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UCL Policies for SATs

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Harriet Jones, Policy Adviser for Athena SWAN Ext: 58860 Email: [email protected]

UCL policies, practices and initiatives to be aware of when writing Athena SWAN

applications

The following information outlines UCL policies, initiatives, training and resources that Self

Assessment Teams should be aware of. Many of the policies outlined below will be useful writing

any Athena SWAN applications and the SAT may decide that some of the links below need to be

further publicised to staff in their department.

Mandatory Training:

Staff are entitled and expected to undertake a minimum of 3 training or learning events per

year.

All staff who are involved in recruitment and selection should attend the Recruitment and

Selection Policy Briefing.

All new staff should complete the online Equality and Diversity training within their first 6 weeks

We would strongly advise that any member of staff who has not attended the recruitment and

selection briefing, or completed the equality and diversity training since the introduction of the

new Equality Act at the end of 2010, should repeat the training. Harriet can provide reports to

show who has completed both training courses, please contact her if you would like either of

these reports.

An explanation of all mandatory training can be found on the Organisational Development

website.

Support for Early Career Researchers:

UCL Careers service offer bespoke training programmes and one to one advice for research staff

and research students. They also provide information and resources on funding, grant writing

and applying for roles outside of the UK. Courses include:

o Academic career planning

o Academic applications

o Career planning beyond Academia

There are a number of courses run by Organisational Development that are specifically aimed at

researchers. Courses include:

o Taking control of your career

o Assertiveness training

o Quality Papers

o Resilience and Resourcefulness

There is also a UCL research staff conference held once a year.

Athena SWAN have provided factsheets of best practice and various topics, one of which is on

supporting researchers. These are now quite out of date, but there are still some good ideas

included.


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Career Development:

uMentor is UCL’s online mentoring scheme. The website includes online training for mentors and

mentees. Mentors and mentees create a profile, outlining what it is they would like to discuss,

and their academic background. Mentees can then search for mentors. It is possible to use the

online platform to support a departmental mentoring scheme for SWAN applications. For more

information, please contact the Organisational Development team.

Coaching is also available through Organisational Development.

There is a wide selection of training programmes available at UCL run by Organisational

Development including:

o Writing grant proposals

o Research Grant Administration – from finding funding to final report

Organisation Development also provide training aimed at staff in leadership roles, or those

aspiring to a leadership role at UCL. Including:

o Accelerated management development programme (for grades 7 and above)

o UCL aspiring managers programme (staff on grades 5 or 6)

o Leading on Diversity (for grades 7-10)

o Strategic leadership (grades 8-10)

Springboard is a career development programme for women and is offered at UCL

Aurora is a training programme for women run by the Leadership Foundation. UCL has funded

places on the programme for the past 2 years and it is expected we will continue to do so.

Please contact Organisational Development for more information on how/when to apply.

In SLMS, the Academic Careers Office run several programmes which may benefit staff in your

department. These include:

o The future leaders programme: This programme provides

academic leadership training to individuals selected from

across SLMS. The programme includes the opportunity for

participants to lead a short management and leadership

project within SLMS.

o Future fifty mentors: this is a mentoring scheme providing

mentoring from fifty mentors from across SLMS.

o Academic role models: this publication includes role models

who were nominated across SLMS. They are all at various

stages in their careers and are from clinical or non-clinical,

research or teaching backgrounds.

Appraisals and Promotion:

All staff should have an appraisal every 2 years. In SLMS this has been changed so appraisals

take place every year.

Information and relevant documents for appraisals can be found on the HR website.

Staff are invited to attend the senior promotions briefing that explains the promotions process,

criteria and de-bunks common myths about the process.


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UCL staff networks:

UCL Women is a network for female academic staff in STEMM. The

group meets regularly for networking, social events and seminars

for example the ‘who am I - what am I doing?’ seminar series. To

join the UCL Women mailing list please email [email protected]

Astrea is a network for women in professional services roles. The

group meets regularly, running training, social and networking

events. To find out more and to join the email list please visit their

website.

PACT is a network for parents and carers at UCL. The network

meets regularly and there is also a mailing list and online forum.

Please promote this network to staff and email [email protected]

to join the network and mailing list.

We also use the women in SET mailing list to send interesting articles and information about

upcoming events. To join the mailing list please email Harriet.

