I manage a large team of approximately 100 staff mainly made up of domestic and portering staff. This service covers 7 days a week from 0600hrs each day – staff who work behind the scenes, I think it is important that these staff feel included as they play a vital role in keeping the University running. Inclusivity, to me, means making sure everyone feels respected, valued and treated fairly – no matter of their role, background or shift. My Team come from all different backgrounds, cultures and experiences. We treat each other with respect, listen to one another and make sure no one feels left out or overlooked.

I make time to get to know my staff by being part of the interviews or meeting them as part of their induction. At induction, I like to set clear expectations that everyone is treated with dignity, regardless of background, role, or identity. It is important that we understand the staff rather than treating everyone the same. Some staff need more guidance, others prefer independence. We recently offered the team and opportunity to work a term time only contract. This was to support work life balance, and several staff took us up on the opportunity.

I treat all staff with respect and communicate honestly with them, even when some conversations can be difficult. I like to think that this will build trust. I have always tried to be open and transparent treating my team equally and listening to them. I would like to think that the team find me approachable and are comfortable raising any concerns with me. I don’t always have the answers, but I am happy to be honest about that and follow up once I’ve found out.

Staff are given a variety of ways to communicate with me and the rest of the management team where we invite views and listen to them. I carry out small group meetings twice a year, I speak to staff during their shifts to see what is working well and what could be improved. During Team meetings staff are given the opportunity to feedback. I respond respectfully even if I can’t act on every suggestion and try to explain why we can’t do certain things and why we must do other things. The staff are offered to attend a monthly wellbeing session where they can interact with each other. This allows them to get to know each other and chat about work and life. We also have a dedicated email address where staff can ask questions and give feedback. We have also recently been sending out polls via email, which has been successful.