talented workforce. 46% of all Glaswegians in employment are educated to degree level, making the city's workforce one of the best qualified in the UK.
Glasgow has a reputation for educational excellence and provides a wide range of options across all levels. The city’s institutions of higher and further education graduate around 20,000 individuals per annum ensuring a healthy talent pipeline.
Glasgow's Universities
Glasgow is home to four universities: the University of Glasgow, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of the West of Scotland. The city also hosts the Glasgow School of Art and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
The University of Glasgow, one of the oldest in the world, is globally recognised as a top-class institution. Business schools at the University of Glasgow and the University of Strathclyde are both triple accredited – only 1% of business schools worldwide hold this accreditation.
The Glasgow city region has the largest student population in Scotland and the second highest in the UK. More than 185,000 students from 140 countries live and study here.
Thousands of students graduate each year with qualifications directly relevant to the needs of the financial services industry. Glasgow also has the highest student retention rate of any city in the UK, with over half staying to build their careers in the city.
The University of Glasgow is one of the oldest in the world.
Further and Higher Education Colleges
There are 6 further and higher education colleges across the Glasgow city region offering a wide range of courses and diplomas.
Three are located in the city centre - City of Glasgow College, Glasgow Kelvin College and Glasgow Clyde College – and a further three colleges are in the wider Glasgow region – West College Scotland, South Lanarkshire College, New College Lanarkshire.
Independent and State Schools
Glasgow has a rich variety of renowned schools catering for a full range of educational needs, spanning the state and independent sectors.
The city council provides 149 primary schools and 29 secondary schools for children up to the age of 18. The city council has also undertaken a massive modernisation initiative, with nearly all schools in Glasgow newly built or renovated.
Glasgow also offers 14 independent schools, and three specialist schools; the Glasgow School of Sport, the Dance School of Scotland and the Glasgow Gaelic School.
Pre-school early learning and childcare
Pre-school early learning and childcare aims to encourage children aged between two and five years old to learn and develop in a caring and nurturing setting. All children can get a free part-time place at a council nursery, or funding towards a place at a private one.
You can find local nurseries and read about alternative childcare options for two to five-year olds on the Glasgow City Council's website.
The standards of living in Glasgow are consistently ranked among the best in the UK and the world. Glasgow was ranked 3rd highest in UK and 48th in the world for quality of life in 2018.[19]
There are excellent transport, housing and living options in the city with something to suit all lifestyles and budgets.
Glasgow has a wide range of facilities and has more green space per mile than any other city in the UK with over 70 parks in and around the city.
As Scotland’s biggest city, Glasgow has excellent transport links, both in the city and to the rest of the UK and world.
Not only is the city easy to navigate on foot but cyclists can enjoy more than 301km of cycle lanes connecting the city, which a great way to explore and get a feel for the city.
Glasgow is the only city in Scotland with an underground network. There is a frequently running and easy to use Subway system connecting different parts of the city.
Glasgow is served by two main railway stations, Central Station and Queen Street Station, and has the largest suburban rail network in the UK outside of London. There are also excellent rail links to the rest of the country with 8 trains per hour to Edinburgh and 23 trains per day direct to London, taking around 4hrs 30 mins.
Glasgow Airport is Scotland’s principal long-haul airport. You can fly direct to North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as well as frequent domestic flights.
Glasgow is also well connected by road. The main motorway route is the M8, connecting the city centre to the M74, M77 and M80.
Not only are there excellent facilities in Glasgow, it is also an affordable place to live in comparison to other cities in the UK. Living costs are 26% lower than London.[20] In the Independent’s 2015 list of the Best Places in the UK to Make a Living, Glasgow placed 32 out of 64 in the cost of living rank.
Out of 20 major cities across the UK, Glasgow offers young professionals the highest level of disposable income.[21] Expatistan ranks Glasgow as the 9th most expensive city out of 15 in the UK.
Comparison site Numbeo estimates a litre of milk costs £0.85 while a pint in your neighbourhood pub will come in at around £3.84. Two cinema tickets will cost about £20 in Glasgow and the average monthly gym membership costs £26.24.
The National Health Service (NHS) offers free healthcare services to people with a visa allowing them to live the UK for at least one year
You need to be registered with a GP to receive NHS treatment (you can find your nearest GP here).
