P1516-184

SWANSEA UNIVERSITY

PROGRESS AGAINST THE HUMAN RESOURCES STRATEGIC PLAN 2014/15

The University’s Strategic Plan will only be delivered if we have a workforce capable of delivering it.To do so the University’s workforce needs to

  • have the appropriate skills and experience – through workforce planning and recruitment of the right people with the right skills at the right time and the development of existing staff to deal with the rapidly changing University environment,
  • understand expectations – through communication and engagement of staff,
  • develop, appropriately to achieve those expectations – through professional and personal development
  • be motivated rewarded and challenged to fulfil expectations – through creating the right conditions for people to perform at their best.

There are key strategic aims and enablers in the University’s Strategic Plan 2012-17 where a Human Resources contribution is important. These contributions and progress against them in 2014/15 is set out below.

PERFORMANCE ENABLING

  1. Continue to develop and implement the Performance Enabling Strategy.
  • PDR completion rate in 2014was asector leading 99% for the second year running, which is critical for the longer term success of embedding a performance enabling culture. In addition,wefocused on aiming to increase the response rate of the Staff Survey which is an indicator of the quality of the PDRs and the result increased from 26% in 2012 to 36%in 2013 and up to 50% in 2014.
  • The survey indicatesthat a significant majority of managersimpress the importance of the PDR on their staff. Also as a result of their PDR, 82% of staff clearly understood what is expected of them in their role.
  1. Develop a Reward and Recognition Strategy

Remuneration Committee process and pay

A revised Remuneration Committee process has been implemented in 2014/15 with the following new features:

  • Academic KPIs exported from PDRs as a formal part of the decision making process and as an aid in verifying application
  • Heads of College asked to comment and provide a rating on the contribution of each member of staff in their College to leadership during the previous year. Further suggestions for change were considered but major change will await the introduction of the threshold criteria currently being developed under the ACP initiative (see below).

Grade 10a

A new role of Associate Director has been developed and will be paid on grade 10a, at the top of the national pay scales. This development will have the following benefits:

  • Reward, incentivise and retain leaders
  • Enable Directors and Heads of Colleges to devolve significant responsibilities so that they can focus on strategic delivery
  • Strengthen leadership teams and management structures
  • Enable greater succession planning
  • Ensure performance of the strategic aims of the university including forecasting and planning

Job Descriptions for the role have been defined against the University’s and PSU’s strategic objectives and assessed against the HERA role profile values andto include leadership criteria and values. The first 10a posts were advertised in September 2015.
Promotion Processes
Phase 1 of the Academic Promotion review was developed and delivered successfully with significantly improved levels of customer care. Improvements to the process included:

  • Academic promotion applications submitted on line through the annual PDR process.
  • Academic Promotion Committees were organised and delivered from 1st December to 31st March 2015.
  • Improved timescaleforProfessorpromotions from application closing date to decision from 9 months last year to 4 months this year.
  • Promotion MI illustrating numbers of successful and unsuccessful applicants by gender, career strand, level and College was provided to managers.
  • 'Promotion Celebration Events' led by the Vice Chancellor were developed and delivered for the first time which has improved staff experience and recognition of Academic Promotion.
  • A Post Implementation Review of Academic Promotion was conducted with all key stakeholders. Based on findings proposals have been developed for Phase 2 Academic Promotion for 2015/16.

Academic Career Pathways
A post implementation review of the Academic Career Pathways was conducted and extensive revisions to the scheme have been developed following input from key stake holders and Unions. New Proposals have been implemented in time for 2015/16 Academic Promotions round. Key points are:

  • Introduction of threshold criteria – we believe this to be highly innovative and sector leading.
  • Simplification of pathways to the same4 criteria at each level
  • Reduction to a single enhanced strand
  • Re-formulation of leadership criteria
  • Introduction of basic core criteria at every level

WORKING WITH OTHERS

  1. Through closer working arrangements between HR Officers and Colleges, provide advice and support to Heads of College in managing staff to maximise performance.

The Professional Services Review (PSR) was launched with the following vision:

“By 2015 Swansea University will have professional service functions operating seamlessly across both campuses that are customer focussed, appropriately structured with fit-for-purpose business processes to enable the University to achieve UK top-30 performance by 2018. All staff delivering professional service functions will share the collective ambition for continuously improving performance and service excellence and will work within a consistent set of values. Individual professional service functions, wherever delivered, will be sector leading.”

We have worked closely with Programme Director, Professor Wilks to develop the realignment process and criteria. An interim HR Change Manager has been appointed to assist with implementation; working within both PSPU and HR directorates to align the project management and HR aspects of the process. The PSR process has been successfully completed for the Research and Student Engagement phases. Support from HR has included:

  • engagement with staff and trades unions,
  • development of job descriptions and criteria to reflect the University’s values,
  • interviews and appointments to the new roles.

The Human Resources phase of the review commenced in August with a timeline for the process and a new Departmental structure being proposed to staff. It is envisaged that the review will deliver closer working arrangements between Colleges and HR with the implementation of an “HR Business Partner model.

