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FDnews THE faciliTiEs DirEcToraTE NEWslETTEr

issuE 57 auTuMN 2011

New faces We say hello to the new University Timetabling Management Services TeamPage 7

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Dates for your diary

2011 Employee Opinion Survey – have your sayThe 2011 Employee Opinion Survey will take place on 1–18 November. It’s your opportunity to let us know your views about what you think works well and where you think improvements need to be made.

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28 SePTeMber–12 DeceMber

Now in its fourth year, the Facilities Directorate Making a Difference Awards aims to recognise and celebrate the colleagues, managers and teams who have provided excellent services, encouraged and motivated others and always been a pleasure to work with.

Nominations for this year’s awards closed on the 16 september and we received over 50 nominations.

The nomination forms have been assessed by fD Executive along with an independent adjudicator, and part of the shortlisting process was attended by a member of the lJcc.

all nominees were invited to a special announcement event on 29 september to congratulate all nominees and announce those shortlisted for the awards ceremony in october.

Team of the Year (sponsored by Burngreave Building company) adsetts catering Team collegiate Multi-skilled Team Events Team

employee of the Year (sponsored by Bond Bryan architects)Paul clayton (Print services) adam Hawker (accommodation services) simon reade (Business services)

Unsung Hero of the Year (sponsored by constant security) ryan amos (sport Hallam) adrian anderson (catering services) andrew Proctor (Print services)

Manager of the Year (sponsored by Mascot Management)Nick Decourcy (Events) Janice Hukin (catering services) sandra stephens (Business Planning and Quality assurance)

Innovation of the Year (sponsored by simon Donovan Properties) sam fowler (accommodation services) Nick Nelson (facilities Management) susan Ward (facilities Management)

in order to involve more staff in the awards process, invitations were also sent to staff who achieved a recent success in their work – from completing an NVQ or Jumpstart course to having a personal mention in teamtalk or fD News.

Good luck to all those nominated.

12 September – 8 October RIBA Forgotten Spaces exhibition

1 November and 6 December Teamtalk

1–31 October Grin up North Sheffield comedy festival

18 October FD Making a Difference Awards ceremony

25 October An evening with Alison Nimmo CBE

2 and 3 November LJCC coffee mornings

14–18 and 21–25 November UK graduation ceremonies

Welcome to the autumn 2011 edition of FD NewsIn this issue we have a number of special staff features including a look at the new Timetabling Team, details on the forthcoming Employee Opinion Survey and the staff awards.

We’ve also got the usual updates from across the directorate and University, including an update on Estates and Wayfinding and our recent successes in sustainability.

Finally, make sure you check out our Making a Difference Awards wordsearch competition on the back page which gives you the chance to win £20 worth of high street vouchers.

editorial team Kat Wood Jill richards

Copy deadline for the winter issue is Friday 4 November 2011.

Tasting a differencea random selection of staff from across the directorate took part in a Masterchef style panel to taste and select the menu for the Making a Difference awards ceremony dinner. The panel tucked in to starters, main courses and desserts and after some deliberation picked out the final meal.

The food tasting was organised as a buffet lunch to make it more approachable than a formal food tasting with the aim to build a positive narrative around the event with front line staff.

Thanks to everyone who took part – ian siddons, Elizabeth oxley, Bernice Turner, Julie ansell, Nick Nelson, ria Buczynski, stephen Worsley and Wendy savory and thanks to the hospitality staff and chefs for their service.

We would like as many staff as possible to complete the survey in order to get a wide range of views and opinions from across the organisation.

The last survey took place in 2008 to identify any problem areas and take actions where necessary. in fD a number of changes were made as a direct result of your feedback including • the creation of the innovation Hotline to encourage and reward staff for their ideas • a review of the communications plan to improve staff engagement across fD • the fD Making a Difference awards to celebrate and reward achievement.

You can complete this year’s survey in paper format or online. sessions for support staff to access the survey will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays during Eos fortnight from 7.30am–12pm. The survey takes around 30 minutes to complete.

look out for posters in your area and contact fD communications on ext 2740 or email fd-comms@shu.ac.uk for more information.

Awards update

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estates update

Aspect court

in order to provide greater space for our postgraduate students, we are leasing out part of the aspect court building on Pond street for the next five years.

