Committee Title
University Court
Date of Meeting
Item Number and Title/Subject
Authors
27 September2012
People in the right place – People Strategy 2015
Alex Killick, Director of People
Julie Maxwell, People Strategy Project Manager
Brief Summary of Issues/Topic
To seek the Court’s endorsement of the final version of the University’s
People Strategy 2015 and its first year implementation plan.
Recommendation(s)
i.
ii.
Strategic Policy Implications
Equal Opportunities
Financial Implications
Stakeholder Interest
Risks
Freedom of Information
Can this paper can be included in
Open Business under the
Freedom
of
Information
(Scotland) 2002 Act?
If no,
please tick reason.
The Court is invited to note the further development and
consultation which has taken place on the People Strategy
since it was initially presented in July 2012.
The Court is invited to approve the proposed implementation
of the People Strategy which would be monitored bi-annually
by the Staff Policy Committee and annually by the Court.
This strategy is intended to deliver the ‘Valuing our People’ strand of
the Corporate Strategy 2015.
At a strategic level, our assessment is that the initiatives within the
People Strategy will be positive for staff and students. We are in the
process of developing a University wide Single Equality scheme that
will draw evidence from the implementation of all strategies including
the People Strategy. More equality impact assessments will be
undertaken on the design and implementation of the proposed
commitments as they are developed.
This paper broadly outlines how the £406,000 already allocated to the
People Strategy in the 2012/13 strategic financial plan will be spent.
There are no additional financial implications associated with this
paper.
Staff, students, media and professional networks
The People Strategy identifies and seeks to address a range of risks
that will impact on the effective running of the Institution such as the
ability to recruit and retain the right calibre of staff to deliver our
business priorities.
Yes
Its disclosure would substantially prejudice a programme
of research
Its disclosure would substantially prejudice the commercial
interests of any person or organisation
Its disclosure would constitute a breach of the Data
Protection Act
Its disclosure would substantially prejudice the effective
conduct of public affairs
Its disclosure would constitute a breach of confidence
actionable in court
1
Consultation Undertaken
As per the recommendations approved by the Court on the draft
People Strategy in July 2012, further consultation with staff on the
content of the People Strategy and priorities for the implementation
plan has taken place over the summer period. This input has been
reviewed alongside the information in the larger discussion and
development stage which took place earlier in the year.
The substantive content of this paper has been reviewed by the
Executive Board, Staff Policy Committee and People Strategy Steering
Group and amendments made following the feedback received.
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1. Introduction and background
The University has set out an exciting ambition for 2015 with the common good at the heart of
everything we do, and portraying an organisation that staff and students are rightly proud of. This
means we need people in the right place – the right place operationally to make best use of their skills
and the right place psychologically and emotionally, in terms of how inspired they feel by the
University and its mission.
In this context, the draft GCU People Strategy for 2015 was presented to the University Court on 2 July
2012. The paper discussed at that meeting is appended here in Annex 1. The Court was supportive of
the draft strategy and direction of travel and requested that further work be undertaken to finalise the
strategy and implementation plan for the first year.
This paper outlines the progress since the July 2012 Court meeting and presents a final version of the
People Strategy, which the Court is invited to approve. The paper also provides the proposed first
year implementation plan with indicative costings which outline how the £406,000, which was
allocated to the People Strategy in the strategic financial plan for 2012/13, would be spent.
Indications of potential spend on a number of the initiatives in years 2 and 3 of the strategy (2013/14
and 2014/15 respectively) are also provided, although full implementation plans with costings would
be submitted to the Court as years 2 and 3 of the implementation commence.
2. Progress since the Court meeting of 2 July 2012
The Court endorsed the suggestion that the draft People Strategy should be shared with staff and
their views sought on its proposed initiatives and priorities for implementation. A special edition of
Caledonian Connected was issued on 17 July 2012 with a message from the Principal encouraging all
colleagues to review the draft strategy (a summary of which is included in the July 2012 Court paper
attached as Annex 1), and answer a short anonymous survey regarding their views of it. The survey
was available for just over three weeks, closing on 8 August 2012. Paper copies were provided for
staff without pc access. Given the timescales for reporting back to Staff Policy Committee and Court,
the survey was undertaken during the main holiday, however, despite the holiday period, a response
rate of 12% was achieved.
A report on the findings of this brief survey, as provided by colleagues in the Market Insights team, has
been included in Annex 2.
The outputs from this brief survey provided some useful data to inform the discussion regarding the
implementation plan and final content of the survey. However it should be noted that the spread and
scale of responses received were not fully representative. As such, the views expressed in the survey
should be acknowledged and considered, but also reviewed in the context of views expressed in
previous meetings with staff, wider EB and Directorate of People discussions and recommendations.
The introduction to the survey indicated that this would be the case and that “final decisions on what
is included and when initiatives are implemented will also depend on other commitments, cost and
resource availability”.
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3. People Strategy 2015 - The key themes
Our key themes of Talent Today, Talent Tomorrow, Recognising Achievement and Rewarding
Contribution and Better Staff Experience for a Better Student Experience, and the initiatives within
these, have now been well tested with colleagues and seem to resonate with them.
A total of £406,000 has been allocated to the People Strategy in the 2012/13 strategic financial plan.
The following section explains the areas of focus under each of our themes for 2012/13 (year 1) and a
summary of costs against each theme. It should be noted that some initiatives may cut across more
than one theme; where this is the case, they have been categorised under one theme and links made
as appropriate. A detailed breakdown of the intended costs against individual initiatives in year 1, and
possible indicative costs in years 2 and 3 (subject to separate proposals in future annual budget
planning rounds) are provided in Annex 3.
Talent Today Talent Tomorrow
Total estimated cost in 2012/13: £299,000
The main focus of this area in the first year is supporting career enhancement and planning.
Colleagues who completed the recent brief survey indicated that a process and tools to support
individuals further in building a career map and tailoring their development to enable them to
progress was their top priority, with 70% of those who found it applicable to them classing this
initiative as’ very important or essential’. We would agree that this is a high priority to ensure that we
retain and develop high quality staff and provide additional support to facilitate further career
planning. As such, the work on this will now commence in year 1. A complementary piece of work
on succession planning will also be developed in year 1, to equip managers with a set of tools to
review and forward plan the skills and development needed for their own teams to meet future
demands. Both of these initiatives will improve our agility as an organisation and our ability to adapt
to the challenges of the future.
Specific initiatives focusing on our academic staff include a review of the academic promotions
process and the introduction of the ‘AcceleRATE’ framework to support staff in obtaining accreditation
and qualifications which provide appropriate testament to their high teaching standards and abilities.
Supporting the career progression of our academic staff and acknowledging their contributions and
commitment to excellence in research and teaching will be important factors in our ability to attract
and retain high quality individuals to enable us to meet our ambitions and compete successfully in the
Research Excellence Framework in 2014 and beyond.
Recruitment for our Modern Apprenticeships programme is already underway and demand is high
with our three centrally funded positions having been significantly oversubscribed and a number of
Schools and Departments now seeking approval to use this scheme and their own local funding to
secure a modern apprentice. This will start to build into a new pipeline for us and to address our
current age profile, which we know is skewed when compared to other post 92 High Education
Institutions: GCU has 25% more 45—54 year olds and 10% more 55-64 year olds than the post 92
average.
In year 2 we would plan to build a number of opportunities for staff to undertake secondments,
sabbaticals, scholarships and exchanges. These would link to the career pathways initiative and
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support colleagues in furthering their careers and areas of expertise, such as research, teaching or
professional endeavour, in order that staff can gain broad and inclusive perspectives and a rich and
varied career experience.
By 2015 - We want our staff to recognise the value and contribution of their personal and
organisational skills. We will have supported staff in their personal development plans by developing
their knowledge, skills and experience and encouraged their exposure to fresh stimuli.
Recognising Achievement and Rewarding Contribution
Total estimated cost in 2012/13: £40,000
The investment under this theme in the first year is relatively low, as a number of the initiatives here
are either procedural, with limited cost implications, or require a detailed review in the first instance
to determine an appropriate approach and associated costs.
The cornerstone for motivation, reward and recognition is management capability. Skilled and
experienced managers are able to clearly articulate what is expected from individuals and to ensure
quality of output, whilst recognising and praising staff’s contribution. They are able to ensure that
staff are supported in their professional endeavours, understand how their role contributes to the
corporate objectives and overall success of the University, and that their effort and achievements are
acknowledged. Our initiative for supporting managers in the ‘art’ of giving and receiving feedback,
coupled with amendments to our existing Performance and Development Annual Review (PDAR)
paperwork should provide a marked improvement in this area, facilitating quality discussions between
individuals and their managers where praise and clear direction are provided, and interventions made
when an individual’s performance is not up to standard. The feedback and PDAR initiatives were rated
highly by staff in the recent brief survey, as the 2nd and 4th highest priorities respectively.
The initiative to review options for rewarding exceptional contributions was also rated highly by staff
(the 5th highest priority in the recent brief survey) and the Executive Board. Some funds have
therefore been allocated to this in year 1. However, it is recommended that the initiative to support
managers in the ‘art’ of giving and receiving feedback, and the launch of the People Management
Passport (an initiative within ‘Better Staff Experience for a Better Student Experience’) should be
implemented before any exceptional contribution reward scheme. It will be important to create an
environment where managers are able to objectively review their staff’s contributions and ensure
these are acknowledged both formally and informally before introducing any associated financial
reward mechanism. It is therefore likely that this initiative would not launch until the end of year 1.
In later years it is planned to build on the foundations from year 1 in order to facilitate opportunities
for colleagues to get together to celebrate their individual and collective achievements. Consideration
of a more fundamental review of PDAR, exploring the possibility of using performance and potential
ratings for all staff would also be looked at in the latter years of the People Strategy.
By 2015 – We will have a revised PDAR scheme that focuses on performance, productiveness and
potential and is associated with reward mechanisms that reinforce what needs to be delivered and
how this is done. We want to celebrate success – particularly team and organisation wide.
5
Better Staff Experience for Better Student Experience
Total estimated cost in 2012/13: £52,000
A number of the initiatives designed to improve the experience for our staff focus on ways of working
and interacting with colleagues across the University. These areas will require a focus and
contribution from all and, in many cases, this will be more important than the financial spend.
