91É«ÇéƬ

1. Alignment to Strategy 2030

Primary

Secondary

Strategic Pillars:

Research excellence

ü

Transformational education

ü

Welsh language and culture

ü

Transformational themes:

Economic, social, and civic impact

ü

Global engagement

ü

Our people

ü

Underpinned by…

Institutional sustainability

ü

2. Alignment to Corporate Risks

CR3

Loss of high-quality student experience

CR15

Inadequacy of institutional strategic direction

CR23

Low staff morale

CR27

Poor operational effectiveness

3. Governance

Strategy period

2024-2030

Strategy review arrangements

The strategy will be reviewed annually by the EDI and Wellbeing Committee and the outcomes will be reported to the Executive.

Last reviewed

This revised strategy was reviewed and approved by the Executive, May 2024.

4. Purpose

The growth and success of our organisation relies on high levels of staff engagement, performance and wellbeing which, in turn, drives a high-level student experience.

To achieve this objective, we need to create and sustain a working culture and environment that allows our people to thrive. We will do this by supporting them to achieve their potential by creating the conditions for them to perform at the highest level.

We will provide the development opportunities and support to ensure that our staff are given every opportunity to be engaged, motivated, and understand the values, behaviours, and shared purpose of the organisation. To create this environment, transformational leadership and management is essential. Underpinning this, we will build a culture of trust and transparency, reinforced by effective and timely communication by the University Executive and senior leadership teams.

Our aim is to promote an inclusive environment where everyone feels able to participate and achieve their potential. Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is key to our long-term sustainability and success. Consequently, we will promote and support a culture of diversity and inclusion in the workplace by advocating tolerance, respect and ensuring that we value all our staff as individuals.

We recognise that to enable our staff and students to succeed we must be proactive in safeguarding their health and wellbeing.  Our strategy is underpinned by the core belief that healthy workplaces help individuals to flourish and reach their potential. It is therefore underpinned by a culture of enabling, promotion and engagement, prevention and active health. 

By embracing wellbeing, we will work to alleviate the negative implications of stress and overwork and create a positive working environment where individuals can thrive. Consequently, we will place health and wellbeing at the heart of the experience of working at the University and we will encourage and inspire all staff to take care of their physical and mental health.

This strategy will be overseen by the EDI and Wellbeing Committee which reports to the University Executive.

This strategy focusses predominantly on staff and should be cross-referenced with several other sub-strategies especially Student-led Mental Health and Wellbeing; Student Experience; Strategic Equality Plan; Race Action Plan; but also Sustainability; Widening Access; Welsh Language.

5. Objectives

1. Talent, performance, reward and recognition

• Develop a clear, inclusive and sustainable staff recruitment strategy that encourages and enables the development of diverse internal talent, but also identifies and recruits’ external talent who align with our aspirations.
• Ensure staff are provided an opportunity to discuss their career development and agree their contribution to the University it through an annual Professional Development Review (PDR).
• Identify and nurture talent, creating capacity for development and success by supporting career progression, and building capability for the future through dedicated training and events.
• Agree and implement a long-term rewards strategy, including ensuring clear and transparent criteria for promotion and progression with mechanisms to ward against unconscious bias.
• Continue to build on our total rewards and benefits package, offering flexibility and choice to suit diverse and changing needs, ensuring the organisation is agile and competitive in external markets (e.g. flexible/dynamic working, opportunities for career breaks etc.)
• Raise the profile of the benefits of working at the University through regular and effective internal communication of the total benefit package available to all staff (e.g. salary sacrifice schemes, discounted rates at University sports and leisure facilities, financial wellbeing support etc.).
• Work proactively to reduce pay gaps by close monitoring and positive action (e.g. via the Gender Pay Gap Action Plan).
• Regularly Review our pay and grading structures to ensure that they align with sector-wide benchmarks and expectations (e.g. Real Living Wage).
• Work collectively and collaboratively with managers and campus trade unions to reduce casualisation rates.
• Ensure that all our staff are aware of legislative requirements and best practice guidance by implementing mandatory training in relevant areas (currently Health and Safety; Prevent; GDPR; Information Security; Welsh Language; Unconscious Bias; Equality and Diversity.

2. Leadership

• Develop a diverse cohort of future academic leaders who define, shape and drive the agenda for the enhancement of teaching and research (e.g. through our Research Leadership programme and participation in the Welsh Crucible programme).
• Through the 91É«ÇéƬ Manager Programme, equip our leaders with the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviours to lead others and to deliver excellence across the organisation.
• At all levels, embed in-house or externally supported leadership development programme that builds and sustains inclusion and expands on initiatives to diversify the leadership pool including specific initiatives that accelerate leadership development for staff of colour.
• Develop and implement a Behaviours Framework that exemplifies the values and that are expected of all those in leadership roles.
• Continue to develop and enhance in-house or externally supported Leadership Framework and Management programmes that support our staff to work effectively across the University and beyond.
• Develop a holistic suite of resources that enables line managers to more effectively manage workloads and mitigate the risks of work-related stress (e.g. through the use of the HSE Stress Indicator tool).

