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As defined by our 2020-25 Strategic Plan, the University’s purpose is three-fold:
The aim of the People Strategy is to set out what is important to us in relation to the University's staff.
This articulates the core University values for staff and the priorities for people and organisational development for the University, to support the achievement of the Strategic Plan.
This strategy informs practices, policies and operational plans for all Faculties and Services and for the University as a whole. It is intended to be an enabling strategy, to support and guide all University employees, including all those with responsibility for staff across all Faculties and Services and the Senior Management Team (SMT). This is to help achieve the University’s goals set out in our Strategic Plan and in the other supporting strategies.
The core aim is to deliver the 2020-25 Strategic Plan aims for Supporting Staff:
In this context, 'people' refers to Abertay University employees and workers. It also includes, where appropriate, associates who contribute to the work of the University on a voluntary basis or as part of their professional development, such as Court members, visiting and emeritus academics, postgraduate students and students undertaking work experience.
Abertay's people are the University. Our 2022 staff survey shows that our employees are enthusiastic about their jobs and care passionately about the University. We particularly value our committed and supportive colleagues, the friendly atmosphere, flexible working conditions and supportive line management. Our passion and commitment are demonstrated in the success of our students, our achievements in research and knowledge exchange and external awards and recognition, ranging from success in teaching quality and the Research Excellence Framework to our Race Equality, Athena Swan and Healthy Working Lives awards.
Through our People Strategy we aim to foster the best possible conditions for Abertay staff to develop and thrive and to address the key strategic challenges and opportunities for our people.
Unsurprisingly, given the University's overarching purpose and as a people-oriented organisation, people commitments are woven into our Strategic Plan and other strategies and plans. These include:
This strategy articulates these commitments alongside other objectives, so that the full extent of the People Strategy is visible and integrated.
All the strategies supporting the University’s Strategic Plan - including the Estates, International and Partnerships and Sustainable Development strategies - are interdependent and likely to evolve through experience.
The following statement of our values is based on the extensive feedback from, and discussion with, our staff, managers and governors. It is felt to encapsulate the values that most clearly reflect our culture and aspirations.
We are an inclusive and welcoming professional community. We are caring, innovative and strive for excellence, providing a high-quality environment for our students, our staff and our partners, where collaboration and respect are key, and people are our focus.
We aim to be:
We aim to embed our values in our culture, policies and practices and to develop an ethos of ownership across all staff, Faculties and Services.
All staff have a responsibility to uphold our values individually and as part of the wider University community; and a right to expect to work in an environment where colleagues espouse our values.
Managers at all levels have a core responsibility to lead by example, embodying and upholding our values in their day to day working. We will strive to ensure excellence in our leadership and management of people.
Our staff, students and partners should recognise our values in their interactions with colleagues and the University.
We also aim to develop a culture of good practice and ownership in relation to:
This is so that all staff feel empowered to address issues where they see them and contribute to continuous improvement, to the benefit of the whole University community.
Given the context and feedback, and our values and aspirations for leadership and culture in the University, we have identified five strategic priority themes:
'Change the way we do things to make sure we remain sustainable and that we use our funding to deliver maximum impact.' Abertay University Strategic Plan 2020-25
Recruitment, retention and recognition of talented colleagues to deliver the University’s purpose is seen as an ongoing priority and challenge. This is underpinned by the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and of transparency to ensure fair and inclusive recruitment, resourcing, pay and reward.
We will:
This priority area is also addressed in the RKE Strategy.
'Support our staff to develop as individuals and to have satisfying careers.' Abertay University Strategic Plan 2020-25
L&D is a key theme across all the existing strategies and plans, including in relation to digital, teaching and research skills. We aspire to be known for offering strong support for our employees’ development, including qualifications, work experience, mentoring and leadership.
We will:
This priority area is also addressed throughout the Learning Enhancement Strategy, and in the RKE and Digital strategies.
'We will clearly articulate our expectations and standards to staff...(and) Provide an environment that inspires our staff to be creative and work to their full potential.' Abertay University Strategic Plan 2020-25
Line managers and leaders at all levels have a pivotal role in developing the culture of the University and upholding the University Values. Line managers – particularly Head of Department and professional services managers – are also critical to supporting staff’s professional development, managing workload, ensuring effective business processes and enabling and ensuring high performance by individuals and teams. So, development of professional management and leadership capability and support for managers is a priority.
We will:
Leadership is also addressed in the RKE Strategy.
'We will aim to create a culture which promotes and supports physical and mental health and wellbeing.' Abertay University Strategic Plan 2020-25
Wellbeing, health and safety are a continuing priority in relation to both the University’s corporate responsibility (legal, social and moral) and risk management. They are key to being an excellent employer, underpinning and contributing to employee engagement, performance and organisational resilience – with a positive effect on recruitment, retention, absence-levels and service to students, stakeholders and colleagues.
We will:
Health, safety and wellbeing are also addressed in the Digital strategy.
'We will continue to welcome and support staff from a wide range of backgrounds and personal characteristics in sustaining a fair and inclusive working environment.' Abertay University Strategic Plan 2020-25
EDI is embedded across all the Universities strategies and seen as part of who we are as an organisation. It is a key component of being an excellent employer, providing principles for inclusion and equity in recruitment and the treatment of staff, underpinning employee engagement.
We will:
EDI also features in the Learning Enhancement Strategy, and in the RKE Strategy.