Campus News
Key Travel – improvements to services for staff
July 4th, 2022
Improvements will be made to the service offered by the university’s travel and accommodation booking provider, Key Travel.
Acting on staff feedback, the university’s finance teams have been holding regular review meetings with Key Travel to assess their performance against our service agreements, highlight examples of poor service and agree an improvement plan to bring the service up to the standard colleagues are entitled to expect.
Travel providers across the industry are currently experiencing sharp increases in consumer demand whilst also recovering their staffing and operations from two years of pandemic-related disruption. Like many organisations, including the university, Key Travel is experiencing challenges in recruiting and training staff. All of this adds up to reduced options for travel and accommodation, delays in answering queries and priority issues, coupled with poor communication.
As a consequence of the university’s intervention, Key Travel is making system changes to add further online booking features, including the ability to amend or change online bookings, for example to add baggage.
Further staff will be recruited, and a dedicated team put in place to manage enquiries by University of Nottingham staff. The aim is to reduce call wait times to less than a minute and to have all email responses prioritised by day of departure.
Chief Financial Officer Margaret Monckton said:
“I am very aware of, and apologise for, the challenges many colleagues have raised at our forums and the VC’s staff town hall events when trying to book, cancel or simply contact Key Travel. The issues being experienced are not what we expect to see from one of our main partners and we are working closely with them to monitor and improve their performance.
“I fully appreciate the frustrations expressed and trust that the improvements being made will result in a better booking experience for us all. We will keep the situation monitored closely and should the service not improve as promised, we will demand additional support or, ultimately, switch providers.
“Please continue to book your travel and accommodation requirements using Key Travel, it does offer the best solution at present to make sure you are protected whilst travelling. The travel sector is significantly disrupted, so should you book travel independently and your flight, hotel or train gets cancelled, or an unforeseen event occurs, particularly over a weekend, we would not be able to support you.”
A new Travel Sharepoint site has been published to provide all staff with the latest updates and travel advice, together with quick links to help you manage all aspects of travel.
Tags: Key Travel, travel, travel sharepoint
Posted in Announcements, News | Comments Off on Key Travel – improvements to services for staff
University takes further action to become slavery-free campus
July 4th, 2022
The university’s Modern Slavery Working Group has continued to take action over the last year following its published and nationally recognised blueprint to become a slavery-free campus.
The Slavery-Free Campus Blueprint
The university launched a pioneering 38-step blueprint to achieving a slavery-free campus in July 2021, led by our Chancellor, Baroness Lola Young.
This ambitious, transformational approach was the first of its kind globally and is aligned with the principles of the Modern Slavery Act (MSA) 2015.
Founded on research led by the university’s Rights Lab, the blueprint acts as a guide for all universities to take action towards becoming slavery free.
The team and progress at UoN
A team has been built to deliver the blueprint in full by 25/26 that reflects UoN’s supply chain and flow of funding in the university. Some achievements this year have been:
- Procurement have developed a risk tool to incorporate MSA into tenders, working in collaboration with experts in this field from the Rights Lab. Pathfinder projects were run in 2021 on large-scale laboratory consumables and construction projects (£10-28m). MSA has now been built into a further 12 tenders this year, we have engaged our top supplier in this work and have supported more than 1,000 suppliers to sign up to NetPositives, our social value portal which guides action plans on modern slavery.
- Multiple training sessions were delivered for campus front-line workers by the national Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) and we invited colleagues from NTU. The front-line staff were those responsible for recruiting and managing operations and facilities workers and/or casual workers, who are at greater risk of exploitation, colleagues who may be able to spot the signs of modern slavery on campus during the performance of their roles in Security, Catering, and Estates, and colleagues working in student facing roles, e.g. Student Services, Hall Wardens, Counselling Services, and Students’ Union, who may be able to spot the signs of labour and/or sexual exploitation amongst the student population.
- We continued our education of students on modern slavery as part of their degree programmes. For example, the School of Health Sciences’ degree programmes in Nursing, Midwifery and Physiotherapy and Sport Rehabilitation educate year 1 and year 2 students on modern slavery in teaching on safeguarding and domestic violence.
Wider adoption across the HE Sector and beyond
The university intends to lead the HE Sector in this work globally and inform the approach taken by other public sector organisations.
