Progress on the 2011 Staff Engagement Survey

You Said ….. you wanted more effective management arrangements including clearer structures and decision making processes.

We Did ….. some big and some small things, all of which have had a positive impact on how we work with each other.

At an institutional level, the restructuring of Professional Services directorates has significantly improved the way support services are organised, and gives greater clarity regarding the way services are provided to Schools. The recently formed Secretary's Board (chaired by the University Secretary and comprising of the Professional Services Directors and Directors of Administration in Schools/ Institutes) has been set up as a single point of communication and decision making across all Professional Services.

As an example of responding to local needs, Governance and Legal Services has worked with School representatives to meet the requirements of the UK Borders Agency.

These improved have been aimed at simplifying processes and providing greater clarity around decision making, particularly those taken at a senior management level. While some progress has been made we recognise that we still have a way to go with some of this work and we're continuing to look at where further improvements can be made. For example, establishing a University-wide Meeting Clerk's network to ensure consistent standards are applied across the University.

As part of our ongoing commitment to staff, the University Executive has recently agreed to undertake a short follow up survey for all staff to gauge satisfaction levels within Heriot-Watt and to help us ensure that we are on the right track. The survey will run from Monday 22nd April to Friday 3rd May and will be anonymous and confidential. It should take no more than five minutes to complete.

We're looking for volunteers to participate in a pilot survey which will run in early April. If you'd be interested in giving us some feedback please contact Organisational.Development@hw.ac.uk