I am delighted to announce that our new People Strategy has been finalised and published on the Staff Hub, following approval by Council late last year. The People Strategy brings together all our plans and resources to support and develop staff here at Sussex so they continue to deliver an exceptional experience for our students.
My huge thanks go to all of you who came along to our focus groups to consult on the draft People Strategy last summer and autumn. We listened to your feedback and the strategy, and our communications around it, have been informed by you.
Our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Roseneil, has been central to finalising the People Strategy and agreeing it with Council. Sasha said: "The new People Strategy is at the heart of our ambition to make Sussex a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive community - one in which all staff feel that they are in the best place to realise their goals and ambitions, where they can be themselves, and do their best work. I will be engaging closely with HR colleagues as they implement key measures to help make your experience at Sussex a better one, and I look forward to hearing from you about what the changes mean for you."
What is in the People Strategy?
Written with our Sussex values of collaboration, integrity, kindness, inclusion and courage at its heart, the People Strategy consists of four main aims, with several deliverable projects sitting under each aim.
The four aims are:
- getting the basics right – ensuring our processes and policies are effective and offer ‘best in sector’ employment
- improving inclusivity – driving forward equitable pay, benefits and career progression, as well as an inclusive work environment
- harnessing talent – ensuring a seamless employee journey where talents, abilities, aspirations and needs are recognised and supported
- increasing engagement and wellbeing – helping our staff feel engaged and healthy, with balanced workloads
More detail about each of these aims, and how we will deliver them, can be found on the new People Strategy pages.
What’s next?
Many of the actions described in the new strategy are already underway, with some already complete. For example, we announced last week that our new Achievement and Development Review (ADR) process has been launched, and there will be lots more information to come as we support you through the switch from appraisals to ADRs.
Once our new HR Director, Colin Shipp, joins us in March, he will take ownership of the strategy, sharing more details about how it will shape the work of the Human Resources team and impact everyone at the University. Future communications will include videos (as some focus group attendees requested), news updates on what has been delivered as part of the strategy, and opportunities to consult on and get involved in how we deliver different elements so we can help ensure the strategy is working for us all.
If you have any questions about the new People Strategy and what it might mean for you, please do get in touch with me.
Peter Mitchell
Interim Director of Human Resources