Line Management and SDR Structure set up:

·       Often the line manager has no day-to-day management of the employee they are holding the SDR with

·       Employee can be in another department and line manager has no visibility of the work or objectives

 

Challenges of delegating SDR authorisation: 

·       Grade 6 level or above are responsible for SDR’s – how can this be managed in larger teams / depts

·       The impact of supervisors (Grade 5 or below) delivering SDRs can result in false promises of training, development and promotion

 

Purposeful and Meaningful

·       Changing SDR reviewers: the loss of continuity, as the manager has had little or no engagement with staff

·       Timing of SDR’s can be demoralising; in terms of what is going in the wider university / local dept changes, etc

 

Clarity of what the SDR is 

·       Is it for performance or development

 

Myth busting / Changing Culture 

·       Need to change the understanding of SDR

·       Training is not the only form of development

·       Volunteering allowance – is it there? Has the Policy been removed?

·       Publishing league tables of SDR’s can be demoralising 

·       The ownership of the SDR – it’s the employees SDR and they need to own it

 

Time Management 

·       Lots of vacancies is causing constraints in giving time to all parts of the role

·       Staff don’t have time to take on other projects 

·       “where is it in the workload model”

 

Outside Influence

·       Trade Union have far too much influence in how we change processes. 

·       Training budgets are often managed by committee 

 

·       Driving the message that we are having regular conversations with employees 

·       Remind managers and staff that it is not a once year conversation

·       It doesn’t have to be a formal meeting 

·       Recognise that one model doesn’t fit for all departments / schools

·       360 feedback model 

·       Managing the process, being aware of how to use the SDR flexibly and responsibly  

·       Being able to feedback into others SDR – employees can request feedback from other managers, project groups etc.

·       Challenging employees to take ownership for their SDR and their role in the process

·       Embed conversations regarding objectives in other team or individual meetings and forums