ACADEMIC WORKFORCE PROFILING PROJECT/ COMMUNICATIONS & STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT: Strategy

Transcription

1 2018/25 ACADEMIC WORKFORCE PROFILING PROJECT/ COMMUNICATIONS & STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT: Strategy Created: 6 September 2018 Updated: 4 October 2018; 29 October 201; 1 November 2018 Version: 1.1 Owner: Author: Human Resources/ Workforce Profiling Programme team Nikki Hyde, Senior HR Business Partner Approved by: AWP SG: Related Documents: AWP18/19-05 Risk Register CONTENTS: 1. Introduction 2. Objectives 3. Roles and responsibilities 4. Key messages 5. Stakeholders - Stakeholder identification - Stakeholder analysis 6. Communication and engagement methods - Communication action plan 7. Risk analysis and evaluation Appendices: One. Key messages narrative Two. Communications plan Three. Consultation approach v November 2018 (NH) Page 1 of 11 S:\ERBP\HR Projects\30. Workforce Profiling - Academic workforce profile project\01. Project scope, PIDs & plans\awp - Communications & Stakeholder Engagement Strategy - v Nov18 for.docx

2 1. Introduction 1.1 The Academic Workforce Profiling project has been set up with the aim of reducing the University s reliance on hourly-paid lecturers (HPLs) for ongoing teaching needs. 1.2 The purpose of this document is to set out the stakeholder engagement and associated communications strategy for the project, to inform the planning, organisation and engagement of stakeholder activities, so as to increase the likelihood of project success. 2. Objectives 2.1 This strategy lays out the methods and timescales that the project team will follow, to: ensure stakeholders are fully briefed on the background and aims of the project; maintain general support for the project by keeping stakeholders informed of developments; reduce misunderstanding and incorrect assumptions of the review and its impacts, by providing the right amount of information in appropriate detail at the right time; ensure that communication relating to the review is clear, concise, open and twoway; understand the interests and concerns of stakeholders; and, ensure that the right information is easily accessible for the whole Institution and that all communications needs and preferences are met. 3. Roles and responsibilities 3.1 The key roles and responsibilities in relation to communication and stakeholder engagement for this project and are identified below: Role Project sponsor Steering group Programme Manager/ Deputy Programme Manager Project managers Responsibility Responsible for approving the strategy and overseeing its implementation and review Responsible for reviewing and commenting on the strategy and supporting the project sponsor on overseeing its implementation and review Responsible for ensuring the delivery of the strategy, undertaking regular reviews and escalating risks and issues to the steering group and sponsor Responsible for sharing information on project progress with wider staff and selected stakeholder groups, and ensuring enquiries are dealt with efficiently and appropriately 4. Key messages 4.1 With any change on the scale and complexity as this, it is important to agree any key messages that articulate the purpose of the project, ensure its benefits are highlighted and to manage expectations of both the staff that may be affected, as well as other interested parties. Page 2 of 11

3 4.2 Given the size of the project and the number of schools that may be involved, the majority of project communication is also likely to be at school-level. It is therefore important to ensure consistency of message. 4.3 A key messages narrative has therefore been developed with the assistance of Corporate Communications and is provided at appendix one. This has been approved by the Steering Group and has been issued to relevant stakeholders. 5. Stakeholders 5.1 So as to ensure the right people are involved in the design and implementation of the changes that will result from this project and that no stakeholder group is inadvertently or unintentionally excluded, all potential stakeholders for this project have been identified and are listed below. 5.2 The project team will review this list with certain key stakeholders identified (such as UCU and the Steering Group), to ensure that all stakeholders have been identified and appropriately grouped. The stakeholder list will be regularly reviewed and maintained by the HR project team, to ensure communication activities are reaching the intended audience. Amendments to the list will be reported to the Steering Group as required. 5.3 Stakeholder identification: Stakeholder group Stakeholder Sponsor: David Nightingale Authorise and demonstrate ownership for the change at an executive level. Champions: Other Steering group members, Believe in the change and help to obtain (including Faculty Deans) commitment and buy-in from others. Heads of Administration Change agents: Heads of School 1 Implement change. Have responsibility through planning and executing implementation. School Administration Managers 1 School leadership teams Project team HR Business Partners Corporate Communications Decision-makers: EG Authority to agree or decline key decisions Council Review Committee during the change process. SPC School leadership teams Target audience: Directly impacted or affected by the change process Heads of School 1 School Administration Managers 1 Collective Consultation staff reps HPLs 1 It is noted that HoS and SAMs will fall into two categories: they will be the target audience during the autumn term (business case formulation) and will become change agents if they have a business case for change. Page 3 of 11