The proposed revised structure would ensure that through allocation of transactional HR services, both systems and staffing to the proposed hubs, managers will have the support, tools and development to effectively manage their staff in the context of a University policy framework (as the legal employer).

In the proposed realignment, transactional HR would be aligned to line management supported by devolved function HR professionals (“HR Business Partners”) who would remain accountable to the HR Director. However, the Head of College should be fully involved in the agreement of annual objectives and should be fully involved in the feedback of standards of performance, recognition, reward and challenge.

Staff Transfer to the Bay

A policy and operational procedures weredeveloped for transferring staff to the Bay Campus, in consultation with trade unions. Staff transfers have now been completed andeligible staff have haddisruption allowances confirmed. For those staffwith difficulties in moving to the new campus a special circumstances procedure was developed.
Following the implementation of the WAVE action plan a novel approach to staffing facilities on the new campus to promote gender equality and flexible employment was introduced. More than 70 staff wererecruited and appointed, usinga variety of techniques including open days, social media and assessment centers. PSR values have been built into all new job descriptions and these values formed the basis of assessment centers through which successful candidates were selected from a pool of nearly200 candidates.
An improved HR service to both campuses will be provided through a clearerHR policy framework and a revised customer focused HR web site.

  1. Ensure that measures of organisational performance are, as far as practicable, translated into individual staff KPIs.
  • People KPI’s have been developed to be included into the PDRs of all Leaders.
  • Indicative Performance Criteria (thresholds) have been incorporated into the revised ACP scheme.

ACADEMIC STAFF

  1. Provide advice to the REF Strategy group and to Heads of College to ensure that Swansea's performance in the Research Excellence Framework 2014 is maximised and that members of staff are treated equitably in accordance with the REF Code of Practice.
  • Completed in 2013REF results were spectacular – 26th in the UK
  • The Director of HR is a member of both the REF Strategy Group and the Research Income Strategy Group and initial meetingsof both groups have been held.
  • REF Strategy for 2020 has been developed.
  • The first stage of Test and Challenge has been initiated.
  1. Develop and implement the Academic Career Pathways Scheme to ensure that academic staff can be recognised and rewarded for their contribution and that members of staff contributing to the student experience, teaching and internationalisation can be recognised and rewarded for their contribution as well as to research and in innovation and engagement.
  • The Academic Career Pathways (ACP) scheme has been incorporated into PDRs for all academic staff
  • Revised promotion criteria based on the ACP scheme has been introduced and implemented.
  • The successful development and delivery of Phase 1 of Academic Promotion review - see 2. point 3 above.
  1. Support the recruitment and retention of top quality academic staff through the development of the new on-line recruitment system and devolution of recruitment procedures and processes to Colleges and the provision of professional HR advice on recruitment and retention of staff.
  • A new model for recruitment has been developed in accordance with the PSR approach which assigns accountability and responsibility along the lines of PSR principles.
  • Two trials have been implemented whereby HR recruitment processes and systems have been devolved to Colleges (in Human and Health Science and in Engineering). Both have been highly successful and will continue.

EQUALITY AND WELLBEING

  1. Ensure equality of treatment for all staff and students, particularly those with protected characteristics through the implementation of the Strategic Equality Plan (SEP).

Please see the annual Equal Opportunity Report. Some key points are:

  • In response to the findings of the Women Adding Value to the Economy (WAVE) project, new Campus Services roles have been introduced on the Bay Campus, to challenge gender segregation in the workplace. These job roles have been an exciting innovation to challenge gender stereotyping.
  • Athena SWAN – In April 2015 the College of Science were successful in gaining their Bronze Award, the College of Engineering submitted an application for their Bronze Award and the College of Human and Health Sciences submitted an application for their Silver Award. The College of Arts and Humanities has commenced work on a submission to the extended Athena SWAN charter. The College of Medicine has been preparing for a Silver Award to be submitted in November 2015 and the University has been preparing for a Silver Award to be submitted in April 2016
  • A self-assessment team has been established to commence work on an application for the Race Charter Mark (RCM), in readiness for an application in 2016.
  • There has been a significant expansion in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT+) work over the past year, with the University being placed in the top 3 gay friendly Universities in Wales, in Stonewall’s Gay by Degree survey and in the top 15 of 64 participating Higher Education Institutions in Stonewalls Workplace Equality Index.
  • A proposal to realign university equality governance structures was consulted on and approved. Implementation of new governance structures will be made in 2016.
  1. Work with Heads of College to support the human working environment to ensure that members of staff have the right environment to perform at their best throughimplementation of the strategic equality plan,pro-active health services and monitoringand staff wellbeing facilities.
  • The updated HR webpages have a page specifically on Health and Wellbeing which brings together all the resources available to support staff, many of these services are either at no cost or at subsidised rates.
  • There have been significant improvements in the provision of family friendly benefits to staff over the last year, in particular the introduction of shared parental leave which includes paid time off, above the statutory minimum and an increase in paternity/partner leave entitlements.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

  1. Work with Heads of College and Administrative Directors and the Planning team in workforce planning to ensure they manage staff increases or reductions as a result of Business planning so that Colleges and departments attain the HR objectives in their plans with minimum disruption.
  • The transfer of existing staff and recruitment of new staff for the Bay Campus has successfully been completed, see section 3, above.
  • School of Management

Significant change in the School of Management has led to extensive engagement with staff, managers and trades unions as a result of rapid change, to assist staff and managers with the issues and minimise disruption.