The Executive Board have already afforded a high priority to the feedback received during the
research and development phase of the People Strategy regarding staff’s comments about
communication, understanding, processes and bureaucracy. Discussions have been taking place to
address a number of the concerns raised and consider how working differently and adopting a number
of new approaches might support the implementation of the People Strategy and help to more
effectively achieve the vision for ‘Valuing our People’ as we move towards 2015. As the People
Strategy is implemented, all colleagues will be encouraged to do the same and think about how
everyone works together and plays a part in achieving our ambitions.
As mentioned in the previous section, people management capability is key to our success and the
roles played by our managers and leaders in the University are paramount in the achievement of an
improved staff experience. As such, we will be commencing development of our People Management
Passport in year 1 with the intention of rolling this out in 2013. The Passport will focus on basic
management skills but also attend to the points raised by staff about supporting them in, for example,
effectively managing their workload and translating the high level strategy and University agenda in a
way which demonstrates how their team’s contribution is relevant and valued.
We are planning to undertake some Appreciative Inquiry work in order to capture and capitalise on
our successes and the pride we all feel for GCU, and encourage colleagues to share these for the
benefit of all. This will commence at the University’s Student Experience Summit planned for late
2012 where a variety of staff, students and stakeholders will build a vision for the student experience
and the staff experience which underpins this for 2015. The outputs from the summit will be used to
start to shape our ‘Caledonian Code’ which will then be tested more widely with other constituents.
We intend to run an Investors in People pilot in a small number of areas in year 1, to ascertain
whether this framework would help us in delivering the People Strategy. If successful, we would then
progress to roll this out to all areas of the University in later years.
Health, safety and wellbeing are key elements of the staff experience. Wellbeing not only impacts on
staff’s lives, engagement and the contribution they make at work, but also on sickness absence rates
which, when high, can also increase the strain felt by their colleagues in the workplace. The planned
pulse staff survey for late 2012 will focus not only on the corporate compass questions, but also on
the health and wellbeing of staff. A number of interventions are under development to support the
improved health and wellbeing of our staff. In recognition of the importance of this area, a metric has
been added to the strategy to reduce our sickness absence rates by 20% from an average of 7.5 to 6
days per employee per annum. While our current sickness absence rates are lower than many other
sectors, they are higher than the average for a Higher Education Institution. Working days lost to
sickness absence in 2011/12 stood at just over 10,000, or the equivalent of approximately 45 full time
employees.
6
By 2015 – We will have new People Management Passport in place with Investors in People
accreditation across the University if the proposed pilot proves successful. Ultimately the Corporate
Compass scores and other benchmark data will be at target levels or better. 1
An additional sum of £15,000 has also been allocated for year 1 of the People Strategy to cover
additional small initiatives or unforeseen costs linked to the People Strategy. This is expected to
include the ‘pulse’ staff survey in November 2012 and some external support in developing the Trades
Unions and Management working relationships in the current challenging national and local context.
4. Proposed implementation plan for year 1
The table in Annex 3 shows the 15 initiatives which comprise the People Strategy and, specifically, the
detail of proposed implementation plan for year 1 (2012/13). A total of £406,000 has already been
allocated to year 1 of the People Strategy in the agreed 2012/13 budget and the table shows how it is
proposed to spend these funds. In addition, indicative costings for years 2 and 3 are provided as a
guide only, to show the overall expected cost of certain initiatives. These are not complete and a
detailed SIF bid would be made for appropriate monies in the planning rounds in each year. It should
also be noted that some initiatives will require a period of development and so the exact detail of
these initiatives is, as yet, unclear, and the impact / roll out of them may be later than the costs would
indicate. Some initiatives have no cost implications, however this does not mean that they will be
afforded a lower priority than those initiatives which are more expensive to establish.
It should be noted that, in the recent brief survey completed by 12% of staff, a number of initiatives
were not rated as particularly important where their content and benefits are likely to have been
unclear, for example, the ‘Pride’ project and Investors in People. The Pride project is an idea which
has yet to be explained to colleagues or launched, and so it was not expected to be rated highly by
staff at this stage. However the idea, when tested in staff discussions this spring, seemed to be
positively received. Similarly, the value of the Investors in People initiative may have been underestimated where colleagues are not aware of the extent to which Investors in People has evolved in
recent years. It is now a recognised tool used to underpin People Strategies in many organisations and
its use at GCU would be intended to add value rather than focus on an ‘audit style accreditation’ as
was the case in previous years. This framework and associated tools would therefore support a range
of other initiatives in the People Strategy. It is therefore our assessment that the lack of detail
provided thus far on two these initiatives is likely to have contributed to staff’s reticence towards
them, however they have been included as we believe they would have wide ranging benefits for the
University.
A small number of the initiatives listed as part of the People Strategy were the subject of separate
Strategic Investment Fund bids in the 2012/13 planning round which was held prior to the
commencement of staff discussions on the People Strategy. The funds for these initiatives were
allocated in the 2012/13 budget based on their own merits and, as such, these budgets are already
fixed and the initiatives have commenced based on these. The initiatives which relate to the People
Strategy have been included here, and staff’s views on them were sought in the recent brief survey,
for the sake of completeness. However this implementation plan is not intended to revoke monies
1
Measures and targets shown on the People Strategy summary on page 9.
7
which had previously been signed off and allocated to these. These initiatives are presented in bold in
the table in Annex 3.
5. Commitment to Equality and Diversity
Equality and diversity are embedded in our University values and principles and are directly relevant
to the People Strategy. Our 2012/13 Outcome Agreement with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC)
states that, in line with the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012, our
equality outcomes include eliminating unlawful discrimination; advancing equality of opportunity; and
fostering good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
We are developing a new mainstreaming approach to equality and diversity to support us in meeting
our obligations in this regard. The principle behind this new approach is to ensure that equality and
diversity are included in the implementation of core business activities across the University and in the
development of new strategies and activities.
An initial equality impact screening of the People Strategy suggests that it is aligned with the principles
of the Equality Act 2010. Specifically the elements of the People Strategy support the general duty of
the Act. The People Strategy also supports elements of the specific duties of the Act, including
equality outcomes, involvement, mainstreaming and equal pay.
One of the measures of success for our People Strategy is achievement of the Athena SWAN Bronze
level accreditation. The University is a signatory to the Athena SWAN Charter and, as such, we have
made a commitment to tackle unequal representation of women in science, engineering and
technology, and to take a proactive approach to ensuring organisational culture, policies and practices
support gender equality. We will participate in Athena SWAN Scottish Regional Network to share
experiences and best practice with other universities.
6. Final version of the People Strategy for the Court’s approval
The following four pages provide the final version of our proposed GCU People Strategy 2015: ‘People
in the right place’. This has been amended following helpful input and views from a range of sources,
including the brief People Strategy survey, discussions with the Staff Policy Committee and with our
previous People Strategy steering group which includes members of our Joint Consultative Committee.
8
GCU People Strategy 2015 approved by GCU Court on 27th September 2012
‘People in the right place’
What we’ll see:
People Strategy
2015
What we want:
To inspire current
and future
generations to be
the best they
can; to enable
our people to
live our values
and contribute to
our vision.
How we’ll know:
Talent Today, Talent Tomorrow
Outcomes by 2015
• Tools and guidance to enable: individuals to build and
develop their careers; and managers to plan and
achieve the right mix of skills for their future workforce
needs.
• A framework for teaching excellence for staff in
academic and student learning support roles
• Modern Apprenticeship scheme
• Inclusive and transparent promotion opportunities and
processes
• Reduce annual sickness absence by 20%
from an average of 7.5 to 6 days per
employee.
• Positive impact on student recruitment
and experience to achieve overall student
satisfaction scores of 85% in the NSS.
• Accreditation through Athena Swan
(Bronze level) and delivery of the Single
Equality Scheme
• GCU Corporate Compass targets achieved:
What I Value
100%
Recognising Achievement and Rewarding Contribution
• A revised Performance and Development Annual
Review (PDAR) scheme
• Colleagues and teams’ contributions are recognised
• Colleagues celebrate achievements together
Better Staff Experience for a Better Student Experience
• All staff feel valued and have a ‘voice’
• Bureaucracy is kept to a minimum
• Transparent decisions are made at an appropriate level
• People Management ‘passport’ accredited programme
for new and existing managers
• A ‘code’ which captures the essence of GCU for all our
staff and students
• A practical tool to empower colleagues and enable
improved management of their workload
• Vision and priorities are clear and colleagues
understand their contribution
• Work and social activities foster relationship building
80%
60%
40%
20%
What I
Do
0%
What I
Feel
What I Say
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1. Talent Today, Talent Tomorrow
Now – What’s the issue?
As we look towards 2015 and beyond, it is vital that we have a
strategic plan that enables the University to grow, develop
and acquire the talent and skills which we will need in the
future.
Colleagues told us that they wanted to see improvement in
the following areas:
 Succession planning: in some areas we have an ageing
workforce and we need a coherent plan on how we will
bring forward the next generation and enable staff to
share their many years of skills and experience with
colleagues. Succession planning is a particular challenge
in small, specialised teams.
 Career planning and guidance: individuals perceived a
lack of guidance about how they could develop a career
path within the University. Many said that it was hard to
move between different areas and they didn’t feel new
qualifications were recognised.
 Recruitment and retention: there is a perception that
external candidates are often favoured over internal for
vacancies so some staff look outside in order to progress.
 Promotion: some concerns that promotion is not
available to non academic staff and that current
processes could be more transparent and acknowledge a
broader range of factors.
2015 – What should you expect to see?
 A clear succession planning toolkit incorporating guidance
on career pathways supporting all colleagues and the
organisation to develop and retain the skills required for
2015 and beyond.
 Inclusive and transparent processes that acknowledge
experience, qualifications, differing career paths and
readiness to operate at a more senior level.
 Modern Apprenticeship scheme to attract and develop
early-career talent for GCU.
What will we do about it?
1. Create a succession planning toolkit which enables managers to review the skills and
interests of their staff and plan their workforce requirements in the medium to long term.
The toolkit would offer creative options to expand skill sets across the piece and enable
managers to forward-plan development and recruitment needs and be ready to enact
these as required. To be developed in year 1 with launch planned for 2013.
2. Introduce a new Modern Apprenticeship scheme. The money allocated for year 1 will fund
three apprenticeships from a central fund; others may be introduced and funded locally.
Already underway in year 1.
3. Devise a career pathways process and tools that will support individuals to take the
initiative in developing and building their career, highlighting transferable skills
development and how to work towards their next step. For professional and support staff
this could involve building a portfolio which shows a readiness to be promoted to the next
level when an appropriate role opens up. To be developed in year 1 to launch in 2013.
