As we reach the end of February it is heartening to see Spring arriving and flowers coming up all over campus, thanks to the efforts of James Wright and his team. As I walk around and see the sun reflecting on the buildings, I feel a great sense of pride that it is our work in the FD that keeps our campus looking so beautiful.

I hope by now that all of you will be aware of the Employee Engagement Survey. I want to say again how important it is that we all take this opportunity to have our say. With our business plan – Our Way Ahead – now launched, this survey couldn’t have come at a better time, as we consider the future and putting our plan into action.

You are at the heart of the plan: core to our success as a directorate is how we develop our people and continue to create a culture in the FD that makes it a great place to work. You will have plenty of opportunities to have your say through the Staff Voice group that is being developed as part of the People & Culture strand of the business plan, but the staff survey gives us all another platform. It is completely anonymous but the overall findings for our service will be fed back to inform our future working, so please use it – we want to hear the good and the bad!

Opportunities to complete the survey

This was a late addition but there is a drop-in session being held at the LOGIK Centre today until 12:30pm to answer any questions related to completing the survey. If you would like to attend and complete the survey, please bring with you a copy of your recent payslip or have to hand your staff ID (personnel number on your pay slip) and if you have access to a smart phone, the team there say that would be useful too.

There are also now survey stations in the FD building for you to come and fill in the survey, with help on hand in accessing it. If you’d like to use them please just come to Reception – no appointment needed. I know how busy everyone is but I’ve asked the senior team to make sure that everyone is given time to do the survey, so please contact your manager if you’re finding that difficult.

Our Way Ahead

Some of you will already have seen presentations about the business plan in team meetings. The senior team are getting out and about to run through the main points and ask for feedback. I’ve heard plenty of positives and all constructive feedback is welcome. I contacted senior colleagues in the University Executive Group and elsewhere about the plan and have had some very positive comments. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the writing and production of it.

The next FD social

Our next FD social will be on Tuesday 25 April at 9am – 11am in the Refectory, which provides us with another opportunity for discussion. I hope to see you there.

Planon will launch in April and the team are currently engaged in user testing, working with the digital team in Marketing and Communications. There will shortly be workshops for colleagues to learn how they will get to use it in their everyday roles. Self-serve pages built into the website mean that staff will be able to log and monitor their own issues and those across their buildings without having to chase up through the FM service desk. Thank you to Kirsty Gill, Majid Khan, Dave Kellett, Amanda Payne, Adam Maddison, and everyone else involved for their work.

Kirsty and her team would like to remind you that the door of FD building will remain locked for the time being. If you don’t have a fob you’ll need to press the reception intercom button on the post. If you need access after 4pm you’ll need to contact someone inside the building.

A new statue arrived on campus

Finally, you may have noticed that a new statue arrived outside the Edward Boyle Library last week of Sir Isaac Newton. Christopher Wade, our Architectural Technical Officer, and others in his team have been working with Layla Bloom, curator in the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery on its installation, including on creative aspects such as the lighting design. It looks stunning. Thank you to them for all their work. Another example of the FD enhancing the campus!

Ann Allen,
Director of Campus Innovation and Development