Heads of divisions, offices and units are responsible for deciding how to organise the return in their particular group. Their decisions will be guided by operational needs and the nature of the tasks, and by dialogue with the members of staff concerned.
Now, in February, the University Administration’s management team has received the results of the survey on returning to the workplace that the employee organisations have carried out. It was encouraging to note that most of the respondents think the return has gone quite all right. But naturally, many of the responses give me and the management team plenty of food for thought. There are comments on the management of the pandemic, decisions that were unclear, and differences between divisions that have felt unfair. In addition, there is some concern that our premises are not suited to the demand for virtual meetings.
I fully understand that staff in the Administration would have liked more dialogue. Having said that, I am sure that our managers, at every level, have done their utmost to meet both operational and staff needs. It has not been easy to strike a balance and as everyone is aware, the last two years have often brought abrupt changes and needs for measures in response to both tougher and milder recommendations and restrictions. However, I am convinced that all members of staff in the University Administration have together done their best to solve the challenges that have arisen during the pandemic so as to provide research and education with the best possible support.
Certainly, as a management team we will have to reflect on ways of putting across our message more clearly and more consistently, and no doubt, in some cases, more sensitively. And of course we will learn from the new ways of working that the pandemic has involved.
I recently adopted a plan for my own and the Administration’s internal communications. The monthly columns I have been writing since December are part of this. I will return both to the communications plan and to the revised rules of procedure in my March column. Both these documents provide support for improving clarity and communications.
The new year sees the start of a number of exciting projects. The review or development of areas such as our support for university teaching and learning, alumni relations, management of research data, information security, etc., will help to strengthen our organisation and increase clarity and quality. We will also continue to focus on our strategic priorities: knowledge and confidence, digitalisation, and quality enhancement. Besides all this, it is pleasing to note that the system of internal audits has taken shape and has already yielded results.
Personally, I particularly look forward to visiting all the divisions in the Administration. This is something I started to do in February two years ago but had to interrupt because of the pandemic. Some things are best done in person. I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone!
Caroline Sjöberg
University Director