The ground floor and levels one, two, three and four have been converted for use to include 25 teaching rooms with capacities of around 15–50. These rooms will be booked out by university Timetabling Management services for teaching, and will be used to varying degrees by all four faculties. There will also be a catering outlet on the ground floor and space for teaching staff to hot desk.

This new space will also include breakout spaces and more features for interactive teaching.

Streetscene improvements on Arundel and charles StreetThis project run by sheffield city council will begin on site next year in March to improve the physical environment along arundel street and charles street in the cultural industries Quarter, which also forms part of our city campus.

Proposals include wider footpaths, moving parking bays to Brown street and Paternoster row, and introducing double yellow lines.

for more information and to view the proposed plans go to www.sheffield.gov.uk/ciQ

Wayfinding update The Wayfinding project is ongoing, with a number of changes already made including • new signage installed above the adsetts learning centre and owen Building entrances • the removal of external name plaques on the surrey, Howard and Harmer buildings • the highlighting of thresholds between connecting buildings such as the atrium, Howard, surrey and Harmer with new black and white vinyl signage to show when you are in a different building.

The group is also working on a new ‘base map’ of both campuses and the surrounding area which can be built on and tailored for different users such as faculty staff and general visitors to the university. Pedestrian information Points (PiPs) in the cultural industries Quarter have also been updated and we will be purchasing some additional PiPs for the Ecclesall and Glossop road areas to help students navigate between campuses.

To find out more, or submit questions about the wayfinding project, please visit https://staff.shu.ac.uk/fdr/estates/wayfinding

A more sustainable UniversityThe university has for a number of years developed initiatives that support the values of sustainability, improve the environmental performance of our estate, and improve the environment for our staff, students and visitors.

our new energy policy was published in May, with a target to cut future carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2020. To help achieve this we have a dedicated energy team and a budget for specific energy saving projects, such as ground source heat pumps and solar panels already used in the furnival Building.

We have also won a number of environmental accolades recently, achieving our third gold award in the Business in the community 2011 Environment index improving our overall score from 89 per cent in 2010 to 91.6 per cent this year. This index compares the performance of more than 90 public, private and voluntary sector organisations across Yorkshire and the Humber.

Sustainability update

ISO 14001 certificationlead by fD, the university is working towards achieving the international standards organisation 14001 certification for our environmental management practices. These standards exist to help organisations comply with laws, regulations and other environmental requirements and minimise how their operations negatively affect the environment.

During June audits were held by the British standards institute to test practices, policies and procedures. The audit highlighted some areas for improvement across the university and operational cost savings are already being identified. The next stage of audits is underway and will be completed in october.

The achievement of this standard is an important tool for the university to demonstrate its commitment to reducing negative environmental impacts and is part of the scoring criteria in gaining tenders and maintaining teaching and research contracts.

for more information and guidance relating to our aim to be a leading sustainable university visit the sustainability website at https://staff.shu.ac.uk/fdr/sustainability

We also received a 'first' award for our environmental policies and performance from the People & Planet Green league 2011, the uK's largest student network campaigning to protect the environment, which again saw an improvement on last year with our position moving up from 34th to 27th out of the 142 universities which took part.

refurbishment of Stoddart lecture theatre

Work on stoddart lecture theatre 7140 began in July to refurbish the space following feedback from students.

The refurbishment was completed in september and featured wider seating, larger writing tablets including the installation of left-handed tablets, energy efficient lighting and a new multicolour seating scheme.

A blooming Marvellous Win!sheffield Hallam has proved once again that its green fingers are worth gold. after a hat trick of gold awards from previous years, we secured a fourth Yorkshire in Bloom gold win, along with being crowned the top of our category in the universities, colleges and further education establishments group.

Yorkshire in Bloom is not just about flowers and planting. it’s a regional competition which aims to encourage communities, businesses, visitor attractions and further education establishments to make a positive and lasting improvement to their local environment for the benefit of local people, and in our category to include sustainability in the curriculum and environmental student engagement.

Entering Yorkshire in Bloom required a real team effort with many sections of the directorate involved including • cleaning • porters • drivers • gardeners • maintenance staff • catering • sustainability • marketing • clerical staff working together to achieve a common goal. Well done to all staff who were involved in this fantastic achievement.