To date, the blueprint has been adopted by universities in the UK, US and Australia as well as the Cabinet Office, local Councils and also the Commonwealth Games. This dissemination will accelerate action to end modern slavery globally by 2030.
Finally, the team’s work was recently recognised at the national Go awards where they were highly commended in the Social Value category amongst all public sector organisations in the UK.
Dr Lisa Carroll, chair of the working group said:
“During this year we have continued our relentless work towards the slavery-free campus, both within the university and in the wider community.
We have the right team to deliver, our blueprint to guide us and a passion to enact meaningful change. We look forward to achieving even more in 22/23.”
You can read the university’s latest Modern Slavery annual statement here.
If you have any comments or questions on this work, please contact MSA@nottingham.ac.uk.
Tags: anti-slavery, Dr Lisa Carroll, modern slavery, modern slavery and human trafficking policy, slavery-free campus, slavery-free city
Posted in Announcements, News | Comments Off on University takes further action to become slavery-free campus
Apply now for Leadership and Management Academy 22/23 programmes
July 4th, 2022
The Leadership and Management Academy’s programmes give leaders at the university space to develop, reflect, and generate new ideas and connections with a network of colleagues across the university.
We all know that the pace of change hasn’t relented in the past year so finding the time to learn and develop our leadership and management skill can be difficult, even when it’s clearly never been so important.
Our LMA programmes have been developed to help leaders, managers, and those interested in developing their leadership practice, build the confidence and capability to lead and manage teams.
They are open to all members of UoN staff, these programmes are for everyone at the university, whether you see yourself as a ‘leader’ or not, leadership is something that everyone can do.
You can find out more and apply here: LMA Development Programmes
By joining one of our programmes, we will help you to be more comfortable not knowing all the answers, help you to understand the wider context in which you lead, and help you to build the personal and professional resources to be able to pass on energy, confidence, trust, and a shared purpose to the people you lead. You’ll get the space, time, and support to focus on your own leadership practice and develop a great network of like-minded colleagues.
Building on the lessons learned from the past two years, we’ll be delivering the programmes using a hybrid of in person and online methods, and you’ll get the opportunity to take part in workshops, coaching, 360 feedback and support to bring your learning back to your workplace.
The programmes provide focussed development for leaders and managers, at all levels. The Executive Leadership, Senior Leadership, Operational Leadership, Stepping into Leadership and Aspiring Leadership programmes are available and open for application now. You have until the 16 September 2022 to make an application.
‘LMA courses are a helpful space to see and hear different perspectives/roles/approaches across UoN through sharing experiences and reflections!’ Paul Charman, Deputy Director and LMA programme alumni
We are also continuing our webinars and bite-sized learning events designed to support leaders and managers at the university. You can find the bite-sized learning offer here, and join colleagues from across the university at live events and via recordings, as we tackle topics such as the essential skills for management, and much more.
The LMA also continues to offer coaching and mentoring opportunities for all staff, who wish to develop their skills and/or career.
You can find a wide range of online resources on the LMA Hub that give you the opportunity to develop at a time and pace that suits you. These include specially selected articles, books, videos, diagnostics and interactive tools that can help you with your development.
However you choose to develop your leadership practice, the Leadership and Management team are here to support you.
Tags: Leadership and Management Academy, LMA, LMA courses, Personal development, staff development
Posted in Announcements, News | Comments Off on Apply now for Leadership and Management Academy 22/23 programmes
Supporting the NHS: finding the right health services for you
July 1st, 2022
Over the past few years, our health and care system has come under increasing pressure, particularly Emergency Departments within the NHS.
It’s crucial for people without life-threatening illness or injuries to understand where they can go for alternative services that don’t put such a heavy demand on Emergency Departments.
The NHS has created an infographic to help people know which service will be most suitable for them and their particular concern.
The options are broken down in the following ways and show people which service they should be using for certain issues:
Self Care – Treat aches and pains, coughs and colds at home – stock up on medicines
Pharmacy – Visit your local pharmacy for minor injuries, allergies, constipation, headaches, cold and flu symptoms and earache.
Your GP Practice – Talk to your GP, nurse or other healthcare professionals about symptoms that aren’t going away. They can offer telephone, online or face-to-face appointments, depending on what your health concern is.
NHS 111 – Think NHS 111 if you need help fast, but it’s not an emergency. The service is open 24/7 – call 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk.
