Monthly Archives: May 2016

Action on Pay

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You may have noticed that we have had some people on campus with placards and handing out leaflets. They are UCU members who are taking strike action over a dispute about this year’s national pay negotiations.  The employers have offered a 1.1% increase to all spine points with a more substantial increase for staff on the lowest points.  I know some people will think 1.1% does not seem like very much.  I think we should remember that most staff in the public sector will be getting a 1% increase and the offer is well above inflation which was 0.3% last month. We should also remember that many staff will also receive an incremental increase in August and others will receive a performance related increase.  The employment package is not only about pay: we also  have good pension schemes, good holidays and other terms and I believe most staff think the University is a good place to work.

The other campus unions, Unison and Unite, have also rejected the 1.1% offer and are deciding what to do next. I sincerely hope that this dispute can be resolved without our core activities being adversely affected.  I am sure none of us wants to do anything that could prejudice the future success of the University.

Thankfully, industrial action is a rare occurrence which means that there will be uncertainty and many questions. A set of FAQ’s been developed which set out the University’s position on industrial action.  This will be a living document which will be added to as new situations develop.  In addition, I and my team of HR Managers will also be happy to answer any queries you might have.

Garry Coupland

General Wellbeing – from a NU Women Workshop

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I feel Resilient today. Even more than yesterday. Do you? Could this be due to the recent NU Women event on ‘Resilience’?

I have been consistently impressed with the quality of the speakers and workshops that NU Women have provided and again they did not disappoint. The events are open to all (not just women!) and are always very well attended. If you have not been to an event yet – I encourage you to attend. (Although they were operating a reserve list for this last event as they were so oversubscribed.)

What a powerful way to start a workshop. The room was buzzing with positivity! Try it with me now – visualise yourself at your best – imagine waking up tomorrow and being at your peak in terms of well-being, resilience to challenges etc. What would be different, who would notice and what would they say or do? (Note to self: Remember these feelings. File them away for when you need to call on them in challenging circumstances.) This was the discussion topic to share with our fellow diners and participants over a nourishing lunch.

Mandi Sherlock-Storey from Northumbria University, gave us an interesting look at identifying and knowing our strengths, using them daily and cultivating those strengths that enable us to deal with challenges. The examples she gave to illustrate her points were highly relevant and recognisable to many in the room. Giving us practical strategies and sensible advice to help us all to ‘have a word with ourselves’! Focusing on our circle of influence – those things we can influence rather than those that are out with our control was another useful nugget.

Reminding us to be mindful of our self-care and our five a day for well-being, Mandi also encouraged us to become “strengths spotters”. If we see a colleague excelling at using one of their strengths – tell them! I did this today – it made my colleague feel good. It made me feel great. It all contributes to that all important support network that we have at work. Mighty oaks from acorns grow. Why not try it for yourself and contribute to our organisation’s general wellbeing?

Emily Thomas

Footnote: Find out about NU Women’s next event on 29 June 2016 via their blog:

https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/nuwomen/forthcoming-events/improve-your-confidence-workshop-wednesday-june-29th/

 

Mediation

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It’s good to see that our own internal mediation service is now up and running. As one of the trained mediators, I thought it might be good to share some thoughts as to the role of the mediator. To keep it brief, here are my 5 key points:

  1. Managing the process – mediation is not part of any formal procedure, but the mediator still needs to ensure good practice is followed, e.g. making sure everyone knows how it will work and maintaining a safe environment where people can be honest about their issue.
  2. Staying impartial – mediators are not there to pass judgement or assign blame. And when I mediate I’m not there in my role as an HR professional, I’m there as a mediator.
  3. Finding solutions – this is critical. We will try to keep discussions positive and constructive and focus on the future – “What will make this issue work better for you?”
  4. Clarifying and challenging – not in a negative way. At times we will have to do this to help people think about what they’ve said – is it realistic? What do they mean by that? How did that affect you?
  5. Gaining agreement – ultimately we aim to help the parties to come to an agreement over how to move forward. The agreement won’t involve the mediator – it’s up to the parties to make it work.

There is good evidence that mediation works, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t here. More details on the NUMS website.

Richard Boggie