OTM-R Checklist

HRS4R

October 2018

TEMPLATE 3 – OTM-R Checklist

Case number: 2018CZ330726

Name Organisation under review: Mendel University in Brno (MENDELU)

Organisation’s contact details: olga.korvasova@mendelu.cz

SUBMISSION DATE: OCTOBER 5, 2018

DATE ENDORSEMENT CHARTER AND CODE: October 6, 2017

OTM-R Checklist

A specific self-assessment checklist is provided for Open, Transparent and Merit-Based Recruitment (OTM-R). Please report on the status of

achievement, also detail on the indicators and the form of measurement used.

OTM-R checklist for organisations

Open Trans-parent

Merit-based

Answer: ++ Yes, completely +/-Yes, substantially -/+ Yes, partially -- No

*Suggested indicators (or form of measurement)

OTM-R system

1. Have we published a version of our OTM-R policy online (in the national language and in English)?

x x x -- Note on current state: MENDELU has the Rules of Selection Procedure for the occupation of job positions at Mendel University in Brno for academic and non-academic staff, which, however, does not fully correspond to the OTM-R policy according to the Charter and Code (C & C). OTM-R policy as such has not yet been created. Suggested indicators:

1. Creation of OTM-R policy in accordance with C & C either by way of a new internal regulation or revision of the Rules of Selection Procedure.

Target: Full implementation of new OTM-R policy at MENDELU.

2. Do we have an internal guide setting out clear OTM-R procedures and practices for all types of positions?

x x x -- Note on current state: Not created yet. Suggested indicators: 1. Establishing or adapting OTM-R guide reflecting

specifics of all R1-R4 research positions. Specifics: clearness, coverage of the complete RP, chronological order of procedures and principles, developed in accordance with C & C.

Target: Existence of concise internal OTM-R guide at MENDELU.

3. Is everyone involved in the process sufficiently trained in the area of OTM-R?

x x x -- Note on current state: No training is currently provided for those involved in the RP at MENDELU. Suggested indicators: 1. Developing the procedure for OTM-R general

“awareness raising” within MENDELU. Specifics: awareness raising with respect to OTM-R guide at MENDELU.

2. Developing training program for OTM-R Specifics: identification/definition of RP “involved” people, extra training for those involved in RP to be held in English.

3. Number of staff following training in OTM-R. Target: Very good OTM-R principles and procedures general awareness within MENDELU, directly involved staff well-OTM-R trained.

4. Do we make (sufficient) use of e-recruitment tools?

x x -/+ Note on current state: All vacancies are freely available at the MENDELU website. The candidate can go through the initial RP stages through e-mail. However, personal presence

of the candidate at the interview is obligatory at the University. However, complete e-recruitment (including appointments) is not common to use. Suggested indicators: 1. Analysis of e-recruitment compliance with

Czech legislation. 2. Report on readiness of IS/IT capacities at

MENDELU to establish e-recruitment. 3. The theoretical concept of introducing e-

recruitment at MENDELU in line with good practice at other universities (e.g. University of Fribourg). Specifics: only process if the result of indicator 1 is positive.

Target: Successfully finished preparation phase of e-recruitment.

5. Do we have a quality control system for OTM-R in place?

x x x -- Note on current state: The OTM-R quality control system has not been yet in place and is therefore not a part of the existing quality management system at MENDELU. Suggested indicators: 1. Template for internal reporting on the whole

RP. Specifications: concise, including all key information, the responsible person for each part of the RP is identified.

Target: Establishing an OTM-R quality control mechanism as part of the quality system at MENDELU. Internal supervision of the RP provided by filling and control of templates for internal reporting for each RP. Additionally, the external evaluation will take place, primarily by external evaluation process within HRS4R.

6. Does our current OTM-R policy encourage external candidates to apply?

x x x +/- Note on current state:

Selection procedures for academic staff are always public and available to all candidates at the University website; external candidates commonly apply for the positions posted, but MENDELU does not keep the statistics of external candidates. The proportion of external candidates can be increased by advertising the positions on a larger number of suitable web platforms. Suggested indicators: 1. Year-on-year trend of the increase in the share

of external candidates. Target: Improving openness of the RP for external applicants.