Urgent Treatment Centre – You can visit your local Urgent Treatment Centre for sprains, fractures, minor burns and skin infections.
Dental Treatment – For urgent dental care, please call your local NHS dental practice. For urgent care and advice out-of-hours, call NHS 111.
Mental Health Crisis Line – If you’re worried about your mental health, or are experiencing a mental health crisis, call the 24/7 crisis line on 0808 1963779.
You should only call 999 in a genuine medical emergency – this is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.
Tags: Emergency services, health, NHS
Posted in Announcements, News | 1 Comment »
Pay and benefits – proposed improvements for staff at levels 1, 2 and 3
June 30th, 2022
An increase in the pay and benefits for staff at levels 1-3 has been proposed following an extensive review into their terms and conditions.
Colleagues will see an increase in the minimum and maximum spine points at levels 1-3, a boost in annual leave allowance, and the option to increase their pension contributions, with the university continuing to contribute double the amount of staff contribution up to newly defined levels.
This improvement in benefits follows a comprehensive review into the pay, benefits and reward received by staff at levels 1-3. Colleagues completed surveys and joined working groups to share their thoughts, experiences, and concerns.
We have fed this into the local pay negotiations for 2022 and have presented Unison and Unite with a three-year pay offer implemented from 1 August 2022 – 31 July 2025 which seeks to address key areas of feedback from the review.
The overall value of the pay increases for the level 1-3 group is 7.6% in year 1, 4.5% in year 2 and 4.4% in year 3 (this is made up of incremental increases and spine point value increases). As part of the offer, we have addressed the following key areas of feedback:
We have proposed:
Improve base pay – We propose to increase the minimum and standard maximum spine point for levels 1-3. This means that most colleagues will receive at least one increment in year one (some will receive more) in addition to the pay increase applied to the spine points. In 2022 the university proposes to increase the spine point values by between 3% – 6.8%.
Consolidate the Living Wage – We propose to raise the level 1 minimum spine point (SP) from SP3 to SP8 effective from 1 August 2022. This means that all staff currently paid at spine points 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 will move to SP8 effective from 1 August 2022. SP8 is above the Living Wage rate and as such our consolidated hourly rates will exceed the Living Wage rate from that date.
Reinstate pay differential (an issue mainly impacting O&F staff – We propose to increase the minimum and standard maximum spine points for staff at level 1-3 and have offered to move O&F staff onto the same pay scales as APM and TS colleagues. The combined effect of this means that we will be able to reinstate pay differentials between roles with line management relationships in the O&F job family. Those differentials already exist in other job families.
Provide space for colleagues higher in the band to increment – We propose to increase the standard maximum spine point at levels 1,2 and 3, providing incremental progression for more than 90% of staff at those levels in each of the next three years. The small number of staff who are already above the new standard maximum spine points will receive a non-consolidated payment worth the value of an increment in year 1.
Improve annual leave allowances – An additional day of annual leave (FTE) is proposed within year 1 and year 3. This will total 27 days (FTE) in addition to university closure days and bank holidays by the leave year which starts after August 2024.
Enable level 1-3 staff to achieve higher levels of matched pension contributions – The offer enables colleagues to increase their level of contribution by 1% in each of the three years of the pay offer. The university will raise its maximum level of matching contribution by 2% in each of the three years. By year 3 this will mean the maximum employee contribution can increase from 5% to 8%, the maximum employer contribution can increase from 10% to 16% and the maximum combined total from 15% to 24%.
Align our Operations and Facilities staff pay scales with pay scales of APM and TS colleagues at levels 1-3 – We will move O&F roles over onto the same pay scales as APM and TS colleagues with the same opportunity for salary incremental progression as all other job families at levels 1-3.
For more detail on how these changes will impact staff in different job families, visit the HR webpages:
- Operations and Facilities
- Administrative, Professional and Management staff, and Technical Services staff Levels 1-3
- Technical Services Levels 4-6
- Childcare Services
If agreed, the proposed changes will be implemented from August 1 2022.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West said: “Increasing the minimum and maximum pay spine points for staff at level 1-3 will help to support colleagues experiencing significant cost-of-living pressures in the current economic climate. Additional economic pressures are expected to come in the autumn and we want to ensure that staff at all levels are supported as far as we can.
“However, this pay review also addresses the differences between terms and conditions for staff in different pay groups and these proposals are essential in bringing equity to our pay, benefit and reward. By working both with colleagues at these levels and the unions that represent them, we have developed a set of proposed changes that respond directly to staff issues and concerns.