4 Stakeholder group Stakeholder Trades unions Not directly impacted by the change; have Staff representatives an interest in the change, or provide Other senior leaders specific support or input in order for Council change to occur. That input and interest Senate may be to a greater or lesser degree. UELT BIPU and other project leads Finance Payroll Pensions Other HR staff Other school staff All other staff Students Prospective HPLs 5.4 Stakeholder analysis An analysis of all potential stakeholders has been undertaken, to ascertain what stakeholder expectations may be and how these may differ between stakeholders, as well as to inform the project team on how they may manage issues that arise from stakeholder involvement Analysis has been undertaken using an adaption of Mendelow s Stakeholder Grid 2 to understand the influence and interest individual stakeholders may have and ensure that they are engaged appropriately and effectively Throughout the project the project team will regularly review the stakeholder map to determine the effectiveness of communications and ascertain if changes to the communications plan are required to ensure stakeholders remain at their ideal state This analysis will also be used to identify stakeholder interest and concerns, and to ensure that an appropriate communications plan is put in place to address those concerns (see below). 6. Communication and engagement methods 6.1 Ensuring communications are appropriate and timely will play a major part in engaging stakeholders, and could influence the overall success of the project. A number of communications methods will therefore be used to ensure stakeholders are kept involved and engaged, and that they are appropriate for the audience and their interest in the project. 6.2 To help determine the appropriateness, frequency and methods of communication with stakeholders, a communications plan has been developed and is provided at appendix two. The plan has been informed by identifying the purpose of communicating with different stakeholders. As the project progress, it will be updated to include anticipated future communications. 2 Mendelow, A. L. (1981) Environmental Scanning - The Impact of the Stakeholder Concept. ICIS. Page 4 of 11

5 Stakeholder Purpose of communication Sponsor To keep informed of project progress and key information to enable decision-making Champions Other steering group members Heads of Administration Change Agents To keep informed of project progress and key information to aid decision-making To keep informed of project progress to enable them to reinforce key messages and support their staff HoSs & SAMs To enable them to understand the requirements of them during the project To support them in the formulation of business cases To support them in engaging school leadership teams To support them in managing communications with affected staff and others within school HR Business Partners To update on project progress To share information/intelligence which may impact upon BAU activities Corporate To provide key messages and relevant intelligence to enable Communications them to be effective agents of change Decision-makers To enable informed decision-making To provide updates on project progress Target Audience To manage expectations before proposals are known Directly impacted by the proposals. May be able to suggest alternative suggestions to achieve the same outcome Statutory requirement to consult. Interested others UCU and other relevant trades unions, and staff representatives Information provision to enable member support during consultation To allow the formulation of alternative suggestions to proposals Legal requirement to collectively consult To enable the provision of support to staff until staff reps elected To provide support to staff if no staff reps are elected (legal requirement to collectively consult) To keep informed of progress and any potential staffing impact 6.3 In addition, a proposed approach to consultation is provided at appendix three. This will be reviewed and updated as the project progresses, business cases are developed and it is clearer as to the requirements for statutory collective consultation. 7. Risk analysis and evaluation 7.1 As and when risks to communication and stakeholder engagement activity are identified, they will be added to the project risk register, with details on planned mitigation activity. 7.2 Both during the project life-cycle and at the end of the project as part of the project close-down activity, the effectiveness of the communications plan will be evaluated and assessed. This will be reported to the Steering Group on a regular basis in order for improvements to be made. It will also be used to inform any future communications plans. Page 5 of 11

