We know from the 2022 staff survey that workload remains a significant concern for both academic staff and professional services staff across Directorates and Schools. The current financial challenges and consequent reductions in staffing makes more urgent the need to do things differently to reduce the volume of work.
The outcomes from the Academic Workload Engagement Exercise were published last year. A parallel consultation exercise was also undertaken within Professional Services Directorates and School Administration teams to identify their pressure points and any potential changes to processes or systems that might help to address those workload issues.
Structure
The Workload Engagement Exercises comprised 4 Phases:
Phase 1 – Consultation (May/June 2023)
Consultation Process
The consultation process comprised:
- Academic Staff Focus Groups (attended by 75 members of staff);
- An opportunity for Academic staff to contribute ideas and opinions via a dedicated and confidential email address (30 submissions received);
- Engagement with staff in Professional Services Directorates and School administration teams, led by Directors and the Lead School Administration Manager, to identify their pressure points and potential changes to processes or systems that might help address workload issues; and
- An analysis of over 200 anonymised free-text comments included in the Staff Survey 2023 (relating to questions on workload/work-life balance and what could be improved at the University).
Findings
The key factors underpinning workload pressures facing Academic staff which were identified during the consultation process fell into 4 main themes:
Student pastoral & academic support needs
Education policies & processes
Assessment
Student recruitment ambitions
January start dates
Time available for research
PGR student processes
Administrative burdens
Grant application environment
REF
Short-term nature of research contracts
A recognition of the pressures facing Professional Services/School office staff
Digital/database systems
Workload allocation
School/institutional culture
Decision-making/committee processes
Suggestions on specific systems/processes within some Directorates
A report summarising the outcomes of the Academic consultation process and setting out recommended ‘next steps’ for both Exercises was endorsed by the Senior Management Team on 13 July 2023.
The report was referred to the ‘Portfolio Leads’ (Vice-Principals for Education, Research and Global Engagement and the University Secretary & Chief Operating Officer) to take forward into Phase 2.
Phase 2 – Initial Prioritisation (August – October 2023)
Portfolio Leads (working with associated committees/working groups) undertook:
- Initial prioritisation of the issues raised and suggestions received during both Exercises;
- Identification of issues which could be addressed in the short-term; and
- Identification of issues which would require longer-term actions.
Phase 3 – Development of Action Plan (November – December 2023)
The Portfolio Leads came together to attend a joint discussion, chaired by the Senior Vice-Principal (as Chair of the Workload Review Group) to consider the outcomes of their individual initial prioritisation processes within the broader institutional context.
Some key priority actions were identified as being able to make a real difference in alleviating workload pressures and supporting ongoing efforts to reduce cost and increase income generation. The following areas were identified by the Portfolio Leads as key priorities to be taken forward:
Key Priorities
In summary, the following areas were identified by the Portfolio Leads as key priorities:
- Education
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- Streamlining of programme approval process and alignment of Programme Management Committee (PMC) and Quality Assurance Committee (QAC) processes
- Presumption that courses with fewer than 15 students will not run
- Reduction and consolidation of assessment workload
- Enhanced clarity around personal tutor role
- IT enhancements to MyTimetable and Student Records System to support C6/C7 monitoring processes
- Streamlined Internal Teaching Review processes
- Policy changes in relation to appeals/complaints, extensions/non-submissions, and double-marking requirements
- Research
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- Postgraduate Research School processes;
- Support for grant applications;
- Workload allocation (particularly as it relates to dedicated and protected research time);
- Research ethics processes; and
- Research leave.
- Systems & Processes
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- Increased use of digitisation wherever possible, including:
- digital/electronic processes e.g. electronic approval systems, electronic/web-based forms and on-line calendars;
- generic helpdesk/triage functions.
- Marketing processes (including (i) establishing a Steering Group to oversee the development and implementation of a single marketing plan, (ii) reviewing the process of maintaining prospectus pages, and (iii) clarifying roles & responsibilities);
- Streamlining committee reporting requirements;
- Review of disability provisions;
- Review of field trip risk assessment processes (including streamlining of current process and provision of training/refresher training on scoring risks);
- Timetabling (including enhanced information on buildings/assets and connectivity with the curriculum system);
- Review of the paper-based degree classification sign-off process;
- Review of the paper-based supplier set-up procurement process; and
- Development of a ‘test for competency’ to reduce the volume of student appeals which do not meet the criteria as set out in the Policy & Procedure on Student Appeals.
- Increased use of digitisation wherever possible, including:
The Portfolio Leads also identified that progress had already been made in actioning some of the findings arising from the Engagement Exercises since the consultation process in Summer 2023. A summary of the actions underway/completed is available here.
Phase 4 – Implementation of Action Plan (January 2024)
The Workload Review Group and Senior Management Team will continue to monitor the implementation of the actions arising from the Workload Engagement Exercises to ensure that positive change is embedded and sustained.