4. Review of sabbaticals, secondments, scholarships and exchanges as part of the career
pathways work. To introduce a scholarship and personal development fund open to all
staff. Applications could be made for cash to fund developmental activities which align to
PDARs and University strategy. Planned to commence in year 2.
5. A review of academic promotion processes led by Professor Sue Scott. This review is
expected to report, and any approved changes to be implemented, in time for the
promotion round which will commence in January 2013. Already underway in year 1.
6. Introduction of the ‘AcceleRATE framework’ (managed by GCU LEAD) to support and
encourage staff in academic and student learning support roles to obtain professional
teaching recognition, through either a formal taught route or a Recognition of Prior
informal Learning route. Already underway in year 1.
How will you know?
 Improved exit destination analysis.
 Achievement of the Athena Swan accreditation.
 An increase in the ‘what I say’ and ‘what I value’ scores on the GCU Corporate Compass as
measured through staff surveys (pulse survey in November 2012; full survey in November
2013).
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2. Recognising Achievement and Rewarding Contribution
Now – What’s the issue?
In a climate of pay restraint and slow economic growth, motivation is key
and recognition that goes beyond financial measures needs to be embraced.
We want to create the conditions where staff can perform at their best and
are recognised for their contribution to the success of the University.
Colleagues told us that they wanted to see improvement in the following
areas:
 Performance and Development Annual Review (PDAR) scheme: The
majority of colleagues expressed dissatisfaction with the current
process. There are concerns about the procedure, paperwork,
appropriateness of using the same scheme for all staff, managers’ skills
in undertaking review discussions and the balance of praise and
remedial messages received. There was also a lack of explicit
understanding about how the process is cascaded or how well it clarifies
each person’s contribution to the organisation’s goals.
 Training and development: A number of colleagues do not feel they
have access to, or funding for, training initiatives. The opportunity to
take time away from the day job for training and development is also an
issue in some areas.
 Praise and recognition: In many areas colleagues feel that their
contribution is not adequately acknowledged or recognised, especially
when they ‘go the extra mile’.
 Performance: there is a perceived lack of consequence when staff do a
good, bad or indifferent job.
2015– What should you expect to see?
 A new approach to Performance and Development Annual Review
(PDAR) which is cascaded from the Executive and supports honest,
meaningful conversations for all colleagues. Reviews result in a clear
line of sight between strategic direction and operational delivery.
 Colleagues and teams are recognised for their contribution in a way
which shows appreciation and is meaningful for the recipient(s).
 Opportunities for colleagues to celebrate achievements together where
the organisation can say ‘thank you’.
What will we do about it?
1. Devise a new approach to performance and development reviews which
addresses the concerns raised. Ensure that managers and reviewers
develop the right skills to facilitate a review process which is valued by
staff and adds value to the organisation. A ‘quick fix’ (making the form
more user friendly, clarifying timescales and responsibilities) will be
done in year 1. In later years we may wish to consider a more
fundamental review of PDAR, exploring the possibility of using
performance and potential ratings for all staff.
2. Support managers in the ‘art’ of giving and receiving honest,
constructive feedback. Equip managers with the tools to give praise
where appropriate and tackle issues confidently and sensitively. This is a
key initiative to improve the quality of PDAR conversations and support
a performance culture. This module would become part of the People
Management Passport in the longer term. To take place in year 1
3. Review options for rewarding exceptional contributions that are fair and
transparent. Propose to provide a pot of money to enable managers to
give small tokens of thanks to their staff as appropriate when they ‘go
the extra mile’. Guidelines would be provided. This could be continued
in subsequent years if successful. Planned for development in year 1.
4. Introduce and facilitate opportunities for colleagues to get together to
celebrate our combined and collaborative successes.
Proposed for year 3.
How will you know?
 Increased PDAR completion rates and quality of review conversations
and documentation, as monitored by HR Business Partners.
 An increase in the ‘what I say’, ‘what I value’ and ‘what I do’ scores on
the GCU Corporate Compass as measured through staff surveys (pulse
survey in November 2012; full survey in November 2013).
11
3. Better Staff Experience for a Better Student Experience
Now – What’s the issue?
GCU already provides an excellent student experience. Improvement in the staff experience
should be encouraged to further enhance the experience for our students.
Colleagues told us that they wanted to see improvement in the following areas:
 Parity and consistency: There is a perception of a ‘2-tier’ workforce where ‘non academic’
colleagues feel that they are valued less by the institution.
 Two-way communication and approach to decision making: Concerns about a lack of
opportunity for views to be expressed and considered before decisions were taken, and
requested clearer feedback on the rationale for decisions made. Suggestions that
colleagues at more junior levels could be empowered to make decisions.
 Workload and priority planning: Concerns were raised about the number of priorities staff
are asked to deliver and that the pace of change may inhibit our ability to implemented key
tasks effectively. It was felt that a number of local and University-wide processes were not
fit for purpose and would benefit from review.
 Getting the basics right: There were a number of examples of positive practice which could
be built upon. It was reported that the resolution of relatively minor local issues and
requests would have a significant impact on staff’s working lives.
 Relationship building: It was felt that there is significant further work to do in order to build
and enhance relationships, mutual understanding and appreciation at different levels of the
organisation.
2015 – What should you expect to see?
 All staff across the institution feel valued and that their ‘voice’ is acknowledged and
listened to; honest, constructive two-way communication is embraced.
 Bureaucracy is kept to a minimum and decisions are made at an appropriate level; the
process and rationale for decision making is transparent and understood.
 An effective People Management ‘passport’ accredited programme to equip all new and
existing managers to effectively manage their part of the organisation.
 GCU PACE is used as a tool for empowering colleagues to use innovation to manage their
workload better and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
 Vision and priorities are clear and colleagues can see how their contribution fits.
 Colleagues feel supported and valued by the flexibility of their working practices and the
wider GCU community.
 A combination of work and social activities foster visibility, knowledge sharing and
relationship building across the institution and at all levels.
What will we do about it?
1. Consider a number of initiatives that would alleviate
concerns regarding communication, understanding,
processes and bureaucracy. The actions resulting from
initial EB discussions are expected to focus on ways of
working and will be cascaded through the University as
appropriate. To commence in year 1.
2. Introduce a GCU People Management Passport accredited
programme using a blend of tailored development for those
with management responsibilities at all levels of the
University. Likely to include both in-house and outsourced
elements. Design work to commence in year 1, full roll out
planned for year 2.
3. Roll out of the GCU PACE (People Achieving through
Collaborative Excellence) programme to empower
colleagues to take control of the way processes are
managed and executed. Already underway for year 1.
4. Commence a pilot Investors in People accreditation process.
Use this methodology to support and shape our goals and
progress in the areas which impact on the staff experience.
Pilot in 3 areas planned for year 1
5. Launch the ‘Pride’ Project to identify and capture what we
do well in all areas of the University and share internally and
externally using Appreciative Inquiry. The project would
also support the development of the Caledonian Code.
Planned for year 1.
How will you know?
 Completion of trial and, if progressed, achievement of the
Investors in People award.
 An increase in all of the scores on the GCU Corporate
Compass as measured through staff surveys (pulse survey in
November 2012; full survey in November 2013).
 An overall student satisfaction score of 85% in the National
Student Survey (NSS).
12
7. Next Steps
Subject to approval by the Court at its meeting of 27 September 2012, a message will be issued to staff
in early October to thank them for their contributions to the People Strategy, including completion of
the brief survey, and to advise them of how their input has shaped the final version of the strategy and
first year’s implementation plan. Previous commitments have been made to provide opportunities for
staff to ‘continue the conversation’ and be involved in various initiatives as they progress and the
Directorate of People would intend to honour this. In addition, the upcoming pulse staff survey
commencing in November 2012 will provide a further opportunity for colleagues to express their
views and will also provide a progress update against our corporate compass scores which are a key
KPI for the People Strategy.
The initial People Strategy steering group has now been disbanded. However it is suggested that
members of this group who wish to continue to contribute could provide advice to the Director of
People on an occasional basis, to support the smooth implementation of the strategy and maintain a
focus on the achievement of its KPIs.
The Executive Board has agreed to appoint a People Strategy Implementation Manager (funded from
within the Directorate of People establishment) in order that the work on the strategy can be
progressed at pace. This role has been filled initially by an interim who will join the University at the
end of September 2012.
Recommendations
i.
ii.
The Court is invited to note the further development and consultation which has taken place
on the People Strategy since it was initially presented in July 2012.
The Court is invited to approve the proposed implementation of the People Strategy which
would be monitored bi-annually by the Staff Policy Committee and annually by the Court.
13
Annex 1: People Strategy paper submitted to the Court on 02 July 2012.
University Court
Committee Title
Date of Meeting
Item Number and Title/Subject
Author
02 July 2012
People in the right place – People Strategy 2015
Alex Killick, Director of People
Julie Maxwell, People Strategy Project Manager
Brief Summary of Issues/Topic
To seek Court’s endorsement to the proposed approach for developing and
implementing the University People Strategy 2015.
Recommendation(s)
Strategic Policy Implications
Equal Opportunities
Financial Implications
Stakeholder Interest
1. The Court is invited to consider the draft People Strategy and
the overall areas of focus and commitments contained within
it.
2. If Court is content, it is recommended that the high level
summary is shared and consulted upon widely across the
University with the resulting feedback being considered by
the Executive Board in August.
3. It is recommended that the People Strategy is presented to
Staff Policy Committee in September and subsequently to
Court for approval in October 2012.
4. It is recommended that oversight of delivery of the strategy
be delegated to the Staff Policy Committee with subsequent
annual updates provided to the Court.
This strategy is intended to deliver the ‘Valuing our People’ strand of the
Corporate Strategy 2015.
At a strategic level, our assessment is that the proposed developments will be
positive for staff and students. We are in the process of developing a
University wide Single Equality scheme that will draw evidence from the
implementation of all strategies including the People Strategy. More equality
impact assessments will be undertaken on the design and implementation of
the proposed commitments.
None associated with this paper, however, the Executive Board will consider
specific implementation proposals as part of the agreed 2012/13 strategic
financial plan.
Staff, students, media and professional networks
The People Strategy identifies and seeks to address a range of risks that will
impact on the effective running of the Institution such as the ability to recruit
and retain the right calibre of staff to deliver our business priorities.
