Casework increasing, being able to move casework with pace/availability and skills of managers increase and follow up refresher

Impact on finances and morale and exposes us to risk

External trainer

By 31st October

No consistency, process is inefficient, morale of staff, financial implications

staff, better morale

risk management, how do we decide who goes through or progresses?

map out academic pathways and make it clear for staff, clear policy and guidance on how to progress

March 2026

Why is a priority?

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

How will it be done?

When will it be done by?

Managers requesting more and more, should inform conversations around people and workforce planning, helps demonstrate what we're achieving, more areas we could report on and continually develop

comprehensive data template

Us, managers

PowerBI, regular reporting to SLTs

July 2026

Why is a priority?

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

How will it be done?

When will it be done by?

Pick top 5 topics and policies and create guidance and support around it to link with manager hub and lunch and learns- whole support package ie maternity, absence, PTHP/Casual, probation, difficult conversations

Managers find it easier to find information and know where to go, more efficient and less emails to AskHR

July 2026

Why is a priority?

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

How will it be done?

When will it be done by?

we need all staff to upskill in digital skills and AI in order to support students and make work more efficient

all staff and students, everyone with a basic knowledge of the tools we use and a consistent approach

Digital champions in all areas, digital training for all staff and bespoke to teams through skill gap analysis

July 2026

Why is a priority?

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

How will it be done?

When will it be done by?

Why is a priority?

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

How will it be done?

When will it be done by?

Why is a priority?

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

How will it be done?

When will it be done by?

Policies:

Rather than negotiate policies for updates, provide guidance for managers that covers all aspects of the process for Absence Management, Performance Management and Grievance.

This is linked to the Manager Essential Training and will equip managers with the guidance and the tools needed to support these processes.

Even if the policies are updated there is still a need for process guidance to sit alongside along with the templates and the flowcharts for managers to follow the process.

How will it be done: People Partner team to develop the guidance and templates and flow charts.

Ideally this will sit in the manager hub

When will it be done by: November 2025

A continued focus on health and wellbeing in the workplace is essential because it boosts productivity, reduces absenteeism, supports mental health, and fosters a positive, supportive culture. When employees feel valued and cared for, they’re more engaged, loyal, and motivated—benefiting both individuals and the organization as a whole.

All staff at UoG.

Create a wellbeing programme for the next 12 months which includes activities, events and webinars. Get feedback from staff around what they would like to see as part of the programme.

October 2025.

Why is a priority?

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

How will it be done?

When will it be done by?

Why is a priority?

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

How will it be done?

When will it be done by?

The current change process is unclear and difficult to follow. The existing policy lacks practical guidance for managers, making it ineffective. Clearer, more structured guidance is essential— especially in UoG where we are undergoing frequent change.

All of UoG.

Review of ARP Policy. Look at creating Manager Guidance on change and a training session to complement and support (Manager Essentials). Also a HR guide.

January 2026.

Why is a priority?

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

How will it be done?

When will it be done by?

Why is a priority?

We need to a more controlled approach to simplify the process for our team and school admin team.

• allow for better planning

• help schools understand their expenditure

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

Aim to reduce lot of work through out the year, lots of chasing last minute submission etc

How will it be done?

Leading from People but with the support of School and SOM

When will it be done by?

12 months

Why is a priority?

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

How will it be done?

When will it be done by?

Belonging

Bring inclusion back into the narrative for all staff at the university

It will benefit the university by creating a more inclusive workplace and space for our students.

EDI- committee - more visible leads for schools and departments and having a more operational level that then feeds back to the committee for a overarching strategic approach.

Adding a SMART objective for each member of staff, i.e. it is relevant to the department.

How: Allowing people time to do this in their role to support this for their respective team. Meeting once a term or more regularly.

When: December - dedicated Strategic lead with operation group set up.

We need to ensure our policies are clear, user-friendly, and regularly updated. Currently, they are overly lengthy, vague, and difficult to interpret, which can lead to confusion and inconsistency in application.

Mangers, staff and HR Team will benefit.

It will be done by focusing on top 5 policies e.g. Absence, Maternity, Grievance and Disciplinary

January 2026.

Why is a priority?

Help to understand roles to assist work force planning

To help to develop training

Retention

Recruitment

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

Understand skills set for different skills and cross overs. Help define roles for clarity which will help other/different conversations.

Clear, transparent expectations

Assists with performance management

Confidence in staff

How will it be done?

Engagement with key stakeholders i.e DHOS/AHOS/Head of departments. May the next line down once we have information.

Talking to other sectors - good examples

Seeing similarities we can use across every where

When will it be done by?

12 months - with a phased approach. Project management plan will be key to set milestones to ensure we have the right information and people involved at the right time. Not a People Team only project

To ensure that managers understand our policies and processes and empower them to deal with issues.

Managers, staff and HR team will benefit.

Review of our Manager Essential Training. Introduction of Coaching Conversations. Review of existing managers essentials. Review of delivery - hybrid.

November 2025.

Why is a priority?

• to ensure accurate and up to date information is available

• to reduce queries and frustration

• enable self service

• confidence

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

Everyone - employees, People team, managers

The outcome should be an increase in confidence in the people team and efficiency.

How will it be done?

Team approach - identify the ones that will add most value.

Absence, Annual Leave, ????

Flow charts to help managers work through the process?

Guidance for managers for each process that works alongside the policy. Highlight when People time need to be involved

When will it be done by?

Phased approach - break down into chunks, which ones will add most value/free - 5 policies per quarter

Could measure impact by keeping tally of enquiries after the update?

Why is a priority?

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

How will it be done?

When will it be done by?

Support managers with managing change: need to support our managers more to help support their teams with change. Mental health support for staff is really important at times of change and, given the rate of change at the university, we need to better support managers to manage change within their team.

What it looks like: A Manager Essentials Workshop and Manager guidance with links to templates and clear process flows and also how to support your new team, comms and managing workloads with less people. The process of change is smoother and less fraught for all.

How will it be done: Collaboratively between PPs and Talent Team to develop the workshop and guidance.

When will it be done by: December

StaffNet needs updating. It can be difficult to navigate and challenge to find what is needed.

All UoG staff.

Review of all pages on StaffNet. Establish the issues and plan as a team to remedy.

April 2026.

Why is a priority?

Visibility of workforce data for managers/People Team

Ensuring accuracy

Identifying gaps and inconsistencies

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

Improves confidence

Preparation for any system shift/change

How will it be done?

Using exception report to highlight discrepancies

Cleanse data

When will it be done by?

Ongoing - monthly

Why is a priority?

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

How will it be done?

When will it be done by?

The work that has begun needs to be completed, fully implemented, and reviewed.

Doing so will help new starters feel welcomed, valued, and integrated into the team and wider university community.

This will enhance their overall experience and support retention during the probation period.

Managers, new starters and HR Team will benefit.

We need to finalise and implement the work that has been done already. This new process needs to communicated clearly to all staff.

Onboarding information also to be included in Mangers Essential Training in Probation session.

After this feedback needs to be gathered and actioned/reflected on.

December 2025.

Why is a priority?

Who does it benefit/what's the outcome?

How will it be done?

When will it be done by?