You Said: We Did:
Following analysis of the results of the 2011 Staff Survey,
priorities for action were identified by the
School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies
These areas from the Staff Survey were
identified as needing action:
1) Strive to deal with poor performance
more effectively
What we’ve done so far:
1) The School continues to emphasize
and empower line management across
the different professional and academic
programmes and awards, with line
managers positioned to identify and
respond quickly to issues of underperformance.
2) The School Appraisal system
encourages continual ‘supervisory’
meetings across the year as well as an
annual appraisal meeting for the setting
of next years objectives and review of
current performance.
3) In addition, the School has
introduced mentors for all new
academic staff to help support them in
their professional practice and
ameliorate possible poor practices
developing.
4). The School has implemented the
advised HR Return to Work process
which tangentially often relates to
issues of poor work performance as
well as poor work attendance.
5) The School has introduced systems
of teaching induction and supervision
for associate lecturers and hourly paid
tutors.
2) Look at keeping staff more informed of
matters affecting them
3) Manage major changes effectively
in the School
As communication is received, this has
been passed onto staff to keep them
informed via meetings, posters and
email. The School cascades incoming
emails to all staff as necessary. It
communicates through its quarterly inhouse online publication YouButey and
JOMEC webpages, and internal staff
pigeon-holes, and also via its various
committees, including School Board
and annual Away-Day events. This year
has also seen a determined effort to
make better use of the staff room that is
now used for occasional additional staff
meetings and host to the newly
introduced weekly coffee meetings and
research sessions.
As major changes are adopted, change
management processes will be used
and staff will be kept informed of
changes as they arise via the means
indicated above. This year the annual
AwayDay event included sessions
devoted to major changes underway in
the University and forthcoming College
structure, and we have hosted open
information sessions and Q & A
sessions with senior university
managers. A new Senior Management
Team has been implemented (meeting
every two weeks) and this routinely
seeks to monitor and manage major
processes of change within the School.