Flexible working:

UCL’s work life balance policy outlines various options for flexible working and the procedures

for requesting flexible working.

UCL’s core hours are between 10 and 4 (see point 2.3 in the work life balance policy).

Departments should make every effort to arrange ‘core business in core hours’. For example,

meetings and research seminars should be held within core hours wherever possible. When this

is not possible, we would suggest using doodle polls or staff surveys to identify the most

suitable time for attendees. In addition, meetings, seminars and social events should be

organised well in advance so parents and carers can make any necessary arrangements in order

to attend.

Please also see the ‘Guidance on supporting working

parents and carers’ document which is available on

our website – this outlines all relevant policies,

provisions and support for parents and carers at UCL.

If you would like hard copies of this document to

circulate to staff, please contact [email protected].

UCL staff who agree with their line manager to work

part time (for example after maternity leave) have the

option to return to full time work. Please see point

4.12 of the work life balance policy

Athena SWAN have provided factsheets of best practice and various topics, one of which is on

work life balance. These are now quite out of date, but there are still some good ideas included.


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Parents and Carers:

Key provisions to be aware of (many of these should be mentioned in your SWAN applications –

many go beyond the national requirement):

o UCL offers 4 weeks full paid paternity leave

o UCL offers the same entitlements for maternity, adoption and the new provision of

shared parental leave – staff taking any of these forms of leave are entitled to up to 52

weeks leave, with 18 weeks full pay.

o Shared parental leave is a new provision that enables parents to share their leave

between them – alternatively or concurrently. Staff at UCL can take up to 3 blocks of

leave.

o All staff are entitled to maternity/adoption/shared parental leave and this will be funded

by UCL if the cost is not covered by a funder (in the case of researchers employed on a

research grant)

o There is no qualifying period for maternity, adoption or shared parental leave at UCL

Full details can be found in UCL’s parental leave policy

Please also see the maternity FAQs and shared parental leave FAQs

We have published a presentation on maternity, paternity and work life balance on our website,

which includes all the relevant information you need. This presentation is from the Athena

SWAN policy update session held in 2013.

Please also see the ‘Guidance on supporting working parents and carers’ document which is

available on our website. If you would like hard copies of this document to circulate to staff,

please contact [email protected]

PACT is a network for parents and carers at UCL. The

network meets regularly and there is also a mailing list and

online forum. Please promote this network to staff and

email [email protected] to join the network and mailing

list.

There is also a network for student parents at carers run by

UCLU.

To see a list of rest rooms for new and expectant mothers

(for breastfeeding, expressing and to rest) here

UCL has a day nursery

UCL offers childcare vouchers – this is a salary sacrifice scheme.

Support for students:

UCLU have various social groups, events and support networks

in place for students. The Unions Women’s Officer is a key

contact for female students, along with the other UCLU

Sabbatical Officers

UCL careers offers support and advice to students at all stages

in their studies, and graduates who completed their degree in the last two years at UCL

UCL has a dedicated adviser to women students

Acamedics – this gives medical students the opportunity to be involved in medical research and

promotes and academic career.


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UCL Women Engineers is a society for female students across

the Engineering Faculty. There are a number of smaller

subject specific networks for women in Engineering. For more

information on these networks and for more information on

events and initiatives in the Engineering Faculty, please visit

the UCL Women in Engineering website.

Outreach:

Along with a wide range of outreach programmes, UCL has an inspiring women in science

speakers programme. Any female scientists who are interested are encouraged to join the list of

speakers. To join, please contact [email protected]

Athena SWAN at UCL:

Harriet is happy to support departments who are working on Athena SWAN. Please get in touch

if you have any queries or would like Harriet to attend a SAT meeting. She also reads draft

applications at least twice before they are submitted to give feedback.

Each STEMM faculty has a Faculty SWAN lead. Contact details for Faculty SWAN leads and

departmental SAT leads can be found on the UCL Athena SWAN website.

Harriet, Sarah Guise and the Faculty SWAN leads all sit on UCL’s

50:50 group for gender equality, which is chaired by Provost.

This group is responsible for gender equality across UCL, as well

as the institutional Athena SWAN award and action plan. If there

are any issues that you feel need to be raised at this group,

please contact your Faculty SWAN lead.

Guidance documents, successful applications, presentations from events and useful links are all

available on the UCL Athena SWAN website.

If you would like to join the SWAN leads mailing list, please contact Harriet.

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