6 APPENDIX ONE: (Approved 18 Oct 2018) End. ACADEMIC WORKFORCE PROFILING/ KEY MESSAGES: Narrative Why are we doing this? The University recognises the valuable contribution made by hourly paid lecturers (HPLs). They provide schools with the flexibility necessary to react to changes in staffing needs, they provide a mechanism for recruiting specialists and they allow the University to provide employment opportunities for our postgraduate students. However, over the years, the number of HPLs employed by the University has been steadily increasing. By June 2018, there were over 800 active HPL contracts in place across the institution. Although there are many good reasons why engaging an HPL may have been the right way to meet a teaching need it is clear that, like many others in the sector, we have become over-reliant on this approach. Many HPLs have been relied on to deliver some of our core undergraduate teaching, sometimes year after year. However, none of them have the security of an ongoing academic contract with the opportunity for professional development or any of the other benefits of being full members of our academic community. We are committed to delivering an excellent education and student experience, and believe that other staffing models would better support the delivery of this commitment, ensure better financial value and provide enhanced academic career opportunities for many colleagues. What are the benefits? The Academic Workforce Profiling project will help schools to review the make-up of their academic workforce and, where appropriate, to reduce reliance on HPLs by creating new salaried full academic posts. These new posts will initially be ring-fenced to HPLs in each school and will help provide a firmer guarantee of academic continuity, better student experience and stronger, more flexible academic communities. The creation of these posts will reduce casualisation in the University s workforce which supports Kent s objective of ensuring the University is a good place to work. Reviewing the HPL workforce will also reduce the administrative overhead associated with employing HPLs and may also help schools to rationalise their curriculum offer. The project will also seek to clarify and improve relevant policies and processes to reduce the risk of a future return to an over-reliance on HPLs for our ongoing teaching needs. What is the UCU position? UCU campaign nationally and locally on anti-casualisation, seeking to reduce the sector s reliance on precarious contracts and to replace them with substantive contracts. UCU and Kent share an interest in reducing this reliance, albeit with differing approaches to achieving it. In particular, UCU opposes any compulsory redundancies and urges employers to transition staff on precarious contracts directly to substantive contracts. Page 6 of 11

7 Timing There are two phases to the project. During Autumn Term 2018, schools will be asked to review the make-up of their academic workforce with the support of HR. The aim is to reach a decision on whether new salaried academic positions should be created, the number of such new positions and the number of HPL posts that should be retained (for example for PGR students during their period of registration). During Spring Term 2019, schools which identify a need to change the profile of their workforce will continue to work with HR to implement those decisions with the intention of finalising the project in time for the start of the next academic year. How will it work? The project will be overseen by a Steering Group led by Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, David Nightingale, the Faculty Deans, HR and representative Heads from all three faculties. Throughout the project, the principles, policies and processes developed as part of the Recognising Excellence in Academia project and the lessons learned in their application in the HPL Pilot project earlier this year will be used to guide the work. In addition, the Heads of School who participated in the Pilot have offered their services as mentors for the project. What are the next steps? Schools will be reviewing the make-up of their academic workforce and, where there is a need, developing proposals for new salaried full academic positions during Autumn Term EG will consider the school proposals in early December Approved proposals will then be the subject of formal consultation with affected members of staff and their representatives early next year, probably starting in February Subject to the outcome of consultation, selection to the new positions is likely to take place during Summer Term 2019 and the new academic positions, created as a result of the project, will be effective from the start of the 2019/20 academic year. How can staff find out more? HR have set up a dedicated webpage to keep staff informed about the project. At present, the webpage includes essential initial information about the project and some Frequently Asked Questions, which will be added to as the project progresses. Further information will be provided once schools have reviewed the make-up of their academic workforce, put together proposals for change where needed and had their proposals approved by EG. Who are the contacts for further information? Any questions which are not answered by the essential information and FAQs on the webpage can be referred to the HR project team by AWPproject@kent.ac.uk. Questions related to specific school proposals should be referred to the Head of School. Page 7 of 11

8 APPENDIX TWO/ COMMUNICATIONS PLAN Method: By whom? Stakeholder: Purpose: Timeframe: Evaluation: HRMG presentation Informal consultation meetings HoS presentation MA/NH NH/MA DRN Other HR staff UCU, other TUs, staff reps Target audience: Heads of School Meeting MA/NH Champions: Deans and HoAs Oversight of the projects and their objectives, to engage in preparation for involvement required. Regular informal consultation meetings to provide progress updates, engagement on proposals and seek UCU, other TU and staff representative views. Strategic-level confirmation of project initiation and their input required. Discussion of project, role of Deans and HoAs in supporting schools and support that can be provided to them by HR project team. 28 August 2018 Complete 24 September 2018 And monthly thereafter In progress First meeting (24/9) provided overview of projects and immediate steps. Next meeting: 5 Nov 28 September 2018 Complete Mop-up session 18 Oct as some unable to attend due to RTA 5 October 2018 Complete Agreed at this meeting to set up regular meetings for duration of projects - currently being set up. Initiation key messages (channel TBD by HoS) HoSs Target audience & Interested others: All school staff Key messaging to be provided to HoSs to go out to their schools (including HPLs) in order to inform of programme and manage expectations. From 2 nd week in Oct In progress Key messages narrative sent 18 Oct. Comms in progress. Programme Initiation paper NH/MA Programme Initiation paper to go to as part of normal business. Papers released 10 October; meeting 24 October 2018 Complete Paper release delayed to 18 Oct following need for second HoS briefing session. Extra-ordinary meeting scheduled 1 Nov to give full attention. Page 8 of 11

