The UHR Chair writes...
...expecting the unexpected  As we approach the end of the academic year, I find myself reflecting on how often we have been surprised by events over the last 12 months or so. The Brexit vote last June caught many of us by surprise and who would have thought that a multi-millionaire business man with no conventional political experience would be sitting in the White House, or that Theresa May would go to the country in a snap election and end up with a reduced majority vote. At last month's UHR conference in Newcastle, almost every keynote or workshop session which I attended covered uncertainty and managing change in some form or another. I was particularly struck by Matthew Elliot’s reminder that, based on his experience of bringing together Northern Rock and Virgin Money, the complexities of a transformational change journey often mean that we cannot plan ahead for every eventuality-sometimes you just have to start making changes and hurdle the obstacles as you discover them! In today's world, perhaps the only certainties are that we will continue to be surprised and that change is inevitable. As HR practitioners, we have to be ready to support our sector in adapting to change and in dealing with surprises. There will be plenty more to come! And on change, I'd like to thank a number of colleagues who are leaving the UHR Executive. Kim Frost leaves us having made a truly outstanding contribution over many years. Sue Chambers will step down as Vice Chair and Kath Clarke, Mairi Stewart, Andy Dodman and Gavin Wright have also left us. Thanks are due to all of them for supporting UHR in so many ways. We welcome Paul Boustead and Dean Morley as Vice Chairs and Pete Gibbs will also join the Exec. I am so thankful for the huge contribution which the executive members make to UHR. Finally, our recent AGM determined that UHR should operate through PHES (Professional Higher Education Services), an umbrella body for HE membership organisations. This brings many advantages to UHR and further information on PHES will be provided shortly. Sandra Heidinger,UHR Chair & Director of Human Resources,University of Strathclyde |
UHR Annual ConferenceThe UHR annual conference in Newcastle was the biggest and busiest yet, with the provocative and topical question as its theme, ‘All things to all people: what are universities for?’ We had a stimulating range of workshops, discussions and speakers, including Gareth Jones, Matt Elliott, People Director at Virgin Money, Professor Janet Beer, President-elect of Universities UK, and finishing on an inspirational note with Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who summed up what universities are for; “education gives you choices” that enable individuals to achieve their potential.
There are slides from presentations on the website, and there’s video of plenaries, conference highlights, and much more to view, whether you missed it all and want to see what happened, or found there was so much to take in first time round that it needs a second look. There are also quick interviews with Gareth Jones, Matt Elliott and others via our UHR Soundcloud account.
We’ll be in Bristol, 22 – 25 May 2018, for the next conference, and we’ll be opening for early bird bookings in September. |
UHR 2017 AwardsCongratulations to all our winners and runners up for the 2017 UHR awards for excellence in HR in higher education. Four awards were presented at the gala dinner. We’re publishing a newsletter featuring these, but here’s a summary.
Business Effectiveness through Innovation Learning & Organisational DevelopmentEquality and DiversityExceptional HRYou can read more about them and see video highlights here.
A showcasing event featuring winners and runners up is planned for Wednesday 7 February 2018 in London – save the date! |
CUPA bursary winner In February this year, UHR advertised a development opportunity for an HR professional in mid-career, to attend the annual CUPA-HR conference, this year in San Diego, California, from 16th to 18th September. This opportunity included UHR funding to attend the conference as well as further support to visit a local university. Here the recipient, Sophie Harris writes about her plans. I was absolutely thrilled to be awarded the bursary and excited about the many opportunities that the visit offers. The CUPA conference itself provides an excellent opportunity to meet colleagues in a different political and policy context, understand their challenges and learn from their good practice. I have structured a study visit to fit around the dates of the conference, and am planning visits to a number of institutions on both the east and west coasts. Like many HEIs, SOAS is committed to improving female representation in the senior academic grades. During my visit, I am seeking to explore: - How institutions in the US enable women to overcome barriers to achieve tenure and then full professor status;
- The similarities and differences in female progression compared to the UK;
- What we can learn from the approaches being taken in the US to tackle gender disparities.