Yes
Freedom of Information
Can this paper can be included in Its disclosure would substantially prejudice a programme of
Open Business under the research
Freedom
of
Information Its disclosure would substantially prejudice the commercial
(Scotland) 2002 Act?
If no, interests of any person or organisation
Its disclosure would constitute a breach of the Data Protection
please tick reason.
Act
Its disclosure would substantially prejudice the effective
conduct of public affairs
Its disclosure would constitute a breach of confidence
actionable in court
Risks
14
Consultation Undertaken
The approach taken to inform the strategy is detailed in Appendix 1 of the
attached paper. There has been significant involvement of staff but we are
recommending that the dialogue continues as set out in recommendation 2
above.
15
People in the right place - People Strategy 2015
Why this matters
The University has set out an exciting ambition for 2015 with the common good at the heart of
everything we do, and portraying an organisation that staff and students are rightly proud of. This
means we need people in the right place – the right place operationally to make best use of their
skills and the right place psychologically and emotionally, in terms of how inspired they feel by the
University and its mission.
We have considerable strengths as a values-led, dynamic, diverse and inclusive institution
harnessing our intellectual and social capital to deliver real impact and benefits for the communities,
business and students we serve in Scotland and beyond. We want to build on these strengths. We
also face a number of challenges – externally and internally and our People Strategy will highlight
how we intend to become more agile and flexible in responding locally and globally. We want to
create the conditions where staff have the skills and the confidence to deliver a fantastic future for
students and stakeholders as well as themselves.
This paper sets out the drivers for change, the approach that we have been taking, current areas of
priority and proposed strategic initiatives as well as the evaluation methods that we believe will
deliver the ‘Valuing our People’ goal within the University’s 2015 Strategy.
Drivers for change
We know that being able to respond to changing economic circumstances quickly is paramount and
will enable us to compete in a global HE market. According to the recent Universities HR paper2
there are a number of factors (albeit focused on England and Wales but relevant to HEIs in Scotland)
that will impact on our ability to attract and retain the best talent to ensure we deliver our 2015
ambitions in respect of:




Higher Education Reform to ensure excellence in
 Learning , teaching and student choice
 Research
 Knowledge Exchange – the demand for social or economic impact
 Leadership, Governance and Management – with demands for more
transparency and accountability
 Widening Access
Enhancing the quality of the student experience
Internationalisation
Efficiency and value for money
In Scotland, there is political and wider public interest in the governance and accountability of HEIs.
For GCU, the over reliance on Scottish Funding Council grant also circumscribes how we operate.
These drivers are already well understood within GCU and underpin our wider 2015 strategy. We
2
Linda Holbeche PhD, Changing times of UK universities What a difference can HR make? (Universities HR
(UHR), 2012)
16
know that students (in many cases supported by parent power) are being more discerning in their
choice of university, increasingly demanding a better overall experience but also seeking the
stepping stone to the best opportunities for future employment. In the period January-March 2012,
1.02 million young people aged between 16 and 24 years were unemployed in the UK. This
represents an increase of 85,400 (or 9.1%) on the same quarter in 2011 and equates to 21.9% of this
age group’s economically active population3. Universities that have the best track record on
employability will survive and thrive.
How we respond and create the conditions for GCU to thrive in these challenging circumstances lies
at the heart of our emerging People Strategy.
Methodology
While the external context is important in our thinking, we were keen to develop an approach that
was uniquely tailored to our University. The desire was to have a People Strategy that was
‘developed by our people, for our people.’ A number of recent events have both highlighted the
need for a focused People Strategy, and provided us with a baseline from which to measure our
progress following its implementation. Appendix 1 sets out in more detail how we have gone about
developing this strategy. Appendix 2 sets out how we propose to measure and monitor progress
with implementation. The remainder of this paper highlights the key themes and the draft strategy
itself.
The key themes
Talent Today Talent Tomorrow
We know that attracting and retaining the right people to deliver our future business requires us to
be agile if we are to support the growing international agenda as well as to compete successfully in
the Research Excellence Framework 2014. We know that we have a stable workforce but one that is
ageing; compared to other post 92 HEIs: GCU has 25% more 45—54 year olds and 10% more 55-64
year olds than the post 92 average. This stability in the workforce needs to be accompanied by
organisational agility and we want to foster new opportunities for staff to think differently about
what and how they deliver.
We are about to introduce a novel and sector leading scheme called AcceleRATE that will enable
staff to map their skills and experience through a nationally recognised framework.
We know that the international market is fiercely competitive but strategically important if we are to
compete on the world stage. This has major implications for how we position ourselves and equip
staff to deliver our international targets whether face-to-face or virtually.
We have a diverse student population and provide a warm and welcoming environment as a place to
study and work. However, if we are to compete on a global scale then we need to attract and retain
a workforce that understands the needs of next generation workers and what global employers
expect, while remaining true to our social mission. We want to generate opportunities for staff to
gain broad and inclusive perspectives through the establishment of exchanges with our network of
like minded Institutions internationally. We already have in place scholarships and fellowships for
3
Source: UK Parliament briefing papers
17
academic staff to enable them to gain exposure to the commercial world in order to contextualise
their teaching. We are also creating new opportunities for professional staff such as the Community
Engagement fellowships. We wish to build on this. We propose to review the overall approach to
sabbaticals, secondments and scholarships with a view to strengthening the mechanisms for staff to
gain experience and exposure to research, scholarly activity and industry placements to help keep
them at the top of their game. This environment will also help us attract new staff.
By 2015 – We want our staff to recognise the value and contribution of their personal and
organisational skills.
We will have supported staff in their personal development plans by
developing their knowledge, skills and experience and encouraged their exposure to fresh stimuli.
Recognising Achievement and Rewarding Contribution
We want to be a high performing organisation - we will not achieve our stated ambition to be a Top
10 Modern University unless we are open and clear about this. This means recognising and
rewarding the contribution that staff make and where performance and productiveness fall shortfor whatever reason, giving staff clear feedback and support to improve.
We have a Performance and Development Annual Review (PDAR) system that is generally regarded
as convoluted. We intend to introduce a scheme that encourages the right conversations between
managers and staff looking at both performance (how am I doing) and potential (where am I going).
These engagements must also make clear the ‘line of sight’ between corporate objectives and what
colleagues deliver on the ground.
We want to create a climate where continuous improvement is the norm where we learn from our
mistakes, but also share success. One of the ways we are planning to do this is through the Pride
Project where we capture the stories of what we do well and spread them across the University.
By 2015 – We will have a revised PDAR scheme that focuses on performance, productiveness and
potential and is associated with reward mechanisms that reinforce what needs to be delivered and
how this is done. We want to celebrate success – particularly team and organisation wide.
Better Staff Experience for Better Student Experience
We know that if we get it right for our staff then we will get it right for our students. Other
stakeholders whom we serve or work with will also benefit. While the Staff Survey 2011 highlighted
that 69% of staff who responded were proud to work for the University, only 34% felt valued by it.
There is a huge amount of goodwill and despite the challenges of last year; our people have shown
great resilience. We can't take this for granted and this is why we intend to continue to take a
regular health check through our Staff Survey to track improvements.
Staff acknowledge that the pay and conditions are by and large very good and they really value the
opportunity for flexible working to help balance work and other life needs. This means it is usually
relative rather than absolute differences that are the cause of frustration. The key 'What I do'
measure shows that 62% of staff believe that their manager offers a good work life balance. We
believe this should be at least 75%. When this is augmented with the other Staff Survey data and
feedback from conversations with staff, the picture is one where our people management and
people leadership capability needs to be improved. We are therefore proposing to introduce a
18
People Management Passport to up-skill and quality assure those who have the responsibility for
managing others. We are also exploring Investors in People as a credible external accreditation to
reinforce our commitment and the importance we place on good people management practice.
The health, safety and wellbeing of staff is fundamental to ensure effective and productive working
and we believe that actions proposed will have a positive impact on overall absence levels which are
around the HE average but total around 9,000 lost days per year.
By 2015 – We will have new People Management Passport in place with Investors in People
accreditation across the University if the proposed pilot proves successful. Ultimately the Corporate
Compass scores (see appendix 2) and other benchmark data will be at target levels or better.
Cross-cutting issues
Information and Communication
We know that our information systems are not as effective as they need to be and investment is
being made on improving this infrastructure. High quality management information is critical to
enable better decision making. This was a recurring theme from conversations with staff. We also
know that the majority of the frustrations that staff expressed in the Staff Survey were
communication related. 70% of staff felt that communication between senior management and staff
was not effective although 79% said they received regular and timely information about the
University and its activities. There was a view that staff wanted to be more involved in decisions that
affected them. For example, greater stakeholder consultation prior to investment in new systems
was advocated.
Many comments and views were received regarding the vehicles for staff communication at the
University. Suggestions were made on how more effective two-way communication could be
fostered. It was felt that the content of internal messaging and discussions could be different to
external communications.
We also know that the formal relationships between management and the trades unions are not
optimal and we are planning ways of working together to rebuild trust for the future. This is in our
collective interest, as are other ways of improving how we engage with staff. These will be
developed as part of a review of communications activities.
Improvement
Some concern was expressed that ‘process and system improvement’ sometimes resulted in moving
work from one area to another, rather than actually tackling key issues and making the processes
more efficient for everyone. Many staff reported concerns about their current workload and
requested further support in reviewing and managing this. The PACE (People Achieving through
Collaborative Excellence) programme is designed to aid such reviews and empower colleagues to
make changes and facilitate more streamlined ways of working.
19
Inspiring Leadership
Some staff reported a keenness to ‘bridge the gap’ which is perceived between senior management
and the majority of staff. Suggestions were made regarding how this could be achieved, including
further work on translating high level strategy in a way which enables colleagues to understand the
specific contribution they and their teams make to this. There were also requests for further
opportunities to meet and interact with the Executive Board. Requests were made for support for
middle level managers, and also for more decision making authority to be delegated so that
managers felt empowered and supported to make operational decisions in areas where they had
specific expertise. Management development interventions were also suggested as a way of
supporting the achievement of these goals. Creating the space for honest conversations about the
future direction of the University is important and while there are positive signs following the recent
Strategy launches and the work to inform this People Strategy, we will be looking at how we can
develop a better and more regular dialogue across the University. This will take time and is about
leaders at all levels playing their part.