3. Diversity and Inclusion

• Develop and deliver our Strategic Equality Plan including annual reporting against the objectives.
• Develop and deliver our Race Action Plan including annual reporting against objectives.
• Monitor information on the diversity profile of the organisation through the production and publication of Annual Equality Reports of staff equality information and student equality information.
• Develop a communications plan to clearly and consistently articulate our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Ensure delivery of targets associated with the organisation’s Athena Swan Silver Award through regular review of the Athena Swan Action Plan.
• Work to submit and achieve a Race Equality Charter (REC) Bronze award in November 2024 and ensure delivery of targets within the REC Action Plan thereafter.
• In line with our Disability Confident level 2 ' Employer' status work to challenge attitudes and increase understanding of disability through in-house or externally supported training and events.
• Engage leaders and managers to challenge the status quo and embrace transformational ideas on promoting EDI through engagement with internal and external training and events.
• Seek to understand and improve the experience of staff and students from under-represented and protected characteristics groups through focussed training and events.
• Embed an environment of tolerance and respect and valuing of diversity and address inappropriate or discriminatory behaviours (e.g. through mandatory and non-mandatory training).
• Continue to work on a pan Wales basis with AdvanceHE to produce action plans to address any inequalities to improve the representation, progression and success of all staff and students.
• Utilise membership of external bodies (e.g. Business Disability Forum, Advance HE) to establish best practice and sector-leading provision.

4. Health and wellbeing

1. Enabling

• Ensure that a programme of inclusive and accessible activities and events are in place to promote our health and wellbeing initiatives.
• Work with Estates and Campus Services to ensure that we consider the health and wellbeing of our people in the way we design and develop our campuses, with particular emphasis on accessibility and social models of disability*.
• Work closely with Heads of Schools and Directors of Professional Services to safeguard space in workload models for staff to engage with health and wellbeing events and initiatives (e.g. the annual wellbeing afternoon). 

2. Promotion and Engagement

• Embed, sustain and train a network of Wellbeing Champions to promote wellbeing across Colleges and Professional Services at 91É«ÇéƬ.
• Develop a communications plan and raise awareness of current provision using established communication channels.
• Through active participation with external organisations (e.g. Public Service Board), work collaboratively on health and wellbeing initiatives and shared objectives.

3. Preventative actions and active Health

• Empower staff and students to independently take steps to support their own health and wellbeing through regular and effective communication of internal and external health initiatives.
• Via Occupational Health, provide health surveillance and monitoring for all our staff, building a more robust understanding of the health profiles of those who share protected characteristics.
• Work proactively to embed a culture that promotes healthy ways of working (e.g. active modes of working, taking regular breaks, healthy travel etc.).
• Develop health and wellbeing training for line-managers to enable compassionate leadership and discussion with staff on health and wellbeing, while balancing the responsibility between the employer and the ownership by the individual.
• Train our senior leaders to be the catalysts in engaging people to think about their own health and develop our managers to be able to respond effectively to complex, diverse and challenging personal circumstances.
• Foster a holistic approach to wellbeing, acknowledging and reflecting the links between positive mental health and physical activity.
• Embed an academic workload model, and a sustainable workload model for all staff groups.
• Work collectively with senior managers to address workload which contributes to workplace stress (e.g. by identifying opportunities to reduce bureaucracy through leaner working)*.
• Continue to evaluate and refine our dynamic working model to respond to the changing needs of both the organisation and our staff.

6. Critical Success Factors

These are the primary measures of success for Strategy 2030 and have been agreed between the Council and Vice Chancellor will be reported to Council as part of the University’s annual integrated performance report to provide assurance that performance is sufficient to realise the University’s strategic objectives.

1.

% staff completing Mandatory Training (above minimum of 85%)

7. Primary Key Performance Indicators

Each strategy should contain 3 primary key performance indicators which should be accompanied by a target. These will be reported to Council as part of the University’s annual integrated performance report to provide assurance that performance is sufficient to realise the University’s strategic objectives

1.

Reduce median Gender Pay Gap (by 0.5% p.a. to 2030)

2.

Reduce % Staff on Fixed Term Contracts (close gap on national average)

3.

Attain/Retain/Enhance sector-wide recognised Charters or awards (Athena Swan, Race Equality Charter etc.)

4.

% PDR completions (above minimum of 90%)

8. Operational Indicators

The Committee responsible for the strategy will further monitor progress against each of the objectives through these additional key performance indicators (KPIs).

1.

% Welsh speaking staff recruited

2.

% staff benefitting from 91É«ÇéƬ benefits

3.

% Leadership/management engaging with in-house or externally supported training/development/monitoring No. staff completing Leadership/Manager Programmes (91É«ÇéƬ Manager, Aurora, etc.)

4.

% of staff referred to Occupational Health

5.

% staff turnover

6.

Staff survey metrics (working at BU, pay and benefits, leadership, EDI, H&W)

7.

Number of applications per vacancy

8.

Increase staff attendance at H&W badged events/training