Leadership Update Date: January 2011 Subject: This is the latest in a series of regular briefings containing Universitywide updates. Briefer: Briefing guidance: This briefing contains a summary of high-level, key messages to support you with your face-to-face communications with your direct reports. Ideally, it should be communicated face-to-face to your direct reports by the end of the month – not circulated by email - and should provide an opportunity for your colleagues to give you feedback on the content. It need not be presented verbatim. Please summarise where appropriate and deliver in a way you are most comfortable with to ensure that messages are authentic. Please add your own content, which is relevant to your support division, college, school, or area of expertise. The briefing should enable your direct reports to brief their own people on some of the issues facing the University. Please encourage your direct line reports to add more localised information which should still be delivered face-to-face at each stage of the cascade. Allow at least an hour for the sharing of information and feedback. Highlights this month: FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY 1. University gets top rating in HEFCE Assurance Review 2. University launches the Savings Challenge 3. VC Briefing event post Browne and Comprehensive Spending Reviews 4. Performance and Development Review update 5. University’s digital strategy being developed 6. Environment and Sustainability update 7. New appointments and leadership arrangements 8. Change in Head of School for Social work, Psychology and Public Health 9. Staff experience survey to be launched 10. Pay negotiations 2010/2011 11. LGBT History Month launch 12. University gains top ranking in Stonewall Index 1 Our mission: Salford is an enterprising University which transforms individuals and communities through excellent teaching, research, innovation and engagement. Our vision: The University of Salford will be, by 2017, an outstanding University renowned for the quality of its engagement, humanity, global reach and leadership in research, innovation and education. Our values: We espouse and promote the following values and behaviours: The highest academic, professional and ethical standards Service to our stakeholders, clients and partners and, in particular, putting our students first Supporting our people and recognising and rewarding excellence and leadership Working together for the advancement of the University Innovation, creativity, enterprise, courage Diversity, humanity, fairness and respect Pride in our heritage and the distinctive difference we make to the world Investing passion in all that we do. Our six goals and their owners: Goal 1 – Transforming learning and teaching: Huw Morris Goal 2 – Transforming research and innovation: Ghassan Aouad Goal 3 – Transforming engagement: Keith Barnes Goal 4 – Our people: Keith Watkinson Goal 5 – Transforming infrastructure and services: Adrian Graves Goal 6 – Internationalising our University: Cynthia Pine Our six themes: Built and Human Environment Energy Enterprise and Innovation Health and Wellbeing Human Rights, Social Justice and Security Media, Digital Technology and the Creative Economy Why we need these briefings The University acknowledges the need to keep its people informed. Employees perform better when they are involved and when they have an open and honest dialogue with their leaders. Involvement creates good will and employees are prepared to go the “extra mile”. One of the targets for our People Goal 4 is to increase the number of employees engaged to at least 45 per cent by 2012 – placing us in the top quartile of UK organisations. This briefing will help support you in addressing the issues above and will supplement our US employee magazine, US, the Vice-Chancellor’s blog as well as US Online on the Staff Channel. Business updates 1. University gets top rating in HEFCE Assurance Review The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has awarded the University a top rating for its accountability for public finance – demonstrating the highest levels of confidence in the University and our ambitious Transformation Programme. FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY 2 Following an in-depth 2009/10 Review, HEFCE did not make any recommendations for improvement – the best of the four possible outcomes. Instead, the positive report endorses our governance, finances and risk management, concluding that it was able to rely on the University’s accountability information. HEFCE also observed that there was “a good sense of ownership of the new Strategic Plan throughout the Council, Executive and from staff and middle management”. Given the increasing public interest in the governance of universities, the HEFCE Review is of particular importance and passing the detailed audit is by no means a foregone conclusion for any institution – making it a truly significant achievement for the University. The top rating is excellent news highlighting the integrity of our governance system and reminding the University of the progress we have made in recent years. It is part of our process of continual improvement and assures us that our organisation is robust and well placed to implement the Transformation Programme and achieve the Strategic Plan. The Review has endorsed the soundness of the University’s governance reform which began in 2008. This included the introduction of Lead Members for key activities and responsibilities, a decrease in the size of the University Council and the introduction of a clearer majority of independent members. The University’s approach to strategic planning and risk management and the value for money framework also received approval. Please click here to read the final report. 