Caledonian Code
Various titles have been suggested for this concept, including the Caledonian Code, Commitment or
Creed. The Code is not intended to replicate existing policies, but rather to find a way to harness
what we believe, what binds us as a GCU community and the real prize of how we translate this or
hardwire it into everything we do. Through conversations with staff, it was apparent that there are a
number of points about which all staff seem to be passionate, including the commitment to the
common weal, pride in the student experience provided and local team spirit. In addition it is hoped
that the Code would clarify the mutual responsibility placed on staff, students and stakeholders to
work together and play their part in the GCU community and our success.
The aim is to create one Code which would be appropriate for all stakeholders. To this end,
discussions have been taking place with the Student Experience Management Team and Marketing
regarding our ‘internal brand’. It is envisaged that the Pride Project will help to capture ‘what we
believe’. These discussions will continue in the coming months with the aim of producing a clear
Code early in 2013. We will take the time to get this right. Getting this right will help to get people in
the right place.
The draft People Strategy 2015
The high level summary follows with supporting action plans for each of the three key themes.
20
21
1. Talent Today, Talent Tomorrow
Now – What’s the issue?
As we look towards 2015 and beyond, it is vital that we have a strategic plan
that enables the University to grow, develop and acquire the talent and skills
which we will need in the future.
Colleagues told us that they wanted to see improvement in the following
areas:
 Succession planning: in some areas we have an ageing workforce and
we need a coherent plan on how we will bring forward the next
generation and enable staff to share their many years of skills and
experience with colleagues. Succession planning is a particular
challenge in small, specialised teams.
 Career planning and guidance: individuals perceived a lack of guidance
about how they could develop a career path within the University.
Many said that it was hard to move between different areas and they
didn’t feel new qualifications were recognised.
 Recruitment and retention: there is a perception that external
candidates are often favoured over internal for vacancies so some staff
look outside in order to progress.
 Promotion: some concerns that promotion is not available to non
academic staff and that current processes could be more transparent
and acknowledge a broader range of factors.
2015 – What should you expect to see?
 A clear succession planning toolkit incorporating guidance on career
pathways supporting all colleagues and the organisation to develop and
retain the skills required for 2015 and beyond.
 Inclusive and transparent processes that acknowledge experience,
qualifications, differing career paths and readiness to operate at a more
senior level.
 Modern Apprenticeship scheme to attract and develop early-career
talent for GCU.
What will we do about it?
1. Create a succession planning toolkit which enables managers to plan
their workforce needs and development and offers creative options
to expand skill sets across the piece. Planned for year 1.
2. Introduce a new modern apprenticeship scheme (already approved).
Planned for year 1.
3. Devise a career pathways process that supports individuals to take
the initiative in developing and building their career, highlighting
transferable skills development and how to work towards their next
step. For professional and support staff this could involve building a
portfolio which shows a readiness to be promoted to the next level
when an appropriate role opens up. Proposed for year 2.
4. Review of sabbaticals, secondments, scholarships and exchanges as
part of the career pathways work. Proposed for year 2.
5. A review of academic promotion processes (already underway, this
is being led by Professor Sue Scott). Planned for year 1.
6. Introduction of the ‘AcceleRATE framework’ (already underway in
GCU LEAD) to support and encourage staff in academic and student
learning support roles to obtain professional teaching recognition,
through either a formal taught route or a Recognition of Prior
informal Learning (RPiL) route and to position the university for
increased league table competition by 2015. Planned for year 1.
How will you know?
 Improved exit destination analysis and labour turnover rates.
 Achievement of the Athena Swan accreditation.
 An increase in the ‘what I say’ and ‘what I value’ scores on the GCU
Corporate Compass as measured through staff surveys (pulse survey
in November 2012; full survey in November 2013).
22
2. Recognising Achievement and Rewarding Contribution
Now – What’s the issue?
In a climate of pay restraint and slow economic growth, motivation is key
and recognition that goes beyond financial measures needs to be embraced.
We want to create the conditions where staff can perform at their best and
are recognised for their contribution to the success of the University.
Colleagues told us that they wanted to see improvement in the following
areas:
 Performance and Development Annual Review (PDAR) scheme: The
majority of colleagues expressed dissatisfaction with the current
process. There are concerns about the procedure, paperwork,
appropriateness of using the same scheme for all staff, managers’ skills
in undertaking review discussions and the balance of praise and
remedial messages received. There was also a lack of explicit
understanding about how the process is cascaded or how well it clarifies
each person’s contribution to the organisation’s goals.
 Training and development: A number of colleagues do not feel they
have access to, or funding for, training initiatives. The opportunity to
take time away from the day job for training and development is also an
issue in some areas.
 Praise and recognition: In many areas colleagues feel that their
contribution is not adequately acknowledged or recognised, especially
when they ‘go the extra mile’.
 Performance: there is a perceived lack of consequence when staff do a
good, bad or indifferent job.
2015– What should you expect to see?
 A new approach to Performance and Development Annual Review
(PDAR) which is cascaded from the Executive and supports honest,
meaningful conversations for all colleagues. Reviews result in a clear
line of sight between strategic direction and operational delivery.
 Colleagues and teams are recognised for their contribution in a way
which shows appreciation and is meaningful for the recipient(s).
 Opportunities for colleagues to celebrate achievements together where
the organisation can say ‘thank you’.
What will we do about it?
1. Devise a new approach to performance and development reviews which
addresses the concerns raised. Ensure that managers and reviewers
develop the right skills to facilitate a review process which is valued by
staff and adds value to the organisation. Planned for year 1.
2. Support managers in the ‘art’ of giving and receiving honest,
constructive feedback. Equip managers with the tools to give praise
where appropriate and tackle issues confidently and sensitively. This
will form part of the People Management Passport as explained in the
‘Better Staff Experience...’ section. Planned for year 1.
3. Review options for rewarding exceptional contributions that are fair and
transparent.
Proposed for year 2.
4. Introduce and facilitate opportunities for colleagues to get together to
celebrate our combined and collaborative successes.
Proposed for year 2.
5. Launch the ‘Pride’ Project to identify and capture what we do well in all
areas of the University and share internally and externally using
appreciative inquiry. The project would also support the development
of the Caledonian Code. Planned for year 1.
How will you know?
 Increased PDAR completion rates and quality of review
conversations and documentation, as monitored by HR Business
Partners.
 An increase in the ‘what I say’, ‘what I value’ and ‘what I do’ scores
on the GCU Corporate Compass as measured through staff surveys
(pulse survey in November 2012; full survey in November 2013).
23
3. Better Staff Experience for a Better Student Experience
Now – What’s the issue?
What will we do about it?
GCU already provides an excellent student experience. Improvement in the staff experience
1. Consider a number of initiatives that would alleviate
should be encouraged to further enhance the experience for our students.
concerns regarding communication, understanding,
Colleagues told us that they wanted to see improvement in the following areas:
processes and bureaucracy. This would commence with
discussions at the forthcoming Executive Board awayday
 Parity and consistency: There is a perception of a ‘2-tier’ workforce where ‘non academic’
in August 2012 and then be cascaded through the
colleagues feel that they are valued less by the institution.
organisation. Planned for year 1.
 Two-way communication and approach to decision making: Concerns about a lack of
2. Introduce a GCU People Management Passport
opportunity for views to be expressed and considered before decisions were taken, and
accredited programme using a blend of tailored
requested clearer feedback on the rationale for decisions made. Suggestions that
development for those with management responsibilities
colleagues at more junior levels could be empowered to make decisions.
at all levels of the University. Planned for year 2.
 Workload and priority planning: Concerns were raised about the number of priorities
3.
Roll out of the GCU PACE (People Achieving through
staff are asked to deliver and that the pace of change may inhibit our ability to
Collaborative Excellence) programme to empower
implemented key tasks effectively. It was felt that a number of local and University-wide
colleagues to take control of the way processes are
processes were not fit for purpose and would benefit from review.
managed and executed. Already underway for year 1.
 Getting the basics right: There were a number of examples of positive practice which
could be built upon. It was reported that the resolution of relatively minor local issues and 4. Commence the process of gaining Investors in People
accreditation and use this methodology to support and
requests would have a significant impact on staff’s working lives.
shape our goals and progress in the areas which impact
 Relationship building: It was felt that there is significant further work to do in order to
on the staff experience. Pilot in three areas planned for
build and enhance relationships, mutual understanding and appreciation at different
year 1.
levels of the organisation.
2015 – What should you expect to see?
 All staff across the institution feel valued and that their ‘voice’ is acknowledged and
listened to; honest, constructive two-way communication is embraced.
 Bureaucracy is kept to a minimum and decisions are made at an appropriate level; the
process and rationale for decision making is transparent and understood.
 An effective People Management ‘passport’ accredited programme to equip all new and
existing managers to effectively manage their part of the organisation.
 GCU PACE is used as a tool for empowering colleagues to use innovation to manage their
workload better and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
 Vision and priorities are translated in order that colleagues can see how their
contribution influences the whole.
 Colleagues feel supported and valued by the flexibility of their working practices and the
wider GCU community.
 A combination of work and social activities foster visibility, knowledge sharing and
relationship building across the institution and at all levels.
How will you know?
 Achievement of the Investors in People award.
 An increase in all of the scores on the GCU Corporate
Compass as measured through staff surveys (pulse
survey in November 2012; full survey in November
2013).
 An increase in student satisfaction scores in National
Student Survey (NSS) and International Student
Barometer (ISB)
24
Appendix 1
People in the right place – the approach
This Appendix sets out the journey we have been on to inform the actions that underpin the People
Strategy 2015. Detailed below is the role of the People Strategy Steering Group, Staff Survey follow
up, the approach to engaging with staff and how we are informing our thinking through dialogue
with external experts acting as critical friends.
1
People Strategy Steering Group
The People Strategy development was approached as a process that would set the tone for how we
would operate as a university community. The process was guided, supported and significantly
enhanced by a People Strategy Steering Group. The Steering Group is comprised of academic and
professional and support colleagues from across the University and two members of the University’s
Joint Consultative Committee4. The intention was to gather a group who were familiar with the
broad range of roles, areas and issues; however the group were not expected to be fully
representative and members were not asked to canvass views from a particular group of
constituents. The membership and terms of reference for the Steering Group are outlined below:
Membership:
Alex Killick, Director of People
Julie Maxwell, People Strategy Project Manager (Chair)
Lynne Baillie, Professor and Director, Interactive and Trustworthy Technologies Group, School of
Engineering and Built Environment
Julie Burns, Senior Executive PA to the Principal & Vice-Chancellor
Ronnie Caddow, Lecturer in Employee Relations/HRM, Glasgow School for Business and Society
Lynn Cuthbertson, Senior Lecturer, School of Health & Life Sciences
Tracy Findlay, Head of Administration, School of Health and Life Sciences
Yasmin Glover, Research & REF Manager, Research, Innovation & Enterprise
Nick McKerrell, Chair of the Combined Union Committee, JCC representative
John Pugh, Professor in the School of Built & Natural Environment
Davena Rankin, JCC representative
2
Terms of Reference:
1. To guide the approach and methodology for developing the people strategy.
2. To act as a useful sounding board or ‘compass’ to ensure that all relevant avenues are covered
or considered and that as many staff as possible have the opportunity to provide input and
shape the strategy.
