In the fourth of our series about the value of completing the Staff Engagement Survey, today we’re looking at the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences.
Dean of the Faculty, Professor Bashir Al-Hashimi CBE shared his reflections about how he and his team will use the survey results.
Professor Bashir Al-Hashimi CBE, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
What are you trying to achieve in your Faculty this year?
We are striving to build a successful and inclusive Faculty, which will be at the heart of delivering the University’s highest quality research, education and enterprise. We have much to be proud of across Engineering and Physical Sciences’ five Schools and two Research Institutes, driven by our dedicated staff and high-performing students. Together we will build on our strengths, expand them into the future and capitalise on the opportunities ahead.
How will the insight that you get from the Staff Engagement Survey help you move forward?
The Staff Engagement Survey demonstrates areas of good practice and it is my hope that these areas of strength will be highlighted and shared between Schools to enhance our collective achievements, especially as the University continues with its ambitious 10-Year Plan. The survey allows me, as a Dean, to understand where work still needs to be carried out to ensure all staff have the tools around them to fulfil their potential.
What would you say to your staff about the importance of filling the survey in?
The Staff Engagement Survey is a valuable opportunity to influence change at our University. I want staff to be leading rewarding and fulfilling careers in our Faculty and the range of responses to this survey will be set into engagement action plans that will help build a positive working culture and environment. For these plans to be effective, we really need to gain an insight into experiences across our full range of academic disciplines and professional services, so I would really encourage everyone to take the time to provide their own confidential feedback.
Can you give some examples of what has happened in your Faculty since the last survey?
Since the last survey, our Schools and Departments have worked hard to engage their staff at a local level. In our School of Electronics and Computer Science, staff have introduced a new workload system to best support staff and re-launched a mentoring scheme.
The School of Physics and Astronomy has been awarded an Athena Swan Silver Award, in part due to their work to ensure all staff have a successful work-life balance.
Our School of Chemistry launched a bi-annual newsletter to help increase its sense of community and created new guidelines around the use of email that have since been adopted by many departments across the University.
The survey closes on Wednesday 7 November 2018.
More information can be found:
Staff Engagement SharePoint site.