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Spotlight on...John Marsden – from Print Unit to lecturerstaff development is important to fD and to the university. Whether it is professional, academic or vocational qualifications, the opportunities are there to ensure that everyone can fulfil their potential, develop their career and meet their future expectations.

one member of staff who took full advantage of these development opportunities is John Marsden who left Print services at the end of august to take up a lecturing position in law here at sheffield Hallam.

'i'd always had an interest in law and began my studies at castle college taking GcsEs and a levels. My lecturer at college was something of an inspiration and encouraged me to continue my studies and take a degree.

'Thanks to the Headstart scheme i was able to continue my studies and enrolled in 2001 as an undergraduate studying part-time llB law. i graduated in 2006 and went on to take an Msc in forensic criminology. i'm currently doing an llM research project for my masters which will finish in february next year. i'll need a bigger sideboard for my certificates!

'i didn't have any dreams to be a lawyer or a solicitor but i enjoyed learning and i probably wouldn’t have been able to continue my studies if it hadn't been for Headstart or have the opportunity to take up seminar lecturing part-time.

'i was initially nervous when i began lecturing as you never know what sort of questions will be thrown at you but as long as you know the subject matter you're fine and i soon settled into the role.

'i enjoy the interaction with students and it's interesting to see the university from different perspectives in my role as teaching students and providing a service in the Print unit.

'after five years lecturing part-time around my work in the Print unit i've now decided to start seminar lecturing full-time from october.

'i first joined Print services in february 1989 as a print finisher based at collegiate crescent and after 23 years i'll be very sad to leave as i've made some firm friends along the way. i'm glad that i will still be at sheffield Hallam as it really is a good place to work. i've been treated well over the years and am very grateful for the opportunities.'

brian Pursehouse

Timetabling

We are currently working hard to make sure student timetables are ready before the start of the academic year. as part of the changing to improve programme we are also looking to develop ideas which will improve on the student and staff experience in the future.

some of the things we will be focusing on are timetabling by course instead of by module (the current way of timetabling), and also developing stronger relationships with academic heads of departments.

i am also happy to welcome a new unison representative into fD, lee Waghorn, academic timetabler, who you can call on ext 3184. Trade union representatives are university employees, elected by their union colleagues to take on a representative role and represent members in various university procedures.

Getting to know you… Donna Cooper – timetabling projects manager

'i’ve come to fD from the faculty of Development and society, where i was the projects and special initiatives manager responsible for managing faculty wide activities such as internationalisation and graduation. i’ve been the timetabling projects manager informally since 1 May and what i like about most about my new role is facing new challenges and working with a new team in a different area.'

My favourite things…

by Julie Lane, head of TimetablingThe new University Timetabling Team joined the Facilities Directorate last month as part of the Changing to Improve Programme. The new team is based at 20 Furnival Street on level two, and is made up of around 20 staff from all four faculties as well as FD itself.

Place – isle of skye

Film – resident Evil

book – Harry Potter series

Music – all sorts, but my favourite is jazz

Hobby – supporting sheffield Wednesday, for my sins. i'm a season ticket holder

Food – anything caribbean

Person – my mum was a very inspirational and influential person in my life

Animal – have lots at home, two dogs, four cats and a rabbit

Memory – birth of my son

Workplace memory – being nominated for a D&s faculty award and coming second

i first joined the university on a Youth Training scheme in 1986 as an apprentice gardener working at the Norfolk Park halls of residence and spent the next 22 years working in the grounds team with many fond memories.

Ten years ago i bought my first house which was in need of repair. i decided to take on the renovation work myself and went through the Jumpstart scheme to take courses in plastering and tiling to help me complete the work. i learnt a great deal through putting the courses into practice and found that a lot of the work came naturally and fell into place. When i completed the renovation i sold the house and made a profit then bought another house in a better area and spent time renovating that one.

Thanks to the skills i’d learnt i managed to get a position with the maintenance team three years ago and carried on my studies at college completing an NVQ in trowel occupations and a diploma in brickwork, where i earned a distinction and waived a compulsory block of the course as i’d achieved all work ahead of schedule.

i’m now a general builder for the university. My career change wasn’t planned but through working on my house and the Jumpstart courses i discovered something i really enjoyed doing which i wouldn’t have been able to do if it wasn’t for the scheme. i’m really happy in my work, think i enjoy bricklaying the most, creating something from nothing which will outlive me.