My hope is that the findings from this visit can not only used to inform future approaches at my institution to female academic progression but would also be of wider relevance and interest to the sector. In the context of the increased political and media focus on gender pay and gender inequality in general, the new gender pay gap reporting requirements, and Trade Union focus on the gender pay gap, this seems to be a particularly relevant topic for further exploration. I would be really interested in discussing with colleagues who also have an interest or are already doing work in this area, and am really happy to talk to anyone who has questions about the visit or bursary more generally. I am contactable at sh119@soas.ac.uk or 00 44 (0)20 7898 4780, or you can visit my LinkedIn profile. A short You Tube video covering the various CPD opportunities offered by UHR, including the CUPA bursary is available to watch. For more details about CUPA-HR and its conference, visit www.cupahr.org. |
More members are signing up to CPD – are you?The Emerging Leaders’ Programme, delivered by Roffey Park has proved very popular with Deputy HR Directors and was fully booked within a matter of weeks. Delegates have just completed their first module and are heading into ‘action learning’ over the Summer. The new workshops launched this year have also received positive feedback, notably the Psychology of Managing Performance, Workforce Planning and HR at the Centre of the Business, so look out for repeats next year. Favourites still to come for the Autumn: 7 September: Delivering Transformational Change in Edinburgh (£170) 12 September: Delivering HR Service Excellence in London for HR Administrators (free) 26 September: HR Consultancy Skills in London (£170) And if you are an HR Director or Deputy, don’t miss out on a new mini-conference being held in London on 15 September ‘HR under Pressure’ which brings leaders from higher education and the healthcare sector together to talk about delivering value in times of tightening budgets. This event is free to members. The Power of the RegionsOne of UHR’s aims has been to bring more CPD to the regions for ease of access to development, and the regional Chairs and CPD Coordinators are keen to deliver what you need. There have been some great examples in several regions where a university has agreed to host a workshop and attracted sufficient interest from other universities nearby to make it a success. So, if you have identified a compelling need that you think will resonate with others in the region, do contact cpd@uhr.ac.uk and your suggestion will be forwarded to the relevant coordinator. And don’t forget that any of UHR’s existing workshops can be run ‘in-region’ if there’s sufficient demand. |
CPD pop-up shop and wish wall Many thanks to everyone who attended the Conference and contributed their ‘wishes’ for next year’s CPD programme. We had over 60 contributions and it looks like the most popular topics related to mental health, talent acquisition, TEF, staff engagement, influencing skills, TUPE, HR metrics, new technology, and organisational design & development. These are likely to feature next year, either through workshops, topics at regional professional network groups, or via webinars. There also seems to be a growing need for those early in their HR career who are starting to work with a ‘client base’ to develop their business partnering skills, so this could be another focus for 2018. Keep an eye on future newsletters for details.
UHR's CPD activities are captured in UHR's latest video which highlights some of what we do, including mentoring, the CUPA bursary, and events.
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UHR North West past and future…Outgoing UHR NW Chair Paul Boustead (Lancaster) writes…
After returning to the sector in 2014 I’ve chaired UHR North West since last October. A highlight was chairing the recent conference for HR Directors, HR Business Partners and other senior HR practitioners. Financial support from UHR enabled 13 institutions to send good numbers of their teams. It was the first time I can recall the UHR NW holding an event like this and the excitement and “buzz” within the room was palpable. It was truly representative of the positive and collegial approach being taken by the North West HR HE community: a real UHR strength. There were times that as Chair (and without the benefit of a microphone) I was unable to pull back together for the plenaries due to the amount of networking and sharing of practice that was going on. We heard from Professor Caroline Parker on the work Glasgow Caledonian have been doing on culture values - a highly topical debate for any HR or OD practitioner; and from Professor Ken Badcock, PVC at Liverpool, on the strategic HR challenges he was expecting us to rise to – very scary and yet exciting!
I think this quote from one of the feedback forms sums it up for me:
“It was such a great opportunity to meet colleagues from other local institutions to share common issues, practices and approaches. This led to getting a better understanding of the sector and reassurance that we are not on our own”
We have also recently held a successful CIPD-facilitated UHR event on Workforce Planning at Cumbria.
For those members of the UHR community who haven’t yet engaged in what is a very comprehensive and significantly subsidised CPD programme I would encourage you to do so and get in touch with your local UHR CPD coordinator.
Now over to incoming UHR NW Chair Andy Catterall (Liverpool Hope)…
I am delighted to take this role, and thanks to the quality of my predecessors, we have a vibrant and innovative group. I intend to keep the direction of travel set by Paul in what will clearly be some interesting times for the sector and the HR profession.
The continued uncertainty of the political landscape will remain a dominant factor in our thoughts, discussions and actions. Nationally distinct different political perspectives of how the university sector should operate have emerged in individual manifestos. However, this is set against a backdrop of the progress of the Higher Education and Research Act. The impact of this on the shape and structure of different individual HEI’s to effectively meet the challenges will raise common and discrete issues for HR. Future agendas and activities of the group will focus around these challenges.
Running alongside this is the small matter of Brexit and its impact upon our current and potential employees. Again, the procedural and cultural impacts of this journey are likely to be high on the agenda of the group. Closer to home, the development of the Northern Powerhouse will offer various opportunities for institutions including those engaged in the N8 Research Partnership; and the Stern Review consultation outcomes and full guidance will certainly occupy thoughts in the next academic year. Continuing to respond positively in pushing the equality agenda will be a particular high-level area of priority for us, seeing how we can learn from each other and share best practice.