2. University launches the Savings Challenge Colleagues are invited to take part in the University’s Savings Challenge and to come up with ideas to help save money. Like many other higher education institutions and both private and public sector organisations, we face challenging financial times ahead. The Transformation Programme’s non-pay project aims to achieve a reduction of £7 million in what we spend on goods and services – excluding our wages bill – and has been identifying and assessing a wide range of opportunities to reduce our costs. Areas we have looked at so far include changes such as making better use of our office furniture and reducing our print costs. The work of the project is focused on two areas: Buying more smartly – in practice, this means managing the demand for non-pay goods and services to ensure that the University only purchases what is absolutely necessary, negotiating better contracts to make sure we get the best deals and making the most of the goods and services we do buy. Introducing an “every penny counts” culture – ensuring that leaders in the University “lead by example”, involving all employees in the challenge of identifying saving opportunities and improving the University’s systems, processes and procedures to help make our money go further. FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY 3 And because every penny counts in this challenging climate the University wants to do as much as it can to reduce our costs. So every idea and suggestion is being encouraged. A dedicated web site has been set up which can be accessed via the Staff Channel. Employees can submit their ideas using a simple web form. The Savings Challenge will last a month, ending on 28 February after which time, a review team of colleagues from across the University will access and provide feedback on every suggestion received. Those people submitting promising ideas will receive recognition from the Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor and may also see their idea implemented, following a thorough assessment by the Non-Pay Project team. Some 112 ideas had been submitted by close of play on 31 January. To find out more and submit your idea go to: http://staff.salford.ac.uk/savings-challenge/ 3. VC Briefing event post Browne and Comprehensive Spending Reviews Vice-Chancellor Martin Hall will be hosting a VC Briefing on 11 February, 2011, at 12.30 – 1.30pm in Maxwell Hall, to review the developments in higher education following the Browne and Comprehensive Spending Reviews. He will be supported By Dr Adrian Graves, Deputy ViceChancellor. As with the previous VC events, there will be an opportunity to listen to a presentation from Martin Hall, followed by a Q and A session, hosted by Phil Hopwood, Director of Planning and Performance. Those wishing to attend should complete the online registration at http://staff.salford.ac.uk/vc_events/index.php. Questions can be posted via the VC mailbox VC-mailbox@salford.ac.uk by no later than 4 February, 2011. 4. Performance and Development Review update The University is introducing Performance and Development Reviews (PDR) for all employees at Grade 10 or below, building on the work that has already been undertaken on PDRs for the Leadership Team. The aim of PDR is to ensure the University has a structured approach to managing performance, maximising individual contribution, supporting personal development and ensuring alignment to the University’s vision and strategic objectives. PDR relates to Goal 4 – Our People. PDR supports a culture of continuous improvement; helping to motivate individuals by providing support, feedback and guidance in respect of individual contribution and personal development. PDR also gives greater focus on the quality of the relationship between reviewers and reviewees; helping contribute towards a positive culture change, with employees who feel valued and with emphasis on our organisational values. The purpose of the scheme is to set annual objectives for each employee in conjunction with their line manager. The objectives are then reviewed formally at the mid-year and end of year through reviews to determine how well the employee has performed against the objectives. FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY 4 The PDR process is being rolled through a two-year project plan. Last year, training was rolled out to ‘reviewers’, initially with training sessions held by an external provider with 294 people attending. To further support the process the HRM Division held further workshops last December to assist with the practical application of PDR with 70 reviewers attending these sessions. Through these sessions valuable feedback was gained - 96 per cent of attendees stated they were either ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with the quality of the facilitation, 80per cent were either ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with the content of the training. However, concerns were raised regarding aspects of the process and this information has been captured and will form part of the end of year evaluation. Further sessions are to be offered to reviewers this February and HRD will contact the relevant individuals. This year, training will also be rolled out to reviewees through an elearning portal to support employees through the process and enable individuals to maximise their own performance and development and career opportunities within the University. 5. University’s digital strategy being developed Following the appointment of the University’s new Head of Digital Strategy, Orla Weir, work will shortly start on the development of an aspirational digital strategy. This, together with MediaCityUK, will help establish Salford as the University which exemplifies how to use digital channels to engage fully with prospective students and the business and research communities. But first it is essential that the foundations are put in place improvements are made to the University’s current digital real estate. There are currently over 250 websites in the University. These are hosted on a variety of platforms and managed using a range of technologies. In their current state they present an inconsistent experience to external website users. It is essential that the digital environment presents a consistent and coherent University brand and provides a better experience for our students and partners. The University recently procured and has started implementing a Content Management System (CMS) called Squiz Matrix which will provide a single enterprise-level platform for website development and management. The implementation of the CMS has presented us with an opportunity to re-evaluate our total web presence to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the University and our website visitors. Several websites have very few visits and many have obsolete information. We are therefore taking a phased approach to the redevelopment and optimisation of our web presence. FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY Step 1 will see the closure of websites that are out of date or where there have been fewer than 2,000 page views in the last year. Deadline: 28 February, 2011. 