Gifted and talentedIn July Collegiate Crescent played host to over 100 gifted and talented children from 11 schools in the Peak District as part of the Peak 11 summer school which has been held at Sheffield Hallam University since 2007.conference 21 assisted with the pre arrival set-up, checking all visitors into accommodation, making arrangements with local service providers, booking venues and facilities for workshops and offering advice and support, before, during and after the event.

Workshops covering media, sport, fashion, animation, product design, music, art and dance were held over two days and on the final day of the summer school all the pieces of work created were displayed as part of an exhibition attended by the pupil's teachers and parents.

all the pupils and teachers stayed in Woodville Hall of residence during the summer school and Peak 11 also ran social activities in the evening, including live music and circus performers.

Seeing greenEarlier this month the Green Party Conference was held at Sheffield Hallam with talks, workshops and a quiz and fundraising auction for the Young Greens. But what goes into making events like these a success? We spoke to Becky Stanyard, commercial events manager to find out.

What is a political party conference like and what are the interesting things that set it apart from other conferences?a political party conference is very much like a large multi-day conference where venues and catering are required, but there is usually a lot more interest from the press at this type of event.

Delegates also tend to flow in and out of the conference venue, being more selective about sessions which interest them. and as there are no specific lunch and refreshment times, delegates pick which sessions they want to miss and go to catering points for food and drink.

We also worked with colleagues in student learning services to hold a live TV link for the opening address by caroline lucas, the leader of the Green Party.

How does a team prepare to host such a big event?The key to organising an event like the Green Party conference is preparation. By getting as much detail as possible from the customer about their requirements we can ensure that there are no surprises on the day. organisation and working closely with service providers in fD also help to make the event a success.

We have conference staff on hand to make sure everything has been set up correctly so that there will be very little for us to do once the event starts. There may be the occasional request such as changing the temperature in the venue or a call for some printing, but generally we are there to make sure everything runs smoothly and that the client is happy. We are also the first point of contact should any of our internal service providers have any problems.

Sheffield Hallam EventsThe sheffield Hallam Events team was set up in 2009 following a restructure which brought together corporate Events, conference21 and faculty-based events staff. They provide a central service for the planning and delivery of events including • graduation • recruitment events • profile raising and positioning events • commercial services under the conference21 brand.

a new intranet page has been launched which features information on the team, a dedicated ‘how to’ section to answer common questions on organising an event and an events toolkit to guide you through the important steps of planning and delivering different events. Visit https://staff.shu.ac.uk/fdr/hallamevents

for information on upcoming events visit www.shu.ac.uk/events

Fines which help save livesSheffield Hallam is part of the Sheffield AED Network which links all the sites in Sheffield which house an AED (automatic external defibrillator) and provides a list for ambulance staff and city ambassadors so they can find an AED in an emergency.aEDs are used to deliver a controlled electric shock to restart someone’s heart and provide early intervention to patients suffering a cardiac arrest.

as part of the network the university bought four aEDs with Westfield Health donating an additional two units. a further four units have also been donated by fD using money from fines given at Woodville Hall of residence for the misuse and damage to the fire alarm system.

Emma scott, Yas community defibrillation officer (south) said, 'Yorkshire ambulance service is thrilled that sheffield Hallam university have been forward thinking enough to accept the donation of two automated defibrillators from Westfield Health and then to purchase eight more. This shows a great commitment to the health and safety of their staff, visitors and the general public.'

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charity update

bev Weaver and Deborah Toonein June Deborah Toone and Beverley Weaver from customer services held a charity bring and buy sale for used books to raise money for Weston Park Hospital.

staff from across fD and oneleven donated their unwanted books to the cause and due to the generosity of staff and the numbers of books donated the sale ran for two weeks instead of two days as originally planned.

Thanks to all those who donated books and took part in this fundraising event, over £400 was raised for Weston Park and the remaining unsold books were donated to the British Heart foundation.