“By implementing these changes, we hope to see subsequent improvements in staff engagement and wellbeing, work towards further closing our gender and ethnicity pay gaps and improve recruitment and retention of staff at all levels.”
These improvements build on the package of steps taken to improve the pay and reward conditions for our staff at levels 4, 5 and 6 announced earlier this month.
Over the coming weeks HR will be running online Q&A events for level 1-3 staff to ask further questions about the detail of the proposals and we will communicate the times and dates asap.
Initial comments and questions can be emailed to HR@nottingham.ac.uk
Tags: Levels 1-3, pay award, Pay update, Staff pay
Posted in Announcements, Main News Story, News | Comments Off on Pay and benefits – proposed improvements for staff at levels 1, 2 and 3
Kings Camps activity camps back for summer
June 28th, 2022
Give your children an active, screen-free week this summer.
With over 30 years of experience, Kings Camps have provided children aged 5-17 with amazing, active, school-holiday experiences and we can’t wait for them to operate their camps on campus this summer.
Kings Camps runs at David Ross Sports Village, which is situated in the heart of University Park campus.
The sports facility is ideal for summer camps as it includes the sports hall, climbing wall, swimming pool and all-weather sports pitch.
Offering over 30 sports and activities throughout the week, there’s so much to get involved in.
For dates, prices and to book, please visit their website or call Kings Camps Membership Team on 01142632160.
Tags: childcare, kings camps, summer
Posted in Announcements, News, Opportunities | Comments Off on Kings Camps activity camps back for summer
Spin out company training sessions – 7 and 19 July
June 28th, 2022
The university will be hosting two training sessions focusing on advice and information around Spin Out companies in July.
Find out more about the events and register using the links below:
Why is IP important to a spin out company?
Thursday 7 July 2022, from 9:30am – 10:30am – A15, Ingenuity Centre, Jubilee Campus
Mr Neil Kilpatrick Barker Brettell LLP
Neil will introduce what IP is, why it’s important and discuss why formulating an effective IP strategy should be an activity undertaken by every spin out company, with notes on the key points to consider.
Please click here to register.
Fund raising for spin out companies
Tuesday 19 July 2022, from 1:30pm – 2:30pm – A15, Ingenuity Centre, Jubilee Campus
Mr Russell Copley Greenborough Management Ltd
Most companies will need to undertake fundraising at some stage. Russell will introduce the process and key points to bear in mind that will give companies the best chance of succeeding in their fund-raising journey.
Please click here to register.
Tags: Spin out, Spinning out
Posted in Announcements, News | Comments Off on Spin out company training sessions – 7 and 19 July
Inaugural Professional Services Awards: winners and recap
June 28th, 2022
On Monday 23 May the university welcomed around 250 Professional Services colleagues to come together and celebrate our collective achievements over the last two years at an inaugural Professional Services awards ceremony.
Held at the East Midlands Conference Centre, colleagues that attended the event were either shortlisted teams or representatives from Professional Services.
The ceremony was opened by host Professor Jeremy Gregory, followed by a welcome speech by Vice Chancellor Professor Shearer West.
Winners for each of the eight award categories were announced by the Professional Services Executive Group; David Hill, Paul Greatrix, Jaspal Kaur and Margaret Monckton.
The opening speeches focussed on the tremendous efforts over the last two years of Professional Services staff navigating through lockdowns and coping with ongoing process and regulatory changes.
This meant that teams had to be adaptable, innovative and creative to ensure our campuses stayed open, teaching and research continued and that Professional Services teams provided support for our entire university community at times where it was challenging both personally and professionally.
Registrar Paul Greatrix reflected that, with over 180 nominations across the eight award categories, it was a a near impossible task for the judging panel to pick winners and highly commended teams.
A full list of winners can be found below.
Winning Categories
Embodying University Values – Financial Control & Financial Management
Enhancing the Campus Experience – Accommodation Services
Contributing to Sustainability – UoN Look Book & Micro Prospectus
Fostering Creativity & Discovery – Careers & Employability Service
Embedding Collaboration – Campus Solutions 9.2 Upgrade
Supporting Potential – Engineering Trainee Technicians
Solving Problems & Improving Lives – Asymptomatic Testing Service
Team of the Year – Estates & Facilities Team, RAA Assessment Team (joint)
Thank you to all Professional Services teams who contributed to making this inaugural event such a success.