5 Step 2 will see the redesign and rebuild the Salford website www.salford.ac.uk in line with our new brand and visual identity which is being launched in the summer. The structure and content of this website will be developed to reflect the needs of our visitors and the University’s vision. It will also ensure that content is easy to find by both visitors and search engines and will meet our legal and accessibility commitments. Deadline: 31 July 2011 Step 3 will see the migration of externally-facing websites onto the CMS. Timelines and plans will be communicated in the coming months. Step 4 will involved the migration of internally-facing websites onto a University intranet. Several other areas will be considered as part of the digital strategy. These will include Social Media, eLearning as part of open access, Virtual Meetings, Closed Loop Marketing, Online promotion and Digital Relationship Management. 6. Environment and sustainability update University awarded Fairtrade University Status The University has been awarded Fairtrade University status. The Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation, Harriet Lamb, will present the University with the official certificate at a joint event to celebrate the City of Salford achieving their fifth year status renewal at the University in March. This will be one of a series of events to mark Fairtrade Fortnight (28 February to 13 March). Fairtrade guarantees producers in developing countries a fair and stable price for their products that covers their costs and enables them to support their families and invest in a better future. Christmas Switch-off campaign success Switching off computers, shutting down printers and turning out the lights over the Christmas break made a huge difference to the University’s energy consumption. If similar switch-on patterns can be repeated every weekend throughout the year it could save enough energy to make 17 million cups of tea! That’s around £30,000 a year. Because of the Christmas Shutdown Campaign 3.5 per cent more energy was saved than the previous year – and 13.3 per cent more than normal weekends. The latest campaign has highlighted a potential saving of 340,00kWh or 185,000kgC02 – if colleagues continue to remember to switch off and shut down non-essential equipment and lights at the weekend through the rest of the year. For very little effort and a bit of good housekeeping, everyone can make a big impact on the University’s carbon footprint. Green champions needed The Environment and Sustainability Team are looking for Green representatives to champion environmental issues within the University. This is a voluntary role with champions feeding in any ideas or suggestions relating to our environmental performance. FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY 6 Training will be provided and anyone interested should contact the Environment and Sustainability team through the Estates and Property Services help desk on 54444 or via the website at: http://www.estates.salford.ac.uk/cms/news/article/?id=26 7. New appointments and leadership arrangements Executive Director of Finance. Karen Brown has been appointed the new Executive Director of Finance, joining the University from Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust where she was Executive Director, Finance. She will join the University later in the year but in the meantime, Julie Halliwell will fulfil the role of Acting Director of Finance. University Librarian. Julie Berry has been appointed as University Librarian. She was previously responsible for leading the Library through the restructuring of Information and Learning Services (ILS) in November 2009. She played a key role in the establishment of the University’s Institutional Repository (USIR) and putting in place the Open Access Mandate. Before that she was Associate Director in ILS. College Registrar. Helena Thorley has been appointed as the new College Registrar for Science and Technology. She joins us in February from the University of Keele where she was Academic Registrar responsible for international and UK student recruitment and admissions, UK and international partnerships and student registry. The University has not made Registrar appointments in the Colleges of Arts and Social Sciences and Health and Social Care and for a variety of reasons it has been decided to seek suitable appointments to those posts later this year. Because of the intensive nature of the work of the Transformation Programme and the scope of the programme for each of the three Colleges, special arrangements have been agreed for management of the transformation of each College. This will be overseen by a College Programme Implementation Team (CPIT) chaired by College Sponsors who are: Liz Bromley: College of Arts and Social Sciences Paul Rowlett: College of Health and Social Care Phil Hopwood: College of Science and Technology. Click here for more information and the message on leadership arrangements from Adrian Graves. So that the Transformation Programme can proceed without delay, Adrian Graves, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, has agreed a range of fixed term secondments to support the PVC/Deans and the College Programme Sponsors of those colleges. From 1 February, 2011, Jennifer Hinsley moves from Health and Social Care over to the College of Arts and Social Sciences to support Huw Morris and Liz Bromley. Jackie Flynn has agreed to an assignment in the DVC’s office to assist on special projects associated with the Transformation Programme. FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY 7 Alison Mullan moves over to become College Administrator in Health and Social Care in support of Cynthia Pine and Paul Rowlett. Alison Rhodes will join the Office of the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar as Chief of Staff. These arrangements are essential to assure that the Transformation Programme proceeds accordingly to schedule and under effective management. 8. Change in Head of School for Social Work, Psychology and Public Health Dr Ruth Wright has taken the difficult decision to work part-time under medical advice and therefore will step down as Head of School. Ruth will continue as Associate Dean International. She is succeeded by Dr Karen Kniveton who will take over as Acting Head of School from 1 February, 2011 until September 2011. 