The Vice-Chancellor and Director of Human Resources are writing letters to all staff announcing changes to the PDPR process and how performance-related reward could operate at the University in future. Staff are invited to feed back their views in focus groups across the remainder of the academic year.

• Letter from Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor
• Letter from HR

From the next reporting year in May 2019, PDPR will be replaced by a revised approach known as Appraisal & Development Conversation (ADC). This will introduce new guidance and forms which are tailored to be relevant for each job family at the University.

It will also introduce a new approach to improve how objectives are agreed and will remove performance ratings to encourage open and honest conversations that focus on progress towards objectives and staff development.

The University’s PDPR steering and review groups will also shortly begin developing a new approach to performance related reward, drawing from best practice across the higher education sector.

The staff letters set out more of the rationale and detail of the changes, and invite staff to focus groups in both December, January and April to help shape the final approach.

The Employee Hub

The new Employee Hub brings together existing and new resources to support our staff. These include the new Employee Assistance Programme and the new Staff Lifestyle Benefits Platform.

The Employee Assistance Programme offers 24/7 services and support to colleagues and their immediate families. From financial, legal and consumer rights help to mental health support available through telephone and face to face counselling sessions, the programme provides free, confidential assistance — and it’s just a phone call away.

The new Staff Lifestyle Benefits platform, provided by Sodexo, gives staff access to shopping, leisure and lifestyle offers and discounts from more than 6,000 suppliers. These range from discounts on your coffee and your weekly shop to saving money on big purchases, like holidays and electronic equipment.

To access the new Employee Hub including the Employee Assistance Programme, and to find out more about the new services and support available, visit the HR website.