Broadcast: News items

Tim Westlake, Chief Operating Officer

Dear colleague,

I was delighted to share the news that the University has achieved Real Living Wage accreditation and will pay the Real Living Wage rate from October. This will benefit our lowest paid staff and provide some further support as we face further cost of living increases. You can take a look at my recent video to hear more on this and also my thoughts on Welcome Week which saw so many PS staff working together to deliver a fantastic experience for our new students.

I also wanted to highlight that the University has announced Dr Dean Machin has been appointed as Chief of Staff and Director of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office. The Chief of Staff is a new role and will co-ordinate the Vice-Chancellor’s Office and provide her with senior advisory support on strategic and complex issues. Dr Machin will also assist the Vice-Chancellor in communicating with, and co-ordinating the University’s leadership team and liaising with the wider University community. In his current role, Dr Machin is adviser to the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Portsmouth. I look forward to welcoming him to Sussex in December.

Below, PS Essentials highlights the key priorities for Professional Services colleagues and recent news and updates which you and your teams may find useful. Please take five minutes to familiarise yourselves with what's happening.

If there is information you would like included in PS Essentials, please submit your request via the online form.

With best wishes,

Tim

Quick links

About you

• Take part in our autumn staff survey – open until 21 October
  
  
• Union Black online antiracism course available including one hour option
  
  
• Save hundreds on your shopping through new staff discounts platform

About Professional Services

• Sussex recognised for spin-out success in Government assessment
  
  
• Library offers Wellbeing Collection of books for staff and students
  
  
• Investing in a Better Sussex: October highlights
  
  
• Records management: How do you reduce unnecessary records?

Coming up

• Research with Impact forum: Quantum technologies at Sussex - 20 October
  
  
• Inclusive Sussex: In Conversation with Dan Gillespie Sells - 1 November
  
  
• Pedagogic Revolution: Co-creation in the curriculum workshop - 16 November

A reminder 

• Counter Fraud e-learning for all staff
  
  
• VC Open Forum highlights
  
  
• All leave requests and absence to be recorded on MyView
  
  

 About you

Take part in our autumn staff survey – open until 21 October

Our second staff pulse survey for 2022 is now live so make sure you take 10 minutes to have your say about working life at Sussex. The University has pledged to contribute £2 for every survey response to the Sussex Fund, so please do take a few minutes to fill in the survey and let us know what you think.

Managed by third-party provider People Insight, the survey is completely confidential. The themes for this survey are leadership, staff development and workload, and every response is important to help shape our institution-wide and divisional action plans. Your unique survey link will have been sent you via email from survey-invite@peopleinsight.co.uk. Contact People Insight at support@peopleinsight.co.uk if you have any questions about your survey link.

Union Black online antiracism course available including one hour option

Following a pilot earlier in 2022, we are offering a further opportunity to enrol in ‘Union Black: Britain's Black cultures and steps to anti-racism’ if you haven’t yet taken part.

Developed by Santander and the Open University, Union Black is an online learning programme is open to both staff and students and supports our ongoing work towards a more inclusive Sussex. It explores antiracism through aspects of Black British history, culture and experience, offering learners from all backgrounds useful tools to make positive change happen.

Available until May 2024 via the Santander Scholarship Platform, learners now have the option of a one-hour introductory version of the course entitled ‘Introducing Union Black’ as well as the full six-hour course. Find out more and enrol.

Save hundreds on your shopping through new staff discounts platform

Reward Gateway, our new staff discount service, offers access to unbeatable discounts at even more brands and retailers, through a great range of instant vouchers, gift cards and cashback options. Retailers include Sainsburys, Tesco and Asda, you could save £260 a year based on a typical supermarket food shop of £100 per week.

Visit our Reward and Benefits webpages to find out more about Reward Gateway, or any of the other rewards and benefits available to Sussex staff. Contact the Reward team at reward@sussex.ac.uk if you have any questions.

About Professional Services

Sussex recognised for spin-out success in Government assessment

The 2022 Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF 2) results were published recently and the University of Sussex has once again performed strongly across a number of metrics. In particular, the University was recognised for the success of its spin-out companies, receiving the top rating of 'very high engagement' for the external investment and turnover of Sussex's research-based businesses, showing the real-world impact of our research in driving innovation.

Sussex’s 115 graduate and academic start-ups, last year enjoyed a combined turnover of £32m – an increase of one and three quarters times the volume of trade compared to only two years ago, when the KEF first started. They now support 470 jobs, providing employment for 150 more people than two years ago. Find out more.

Library offers Wellbeing Collection of books for staff and students

The Library now has a new Wellbeing Collection of print books to support the mental and physical health of our staff and student community. The books are located in their own area on the ground floor where there is lots of natural light, plants and artwork on display, with comfy seating including bean bags and a sofa offering an oasis of calm in a busy building.

