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Delivery plans and updates

The People and Culture Strategy sets out our ambitions, but we recognise that we will only achieve them through concerted action. We have developed an operational plan to support the delivery of the strategy. Below you can find information about what we have done and what we are planning to do in the coming months.

High level operational plan 2023-25

2024 - Year 2

See our separate Google site which contains the updates and information for activity and progress prior to the current period.

January - March 2024

What we said we'd do:What we did:
  • PD Transformation – Rollout of revised Recruitment and Selection Policy and processes following the review. Begin process of digitising forms not already in google.
  • EDI – All staff consultation on the new EDI Strategy and roll out of new template for Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs).
  • Wellbeing/stress management – Continue stress management risk assessment activity focusing on academic workload, leadership and management and trauma support. Consultation for Policy for the Prevention and Management of Work-Related Stress and revision of related guidance. Tender process for outsourced Occupational Health provision including stakeholder consultation.
  • Future ways of working – Review support for move of PD from Wheatley to gain learnings to inform preparations for move of TDE and LR to Headington.
  • Leadership and Management – Complete engagement activities to finalise Leadership & Management Framework, embed the framework into Recruitment & Selection review, begin development of aligned L&M development programme.
  • Staff engagement - Continue tender process and choose provider for all-staff survey, develop question set to allow benchmarking and minimise need for other surveys. Implement new approach to Talk to VCG and review success in making them more strategic and less ‘distant’.  Work with MRE to identify a means of enabling staff to make suggestions and feed ‘up’.
  • Recognition – Introduce Unum (dental cover) and Tusker (Electric Car hire) accessed via the MyLifestyle Hub.  Review non-financial means of recognition e.g. additional leave entitlement, social platform/enabling staff to say thanks to each other. OCAED activities to increase the profile, number and esteem of Fellows. 
  • Job Design/Career Progression- Continue work to develop proposals for a revised process for academic promotions, noting that there will be no further promotions processes until 2025.  Sub-group of Workload Planning Committee develop detailed proposals to deliver recommendations of VCG Task and Finish Group, for consideration by the re-constituted WLP Committee.
  • PD Transformation - Proposed changes to the Recruitment & Selection process were endorsed by VCG Operations Group, including more standardised adverts and selection methods.  Incorporated feedback from the review into principles to inform the next phases of the transformation.
  • EDI - Thank you to all who fed back to the staff consultation on the draft EDI Strategy. Following a pilot, the EIA template has been split into an initial screening document and a full EIA. This will minimise workload where changes are likely to result in minimal or largely positive equality impacts, whilst encouraging systemic consideration of equality issues.
  • Wellbeing/stress management - The Wellbeing at Work strategy was approved by VCG in February and a forward plan was developed to support its implementation. The final phase of the revised Stress Management webpages is now live including actions to support staff. 
  • Work has progressed on the Stress Management Risk Assessment relating to Workload and leadership and management. 
  • Occupational Health - Following a procurement exercise, UKIM (UK Independent Medical) have been selected to provide our OH service. 
  • Future ways of working - A ‘lessons learned’ exercise took place and ECS are taking forward a number of recommendations.
  • Leadership and Management – The L&M framework has been finalised (see article). The leadership qualities will form the basis of competency- based interviewing for managerial roles and work has started on a Managers’ induction aligned to the framework.
  • Staff engagement - People Insight have been appointed to support our all-staff survey. A draft question set has been developed to support measurement of progress with the People and Culture strategy and our chartermarks. The revised approach to Talk to VCG sessions is in use, and a staff suggestion email account for ideas around financial sustainability is feeding into the non-pay savings working group led by the CFO.
  • Recognition - UNUM dental cover was successfully introduced via the MyLifestyle hub and there was a good uptake of the scheme. A review of non-financial means of recognition has taken place and a paper is currently being drafted to improve provision at Brookes. OCAED have refreshed their accredited provision to enable a more streamlined approach to the award of Fellowships (proposal submitted to Advance HE in March for start in September).
  • Job Design/Career Progression - Additional data has been collated and analysed and a consultant from SUMS has been engaged to conduct qualitative research in support of our review of academic promotion processes. The reconstituted Workload Planning Committee meets for the first time in April, with the VC as Chair, to consider proposals from the sub-group.
What else did we do:
  • Following the introduction of new employment legislation a number of policies including carers leave, flexible working and paternity, Co-parent and partner leave have been updated. See the full article for more details.
  • Support for voluntary severance (VS) scheme and related activities.
What didn’t we do?
  • Consultation on the Policy for the prevention and management of work-related stress was pushed back slightly due to consultation about VS.  It will now take place in May.
  • Tusker (Electric Car hire) - a paper has been completed and is currently progressing through approval processes. 

April - June 2024

What we plan to do:

  • PD transformation - Phase 2 of recruitment and selection review, including implementation of proposals that were approved at the VCG Operations group. These 4 proposed changes are:
    • CV and cover letter as application 
    • Standard advert 
    • Standardised recruitment questions
    • RTW status after shortlisting 

Work continues to implement these changes. 

Continue the process of digitising forms not already in Google.  Identify the next area to review as part of PD transformation.

  • Anti-Harassment and Discrimination - Complete recruitment of Anti-Harassment and EDI Advisor.  Commence review of online harassment tool and extend its use to staff (for implementation in September 2024).  Commence review of web pages on harassment and consider introducing a single set of pages for staff and students (for completion by September 2024). As part of a wider EDI learning needs assessment, assess specific training and development needs in relation to harassment
  • Wellbeing/stress management - Consultation on the reviewed Policy for the prevention and management of work related stress. Continue Stress Risk Assessment activity. Identity interim actions relating to first areas (workload, Leadership and management) to go to VCG.  Review of risks/issues relating to change/change management. Mental health first aid (MHFA)  - Run two further mental health first aider full courses, put support mechanisms in place to support mental health first aiders and ensure they are visible to ensure individuals can access help when required.  Activities to support Mental Health Awareness week (13-19 May) & the University’s Wellness Week (24-28 June). The new approach to Occupational Health provision (UKMI) will go live.
  • Future ways of working (Campus changes) - Support for staff still based at Wheatley Campus continues with increased communications and engagement with colleagues to enable their relocation. Harcourt ext group now established - EIA and support plan to be completed. 
  • Leadership and Management - Finalising the content of a Google Site  as part of the refresh of our Resources for Managers webpages to provide further guidance about the role of a manager at OBU as described in the Leadership and Management framework and the resources available to help managers do this.  Complete work on the manager's induction and start development of a New to Management offer.
  • Staff Engagement - The staff survey will launch in late May and be open for four weeks, seeking feedback on a number of areas to help us prioritise and measure our work in support of the People and Culture Strategy. Talk to VCG sessions in the new, more accessible format are scheduled for May.
  • Recognition - Work on securing approval for Tusker (Electric Car hire) will continue and we are aiming to begin the project delivery phase over the summer.  A reward strategy will be drafted and discussed.  This will provide a clear direction of travel as to how we recognise and reward colleagues at Brookes.  It will also align with the People and Culture Strategy. Work has been completed to secure a replacement eye care provider and we will continue to work with colleagues in legal to progress this as soon as possible. A paper will be finalised detailing improvements to the Long Service Awards, ready for wider discussion. 
  • Workload planning - The Workload Planning Committee will have its second meeting in May, and will finalise the tariffs for 2024/25, as well as progressing proposals to improve the management capability support for those with line management responsibilities for academic staff, to ensure the framework is understood and implemented consistently.
  • Supporting organisational change - ongoing support for voluntary severance (VS) scheme and related activities.