News

Listening to colleagues regularly

Feedback shared in a previous staff survey prompted us to establish a Finance Division Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Working Group, and to start running an annual EDI and wellbeing survey.  

A working group of colleagues plans and oversees the survey, which focuses in on issues and concerns raised in the University-wide survey. The group works with our senior leadership to analyse survey results and together they produce an EDI and wellbeing action plan informed by the more granular information in the local survey. 

Over two thirds of staff in the Division regularly complete our annual EDI and wellbeing survey. Informed by this, we have established a positive culture change where EDI and wellbeing is discussed frequently and openly, and colleagues are confident their voices are heard and action will be taken.  

We make sure we update staff and share our progress in our monthly newsletter. Recent actions have included: 

• regular awareness-raising around reporting options for staff (such as Dignity and Respect Champions and Report and Support), workshops and training events, new EDI policies and initiatives, and staff networks and forums 

• the Chief Financial Officer joining team meetings every quarter to give staff an opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns 

• creating a template for ‘return to work’ conversations following long-term leave or illness with an emphasis on wellbeing and reasonable adjustments, as well as workload cover 

• creating a recruitment pack for hiring managers including guidance for a transparent, consistent and inclusive recruitment process 

• opportunities for suggestions and feedback via our anonymous 'virtual question box’ which are answered in the next newsletter  

• Team Charters, including agreed ways of working within and across teams 

• ‘Development Hour’, which encourages each member of staff to put aside at least one hour a month to focus on a development priority. 
  

Reviewing workloads and vacancies

The 2022 staff survey results showed that Finance colleagues were struggling with workloads and deadlines – a situation exacerbated by vacancies across teams. Our Senior Management Group committed to reviewing workloads to determine whether there were tasks which could be temporarily paused pending recruitment. 

Workloads have since been kept under review and where possible, tasks de-prioritised or deadlines extended to relieve pressure on teams. In some cases, other teams have been able to help out with specific tasks. We have taken on temporary, interim, fixed term or permanent resource where possible to address major bottlenecks and have looked to fill longstanding vacancies in key areas. 

Developing a People and Culture Programme

Another theme to emerge from the previous staff survey and feedback via local channels was a collective feeling of disconnect and a re-emergence of silo-based working since the Covid-19 pandemic. Colleagues had a desire to see a return to the environment of cohesion and collaboration we’d worked so hard to foster pre-2020. 

With support from colleagues in Organisational Development, we created a People and Culture Programme, with the overarching objective of creating a culture where all staff in Finance feel they can work at their best. 

The programme is a collective effort with colleagues of all grades and experience across the Division volunteering to be part of the relevant working groups. 

The workstreams and some of the activities underway are: 

Working inclusively and effectively (including living our values):

• Regular Health and Safety walkarounds to address any challenges 

• Ensuring training documents and webpages are accessible 

• Proposing an EDI and wellbeing-related schedule of e-learning development for staff 

Getting the right working environment, tools and technology:

• Archiving paper records, and removing unnecessary storage units and equipment 

• Installing lockers and meeting pods, and converting all desks to better support hybrid working  

Building and supporting the Finance community, and communicating consistently:

• Adding an Achievement and Development Review (ADR) objective to support this work, ensuring that Spotlight Sessions and away days include themes of togetherness and cohesion 

• Social events, such as lunchtime walks and sporting activities, using the kitchen notice board as a physical space to advertise EDI and wellbeing events 

• Consistent communication, with alignment around key messages (both local and University-wide) to be passed on by senior managers to all teams  

• Compulsory face-to-face training for line managers to address priority areas such as flexible working requests, effective use of the ADR, trust and psychological safety, and difficult conversations.  

For further information about these initiatives, please contact Lynne Allen at: l.allen@sussex.ac.uk. 

About our staff survey updates

Case studies will be published each month highlighting how Schools and Professional Services Divisions are using feedback from the staff survey to improve staff experience. Read recent case studies from:  

• School of Media, Arts and Humanities   

• HR Division 

• ITS and Sussex Projects. 

Look out for further updates on the Staff Hub next month.