7. Is our current OTM-R policy in line with policies to attract researchers from abroad?

x x x -/+ Note on current state: Candidates from abroad do not have the same access to the MENDELU website as the candidates from the Czech Republic, as the MENDELU website does not have a full-fledged English version. Advertised positions are almost exclusively in the Czech language. Suggested indicators 1. Number of annualy published positions in

English. 2. Number of published documents from the

Official Board concerning recruitment of staff at MENDELU in English.

3. Trend in the share of applicants from abroad. Target: Considerably improve the openness and visibility of MENDELU for applicants from abroad by the end of 2020.

8. Is our current OTM-R policy in line with policies to attract underrepresented groups?

x x x ++ Note on current state: No group of people is discriminated against; women and any other groups of people who may be discriminated against (because of their ethnicity, age, etc.) have equal conditions in the selection procedure. The MENDELU does not keep statistics

of applicants by their gender, ethnicity, age or nationality. MENDELU intends to place primary emphasis on equal opportunities; the space for self-improvement is seen especially outside the recruitment process, after the scientists start working, in the area of growth, working conditions and mobility.

9. Is our current OTM-R policy in line with policies to provide attractive working conditions for researchers?

x x x +/- Note on current state: Working conditions at MENDELU are comparable to similar research institutions. Reserves can be seen in the ability to communicate these conditions to applicants. All published positions contain job conditions and benefits in the advertisement, no salary is stated; it is not a rule to state a type of contract. MENDELU currently does not make optimal use of the possibility of presenting the attractiveness of working conditions to potential applicants. http://orlz.mendelu.cz/en/survey-results Suggested indicators: 1. Strategy for MENDELU employer branding. Target: Improving the communication on attractive working conditions at MENDELU as part of the whole concept of employer branding. This will be the unified and key tool to improve visibility, communicate our attractiveness and attract external candidates.

10. Do we have means to monitor whether the most suitable researchers apply?

+/- Note on current state: At present, the selection committee appointed from the ranks of relevant internal experts, HR department representatives and the senate representative is responsible for the selection of the most suitable candidates. The decisive element is the agreement of the selection committee. The selection process is evidenced by the record of the selection procedure; however, it does not have a

fixed format and may not necessarily imply rationale for selecting a particular candidate. Suggested indicators: 1. Template for OTM-R compliant recruitment

process (RP) report. Target: RP transparency improvement.

Advertising and application phase

11. Do we have clear guidelines or templates (e.g., EURAXESS) for advertising positions?

x x -/+ Note on current state: Templates exist only for the MENDELU website, but are not uniformly adhered to; up to now, there has been very rare publication on EURAXESS or other platforms in English. MENDELU has not set a uniform form or a OTM-R compliant content for advertising positions. Suggested indicators: 1. New OTM-R template for advertising positions

Specifics: concise, in line with C & C, possibly including web links for more details on-line, English mutation.

Target: Unified and general OTM-R compliant advertisement template for the whole University.

12. Do we include in the job advertisement references/links to all the elements foreseen in the relevant section of the toolkit?

x x -/+ Note on current state: In the advertisements, we provide the required information except for the salary, type of contract, professional development opportunities and career development prospects. There is no reference to equal opportunities policy or OTM-R policy either. Suggested indicators 1. A new OTM-R template for position

advertisements. Specifics: the same indicator as in point 11 above; the structure as much as possible respecting the structure recommended in the OTM-R toolkit, the Advertising the post section.

Target:

To elaborate the form of advertisement that provides the applicant with complete picture on the position and that is based on good current practices.

13. Do we make full use of EURAXESS to ensure our research vacancies reach a wider audience?

x x -- Note on current state: MENDELU currently does not use EURAXESS advertising on a large scale. Only some selected positions are advertised. Suggested indicators: 1. The share of job advertisements posted on

EURAXESS. Target: To launch the presentation of MENDELU at EURAXESS. To considerably improve the potential of MENDELU to recruit external candidates/applicants from abroad.

14. Do we make use of other job advertising tools?

x x +/- Note on current state: In addition to the MENDEL website, national portals are selectively used, e.g. jobs.cz, kariera.cz, nabidky-prace.cz, prace.kurzy.cz. Suggested indicators: 1. New strategy for advertising vacancies.

Specifics: In addition to advertising at EURAXESS, find out optimal distribution of advertisements on national and international platforms in order to acquire external candidates.

Target: To optimize the strategy for job advertising. To considerably improve the potential of MENDELU to recruit external candidates/applicants from abroad.

