Delivery plans and updates

Ambition 1

PD transformation

• Implement changes to the leadership and management structure in the PD following VS and turnover.

Anti-harassment and discrimination 

• Map current university practice against the requirements of the newly announced Office for Students Condition of Registration.
• Continue review of online harassment tool and extend its use to staff.
• Continue review of web pages on harassment and consider introducing a single set of pages for staff and students. 
• As part of a wider EDI learning needs assessment, assess specific training and development needs in relation to harassment.

Wellbeing/stress management 

• Launch of new Prevention and Management of Work-Related Stress
• Policy Development of suite of L&D resources to support the new policy.
• Develop a ‘Change Toolkit’ to provide resources related to the ‘Change’ aspect of the Stress Risk assessment.

Ambition 1

PD transformation - The following changes were made to the PD structure: 

• Claire Cross who has been appointed Deputy Director, People Operations 
• Gabrielle McNickle as People Operations Team Manager.
  

Anti-harassment and discrimination 

• Anti-Harassment and EDI Advisor started in post at end of July (EDI team contact info).
• Mapping against OfS requirements complete and action plan drafted.
• EDI learning needs assessment complete. Recommendations to be reviewed.
• Work to review the online harassment tool and web pages on harassment ongoing.

Wellbeing/stress management

• New Prevention and Management of Work-Related Stress policy implemented. 
• New Stress Management dashboard in Staff Learning including range of new resources for managers and individuals.
• Change Toolkit Google Site in draft.

Ambition 2

Culture shift and related capability development 

• Digital/AI Capabilities
  • Publish evidence-based guidance on the use of GenAI in academic practice. 
  • Publish evidence-based guidance of data-secure use of GenAI
• Transformational Academic practice
  • Launch the re-accredited ‘Teacher Development’ stream of EXPLORE.
• Strengthen academic support
  • Introduce mandated CPD for academic advisors.
    

Leadership and management

• Continue work on the New to Management offer in preparation for a pilot in the new academic year.
• Procurement and implementation of Mind Tools platform to underpin Leadership and Management offer.
  Development of Stress Management training for Managers
• Educational Leadership 
  • Update the Academic Development Framework.
  • Support Line Managers in encouraging colleagues to engage with EXPLORE/Fellowship.

Ambition 2

Culture shift and related capability development 

• Digital/AI Capabilities
  • An international collection of Case studies co-authored with students outlining how genAI can be successfully adopted in HE teaching, funded by ANTF and in collaboration with 2 other universities published. 
    Guiding Questions developed with Infosec and published on the GenAI web hub.
• Transformational Academic practice
  • Re-accredited EXPLORE portfolio including EXPLORE Accredited Taught and Accredited Experiential Schemes (EXPLORE is now suitable for senior new staff; is accessible to all participants and assessment streamlined; open to all staff);‘
  • Increase the Number, Profile and Esteem Action plan’ endorsed by TLEC September 2024.
• Strengthen academic support
  • Introduced with 55% of Advisors complete mandated CPD.

Leadership and management

• New to Management e-learning ‘Learning Catalogue’ developed to support pilot 
  Mind Tools platform launched. For more information, see the September Learning and Career Development Newsletter.
• Managers training included in Stress Management dashboard as well as being incorporated into new Managers Induction.
• Educational Leadership
  • Update the Academic Development Framework to incorporate the L&M Framework, in consultation with RKE and OE&D. Use to expand the Leadership stream of EXPLORE.
  • Updated ‘EXPLORE Guidance for Line Managers’
  • WLP Committee confirm EXPLORE related tariff will apply on pro-rata basis for part-time staff.

Ambition 3

Staff engagement

• Communicate the results of the Staff Survey, including information on where we have activities underway to address the issues raised, and where we have identified gaps that must be filled.
  
• Continue and review the new approach to VCG meetings, seeking to make them more strategic, engaging and interactive.
  

Reward and recognition

• Implementation of Tusker (Electric car hire). Transfer to new eye care provider.
• Develop a reward strategy informed by Staff survey results. 

  
  

Ambition 3 

Staff engagement

• Briefings taken place for People Committee, Directors and VCG and gap analysis undertaken. Communications plan for unions (23/10) and wider staff being developed. Survey outcomes to be the subject of next Talk to VCG sessions. Reprioritisation of relevant strategies in response to feedback underway. Local ‘super-users’ being identified. New set scheduled for October, with plan to ensure more engaging by having more Q&A and discussion elements and to keep unscripted. Mixture of on-line and in-person and at different campuses.

Reward and recognition

• Tusker was approved by VCG Ops in July. Project meetings have commenced, relevant documentation is being pulled together for InfoSec and Legal.  The aim is to have this up and running early next year.  
• Reward strategy ambitions have been identified, ready to gather feedback/further input. Non financial reward has been identified as a key focus, based on the staff survey results in relation to recognition.

Ambition 4

Workload planning

• Bring proposals for changes to the tariff for assessment, to improved guidance and training, and to monitoring of workload levels to the September meeting.

Campus changes

• As TDE staff who were based at Wheatley wait for the opening of the new buildings, they are being temporarily located in Headington and are being supported by line managers and the Faculty Executive. An additional EIA will be completed to support the temporary accommodations.
• Support the Harcourt exit group preparing the business case and EIA for VCG consideration, focusing on the people workstream.

Strategic Transformation Programme

• Support the Strategic transformation programme with the decision making, selection and appointment stage of the programme. 
• Start preparations for Wave 2 of the programme focusing on professional services.

Ambition 4

Workload planning

• WLP Committee met in September, agreed the proposed outline for guidance, and gave guidance on content, which will be used for its further development. It also approved the outline of a new process for annual monitoring of workload allocations to address excessive workloads.

Campus changes

• EIA undertaken for temporary relocation to Headington until opening of new buildings.
• Business case, including consideration of people implications, was submitted to VCG along with EIA, which is being updated on an ongoing basis. ECS working on response to VCG feedback on the case.

Strategic Transformation Programme

• All appointments to the new structure are complete and were achieved without compulsory redundancies.  
• Directors are being supported to prepare business cases to demonstrate how their teams will adapt to the new structure as part of Wave 2 of the STP.
  
  

What else did we do

• Introduced an Essential Skills Framework and related resources in Staff Learning.  For more information see the September Learning and Career Development Newsletter

What didn’t we do?

• Eyecare - this has been delayed due to resourcing issues within InfoSec. Further queries have been raised in relation to data protection and we are currently awaiting a response from Specsavers. The aim is to launch in the new year.