We’ll continue to support both the work of the Deputies Group, led by Lynne Butler (UCLAN) and local and national UHR CPD offerings for HR colleagues.
What is clear is that against this background of change, the profession will be required to play a pivotal role in enabling successful transition. Whilst individually we will adapt differently, I envisage that the collective strength and collaborative ethos of the group will continue to support us all in addressing these challenges. |
News beyond UHRUHR was delighted to see an MBE awarded to Veryan Johnston, former UHR Chair, in the recent Queen’s Birthday Honours list, for services to higher education. You can read about it here. It's great news for Veryan, and for HR in HE, as was the OBE for Nona McDuff, TEF Panel Member, and Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Kingston University. It was also good to see several university HR teams announced as finalists for this year’s CIPD People Management Awards, (to be presented on Tuesday 26 September). Congratulations to St Andrews (Best digital initiative in HR/L&D and Best health and well-being initiative), Bradford (Best diversity and inclusion initiative), Lancaster University (Best international HR initiative) and City, University of London (Best L&D initiative - public/third sector). Paul Boustead from Lancaster tells more about their shortlisted entry here.
UHR joins PHES
In August, UHR will become part of Professional Higher Education Services Ltd (PHES). PHES is an ‘umbrella’ company for HE membership organisations, currently comprising the British Universities Finance Directors’ Group (BUFDG), the Higher Education Strategic Planners’ Association (HESPA) and the Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE), each of which is a ‘Special Interest Organisation’ (SIO) within PHES. Back to top  |
UHR ExecutiveThe Executive met in May and June, and there’s a summary of topics discussed in the members’ area of the UHR website. If you want to know more, do get in touch via the contacts at the end of this newsletter or visit www.uhr.ac.uk which is a good place to find lots more information. We’re continuing to improve UHR’s internal and external communications, using website, Twitter and other platforms, and especially around the conference and the awards. UHR’s website will be redesigned in the autumn, to make it more user-friendly and improve functionality. Email us if you have suggestions. UHR is involved in a variety of external activities and projects, and you can find out more about the leads for these at www.uhr.ac.uk . If you log into www.uhr.ac.uk and visit the website you’ll be able to find out more information about who does what for UHR. On the Executive, Andrea Thompson, Southampton Solent, becomes UHR South Chair, (replacing Gavin Wright); Andy Catterall, Liverpool Hope, takes over as UHR NW Chair (replacing Paul Boustead, who became UHR Vice Chair with effect from 24 June) and Joanne Marshall, Bradford joins as UHR NE Chair (replacing Andy Dodman). Pete Gibbs has also replaced Kath Clark as an elected member. Future Executive meetings are planned for 5 October, and in 2018 for 8 February and 22 May. |
Starters and leaversWe are pleased to welcome and congratulate the following colleagues taking over lead HR roles. Congratulations to Sheila Gupta, Siobhan Campbell, and Andy Lamb, confirmed in the HR Director roles at Sussex, Huddersfield and Goldsmiths, respectively; to Rachel Adams, promoted at Keele; and to Louise Edwards-Hollands (Assistant HR Director at Newcastle), taking over at Salford and Tracy Hulme (Deputy HR Director at Bradford) at Wolverhampton. Welcome to Simon Stone, covering the interim HR Director role at Kingston. Other HR Directors coming into new roles include Joss Ivory at York, Charlotte Croffie at Birkbeck (from a senior role at UCL), and Marion Fanthorpe at Anglia Ruskin(having previously covered an interim role at Kent). We wish the best for the future, and thank them for long and strong support for UHR and its work, to Denise Thorpe and Guy Gregory, retiring from Anglia Ruskin and Bristol respectively, between them having clocked up nearly 80 years in HE HR! It’s also goodbye to Naomi Holloway and Lesley Houfe (leaving the interim roles at Birkbeck and Salford, respectively), Gavin Wright (Brighton, where Jo Hird is acting up before Julie Fryatt starts as HR Director), Adam Bowles (MMU), Claire Appleby (Keele) and Janice Donaldson (Southampton), where Anne-Marie Ciarlegio becomes Executive Director of Human Resources, with Sarah Hollowbread as Director of HR Service Delivery.
It’s good to see a mix of promotions and transfers within HE, with the ‘talent pipeline’ flowing, and a healthy infusion of new people from outside the sector with all the fresh thinking they bring. |
Legal Update: What will the General Data Protection Regulation mean for HR leaders?This term's legal update is courtesy of Mark Leach and Susan Matthews of Weightmans, and it's all about the new, tougher data protection regime, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), will come into effect on 25 May 2018. Why should the GDPR land in HR’s in-tray - surely data protection is the domain of Information Systems as the technical experts who monitor your systems? GDPR is based on the principle of accountability and the new rules implement changes which will directly impact on the every day work of HR practitioners. As HR leaders you will want to ensure your data management is compliant. Poor data security leading to public exposure of sensitive personal information, could result in a hefty fine (potentially, up to €20m or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher) and reputational damage with wide-ranging implications.