3. The project team is not expected to be fully representative and will not be asked to canvass
views from a particular group of constituents.
4. The team will not be responsible for the content of the strategy, as this will come from the staff
and desk-based research; however they may challenge and provide suggestions for directions to
be explored in this regard.
The Steering Group has met weekly since 20 April 2012 to guide the approach and methodology for
developing the strategy. They acted as an invaluable sounding board to ensure that all relevant
4
The Joint consultative Committee (JCC) is made up of managers and employee representatives who come
together on a regular basis to discuss issues of mutual concern.
25
avenues were covered or considered and that as many staff as possible had the opportunity to
provide input and shape the strategy.
26
3
University-wide recommendations from the November 2011 Staff Survey
The Staff Survey in late 2011 provided a useful ‘snapshot’ of views about how colleagues were feeling at that time. This data has been reviewed and forms
a core part of the People Strategy. In addition, follow-up discussions took place across the University to review local Staff Survey outputs and design local
action plans to address the issues of particular relevance to each area. These plans were submitted to the Executive Board for discussion in the spring of
2012, were approved and are now being implemented in each School and Directorate. The local plans also included a number of themes which it was felt
would be more appropriately addressed at a University-wide level. These have been fed into the People Strategy thinking and are highlighted below:
Recommendation
Theme
Desired Outcome
Lead Directorate/Area
To improve on existing or create new staff
Feeling Valued
Lead Executive in
 Improved morale and dedicated spaces for rest breaks
social spaces
partnership with
Facilities & Estates
Reward & Recognition for excellence – team
Feeling Valued
Director of People
 Reinforce desired behaviours
and individuals
 Improved morale
University-wide approach to succession
Feeling Valued
Director of People
 Clear career paths
planning and talent management
 Reduced turnover
 Increased opportunities for internal staff promotions
Staff suggestion Scheme
Feeling Valued
Executive Board
 Improved channels for staff involvement
Monthly briefing from Executives
Communication
Executive Board
 Improved knowledge of University initiatives and
progress against targets and strategic goals
Further clarity on roles and responsibilities
Communication &
Executive Board
 Better understanding of University structure and
across the University
role clarity
/Communications
proper handover/referrals
Communication channel for staff views
Communications
Executive Board
 Improved staff involvement and engagement
/Communications &
Director of People
University Internship programme
Workload
Executive Board
 Improved access to short term resources
 Improved employment opportunities for GCU students
Streamline processes – PACE for all areas
Workload
Executive Board
 Better use of resources
 Improve capacity
Greater emphasis placed on PDAR – not just a
Workload & clarity of  Clarity of performance expectations
Director of People &
paper exercise
expectations
all managers of people
More devolved decision making process –
Bureaucracy &
Executive Board
 Quicker turnaround times
streamline approval process
Workload
Foster an environment conducive to creativity
Workload
Executive Board
 Improve process innovation
& idea generation
More visibility of senior management –
Feeling Valued
Executive Board
 Increased staff morale
particularly during large scale change initiatives
27
4
Discussions with colleagues
While the Staff Survey results provided important information, it was felt that a more in-depth
dialogue was required in order to accurately inform the People Strategy. The diagram below was
used as the ‘conversation catalyst’ to enable us to understand the issues that were important to
staff, theme them and facilitate the development of the proposed actions to address the main
issues. It was also important to understand what staff felt was working well.
C A L E D O N I A N
C
A
L
E
D
O
N
I
A
N
C
O
D
E
C O D E
Talent Today
Recognising
Talent Tomorrow Achievement and
Rewarding
Contribution
Better Staff
Experience for a
Better Student
Experience
Information and Communication
Improvement including PACE
C
A
L
E
D
O
N
I
A
N
C
O
D
E
Inspiring Leadership
C A L E D O N I A N
C O D E
This initial outline of possible themes and areas for consideration shown above was constructed in
April 2012 and an invitation to participate in a conversation about the People Strategy was then
extended across the University. A total of 45 face-to-face staff input sessions subsequently took
place, which were attended by a total of approximately 450 staff. These colleagues were from a
range of areas and staff groups and brought varying experience and lengths of service to the
discussions. The sessions took the form of informal conversations where colleagues could share
their views on what works well, what we should do differently and which changes would make the
biggest positive difference to them in their working lives. Virtual alternatives to these face-to-face
conversations were also provided to complement the discussions and ensure that different
preferences were catered for. The resulting outputs provided some rich data from which clear
themes emerged and were reinforced.
Our conversations with colleagues evolved over the eight week period, with suggestions and ideas
being tested and refined as the key issues started to emerge. Research shows that ‘the process of
engaging drives engagement5’ and it is hoped that the process of visiting colleagues in their own
areas and inviting their honest input will be an important step in signalling that we want to develop a
culture of two-way engagement across the University. The benefits of this approach were evident
5
MacLeod & Clarke, Enhancing Performance through Employee engagement (Engaging for Success, 2009)
28
in the quality and openness of the conversations with colleagues. A commitment has been made
that similar opportunities to discuss and shape our thinking will continue as we further develop and
implement the three year People Strategy and beyond.
5
External ‘critical friends’
In addition to desk-based research and review of best practice and current thinking on various
relevant topics, a select group of external ‘critical friends’ has been established to further support
the development of the People Strategy. Many of these contacts are ‘thought leaders’ in their fields
and have carried out significant research on topics which were central to our developing themes.
Their advice and input has, and will continue to enable us to refine our thinking. They will also
support us in aligning our approach with current thinking that extends beyond the HE sector and is
based on empirical research and shared learning from those who have undertaken a similar journey
before us.

Increasing interest and research in the area of Employee Engagement - In 2008, the UK
Department for Business commissioned David MacLeod and Nita Clarke to take an in-depth look
at employee engagement and to report on its potential benefits for organisations and
employees. The resulting report, published in 2009, provided evidence of the correlation
between engagement and performance and included case studies from a range of organisations
whose learning could be relevant to GCU. Nita Clarke, Director of the Involvement and
Participation Association (IPA) is bringing a wealth of experience in this area. In addition. Cathy
Brown who is the Project Manager for the Engage for Success movement is also working with us
as the strategy develops.

Research on Trust in organisations - Professor Veronica Hope-Hailey, Professor of Strategy and
HR at Bath University (and previously of the Cass Business School), has recently published a
report with the CIPD to look at the ‘Trust gap’ in a range of organisations and how this can be rebuilt. Discussions have taken place with Veronica during the development of our draft People
Strategy.

Engaging Leadership - Professor Beverley Alimo-Metcalfe, Professor of Leadership at Bradford
University and Chief Executive of Real World Group (RWG), and Linda Holbeche, co-Director of
The Holbeche Partnership and ex CIPD Shaping the Future Advisory Board. RWG will provide
Appreciative Inquiry expertise to support the Pride Project mentioned above.

HR transformation/Leadership Code - Dave Ulrich, internationally recognised HR thought leader
and Professor Damian Hughes (Liquid thinking) – inspirational change thinker.

Impact of effective HR on team performance - Michael West, Executive Dean, Aston Business
School, whose research in the NHS shows positive impact of good HR practice on patient
mortality/morbidity.

Industry Partners - We are building links with BT, John Lewis and Tesco who are sharing their
expertise and experience.
29
Appendix 2
People in the right place – measurement
This Appendix set outs how we propose to measure progress and demonstrate that we have delivered
what we promised. Equally important is to understand whether the implementation is having any
unintended consequences and whether changes are needed to address these. Detailed below is the
equality impact assessment as well the quantitative and qualitative measures that we propose to use.
1
Equality Impact Assessment statement
An initial equality impact screening of the People Strategy suggests that it is aligned with the principles
of the Equality Act 2010. Specifically the elements of the People Strategy support the general duty of
the Act i.e. eliminating discrimination, promoting equality of opportunity, and fostering good
relations. The People Strategy also supports elements of the specific duties of the Act, including
equality outcomes, involvement, mainstreaming and equal pay.
As the People Strategy implementation plan is developed, full equality impact assessment of each
element will allow further analysis, and this will be built into the implementation plans for each
activity. In terms of gender, we have made a commitment to the achievement of Athena Swan
accreditation, will publish our equal pay gap and continue to track progression of female academic
staff to professor level as a positive indicator of progress. We have recently joined the Employers’
Forum on Disability and work closely with the Scottish Association for Mental Health and will
benchmark ourselves against the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education’s ‘Leading culturally
diverse communities in Higher Education’. All of this forms part of our wider commitment to
implement our specific duties under the Equality Act. The approach being taken is not because we
have to but because it makes good business sense.
2
Evaluation and review of progress
As the proposed Strategy has been developed from a range of quantitative and qualitative methods, it
would seem appropriate that our evaluation mechanisms also include both of these elements:
2.1
Quantitative
As part of the development of the People Strategy, ten key questions were chosen from the
Staff Survey for which we aspire to increase our scores over the three year period of the
Strategy. These have been aggregated into a number of areas as follows:
30
Staff Survey Results
Our improvement target in each of these areas is informed by discussion with Capita and is shown in
what we have called our ‘Corporate Compass’:
GCU Corporate Compass
What I Value
31
The full details of the questions which comprise the four points of the compass, our November 2011
score and our targets can be found below. Movement in these areas will be carefully measured as part
of the evaluation of the People Strategy.
