More than half of university spending on staff, HESA data shows
Staff costs make up more than half of the £31.2bn total expenditure of higher education providers, the 2014/15 finance figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency reveal. The figures, which are presented in an interactive dashboard, also show a total income for the sector of £33.2bn
Don’t wait for Godot, start fixing things now
Inspired by the absurdist Samuel Beckett play Waiting for Godot, the University of Sheffield's Rachel McAssey issues a call to arms in her blog; instead of waiting for big change to happen, get some problem solving skills and start making small improvements.
Sandra Heidinger: Measuring up at Strathclyde
With a clutch of awards for its business process improvement work, the University of Strathclyde’s achievements are getting UK-wide recognition. The university’s HR director Sandra Heidinger talks to Rosie Niven about how empowering staff is the key to organisational success.
Academic Career Frameworks: making the change
Bournemouth University’s new career frameworks for academics are the subject of a longitudinal study funded by the Innovation and Transformation Fund. In this blogpost Matthew Bennett highlights some of the learning gathered to date.
Kim Frost: ‘I find human behaviour to be the most fascinating subject’
Attracting and keeping staff in one of the most expensive cities in the world is a challenge. Kim Frost, director of human resources at the University of London, and chair of Universities Human Resources, tells us about how working efficiently can help to meet this challenge.
Eight lessons from the private sector for universities investing in technology-enhanced learning
Universities are increasingly investing in technology-enhanced learning, but education consultant Peter Chatterton writes that to get the maximum benefit from this investment, they should learn from experiences beyond the sector.
HE’s got talent: managing the sector’s workforce
The challenge of sustaining an effective and flexible workforce will be covered by Professor Sir Ian Diamond in his review of efficiency in higher education. Ahead of the launch of Sir Ian’s report, Helen Fairfoul of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) looks at how universities are approaching talent management.
Balancing the needs of managers and planners in a performance planning framework
When the University of Lincoln considered their current performance management processes through the eyes of their academic managers, it provided valuable insights. Liz Lacey explains how blending two different approaches helped to inform a review of the way performance planning is carried out by academic leads.
How Participative Process Reviews can nurture conversations and deliver efficiencies
After taking part in workshops run by the Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development, teams in Oxford Brookes University have changed their practices to make them less complicated, more streamlined and more cost effective. As part of a series of posts by the nine ITF-funded projects, Ian Whiting explains the aims of the Participative Process Review programme.
Service design for universities
Sometimes solutions are under our noses - you just need the right approach to unlock them. In this post, consultant Jean Mutton explains service design, which she says is for anyone who often thinks "there must be a better way".