Services covered include:
Medical advice from a doctor
Emergency and non-emergency medical treatment in a hospital
Medicines prescribed by your GP
There also companies offering private healthcare and health insurance, which is more expensive but may lead to quicker, more comprehensive treatment and aftercare.
Dental care is provided by the NHS, with check-up appointments covered for those over 18. Additional dental treatment is not fully NHS funded and prices vary depending on the service and treatment required.
Private dental care is also available, with many dental practices in Glasgow offering both private and NHS services.
Housing Hunting
Whether you are looking to rent or buy a home in Glasgow, there is a wide variety of choice. Glasgow boasts an excellent range of housing options. From trendy apartments on the River Clyde to Victorian flats in Glasgow's west end and easily commutable suburbs, there is something for everyone.
Popular areas include:
West End – made up of any area west of Charing Cross, Glasgow’s West End includes the sought-after areas of Dowanhill, Kelvingrove and Hyndland. The Finnieston area of Glasgow was voted the hippest place to live in Britain.
One of the most desirable parts of the city, there is a mix of large period houses and flats. Popular with students, professionals and families, there is something for everyone although this popularity can be reflected in the prices.
Further west of the city centre, places to keep an eye out for are Scotstoun, Knightswood and Anniesfield. These areas are attractive for buyers and renters alike, with a good balance of reputation and affordability.
North – Bearsden and Milngavie are some of the most sought-after areas outside of Glasgow city centre. Bearsden has the lowest social housing of any Scottish town and has featured in the top 10 wealthiest areas of the UK.[22]
Both areas are popular spots for commuters who prefer less hustle and bustle and more green spaces.
City Centre – right in the heart of the city and one of Glasgow’s oldest areas, the Merchant City has a mix of modern flats with an abundance of bars, restaurants, and boutiques right on your doorstep.
Just a short walk from the city centre is Glasgow’s East End which has been undergoing a regeneration. Many homes in this area are purpose-built and more affordable for those starting on the property ladder.
South – areas located south of the River Clyde such as Whitecraigs and Giffnock in East Renfrewshire. These areas are perfect for those seeking detached houses and bungalows.
Giffnock has a wide variety of properties, lots of shops and restaurants within walking distance and excellent schooling.
Many choose to live outside the city, in the towns and villages from which the city is easily commutable.
Although prices in rural Britain have been falling in the last years, the cost of living in the Scottish countryside is still up to 40% higher than in many British cities.[23] The reason for this is that living in remote areas of Scotland is more expensive when it comes to the costs of commuting, clothing, food, and household goods.
Living standards in Glasgow are consistently ranked among the best in the UK.
The cost of buying property in Glasgow is around 72% lower than London, 9% lower than Manchester and 11% lower than Edinburgh.[24]
While most properties are sold through estate agents or solicitors, you can also buy privately from the owner – though you will still need the help of a solicitor to do the legal work.
Zoopla.com and rightmove.co.uk are popular resources for those looking to buy property in Glasgow and the surrounding areas.
Price levels for property in Glasgow vary but the average sale price is as follows:
Detached - £265,113
Semi-detached - £167,665
Terraced - £171,760
Flat - £134,209[25]
Glasgow also offers very competitive rental costs compared to other UK cities.
The average monthly rental cost is £771[26] , and the average monthly cost per number of rooms is as follows:
1 bed flat - £583
3 bed flat - £1,037
Popular resources for finding rental properties in Glasgow include:
Zoopla.com
Citylets.com
Most rental properties are furnished flats, though houses and unfurnished properties can also be found.
Many letting agencies and private landlords will usually require a deposit, which is returned at the end of the tenancy.
It is also worth noting that most rental properties in Glasgow usually do not include utility bills, Wi-Fi or council tax within the monthly rent. These are additional costs.
All residential properties in Scotland are subject to Council Tax. Council Tax is a local tax, with annual receipts contributing directly to the funding of local services. In Scotland, all residential properties are assigned to one of eight bands (from A to H), based upon the value of that property.
Glasgow council also a range of discounts and exemptions for those who qualify. More information on Council can be found at the Glasgow City Council website.
Glasgow is an attractive location for people from all over the world and is known for being an extremely welcoming city to move to.
The fDi Intelligence Quality of Life ranks Glasgow higher than Los Angeles and Rome. Glasgow benefits from shorter commuting times, lower living costs and better work-life balance than other cities around the world.