Your University will certainly have an action plan to prepare for GDPR. HR’s concerns relating to employee data may be very different to departments managing the University’s interface with students and the wider community.
This article highlights some important changes that should be on your HR team’s radar. We start with a quick reminder of Data Protection terminology and conclude with actions HR leaders can consider as part of your preparations, and include a handy Action List which should help to guide you through the process:
DPA Refresher
There are three key terms in Data Protection: data subjects, data controllers, and data processors. For example, a University is a data controller with respect to the students or employees about whom it has personal information. The students and employees are the data subjects in this context: natural persons whose personal data is being processed by the data controller. An example of a data processor would be a third party to whom payroll operations are outsourced by the University employer in its capacity as a data controller.)
Will you rely on consent or legal justification?
The GDPR will set a higher standard for consent to process personal data. It will require consent to be ‘freely given, specific, informed, and clearly indicated by a statement of affirmative action’. The new definition includes a requirement that consent is “unambiguous”. If consent is given through a written declaration it must be clearly distinguishable from other matters and easy to understand. This is a more dynamic approach to consent. It becomes organic, ongoing, and requiring active management not simply a one-off tick box approach.
This means that the standard ‘consent to process data’ clause that features in most employment contracts is unlikely to be sufficient after the GDPR comes into force. Also take care if you rely on pre-ticked boxes or other similar ‘opt-out’ approaches to obtaining consent. For consent to be a lawful reason for data processing under the GDPR, the individual must make an informed choice and ‘opt-in’. Actions 1-4.
However, importantly, according to guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), it will be particularly difficult under the GDPR for employers to rely on consent as the basis for processing. This is because there is an imbalance of power in the relationship between the individual and the organisation that controls the data, so consent will not be ‘freely given’. Action 5.
For example, you could argue that it is necessary to process the data to fulfil your obligations under the employment contract. In reality this may be closer to the true situation, as most employers would need to continue processing employee data to some extent even if the employee had not given consent. It is better to choose the lawful basis that best reflects the purpose of the processing rather than relying on “consent” a default across all instances of processing; e.g. payroll would be a legal justification because it is required under the contract; occupational health referral will require consent. Action 6.
Crucially, you will need to provide employees and applicants with a statement explaining the reason on which you have chosen to rely and exactly why you think it applies.
Click here to read the rest of this article
M ark Leach is Partner and Susan Matthews is Associate in the Employment, Pensions and Immigration team at national law firm Weightmans LLP. Please contact to discuss any of the issues above. |
North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium has news about procuring services for HRNEUPC’s Debbie Shore writes,
“Working collaboratively with the other HE consortia, NEUPC now has a wide range of procurement frameworks which may be of interest to HR staff.
These include the Executive Recruitment, Legal Services, Global Mobility Services frameworks and a new training framework due to be awarded in August 2017. Each framework covers a range of services, split into distinct categories, each with a top ranked supplier that can be offered work on a ‘direct award’ basis, or with the option to run a mini-competition to drive further cost savings. Using these frameworks will not only save you money (as the pricing structure is agreed as part of the tender award process), but also time and resource, whilst knowing that the frameworks and the suppliers covered are EU compliant. Some offer regional allocations, allowing a range of SMEs and larger suppliers, depending on requirements. For more information on these frameworks, visit www.neupc.ac.uk or speak to your institution’s Procurement Team.” |
Reinventing the Appraisal and a Maturity Model for HR Bob Walder writes about what SUMS has been doing to assess the maturity of the HR function, evolving new approaches to performance appraisal and an 'HR Maturity Model'.
Read this article on the UHR website here.
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UHR contactsChair
Sandra Heidinger, University of Strathclyde
Vice Chairs
Sue Chambers, Aberystwyth University (until 30 September 2017)
Dean Morley, Royal College of Art (from 1 October 2017)
Paul Boustead, Lancaster University
Treasurer
Alex Killick, Glasgow Caledonian University
Secretary
Margaret Ayers, Queen Mary, University of London
Executive Officer
Helen Scott, UHR
CPD Coordinator
Lesley Broughton
Administrative, event bookings, finance and mailbase
admin@uhr.ac.uk
Web services
web@uhr.ac.uk
A full list of Executive committee members and of activities and projects in which UHR is involved is available on the UHR website. |
01 July 2017 
Helen Scott, Executive Director