To read the nominations across all categories, please see the event Sway or you can view our recap video of the event below.
Tags: Professional Services awards, Professional Services Awards 2022, PS awards
Posted in Announcements, News | Comments Off on Inaugural Professional Services Awards: winners and recap
Research strategy and research culture – invitation to find out more
June 24th, 2022
An update from Professor Dame Jessica Corner
Colleagues are invited to find out more about progress towards renewing the university’s research strategy for 2022-27 and transforming our research culture.
A series of research strategy town halls and research culture design clinics are taking place in July. Everyone who contributes to the delivery of research is invited to join one of the town halls as well as take part in a research culture clinic, which will explore how to build an inclusive, vibrant research environment.
Research strategy town halls
A new virtual town hall will update on our research strategy.
This will take place on
• Tuesday 26 July, from 3pm – 4pm
Please use this form to book your place.
This will be an opportunity to hear about progress towards the university’s renewed research strategy for 2022-27, which is due to be officially launched in the autumn.
Updates will include our research culture project (please see more on this below) and there will be a Q&A session.
We encourage everyone who contributes to the delivery of research to join us and shape our vision.
Your input into our research strategy consultation and the ongoing research culture project has been invaluable as we explore how to build an inclusive, vibrant environment to support the delivery of world-class research. I look forward to your further support.
Research culture update and new opportunity to get involved
Our research culture survey closed at the end of May. We received 862 submissions, which represents more than 10% of our research community. Many thanks to everyone who completed the survey. We are now analysing data from the survey.
Reports and a video overview of findings for each faculty will be placed on the Research Culture SharePoint in early July.
You are now invited to get involved in the next stage of the project, a series of design clinics between 11 – 21 July that will explore emerging themes from the survey.
This is an opportunity to work with colleagues from across the university to develop a range of practical interventions and improvements that can positively influence our working environment.
In each of the six clinics we will respond to a theme/s raised by the survey and work together to develop possible options for engaging with these.
This will lead into our work in the autumn, when we will form working groups to prototype the best ideas.
The design clinics, to be held via Microsoft Teams, are for anyone working on or supporting research activity and will actively seek and promote cross-faculty exchange of ideas.
If you would like to attend and contribute further to improving our research culture, please register your interest for one of the clinics.
Research Culture Conference
The Researcher Academy invites all staff involved in or supporting research, postgraduate research students, technicians, academics, senior leaders, and professional service staff to come together during Nottingham’s first Research Culture Conference and explore how we can transform our research culture.
The Research Culture Conference: Building a Healthy and High-Performing Research Ecosystem, takes place 7 July, 9.30am–4.30pm, East Midlands Conference Centre.
Book your place
Read Dame Jessica’s full update
Tags: professor dame jessica corner, Professor Dame Jessica Corner update, research, research culture
Posted in Announcements, News, Research | 2 Comments »
Stick to Science: open letter sent to EU Commission calling for intervention
June 23rd, 2022
Signatories of the Stick to Science campaign have sent an open letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, asking her to intervene in the critical issue for science created by the delay of the association of the UK and Switzerland to Horizon Europe.
The university, alongside all other UK universities, recently encouraged members of our Research community to support the Stick to Science initiative, which urges EU leaders and the UK government to agree to the UK’s association with Horizon Europe.
Although the open letter itself does not explicitly call for a meeting, an accompanying email sent by the co-initiators of the Stick to Science campaign has requested a bilateral meeting with President von der Leyen.
You can read a full copy of the letter here.
The signatories of the initiative hope to get the opportunity to discuss the concerns that R&I actors have for the future of science in Europe with the European Commission before the summer break.
Since February, the Stick to Science campaign has brought together the voice of more than 5,600 major research funding and performing bodies, umbrella organisations, individual researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators, calling for an open R&I landscape both at European and at international level, without any political barriers.
The campaign brochure The case for UK & Swiss Association to Horizon Europe gives additional arguments as to why the UK and Swiss association to EU R&I programmes is a win-win for Europe.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact info@stick-to-science.eu.
Tags: Horizon Europe, research, Stick to Science
Posted in Announcements, News, Research | Comments Off on Stick to Science: open letter sent to EU Commission calling for intervention