9 Method: By whom? Stakeholder: Purpose: Timeframe: Evaluation: Website NH/MA Target audience & interested others: All staff Dedicated micro-site to update all staff on projects, provide them with anticipated timeline, key updates and FAQs. Anticipated 10 Oct, following release of papers Complete Website launched 19 Oct due to delay in releasing papers as need for second HoS briefing session. Leadership Forum presentation DRN Target audience & Senior Leaders Presentation to all Senior Leaders to ensure all have same knowledge and information about projects prior to public knowledge. 18 October 2018 TBC Unable to present at this meeting. Currently considering other ways of updating. Regular meetings / updates HoS School leadership teams Engagement of leadership teams to help formulate business case proposals and thereafter to provide updates & engage with change process. Oct - Nov 2018: (business cases) Dec 18 - Aug 19: (Regular updates) Extraordinary NH/MA Extraordinary meeting of the to consult on project principles and provide update on project initiation, outside of the main meeting on 24 Oct in order to allow dedicated time for these discussions. 1 November 2018 meetings NH To provide project progress updates to members of the regularly throughout the project lifecycle. 7 March June 2019 Extraordinary NH/MA Anticipated extraordinary meeting of the at the end of the project life-span, as part of the project closedown process Summer 2019 Page 9 of 11

10 Method: By whom? Stakeholder: Purpose: Timeframe: Evaluation: SPC meetings NH SPC To provide project updates to the members of SPC throughout the project lifecycle, and provide the opportunity for the SPC to consult, discuss and ratify any policy and procedures required as part of the project. Will consider, discuss and ratify the policy principles at their meeting on 5 December December May 2019 VC/EG blog KC/DRN? Target audience & Interested others: Leadership bulletin DRN All staff Target audience & Interested others: All staff Based upon Key Messages narrative, to reinforce positive messages and objectives of project. Based upon Key Messages narrative, to reinforce positive messages and objectives of project TBC (awaiting confirmation of date from OVC) TBC (awaiting confirmation of date from OVC) TBC Anticipated for Spring 2019 once more information about proposals are known. Confirming dates with OVC. In addition, if space becomes available during Autumn term schedule, and timing is appropriate, may provide additional update. SharePoint site NH Target audience All affected staff As required, a dedicated SharePoint site will be created for access by affected staff, to provide information ad updates, FAQs and key documents Spring 2019 Page 10 of 11

11 APPENDIX THREE/ CONSULTATION APPROACH The Academic Workforce Profile project, along with all projects that form part of the Workforce Profiling programme, will require both informal and formal consultation at different times during project life-spans. A proposed approach to consultation is detailed below. Members of the are asked to comment on the proposals and put forward any additional suggestions for consultation for this programme of projects. Informal consultation Informal consultation with trades unions: Regular informal meetings with UCU have been arranged to discuss individual projects in more detail as and when required (ie GTA review). Informal ad-hoc meetings have commenced with other relevant trades unions and will also be established on a regular basis as and when other projects may impact upon their constituency. Focus Groups: Will be established to seek feedback and suggestions from affected staff. Formal consultation : As per the Terms of Reference for, progress updates will be provided to the at their termly meetings. For the purpose of these projects, it is proposed that the delegate responsibility for consultation and negotiation for any matters relating specifically to this programme of projects to a sub-committee, comprising staff representatives, trades union representatives and two members of HR (Martin Atkinson and Nikki Hyde, Programme Lead and Deputy Programme Lead). It is proposed that the monthly progress meetings that have been arranged with UCU representatives are used for this purpose. Meetings will be chaired by Martin Atkinson and the sub-committee may invite others to attend meetings as required. It is anticipated that an extraordinary meeting of the may also be called in summer 2019 as part of the project close-down process. Individual consultation: It is anticipated that individual consultation will be required (as per the Organisational Change policy) for the Academic Workforce Profile project. This will be run in line with the provisions laid out in the Organisational Change policy and will involve group start and end of consultation meetings and individual one-to-one meetings with affected staff. Individual consultation may also be required for other projects and will be initiated where required, following discussion with the relevant trades unions. Statutory collective consultation: It is anticipated that statutory collective consultation will be required (as per the Organisational Change policy) for the Academic Workforce Profile project. The exact membership of this will be confirmed once the size and scope of change proposals and the number of staff affected are understood. It is anticipated that this will run alongside individual consultation, will comprise staff and trades union representatives and will be chaired by a member of the Steering Group. Meetings are likely to be roughly fortnightly throughout the consultation period. It may be that sub-meetings are established where school-specific proposals need discussing in more detail. Page 11 of 11