Staff Forum
We will become a true listening organisation
Employees who feel listened to are more likely to care more. Employees who care more will provide a better experience to our students. This pledge to put out people at the heart of what we do is central to our People First Strategy at Queen’s.
Employees responding to the 2016 Staff Survey told us that they wanted more opportunities to make their voices heard. In response, the Staff Forum was established in June 2018. Made up of representatives from each School, Directorate and GRI from across Queen's, this group represents all of our people and provides the opportunity for everyone working here to share their views on the various ‘touchpoints’ that matter to our staff and make a real difference to their experience working here.
The Forum provides us with an opportunity to engage with our staff through their representative, gathering their feedback and listening to their suggestions for positive change. This enables us to co-create solutions that help shape and design a more positive Employee Experience which meets both the needs of the employees and the University. Since it's inception in 2018, the Forum has been instrumental in gathering the feedback that has shaped the Appraisal review, launch of PDR and Academic Progression, and informed the work of the Professional Services Career Progression Working Group. Forum members also worked to support the 2019 Staff Survey and gathered the feedback required to help create the Survey Institutional Action Plan.
The short video below provides further information about the work of the Forum to date, and you can view your representative or read more about the Forum below.
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Staff Forum Representatives
Please see below Queen’s University Belfast Staff Forum Representatives, by area. If you wish to engage with the Staff Forum as a group, please email staffforum@qub.ac.uk, in the first instance.
Name Area Professor Ian Greer Vice-Chancellor and Forum Chair Joanne Clague Registrar and Chief Operating Officer and Forum Co-Chair Laura Lynch Head of Organisational Development, People and Culture Fiona O'Connell Staff Engagement Manager, People and Culture Claire McLoughlin Faculty Office, AHSS Aine Maxwell Institute of Professional and Legal Studies Dr Michael Isichei Queen’s University Management School Dr Philip McGowan Schools of Arts, English and Languages Susan Templeton School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics Trisha Forbes School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work Shelby Hanna Faculty Office, EPS Darren Baskerville School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Allister Lee School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Professor Francis Keenan School of Maths and Physics Olwyn Dawson School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dr Tristan Strum School of Natural and Built Environment Patricia Murphy School of Psychology Dr Alice Dubois Faculty Office, MHLS Michael Hills Institute for Global Food Security Professor Bronagh Blackwood Institute for Health Sciences Gillian Riddell School of Biological Sciences Dr Declan McLaughlin School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences Lynne Marsh School of Nursing and Midwifery Dr Paul McCague School of Pharmacy Natasha Sharma Development and Alumni Relations Nick Bohill Academic and Student Affairs Hugh Lewsley Estates Michael Stevenson Finance Ayman Zagloul People and Culture Sally Bridge Information Services Dr Kathryn Boyd MRCI Laura Vannucci Registrar’s Office Colin Walsh Research and Enterprise Richard Robinson Student Plus Pauline Allen Vice-Chancellor’s Office Dr Lauren Dempster School of Law John McCann Estates Office - Staff Forum 2020 Meetings
Meeting One
The fifth meeting of the Staff Forum took place on 23 January 2020. The meeting was co-chaired by the VC and President, Professor Ian Greer and the Registrar and Chief Operating Officer, Jo Clague.
The meeting focused on Institutional Action Four - Build on our Core Values ICARE, and articulate the types of behaviours that staff should and should not demonstrate to create a positive work environment.
The Staff Forum is leading on this activity and discussed appropriate and inappropriate behaviours, as well as how the values can be translated into practice. The meeting provided an opportunity for Forum representatives to develop behaviours based on our Core Values.
Representatives agreed at the meeting to seek views from colleagues to contribute to this important work and will engage with colleagues over the coming weeks to advise how they can play their part in this activity.
We reflected on advice from Staff Forum representatives that it was important for staff to see the progress and the impact of their feedback before commencing the next feedback exercise. An all Staff Email was issued to staff on 4 February 2020 setting out the progress of the institutional actions and the important role that the Staff Forum plays in supporting this activity.
Meeting Two
Due to COVID-19, it was agreed that the second meeting of the Staff Forum would not take place on 23 April 2020 as the Forum would not have been able to complete the planned work of the Values and Behaviours Staff Survey action, within the agreed time-frame. Therefore this meeting was cancelled.
Meeting Three
The Staff Forum met on 24 June 2020, chaired by the Registrar and Chief Operating Officer, Jo Clague. The Registrar gave a general overview highlighting the move from major incident mode to recovery.
A Check-In poll was completed by Staff Forum members to check the impact of COVID-19. The poll covered three areas: health and wellbeing, communications and connection and the feedback was broadly positive.
Members were updated on the progress of Staff Survey actions and activity of the Workload Allocation and the Flexible Working Practices Working Groups.
Staff Forum representatives discussed the Values and Behaviours Staff Survey action which is being led by the Forum. Progress had been paused due to the pandemic. The Staff Forum members were keen that this work was taken forward virtually. Details on how to participate in this activity will be communicated to staff through Forum representatives and in the Round Up over the coming weeks.
The next Forum meeting will take on 21 October 2020.