Professional Services Review

The HR team assisted the relevant Directors with the successful implementation of Phase 1 of PSR including Research and Student Hubs and Academic Services. This included

  • Formatting and grading of over 50 job descriptions in two intense periods with very short turn round times
  • Inclusion of PSR values in all new job descriptions
  • Assisting with staff briefings
  • Support to the selection process
  • Assisting with resolution of employment issues.

All new job descriptions include the PSR values as standard criteria for appointment.

Assessment of behaviour in accordance with the values now forms part of the PDR process for all those recruited to the values through PSR and for new roles.

  1. Provide advice to SMT, Heads of College and Administrative Directors within the policy and procedural framework to any necessary staff changes or reductions as a consequence of funding changes or structural reorganisation and on the legal and procedural context of change and the means of achieving it.
  • The Welsh for Adults, LEAD and ASTUTE programmes suffered from reduced funding in 2014/15. Consultation took place with managers, staff and trades unions to ensure minimum job loss and loss of service. The funding reductions took effect from August 2015.
  • PSR is well underway and we have been providing support in this process, see section 3, above.
  1. Provide management development programmes that are aligned to the University’s strategic objectives and integrated with the Performance Enabling Strategy.
  • The Swansea Leadership Model has been developed and agreed for our leaders with people management responsibilities, following initial consultation with staff from the Academic and Professional Services communities, and the values developed as part of the Professional Services Review. The model helps leaders understand what they should be doing to effectively lead to be a top 20 University.
  • Developed, and agreed University Leadership Values and Expectations for the Professional Services' Leaders of people in particular the Director Community. All Directors, HoCs and PVCs have been engaged and have agreed with both the content and implementation of the Leadership Values. This has been implemented through the online PDR system from 1 September 2015.
  • All new line management appointments have the Leadership values embedded within the essential criteria at attraction, short listing, interviewingand probation stage.
  • The Professional Leadership Framework which underpins the Leadership model has been developed and sets out what leadership skilling and professional development is available to support leaders in maximising their potential. For 2015/16 this includes:

•Leadership skilling: Leading for Change Level 1, 2 & 3; Understanding your people through culture change Level1 and Effective feedback to maximise performance Level 1.

•360 leadership feedback: utilising the leadership values and expectations, a bespoke 360 leadership feedback tool has been developed and implemented for the SMT, Heads of College and Director Community. This feedback has been fully integrated into Leaders PDRs and interims to assist professional discussions, with the inclusion of at least one ‘people-related’ objective, and agreed outcome(s) to support the Leaders actions and development from their 360 leadership report.

  • Also developed, agreed and implemented a suite of People KPIs effective from 1st September.
  • A suite of management information tools has been developed and implemented to provide flexible reporting on PDRs, promotion and academic career pathway data for management and business planning purposes.
  1. Ensure that all staff recruited to undertake teaching are properly trained in teaching skills through accredited training in teaching and to work with SALT to encourage as many staff as possible are recognised at the appropriate level as Fellows of the HEA through development of probation policy and systems.
  • Transfer of the Teaching in Higher Education PGCE programme (PGCtHE) to SALT has taken place and the taught programme above is now integrated within the new ‘Inspiring Teaching at Swansea Scheme’
  • HEA Fellowship achievement is built into the criteria for teaching strands of the Academic Career Pathway scheme. The expectation to achieve HEA fellowship is now stated in both letters of appointment and terms and conditions for academic staff.
  1. Deliver improved postgraduate mentoring, training and support to nurture new researchers through development and implementation of appropriate initiatives for research students and staff.
  • HR Excellence in Research Award renewed by external assessment, January 2015.
  • Both CROS and PIRLS surveys conducted Spring 2015, with participation rates well above national average
  • Career development day for research staff (in partnership with Athena SWAN), took place in November 2014, with around 40 attendees.
  • “Introduction to teaching skills for researchers” piloted in June 2015, is now embedded in the research staff training programme for researchers who do not meet the minimum criteria for PGCtHE.
  • Introduction of the Research Hub model within the revamped REIS structure, will undertake research staff development in the areas of funding, grant writing, impact and other “technical” research skills training. APECS will advertise and manage bookings for these events.
  • Postgraduate skills development staff were consulted for the Doel report on PGR provision in Swansea University. Following this report, PGR provision will be centralised in a “graduate office” based in Academic Services. As a result, it is intended that PGR student experience will be improved. A comprehensive programme of events is in place for Semester 1. Pending new structure, planning is underway for the remainder of the year, including regular events such as 3MT

HR SERVICES