Email sent to all FD staff from Ann Allen, Director of Campus Innovation and Development, on Thursday 28 November. 

As we move towards the end of the year, I am particularly pleased about the shifts I am starting to see in our culture.

When we created the Business Plan in February 2023, we said in its first aim that we would “develop our culture so that our staff can thrive and succeed”.

I also said, in my introduction, that “I strongly believe that we need to work together as one directorate, not a collection of services, and that we have a huge amount to learn from each other and the incredible array of skill and talent across the institution.”

Fast forward to the end of 2024 and we have in place a Staff Voice group, a People & Culture Strategy with work started across its eight workstreams, and an operational excellence team seeking out ideas to improve our services.

All of these groups, I hope, feel empowered to create change and to keep challenging. The culture of an organisation takes a while to embed but I’m very grateful for the progress made.

Staff Voice Open Meeting

Joining Staff Voice is a great way to get involved in positive change. The group are hoping to recruit more Staff Voice champions – you can find out more at an Open Meeting on 15 January, 10am-12pm LT. G23, 28 University Road, which is in the space above the Cleaning Services building. Please email the Staff Voice team with any questions.

Other news from Staff Voice:

• The group are providing in-person updates at team meetings and away days. Get in touch with a Staff Voice rep if you’d like them to come along.
• Staff Voice reps have been involved in reviewing the results of the University’s Pulse Survey, helping to improve things where we can.
• From next year, FD Staff Socials will partly be organised and run by Staff Voice. They will be asking your opinion about what you would like to see happening there.
• The group are working even more closely with the FD Internal Comms team (Prue Griffiths and Matt Shevlin) to help keep you updated with Staff Voice news and to get support with campaigns.

Save the date: Campus Reimagined Live!

From 10-12 February, the precinct and the Refectory will be the settings for a festival! ‘Campus Reimagined Live!’ will feature talks, workshops, and a host of other activities to enable you to share your thoughts on the future of the campus that we all help to create and maintain.

You’ll be able to read more about this on the Campus Reimagined website when information goes live on 2 December. For now, the ask is to save the date and subscribe to the newsletter.

Have your say

Car parking:

The University is developing a long-term parking policy aligned with our ways of working and Sustainability Strategy. Workshops will be held in early 2025 to gather feedback from colleagues. You can also share your views now. Learn more on the Staff Intranet.

Woodhouse Lane Gateway consultation:

Have your say online as part of the latest public consultation about the proposed Woodhouse Lane Gateway. Consultation closes on 16 December.

Race Equality Charter Staff Survey

This survey goes live on 2 December and is an opportunity for staff to share their experiences working at Leeds to help identify and address the barriers facing Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic students and staff. The data will be used to identify and address any barriers to race equality.

Further information about the survey can be found here.

Congratulations

Residential Services successfully completed an ISO9001 surveillance audit in October. ISO9001 is a globally recognised standard for quality management, and this year the audit scope was extended to include Residence Life for the first time.

Finally….

Don’t forget the Festive FD Staff Social in the Refectory, 3.30pm-5pm on Monday 9 December 2024!

Regards,

Ann Allen,
Director of Campus Innovation & Development