Sheffield Hallam Parkrunsheffield Hallam Parkrun celebrated its first birthday in september and was attended by over 200 runners from the local community. Parkrun is a free weekly event held every saturday morning at Endcliffe Park which brings members of the community together – encouraging health and wellbeing and generating a great community feel. Parkrun was established by sport Hallam.

currently over 2,000 runners are registered with weekly attendance reaching 200. anyone interested in participating must register in advance by visiting www.parkrun.org.uk/sheffield-hallam

FD peopleMoves and changesJohn Helm – 'i left 20 furnival street in early august to be based temporarily in church House with the rest of the city iT support Team. i may still wear a shirt and tie – i haven’t decided yet! i would like to take this opportunity to bid a fond farewell to the facilities Directorate after almost 19 years. i’ve grown up with fD – i have never worked anywhere else – and while it has been hard at times, it has always been rewarding to see staff who i have supported and advised go on to achieve their goals or move onto bigger and better things. and also to see the systems and procedures i have designed, developed, supported and installed continue to give business benefit to staff and students.

'in my eyes it is the people who make coming to work worthwhile. i have made many good friends, and i look forward to continuing to support Mark and fD in the coming years, albeit from afar.'

• betty burgess, domestic assistant at collegiate crescent, has retired after 15 years. Good luck for the future, from all her workmates.

• charlotte Mayor left on maternity leave in august with Hayley Daughtry covering for the 12 month period.

• There has been a change in the structure in accommodation services using sheffield Hallam's change principles, and Sam Fowler is now an accommodation officer.

• Stacey Payne has left the customers services team to take on her new role in sBs as an accommodation officer.

Staff successes• christine Webster and Mary Turner, building managers

at collegiate crescent have passed their NVQ level 3 in customer services.

• Michelle Fitzsimmons-chatterton – English and maths key skills

• other staff who have completed their NVQs include • emma Allen – catering assistant collegiate crescent• Wendy Driver – catering assistant collegiate crescent • Lynda Thrall – catering assistant collegiate crescent • Linda Fletcher – customer services city campus • beverley Weaver – customer services city campus

Sport update

Local Information and consultation committee (LJcc) coffee mornings lJcc staff representatives are there to voice the views of fD staff on issues which matter to them and get the opportunity to input into how fD works.

The next round of coffee mornings will be held in November. come along for a drink and a chat with your staff reps about the lJcc, what it’s all about, how it works and what it can do for you.

Tuesday 1 November charlotte court 9.30–10.30am

Wednesday 2 November Hallam View, city campus 9–10am

Thursday 3 November Millers soft seating area, collegiate campus 8.30–9.30am

Staff rep contacts

anita staniforth x2099 cherie English x4970 Mark Todd x3856 Betty Harrap x2748 Bill Drabble mobile 07595 089 680 Katie rider x2555 Josie Warburton x2461

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competitionWith the Making a Difference Awards coming next month, this edition’s wordsearch is all about celebrating success. Find all the words in the grid to be in with a chance of winning £20 of high street shopping vouchers.

To enter the competition, mark your answers on the page and post to FD communications, 20 Furnival Street, city campus. Good luck!

The winner will be drawn at random. The closing date for entries is Friday 4 November.

Printed by Print Services www.shu.ac.uk/print

Name

Department

contact number

competition winnerin the last edition we gave you the chance to win with our summer wordsearch. Thank you for all your submissions. The winner can be revealed as steven skinner from catering services who has won £20 of high street shopping vouchers.

comments? suggestions? ideas? Do you have any comments, suggestions or ideas for fD News? if so, please email them to fd-comms@shu.ac.uk or post them to fD communications, 20 furnival street, city campus. We rely on you, the reader, to tell us what you would like to see in fD.

fD14

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Search the grid for the following wordsacHiEVEMENT

EMPloYEE

MaNaGEr

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iNNoVaTioN

uNsuNG HEro

cElEBraTioN

coNGraTulaTioNs

aWarDs

succEss

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rEWarDs FD News available online all previous issues of fD News are available on the staff intranet. Visit https://staff.shu.ac.uk/fdr/fdnewsonline to view electronic versions of every edition. if you would like to view fD News in an alternative format, please contact the communications team at fD-comms@shu.ac.uk

competition and winners

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