9. Staff Experience Survey to be launched Preparations are being made to launch the next Staff Experience Survey, called Our People – Our views, over a four week period from 28 February, 2011. Once again, employees will be given the opportunity to answer questions about their experience of working for the University. The annual survey is used as an important indicator of the University’s health and levels of employee engagement and is aligned to Goal 4, Our People. Some of the measures of progress outlined in the University’s strategic plan include: Increase the level of senior managers who are classified as “effective” at leadership to over 80 per cent by 2013 Increase the number of employees “engaged” at work to at least 45 per cent by 2012 and at least 50 per cent by 2014, placing us in the top quartile of UK organisations. The previous survey was undertaken in November 2008 and the analysis was completed early in 2009. The overall findings were shared with employees through face to face university-wide and local briefing events and a dedicated web site: http://www.staffexperience.salford.ac.uk/ This was the first time a staff survey had been carried out since the 2002 communications and culture survey and the 2005 equality and diversity survey. 10. Pay negotiations 2010/2011 Recent developments in the pay negotiations for 2010/2011 have been communicated to colleagues by VC Martin Hall. Following on from his messages to staff on 24 August and on 1 October, last year, he gave employees and update on the current position which is as follows. Last year, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) tabled the employers’ final position in relation to the wide range of issues raised by the trade unions and put forward their final pay offer of a 0.4 per cent uplift to all points on the national pay spine, effective from 1 August, 2010. FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY 8 With GMB confirming on 17 January that they are joining UNISON and Unite in accepting the UCEA’s offer, the University and College Union (UCU) position of non acceptance potentially places them on a dispute trajectory. UCEA report good progress in recent months with all the trade unions in three joint working groups covering; equalities, pay framework and data research and sustainability issues. UCEA have indicated that work will be disseminated in the near future. Notwithstanding the progress that has been made, nationally the UCU has announced that it intends to run up to three industrial ballots in the coming weeks. These will cover Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) reforms; threats to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TCP); and the “employers failure to engage with the unions’ national claim for a job security and fair pay offer”. Letters alerting HEIs to the likelihood of ballots on USS and job security and pay have already been sent out and campaigning material has been published A potential timeline in relation to a ballot opening on 2 February could be as follows: Notice to employer: 26 January Sample ballot paper: 28 January Ballot opens: 2 February Ballot closes: 2 March If the majority of those who vote support the action, it must begin within four weeks of the last voting day. The earliest that action can start is within seven days of the ballot closing (a legal requirement). More recently, Professor Hall wrote again to employees about further developments, with the UCEA informing the University that “the 2010/11 pay round has been concluded as far as it is possible to do so”. UCEA noted the disparate positions of the trade unions and advised that the 0.4 per cent pay uplift to all points on the national pay spine, should be implemented, effective from 1 August, 2010. The background to this difficult and prolonged national pay negotiation being that all three support staff unions accepted the 0.4 percent pay offer. The University and College Union (UCU) and The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) have not accepted this settlement. However, UCEA did not wish to delay payments any further to those staff who had waited patiently for the uplift. The University will now implement the uplift as soon as payroll deadlines allow which is now likely to be next month. Regrettably the dispute position with UCU nationally remains. Professor Hall will be writing again to colleagues in the near future. 11. LGBT History Month 2011 On 27 January, the University hosted the official Northern launch of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) History Month 2011 which featured a programme of events aimed at getting rid of homophobia in Britain’s schools. FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY 9 Local schools took part in equality-focused sports master classes with world class coaching from John Amaechi, former NBA basketball player and psychologist, rugby star players Mitch Stringer and Katie Butler and coaches from Lancashire County Cricket Club. Teachers were invited to an afternoon showcase of practical resources designed to tackle homophobia in the classroom. The University of Salford Student’s Union hosted the Northern premier of the film “The Homophobia Project” which depicts a London school where the tables are turned and gay students are the majority. VC Martin Hall hosted an evening reception with a distinguished panel of guests including John Amaechi, which was followed by an in-depth panel session focusing on the 2012 Olympics and the legacy for LGBT sport in the UK. For more information on future events click here: http://www.salford.ac.uk/lgbthistorymonth/ LGBT History Month is part of the Listen! Strategy - addressing and enhancing the staff and student experience of being part of the University community through a series of activities and events which have also included Black History Month. 12. University gains top ranking in Stonewall Index The University has achieved 60th place in the annual top ranking of organisations for employing lesbian, gay and bisexual employees – one of just five universities to make the list. Salford was ranked second of the higher education institutions on the Workplace Index published by Stonewall, which is based on a 25 question survey sent to a large range of stakeholders. The Index incorporates factors such as policy, staff and community engagement and monitoring. FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY 10 College/Divisional communications School/ Department/ Section communications Include any relevant information relating to your College or Professional Services Division. Include any relevant information relating to your School or Professional Services Unit/Section. FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY 11 Record of notes and feedback from briefing session: FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY 12