With excellent national and international transport links, Glasgow is well connected to the rest of the globe. North America can be reached in as little as five hours and mainland Europe in over an hour.
Meetup.com, InterNations.org and Facebook groups are great ways to connect with other expats in Glasgow and find out about events.
Visa and immigration requirements
Scotland is governed by the same visa rules and legislation as the rest of the United Kingdom, though there are several special business visa categories to ensure Scotland remains a competitive destination for investment.
If you are from a country outside the European Economic Area (EEA), you will need a visa to live and work in Scotland. The UK Government website allows you work out which visa you require based on your nationality and reason for coming to the UK.
There are a number of options open to people who require a UK visa. The two most common categories are Tier 1 and Tier 2. "Skilled worker visas" (Tier 2) address the needs of skilled laborers and employees. There’s also a separate sub-category for intra-company transfers. "High value workers" fall into the Tier 1 category.
The process will need to be started at least 3 months prior to your move to Glasgow and it is worth noting that there can be substantial fees.
More information on the different UK visa classifications and how to apply can be found on the UK Government website.
EU Nationals working in Scotland & Brexit
The Scottish Government continues to welcome EEA nationals in Scotland as the status of Europeans living and working in Scotland has not changed.
However, if you want to stay in the UK beyond 31 December 2020, you need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. The scheme will be fully open by the end of March 2019 and you will have until 30 June 2021 to apply. If you have been a resident in the UK for more than 5 years you will be eligible for settled status. If you have been a resident for less than 5 years you will be eligible for pre-settled status.
In the meantime, it remains open to EEA nationals and their family members living in Scotland to apply for documentation from the UK Home Office that certifies their right to live and work in the UK. This can be done by applying for an EEA Registration Certificate (known as an EEA Residence Card), a Permanent Residence Card, or even British nationality depending upon your circumstances.
It is recommended that you sign up for email alerts from the Home Office regarding EU Nationals working in Britain for the most up to date information.
Named "the UK's Coolest City” by National Geographic Traveller magazine, you will never be short of things to do in Glasgow.
The city centre’s Style Mile is a hotspot for shopping lovers and Experian's annual retail vitality index has named Glasgow as offering the best shopping in the UK outside of London for several years.
Glasgow also has a thriving food and drinks scene and some of the best nightlife in Scotland. Glasgow is a UNESCO City of Music - the only one in Scotland - and there can be as many as 130 music events taking place in the city each week. [27]
There are 20 museums and galleries throughout Glasgow, most with free entry. There include the Kelvingrove Museum & Art Gallery, The People’s Palace, the Hunterian Museum and The Riverside Museum. Other great places to visit in Glasgow are the Science Centre, Glasgow Green the Botanic Gardens, Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis.
Glasgow is famous for it's cultural scene.
Glasgow is famous for its excellent sports events and for being home to local, national and international sports teams across a vast number of sports.
The city hosted the 2014 Commonwealth Games to a resounding success. In 2020 Glasgow will be one of the host cities of the UEFA Euro 2020 football tournament.
Throughout the year, Glasgow hosts a number of festivals and special events, including Celtic Connections, The Glasgow Film Festival, Glasgow International Comedy Festival and Glasgow Mela.
Outside of Glasgow
While there is plenty to do in the city, Glasgow provides an excellent base to explore the rest of Scotland too. Some of the world’s most beautiful scenery, like Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, can be reached in as little as an hour.
Scotland’s other cities, such as Edinburgh, Dundee and Stirling can be easily reached by train, bus or car and each offer a range of things to do and see, including the newly opened V&A museum in Dundee.
While Glasgow may be Scotland’s second city, it certainly is not second best. Combining excellent facilities and infrastructure, world-class talent and some of Scotland’s best companies, Glasgow is fast becoming one of the top places to live and work in the UK.
With over 300 years of expertise in financial services, Glasgow is the perfect place to develop your career and to work for some fantastic companies.
Glasgow has something for all tastes and lifestyles with a thriving cultural scene and many desirable places to live.
But one of Glasgow’s biggest attributes is its residents, who are some of the friendliest in the whole of the UK. The pride Glaswegians have for their city is infectious. Anyone moving there will soon be sharing this same passion for life in Glasgow.
Hopefully you will now have all the necessary information to make a smooth transition into Glasgow life.
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