‘Top 10’ Staff Survey questions linked to the Corporate Compass
Overall scores
What I Value
What I Feel
What I Say
What I Do
Now
65%
63%
48%
62%
Target
80%
85%
80%
75%
Staff survey questions breakdown
What I value
I believe in the University motto 'for the common weal' and believe it is important
I feel valued by the University
I feel valued by service users
I am satisfied with my current level of learning and development
Combined 'What I Value' scores
Now
77%
34%
84%
66%
65%
Target
85%
75%
85%
75%
80%
What I feel
I feel proud to work for the University
I feel a part of the University
Combined 'What I Feel' scores
Now
69%
56%
63%
Target
90%
80%
85%
What I say
The University is a good place to work
Recommend the University to a friend as a place to work
The University's senior mgt team...manage and lead the University well
Combined 'What I Say' scores
Now
70%
49%
26%
48%
Target
90%
75%
75%
80%
What I do
My immediate manager helps me find a good work-life balance
Combined 'What I Do' scores
Now
62%
62%
Target
75%
75%
The Executive Board have agreed that a brief ‘pulse’ survey will be undertaken in November 2012 to
check our interim progress, with our next full staff survey planned for November 2013.
Initial discussions have also taken place with the Chief Executive of Investors in People (IiP) Scotland.
He has presented an interesting proposal on how we could work together, utilising the new IiP
framework and methodology to progress and measure certain elements of our People Strategy.
These discussions will continue in the coming months with a view to piloting the methodology in
2012/13.
32
2.2
Qualitative
As we seek to enhance and develop our Strategic goal of ‘Valuing our People’, it is
recommended that opportunities for discussion with, and input from, staff continues. The
recent People Strategy staff input sessions were well received across the University and a
commitment has been made to ‘continue the conversation’ over the coming weeks and months.
The nature and frequency of such meetings is yet to be determined, although it is
recommended that this is informed by the comments which have already been gathered about
how staff would like to engage in two-way communication. However, it is clear that such
sessions should include an opportunity for colleagues to contribute to the detail of the specific
initiatives which are contained in the People Strategy and also that future conversations should
be used to check our progress and refine our approach as appropriate.
We also want to explore how we can exploit web technology so that the dialogue can be as
interactive as possible, using ‘e-ideas’ tools for example, but always recognising the importance
of face-to-face communication as the best way to talk and to listen.
June 2012
33
Annex 2
People Strategy Short Survey: An Overview of the Results
Summary
A short online survey was conducted to ‘sense check’ the extant People Strategy amongst staff. Whilst
a small percentage of staff deemed each of the initiatives involved as ‘inapplicable, overall they were, in
the main, rated as relatively important. Across the range of initiatives, career progression, feedback and
initiatives to reduce concerns over communication, understanding, processes and bureaucracy were
found to be the key priorities.
Background & Methodology
Glasgow Caledonian University have introduced a draft People Strategy, detailing a number of planned
initiatives and priorities. In order to ensure that the strategy fully reflects the sentiments of staff across
the University, colleagues have been provided with a number of opportunities to provide feedback. A
key part of this process was a short survey, designed to ‘sense-check’ the strategy with colleagues prior
to implementation in 2012/13.
Colleagues across the University were signposted to the online survey via a special People Strategy
Edition of Caledonian Connected, with a hotlink provided for anyone who wished to participate. In order
to ensure inclusiveness, paper copies of the survey were also made available for any staff that do not
have computer access. The survey ran for just over three weeks, closing on Wednesday 8 th August. 3
reminders were sent to encourage participation, via the Caledonian Connected. 181 individuals
completed the survey in total, representing a response rate of 12%. Of these 46 were paper copies. 145
individuals completed the survey to the end. As questions were not mandatory respondents could
choose to omit questions. Base sizes therefore vary across each question: this will be highlighted as
appropriate throughout the report.
Looking to the respondent population, there was a wide spread across the University, with 46% falling
within Professional and Administrative support, 27% within Academic, Research and Enterprise, 25%
from Campus Services and 3% from Technical Support. The comparative figures across the full
University staff base are 47% in Academic, Research and Enterprise, 36% Professional and
Administrative support, 12% Campus Services and 4% Technical Services. As such, our respondent
base, though broadly reflective, does include a higher proportion of Professional and Administrative
individuals. As the following chart illustrates, there was also a wide spread across Schools and
Directorates.
34
Directorate of Academic & Physical
Infrastructure Services
30%
25%
Directorate of External & Community
Relations
Directorate of Governance & Student
Services
Directorate of People
20%
15%
Directorate of Research Development &
Knowledge Exchange
Glasgow School for Business & Society
School of Engineering & Built Environment
10%
5%
0%
School of Health & Life Sciences
Don't know
Other (please specify)
Base: 147. Note: Directorate of Finance and Student Association are not included in the graph as no responses were recieved
from either category.
Of those selecting ‘Other,’ the most common categories were Domestic or Facilities Management.
In terms of grade, the responses were again varied, as evidenced in the following table.
Grade
% of respondents
Grade 1
22%
Grade 5
20%
Grade 7
17%
Grade 6
13%
Grade 8
11%
Grade 4
6%
Grade 3
4%
Grade 2
2%
Senior Management (Directorates)
2%
Senior Management (Schools)
1%
Executive
1%
Base: 145. Percentage may not add to 100% due to rounding.
Whilst consideration was given to the impact played by respondent role/grade, given the small numbers
involved analysis at this level is not available. That said, the respondent profile was found to be broadly
representative of the wider GCU structure. Grade 7 and 8 roles were slightly over represented whilst
grade 1 and 5 were under represented.
35
People Strategy: The Initiatives
Respondents were first asked to rate a number of initiatives, broken by the three areas of the Strategy,
namely: Talent Today, Talent Tomorrow; Recognising Achievement and Rewarding Contribution; and
Better Staff Experience for a Better Student Experience. Looking firstly to the Talent Today, Talent
Tomorrow section, respondents were asked to rate 6 initiatives in total. Interestingly, a number of
respondents deemed each of the initiatives as inapplicable, as detailed in the following table.
Initiative
% Respondents Deeming Initiative Inapplicable
Review of academic promotion processes (this is already underway, led by
Professor Sue Scott)
35%
Introduce the AcceleRATE framework to enable those in academic and
student learning support roles to obtain further professional teaching
recognition
30%
Introduce a Modern Apprenticeship scheme at GCU
20%
Review of sabbaticals, secondments, scholarships and exchanges as part
of the Career Pathways work.
20%
Create a succession planning toolkit which enables managers to plan their
workforce development and requirements.
19%
Devise a Careers Pathways process where staff could develop a portfolio
to show a readiness to be promoted to the next level when an appropriate
role opens up.
12%
Base: 175
The remaining respondents were asked to rate each of the initiatives according to importance to them
and the University. As the following chart shows, the most important (‘very important’ and ‘essential’
combined) initiatives were the Careers Pathways process and Succession planning toolkit. The idea to
introduce a MA scheme at GCU was found to be the least important. Interestingly, 19% of respondents
(23 individuals) were unsure about the introduction of the AcceleRATE framework.
Unsure
%
Not
Important
%
Quite
Important %
Very
Important
%
Essential
%
Devise a Careers Pathways process where staff could
develop a portfolio to show a readiness to be promoted
to the next level when an appropriate role opens up
.
6%
5%
19%
41%
29%
Create a succession planning toolkit which enables
managers to plan their workforce development and
requirements.
11%
3%
27%
32%
27%
Review of sabbaticals, secondments, scholarships and
exchanges as part of the Career Pathways work.
8%
5%
31%
38%
18%
Review of academic promotion processes (this is
already underway, led by Professor Sue Scott)
11%
5%
30%
28%
25%
Introduce the AcceleRATE framework to enable those
in academic and student learning support roles to
obtain further professional teaching recognition
19%
7%
36%
23%
15%
Introduce a Modern Apprenticeship scheme at GCU
14%
15%
37%
22%
12%
Initiative
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding. Base sizes vary.
36
Moving onto the second suite of initiatives, again a number of respondents deemed them ‘inapplicable.’
Thus, each of the initiatives were felt to be inapplicable by 10% of respondents, bar the Launch of the
PRIDE project, of which 11% deemed it ‘inapplicable.’ Of the remaining respondents, the most popular
initiatives were the support of managers with feedback, followed by a new approach to performance
and development and the reward of exceptional contributions.
Initiative
Unsure
%
Not
important
%
Quite
Important %
Very
Important
%
Essential
%
Support managers in the ‘art’ of giving and receiving
honest, constructive feedback.
6%
4%
13%
42%
35%
Review options for rewarding exceptional contributions
that are fair and transparent.
6%
3%
27%
33%
31%
Devise a new approach to performance and
development reviews which addresses concerns
regarding the current scheme. Ensure managers
develop the right skills to facilitate this.
9%
6%
20%
33%
31%
Introduce and facilitate opportunities for colleagues to
get together to celebrate our combined and
collaborative successes
8%
15%
33%
28%
15%
Launch the ‘Pride’ project to identify and capture what
14%
23%
makes us proud to work for GCU. The project would
support the development of the Caledonian Code
.
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding. Base sizes vary.
34%
20%
8%
37
In terms of the final strand, Better Staff Experience for a Better Student Experience, between 10 and
17% of respondents deemed each of the initiatives as ‘inapplicable.’ This is illustrated in the following
table.
Initiative
% Respondents Deeming Initiative Inapplicable
Introduce a GCU People Management Passport accredited programme for
those with management responsibilities at all levels of the University.
17%
Roll out GCU PACE (People Achieving through Collaborative Excellence) to
empower colleagues to take control of the way processes are managed and
executed
11%
EB to consider a range of initiatives that would alleviate concerns regarding
communication, understanding, processes and bureaucracy.
10%
Use the Investors in People methodology to support and shape our goals in
the areas which impact on the staff experience.
10%
Base: 172
Of the remainder, the most important initiative was found to be the introduction of initiatives aiming to
alleviate concerns over communication, bureaucracy, understanding and processes.
Unsure %
Not
important
%
Quite
important
%
Very
important
%
Essential
%
EB to consider a range of initiatives that would
alleviate
concerns
regarding
communication,
understanding, processes and bureaucracy.
7%
2%
16%
25%
50%
Roll out GCU PACE (People Achieving through
Collaborative Excellence) to empower colleagues to
take control of the way processes are managed and
executed
14%
9%
24%
28%
15%
Introduce a GCU People Management Passport
accredited programme for those with management
responsibilities at all levels of the University.
15%
13%
30%
25%
15%
Use the Investors in People methodology to support
and shape our goals in the areas which impact on
the staff experience.
21%
14%
28%
28%
10%
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding. Base sizes vary.
Interestingly, there was also a relatively high level of doubt over the use of Investors in People.