Topics such as mindfulness, anxiety, stress relief, relationships, sleep and building happiness are well covered, along with help with physical wellbeing such as cookery and eating well. All books can be borrowed for up to six weeks and a Subject Guide is being developed to accompany the collection.

Investing in a Better Sussex: October highlights

The new term is underway and work is ramping up on a number of the projects which are part of creating a better Sussex. Highlights this month include:

• Student Information System (SIS): The contract with our supplier for the University’s new SIS has now been finalised, enabling us to move ahead into implementation phase.
• Telephony Modernisation (Unified Communications) project: Our network of ‘change champions’ is in place across the University and we’ll be asking for your views on how best to make the most of this new way of working.
• My Sussex (Online Student Support System): We are preparing a programme of training for staff users of the system, and will be sharing more information in the coming weeks.

Read more about these projects and others underway.

Records management: How do you reduce unnecessary records?

Effective records management ensures that the University runs as efficiently as possible and meets its various obligations. Without it, we are not only likely to waste time and resources, but also risk non-compliance with important legislative and regulatory requirements.

The University’s Records Management Policy outlines the importance of records management, highlighting that records should only be kept for as long as they are required. This was put into practice earlier this year when the Health & Safety Team worked with Greg Toth, Senior Information Officer, to tackle paper records within their archives. Take a look at the case study outlining how they successfully freed up storage space and effectively reduced the number of unnecessary records.

Coming up

Research with Impact forum: Quantum technologies at Sussex (20 October)

October's Research with Impact forum, from 2.30pm - 4pm will focus on quantum technologies, a new industry sector that will change the way we work and live. The event, hosted by Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) and UEG member Professor Keith Jones, will feature an overview of quantum technologies and summary of the work at Sussex from Professor Winfried Hensinger.

The keynote will be delivered by Professor Sir Peter Knight, Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board of UK’s National Quantum Technology Programme, who will talk about the National Quantum Technology Programme focusing on how it generates impact and touches upon other sciences. Register now.

Inclusive Sussex: In Conversation with Dan Gillespie Sells (1 November)

The University of Sussex invites you to join the first in a new series of ‘Inclusive Sussex: In Conversation’ events, featuring Dan Gillespie Sells, songwriter and front person of pop band The Feeling and composer of award-winning West End musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. An LGBTQ+ activist, Dan will be talking about "Liberation and Storytelling" in his life and career and will appear on a panel with Sussex staff and students, including Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Culture, Equality and Inclusion) and UEG member, David Ruebain.

The event, which is taking place at the Attenborough Centre from 6pm, is open to staff, students and the wider community, and attendees are also invited to join a drinks reception afterwards from 7.30pm. Booking is essential and you can reserve your place today.

Pedagogic Revolution: Co-creation in the curriculum workshop (16 November)

Co-creation in the curriculum can help empower and engage students, while developing a collaborative environment that reflects the diversity of the learning community. All staff interested in student co-creation are encouraged to join the workshop, from 1pm – 4pm in the Open Space Learning Room in the Library. The session, which explores co-creation in theory and in practice, will also showcase co-creation from across the University, with students and staff speaking about a range of projects.

For those who cannot attend face-to-face, the presentations from this workshop will be recorded and shared after the event via the Educational Enhancement webpages. Find out more about the workshop.

A reminder

Counter Fraud e-learning for all staff

You are asked to take 20 minutes to complete the University’s updated ‘Introduction to Counter Fraud’ e-learning which raises awareness of what fraud can look like within a university and helps reduce the risk of dishonest practices and loss in our community.

The ongoing Police investigation at the University of Brighton demonstrates that fraud is not just a hypothetical risk. It is very important that we all remain vigilant and meet our shared responsibilities for keeping the University's property secure.

You can access the e-learning on the OD webpages and if you have any problems with this, please contact the OD team at: od@sussex.ac.uk. As a reminder, you can view the University raising concerns process and advice on cyber security.  

VC Open Forum highlights

Our new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Roseneil, held her first Open Forum on Tuesday 4 October. More than 450 staff joined Sasha for the event, either in person or live on Zoom, and Professor Robin Banerjee, Head of the School of Psychology, was our host for the afternoon. You can read an overview of the event including key themes and discussion points, and view a gallery of photos.

All leave requests and absence to be recorded on MyView

Please ensure you are now using MyView to record all holiday, sickness, paid, and unpaid leave if you have not already been doing so. Take a few minutes to log into MyView and familiarise yourself with the new system, and read the guidance webpages for some key tips and information on how to use MyView.

HR is no longer accepting HR sickness absence forms. All staff should now record their absence in MyView and this information will automatically be available to Payroll.

If you have any further queries regarding MyView, please contact the HR Systems Team at: hrsystems@sussex.ac.uk.