Staff survey responses
Work has begun to consider what action can be taken to try and address the key themes from your recent feedback.
We are working to try and address key themes from the most recent staff survey
Nearly 2,000 colleagues kindly completed last month’s staff survey, designed to see how you’re managing and to better understand any extra assistance you might need.
The Wellbeing, Safety and Health team has been analysing the responses. We now aim to use the main issues that emerged – some of which are highlighted below – to help shape our future planning, focussing on further improvements to make working arrangements easier for you.
Francesca Fowler, Director of HR, said: “Once again, I’d like to thank all colleagues who took the time to complete the survey.
“We really appreciate the honesty of your responses, which are helping us better understand the issues most important to you, both in terms of your roles within the University and in the context of the national situation.
“We’ve now identified the main themes in your responses. We will go through them in detail during the coming weeks and respond fully in the New Year, when we’ve had time to consider how we can most effectively support you.”
Positive feedback
Positive themes emerging from the survey included:
- appreciation for the ‘inspiring’ views Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simone Buitendijk, has shared through her blogs
- recognising those teams offering particular support to colleagues
- having a broad understanding of the issues facing the organisation, our staff and students in meeting the ever-changing requirements during the pandemic; and
- for those people working remotely, no longer having to commute, as well as having flexibility and control about when and how they work.
Those working on campus said they like the regular communication with colleagues, using their usual workplace and being able to support their own physical health.
Issues raised
Survey responses also highlighted a number of concerns, including:
- the difficulty of planning because of the uncertainty of the current situation
- a growing sense that for some colleagues in this situation, there needs to be more clarity around workload prioritisation, to ensure sensible, sustainable hours
- a yearning for a sense of belonging and connection with colleagues, with those working from home missing the camaraderie of ‘in person’ teamwork
- questions about working remotely, such as when and how colleagues might return to campus, as well as further IT and display screen equipment support required if remote working continues well into 2021; and
- mental health issues, especially as we approach the winter months.
Further support
We recognise individual experiences can vary significantly, but the safety and wellbeing of our staff and students remains our top priority.
While we work to try and address the above concerns, do take advantage of the services provided by the Staff Counselling and Psychological Support team, which offers remote professional and confidential help and advice. The Occupational Health team continues to offer confidential wellbeing chats, and as always, we encourage you to discuss and agree ways forward with your line manager.
Lots of resources are also available on the staff support and wellbeing webpage and the Wellbeing, Safety and Health webpages.
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