Taking action on Staff Survey issues
08 Mar 2017
Faculty of Humanities
Since the Staff Survey in 2015, staff working within Humanities have been working to make improvements in several areas.
The key areas of concern within Humanities overall were identified as managing change including workload and work/life balance, communication and teaching staff and teaching facilities.
Change management and workload
You said that more could be done to help you prepare for and cope with change. Only half of you thought change was managed well and that you were consulted about changes affecting you. You said that you did not have a good work/life balance and that you were unable to handle all the conflicting demands on your time at work.
We have:
- Organised additional change management training for the Faculty’s Senior Management Team
- Evaluated and strengthened the change management content of the Faculty Step into Leadership course
- Piloted a new process by which staff can be consulted about possible changes in order to help shape and influence the outcome
- Reviewed the change management toolkit which had been introduced in response to the 2013 survey
- Reviewed annual timetables in relation to change initiatives taking into consideration University level projects to ensure work is manageable
- Strengthened the project management approach to change management exercises to consider resourcing requirements fully
- Taken measures to improve awareness of support available to staff and how they can raise concerns about workload.
Communication
Less than half of you said there were effective channels for you to feed your views upwards in the University and just over half of you judged communication to be effective.
We have:
- Audited staff communication and employee engagement activity, and developed an action plan in response. Measures have included:
- Establishment of visits by the Dean to each discipline and informal receptions following the Dean’s regular visits to Schools
- Piloted a new process by which staff can be consulted about possible changes in order to help shape and influence the outcomes
- Championed the use of ‘The Hive’ online discussion forum for Professional Support Services (PSS) staff and managers to discuss and share ideas
- Taken measures to ensure that the monthly PSS Coremunicate discussion points and feedback opportunities are given full attention at all levels as part of the process.
Teaching staff and teaching facilities
Two thirds of you (half of academics) believed that teaching staff were valued and that facilities for teaching students were good.
We have:
- Introduced the University’s new teaching promotion criteria
- Taken measures to ensure colleagues are aware of material in academic promotions guidance including a new key messages document
- Reviewed and improved measures and initiatives to celebrate success and achievements in teaching
- Provided more regular and detailed communications to staff about Estates work completed, planned and in progress
- Made teaching staff aware of the minimum standards of IT equipment to be provided in teaching rooms
- Reviewed the process for reporting issues and receiving responses in relation to teaching rooms, timetabling and facilities/equipment.
Work has also been carried out by Schools and in Faculty Office in Humanities to respond to the more targeted Staff Survey 2015 feedback in these areas.