38
From this, respondents were asked to rate their top five initiatives, in terms of highest priority, to be
implemented in year one. As the following table illustrates, career progression, feedback and initiatives
to reduce concerns over communication, understanding, processes and bureaucracy are the key
priorities.
Initiative
% of Respondents
Devise a Careers Pathways process where staff could develop a portfolio to show a readiness to
be promoted to the next level when an appropriate role opens up.
97
Support managers in the ‘art’ of giving and receiving honest, constructive feedback.
88
EB to consider a range of initiatives that would alleviate concerns regarding communication,
understanding, processes and bureaucracy.
88
Devise a new approach to performance and development reviews which addresses concerns
regarding the current scheme. Ensure managers develop the right skills to facilitate this.
82
Review options for rewarding exceptional contributions that are fair and transparent.
78
Create a succession planning toolkit which enables managers to plan their workforce development
and requirements.
71
Introduce a Modern Apprenticeship scheme at GCU
49
Review of sabbaticals, secondments, scholarships and exchanges as part of the Career Pathways
work.
46
Roll out GCU PACE (People Achieving through Collaborative Excellence) to empower colleagues
to take control of the way processes are managed and executed
46
Introduce a GCU People Management Passport accredited programme for those with management
responsibilities at all levels of the University.
42
Review of academic promotion processes (this is already underway, led by Professor Sue Scott)
36
Introduce and facilitate opportunities for colleagues to get together to celebrate our combined and
collaborative successes
31
Use the Investors in People methodology to support and shape our goals in the areas which impact
on the staff experience.
28
Launch the ‘Pride’ project to identify and capture what makes us proud to work for GCU. The
project would support the development of the Caledonian Code.
Introduce the AcceleRATE framework to enable those in academic and student learning support
roles to obtain further professional teaching recognition
25
21
Base: 178. % does not add to 100% as multiple selections were permitted.
Outwith this, respondents were also provided with the opportunity to suggest other key initiatives which
may be included going forward. 37 individuals answered this question, with popular suggestions
surrounding clear career progression routes and procedures, increased transparency and decreased
used of terminology and jargon. 2 individuals also used the opportunity to praise the existing strategy.
39
Annex 3: Proposed Implementation plan for the 15 initiatives which comprise the 2015 People Strategy
Initiatives to commence in year 1 (2012/13)
Initiative
Talent Today, Talent Tomorrow
1
Careers Pathways process for
staff
2
Succession Planning toolkit for
managers
3
Modern Apprenticeship scheme
4
Review of academic promotions
process
What we will do in year 1?
Details and planned approach
Develop tools and a process to enable individuals to map and
develop their career paths and undertake developmental activities
to progress this and prepare themselves for the next step in their
careers. It is planned to outsource at least part of the development
of this process and associated toolkit to an external provider. The
estimated costs will cover this development. Launch is expected for
2013.
To develop a toolkit for managers to use to review the skills and
career interests of their staff and plan their workforce requirements
in the medium to long term. The toolkit would also enable
managers to forward-plan development and recruitment needs and
be ready to enact these as required. It is planned to outsource the
development of this toolkit to an external provider and the costs
allocated in year 1 would cover its development and initial roll out
to managers. Roll out is expected to commence in mid 2013.
One of the initiatives which was approved as part of the 2012/13
planning round prior to the development of the People Strategy
and which has already commenced. Recruitment for apprentices is
now in progress. The demand for apprentices from Schools and
Directorates was very high. The money allocated for year 1 will fund
three apprenticeships from a central fund; others may be introduced
and funded locally.
One of the initiatives which was approved as part of the 2012/13
planning round prior to the development of the People Strategy
and which has already commenced. Led by Professor Sue Scott.
This review is expected to report, and any approved changes to be
implemented, in time for the promotion round which will
commence in January 2013. This is a procedural review with no
expected cost implications.
Estimated cost
in yr 1
Possible cost in
yr 2 (TBC in a
subsequent SIF
bid if required)
Possible cost in
yr 3 (TBC in a
subsequent SIF
bid if required)
£299,000
£35,000
£10,000
£10,000
£33,000
£10,000
£10,000
£56,000
TBD
TBD
£0
£0
£0
40
5
AcceleRATE
One of the initiatives which was approved as part of the 2012/13
planning round prior to the development of the People Strategy
and which has already commenced. Academic leadership and
teaching recognition programme to support our academics to
acquire appropriate teaching qualifications mainly through
accreditation of prior learning. The money allocated for year 1 was
detailed in a formal bid through the 2012/13 planning round.
Recognising Achievement and Rewarding Contribution
6
Support managers to develop
A key initiative to improve the quality of PDAR conversations and
feedback skills (links to People
support a performance culture.
Mgt Passport).
A module would be developed jointly by in-house OD specialists and
external experts, and then rolled out to those with management
responsibility in year 1 (roll out likely to commence in early 2013).
The estimated costs are relatively low as the delivery of the module
would be undertaken by the GCU OD team. This module would
become part of the People Management Passport in the longer
term.
7
New approach to Performance
A ‘quick fix’ (making the form more user friendly, clarifying
and Development Annual
timescales and responsibilities) will be done for 12/13, informed by
Review scheme (PDAR)
some consultancy from Hay. The management module on feedback
(initiative number 6) will also serve to improve the quality of
conversations relating to PDAR as well as ongoing conversations
which individuals have with their managers.
In later years we may wish to consider a more fundamental review
of PDAR, exploring the possibility of using performance and
potential ratings for all staff. Any associated remuneration would
have cost implications.
8
Review options for rewarding
Propose to develop guidelines and provide a pot of money to be
exceptional contributions
available late in year 1 to enable managers to give small tokens of
thanks to their staff or teams as appropriate when they ‘go the extra
mile’. As this proposal was popular with staff, finances have been
allocated for year 1 and the scheme could be continued in
subsequent years if successful. Scheme yet to be determined but it
is likely that the fund would be split among Schools and Directorates
on a per capita basis.
£175,000
TBC
TBC
£40,000
£10,000
£0
£0
£10,000
£0
TBC
£20,000
TBD
TBD
41
Better Staff Experience for a Better Student Experience
9
Executive Board to consider a
Initial discussions took place at Executive Board in August and will
number of initiatives that would continue in September in order to finalise a number of specific actions
alleviate concerns regarding
and commitments. The feedback and actions to address the concerns
communication, understanding, raised have been given a high priority by the Board. The actions
processes and bureaucracy.
resulting from this are expected to focus on ways of working; no cost
implications expected.
10
People Management Passport
Intended for all who have management responsibilities. Likely to
accredited programme
include some in-house and some outsourced elements. This
programme will take some time to develop, however the design work
will commence in year 1. The estimated costs are expected to cover
design in year 1, including input from external experts and review of
best practice elsewhere. Full roll out expected in year 2 hence the
planned costs associated with the running of the programme for all
managers in year 2, and thereafter for newly appointed managers on an
ongoing basis.
11
Further roll out of PACE (People One of the initiatives which was approved as part of the 2012/13
Achieving through Collaborative planning round prior to the development of the People Strategy and
Excellence).
which has already commenced. While a number of successes have
been achieved thus far, PACE and how it could support areas across the
University is not yet well known. Further communication is expected to
increase understanding and take-up of the methodology to empower
individuals and teams to manage their workload more effectively and
streamline processes. No additional monies required for the current
year. Resulting efficiencies should provide savings in the longer term.
12
Develop the Caledonian Code
This is an idea which has yet to be explained to colleagues or launched,
and capture what makes us
and so it was not expected to be rated highly by staff. However the
proud to be part of GCU: the
idea, when tested in staff discussions this spring, seemed to be
‘Pride’ project.
positively received. The intention would be to undertake some
appreciative inquiry (initially led by an external expert).on what makes
staff and students proud and to share stories and examples of good
practice across the University to obtain the maximum benefit and build
on the strong community spirit which is already evident and which
would further support all areas of the People Strategy. Development of
the code, (our ‘golden thread’) would also take place in the autumn
Student Summit and in discussion with colleagues in Marketing.
£52,000
£0
£0
£0
£25,000
£20,000
£15,000
£0
£50,000
£50,000
£15,000
TBC
TBC
42
13
Investors in People – initial pilot
in 3 areas.
Miscellaneous
To cover additional small
initiatives / unforeseen costs
linked to the People Strategy
Total spend for year 1:
Investors in People has evolved significantly in recent years, and is now
a recognised tool used to underpin People Strategies in many
organisations. Its use at GCU would be intended to add value rather
than focus on an ‘audit style accreditation’ as was the case in previous
years. This framework and associated tools will therefore support a
range of other initiatives in the People Strategy. A trial in three areas is
proposed for year 1. If, following a trial in year 1, a decision were made
to roll out IiP across the University, total costs are expected to be c.
£40K (inclusive of the cost of the year 1 trials).
£12,000
£14,000 TBC
£14,000 TBC
In year 1 this will include the ‘pulse’ staff survey at a cost of £5K. A full
staff survey is planned for year 2 and a further pulse in year 3. There
are also plans to fund some external support in developing the Trades
Unions and Management working relationships in the current
challenging national and local context.
£15,000
£30,000
£10,000
£406,000 (already allocated in the agreed 2012/13 budget)
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To commence in year 2 (2013/14)
14
Initiative
Details and planned approach
Estimated
cost in yr 1
Review of sabbaticals, secondments,
exchanges etc. (links to career pathways
initiative)
(Talent Today, Talent Tomorrow)
To introduce a scholarship and personal development fund
open to all staff to broaden their experience of research,
teaching or professional endeavour. Applications could be
made for cash to fund developmental activities which align to
planned career paths, PDARs and University strategy.
Planned to commence in year 2.
£0
Possible cost in
yr 2 (TBC in a
subsequent SIF
bid if required)
£100,000
Possible cost in
yr 3 (TBC in a
subsequent SIF
bid if required)
£150,000+
Possible cost in
yr 2 (TBC in a
subsequent SIF
bid if required)
£0
Possible cost in
yr 3 (TBC in a
subsequent SIF
bid if required)
£30,000
To commence in year 3 (2014/15)
15
Initiative
Details and planned approach
Estimated
cost in yr 1
Corporate ‘get togethers’ to celebrate
our combined and collaborative
successes.
(Recognising Achievement and
Rewarding Contribution)
A longer term plan, likely year 3. In the interim individual areas
would be encouraged to think about how they could facilitate
local events to share success and build team spirit. Talks with
colleagues indicated that such events may not be appropriate
until the latter stages of the People Strategy.
£0
44