UEB Blog 29.07.19

There were shorter than usual UEB meetings last week and this week due to attendance at graduation ceremonies and a number of UEB members being on holiday. But some important issues to mention:

Exceptional Recruitment Panel (ERP): over the last 32 months all new and replacement roles at the University have required review and approval by a University-level approvals panel, introduced to support the University in achieving the staff savings objectives set out within our University Strategy. The process has also led to far greater challenge at faculty and directorate level before submissions are made to the ERP panel.

The ERP process has proved effective, if not always popular. The need to maintain strict control of our staff costs remains of critical importance, and is likely to do so for a considerable period ahead. However, UEB feels that it is the right moment to introduce changes to the ERP process, and return greater responsibility and accountability for recruitment, to faculties and directorates.

UEB has approved a new process, which will come into effect from 1 August 2019. HR Business Partners will now discuss the full details with faculties and directorates, but the key points are:

1. The existing University-level Exceptional Recruitment Panel process will be discontinued for areas with a balanced budget in 2019-20. The Faculty of Medicine will remain subject to a University-level ERP process as they work towards a position of balanced budget with the agreed business plan.
2. From 1 August 2019 we will introduce Faculty/Professional Service-level decision-making and monitoring for areas that have delivered balanced budgets in their business plans. In effect, the current process of submissions and panel approval/rejection will be recreated at faculty and directorate level.
3. UEB will continue to review the financial accounts of each area on a quarterly basis to ensure that the business planning budgets are being met.
4. Any faculty/directorate not meeting its business plan will have the University-level Exceptional Recruitment Panel process reintroduced for a period, to be reviewed quarterly, to help support them in achieving their targets.

Confirmation and Clearing: as 12 August gets closer, Professor Alex Neill, Vice-President (Education) updated UEB on preparations for the crucial Confirmation and Clearing period, and the University’s Strategy, informed by Faculty propositions, of maintaining tariff while ensuring delivery of student number plans.

UEB also began discussions, led by Alex Neill, on possible changes to the Promotion Process. Following the first annual promotion cycle under the new faculty structure, the Academic Promotions Advisory Group (APAG) captured feedback from key stakeholders. Using this feedback, APAG is proposing recommendations to improve the fairness, consistency and equality of decision-making across the University, ahead of the next annual cycle. Further consideration will take place before final recommendations are submitted to UEB.

There was an update on the importance of our preparations ahead of our next submission to Athena SWAN, the national charter mark that recognises the advancement of gender equality in higher education, encompassing representation, progression and success. Southampton was one of the founding signatories, and we currently hold a Silver-level Award. There was recognition that, as we head towards the November submission, there will need to be increased resource commitment from all areas. A number of faculties and schools have also chosen to submit for departmental awards.

Staff engagement: as part of its commitment to discuss staff engagement at every UEB meeting, a formal rota of feedback from each area of the University has been agreed, to ensure more focused attention to issues and engagement in particular areas. The first rota is included below:

Finally, Professor Rachel Mills introduced the annual Environment and Sustainability report 2018-19. There is terrific work underway to ensure progress in ensuring environmental  sustainability is embedded within everyday practise across our campuses, including a 20% carbon emissions reduction target, an overall 65% recycling target, an environmentally-focused Travel Plan, highlighting sustainability within procurement, and enhancing biodiversity across our Estate.

UEB also recognises that we need a more holistic, overarching Sustainability Strategy, to engage more with our staff and student community, and to make our work in this area more visible. A wider University discussion on the issues is being planned for the autumn through a number of workshops.

There are no UEB meetings for the next two weeks, so there will not be a UEB Blog for a couple of weeks.