PS Essentials highlights the key priorities for Professional Services colleagues and recent news and updates which you and your teams may find useful.
If there is information you would like included in future PS Essentials, please submit your request to the Internal Comms mailbox.
Quick links
About you
About Professional Services
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Have your say - nominations and voting in the Council/Senate elections
- New tree planting initiative aims to make Open Days greener
Coming up
A reminder
About you
Your new Employee Assistance Programme
If you or your colleagues are worried about finances, feeling stressed, or concerned about your physical health you can access support from your new Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which is provided by Spectrum.Life. For wellbeing support 24/7, 365 days a year, call the EAP helpline on 0800 316 9337 or get in touch via WhatsApp or SMS by texting ‘Hi’ to 07418 360 046. You can access up to eight structured counselling sessions, a medical helpline, legal support and help with day-to-day issues, such as career coaching, consumer advice or relationship mediation. The EAP is also available to your immediate family, including a spouse, partner, registered civil partner and children aged 16 to 24 in full-time education living in the same household.
Register for our PS Celebration Day
Invitations were sent out this week for the PS Celebration Day event on 12 June. Please register your attendance using this form by 12 May, letting us know about any food allergies or accessibility requirements. If work commitments mean you can only come for lunch just select that option on the registration form so that we can arrange for the right amount of food on the day.
You can see all the latest information on the event webpage.
About Professional Services
Have your say - nominations and voting in the Council/Senate elections
The Governance Team is running elections for Professional Services staff this semester for one PS representative to Senate and one to Council. Nominations close on 16 May and nominators should check that their nominee is willing and eligible to serve. Self-nomination is permissible. Voting will take place between 29 May and 12 June, with results due in week commencing 19 June. Roles commence on 1 August. There are webinars about the elections and the roles of Council and Senate, see the news story for full details.
Join us to celebrate Summer Graduation 2023
Summer Graduation is taking place from Monday 17 to Friday 21 July at the Brighton Centre and you have the opportunity to play a part in this key event in our University calendar. We are calling for staff to volunteer to work at Summer Graduation to help deliver this very special event. Over 100 staff are needed each day to make the celebration a success and you can find out more about the different roles available on the graduation webpage. If you have any queries please contact: graduation@sussex.ac.uk
Volunteer to help with Clearing 2023
The Admissions Team is in need of enthusiastic volunteers from across the University to staff the phone lines during Clearing on Thursday 17 August. Clearing is mission critical to the University and plays a vital role in Sussex achieving its student recruitment targets, but it’s also an exciting opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of applicants. To sign up, please complete our registration form. Full training will be provided in advance, as well as support on the day itself. If you have any questions or would like to find out more, email Dara O’Kane at: dara.o-kane@sussex.ac.uk.
As you will be aware, our Vice-Chancellor has developed a proposal for creating four faculties. You can read about the proposal in Sasha's latest update, or see the detailed consultation paper (login required: network username – e.g. ABC123, password). Sasha is attending a meeting in every School, and a task and finish group has been established to support the consultation process. If you are not based in a School, or have not felt able to engage with the School meeting discussions, you can also voice your thoughts by emailing your Professional Services Senators who will represent your views at Senate.
New tree planting initiative aims to make Open Days greener
The UK Recruitment team is introducing the ‘Your Root to Sussex’ initiative for the summer Open Day on 3 June. For every prospective student who attends the Open Day and chooses to travel by public transport, the UK Recruitment team has pledged to plant a tree. In what is thought to be a first for the Higher Education sector, the initiative aims to promote sustainable travel whilst championing the work of Trees for Trips – one of Sussex’s successful Pitch for the Planet funded projects from 2022. Colleagues from across the University worked collaboratively to launch this initiative in a fantastic example of single team working. Find out more on the Your Root to Sussex webpages.
New reading lists system to improve student experience
As part of our aim to improve student experience, simplify and consolidate our software suppliers, and ensure value for money, the University is moving to a new reading lists system. The new software will enable staff to process the reading lists more efficiently, meaning that more students will get their reading lists in time for the start of each term. A comprehensive package of support and training will be provided for all Schools ahead of the system launch. View the news story for further information and, if you have any questions, please contact the Library Reading Lists Team at: readinglists.lib@sussex.ac.uk.
Coming up
Development and Wellbeing Drop-in Event: 15 May
Come along to the Meeting House between 10am – 1.30pm on 15 May to meet local training providers and learn about the development opportunities available as part of Learning at Work Week. You can find out about the broad range of options on offer including free online short courses and apprenticeships that could enhance your skills and experience. There will also be a Wellbeing stand where you can speak to staff about health and wellbeing support including the University’s Mental Health First Aider network, the Employee Assistance Programme, Occupational Health and more. View further details about the event.
Vice-Chancellor Sasha Roseneil will be holding her next VC Open Forum on Tuesday 23 May, between 2pm and 3.30pm. You can book your place now to attend in person, or join the livestream. The provisional title of the session is ‘Politics, markets and regulation: higher education today’. Sasha intends to focus on the changing regulatory landscape and what it means for how operate, the challenges we face and what we must do to continue to be a successful and distinctive university.
Reward and benefits fair: 23 May
Join us at the Sussex Employee Benefits Fair taking place before and after the VC Open Forum on Tuesday 23 May at the Attenborough Centre. Open from 12 midday to 2pm and from 3.30pm to 4.30pm, the fair will feature representatives from our Cycle to Work partners, our upcoming Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice scheme partner and Easit, who provide our staff with discounted public transport options. The Reward, Pension and Organisational Development Teams will also be there to tell you about the other benefits available to you, including purchasing additional annual leave, discounts on major retail brands, our Employee Assistance Programme and more.
A reminder
Future of campus services survey closes soon
Have your say on the future of campus services as part of our community consultation and you could win a £50 high street shopping voucher. We want to hear about your experiences of facilities management services, from cleaning to maintenance and beyond so please do take a few minutes to complete the survey before it closes at the end of this week. You can find out more about the survey on the Staff Hub.
How to report and avoid personal data breaches
A personal data breach happens when there is accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, personal data. Any potential or actual personal data breaches, however minor, must be reported immediately to the University’s Data Protection Officer. This is so the matter can be assessed, and we can take steps to limit the impact where possible. Find out more about how to report and avoid data breaches.
If you have any queries about personal data breaches, then please contact the Information Management Team for guidance.