15. Do we keep the administrative burden to a minimum for the candidate?

x ++ Note on current state: Yes, all documents are required only in copies / scanned - it is enough to send everything electronically as an email attachment.

Selection and evaluation phase

16. Do we have clear rules governing the appointment of selection committees?

x x +/- Note on current state:

According to the Rules of Selection Procedure for the occupation of job positions at Mendel University in Brno for academic and non-academic staff (http://mendelu.cz/en/25638-legal-regulations ) the committee for academic staff has at least five members and its composition is decided by the entity announcing the selection procedure. The University does not follow statistics of the composition of the committees; the primary prerequisite for inclusion in the committee is expertise and competence. In most cases the committees are gender-balanced. The process of nominating and appointing the selection committee is not formally unified at the university. Suggested indicators: 1. The new / revised Rules of Selection Procedure,

which will introduce University-wide rules for the appointment and establishment of the selection committee. Specifics: Focus on transparency of setting up the selection committee.

Target: Elaborating the Rules of Selection Procedure in accordance with the OTM-R policy with emphasis on the transparency of the whole process.

17. Do we have clear rules concerning the composition of selection committees?

x x -/+ Note on current state: The process of nominating and appointing the selection committee is not formally unified at the University. Reserves can be seen in the use of external members of selection committees. Suggested indicators: 1. Analysis of possibilities of greater involvement

of external experts in the selection committees. Specifics: specific approach focused on the relevant field: the University has a specific focus (agriculture/forestry); external experts may not be available locally; focus on possibilities within e-recruitment. The analysis will serve as a basis

for the new/revised Rules of Selection Procedure (see indicator in point 16).

Target: Elaborating the Rules of Selection Procedure in accordance with the OTM-R policy with emphasis on the transparency of the whole process.

18. Are the committees sufficiently gender-balanced?

x x ++ Note on current state: Although there is no formal guidance at MENDELU level concerning the gender balance of the selection committee, this aspect is naturally embedded in the academic environment of the University and gender-balanced committees are typically formed across the University on the basis of expertise. Exceptions exist in specific disciplines where suitable experts meet in committees with a significant predomination of one sex, but these situations are unique and occur evenly for both sexes.

19. Do we have clear guidelines for selection committees which help to judge ‘merit’ in a way that leads to the best candidate being selected?

x -- Note on current state: Guidelines for selection committees which help to judge ‘merit’ does not currently exist at the University. Suggested indicators: 1. Developing Guidelines for judging merit.

Specifics: developing the list of evaluation criteria, stress on gender equality (e.g. career breaks), structuring according to R1-R4 profiles.

Target: Significant improvement of transparency and

unification of the selection process. General

formulation of merit-based selection criteria based

on good practices.

Appointment phase

20. Do we inform all applicants at the end of the selection process?

x ++ Note on current state: HR department informs all applicants who have participated in a personal interview (by e-mail).

21. Do we provide adequate feedback to interviewees?

x -/+ Note on current state: If applicants ask for it, they are always informed by HR department. However, the information are not complete as the selection procedure lacks sufficient transparency in OTM-R sence.

22. Do we have an appropriate complaints mechanism in place?

x -/- Note on current state: No complaint was made between 2015 and 2018; at the moment, no complaint mechanism is established at MENDELU. Suggested indicators 1. Developing Guidelines for complaints

mechanism. Specifics: developing the list of selection criteria; explanation of a rejection giving the criteria that have been emphasized in the selection.

2. Statistics of complaints lodged per year. Number of complains due to: selection results, administrative errors etc.

Target: Elaborating the Rules of Selection Procedure in accordance with the OTM-R policy with emphasis on the transparency of the whole process, i. e. including the possibility and manner of how to file and handle complaints related to the RP. Establishing a controlling system in connection with the new HR organization. The complaints system shall be available and accessible to all.

Overall assessment

23. Do we have a system in place to assess whether OTM-R delivers on its objectives?

-- Note on current state: Since there is no OTM-R policy at MENDELU, we are unable to answer this question. Suggested indicators 1. HR specialist (analyst) measures and reviews

statistics on development, at all OTM-R parameters (e.g. the number of applicants from abroad).

Target: Establishing a system at the University to assess whether OTM-R delivers on its objectives. Activities for the improvement of the system to assess whether OTM-R delivers on its objectives are part of the Action Plan.