Staff Experience Survey 2025
ABOUT THE SURVEY
In March 2025, the University will launch the next staff survey, giving University-employed staff an opportunity to help shape the future of our workplace. Your feedback plays a critical role in this – so it’s important that every voice is heard.
Closer to the time, you’ll receive information about how to take part in the survey. For now, we wanted to give you an update on the progress we’re making in the Department on key areas you told us matter to you in the 2023 survey.
WHAT CHANGED AS A RESULT OF THE LAST SURVEY?
The survey was previously run in 2023, when 237 staff in NDCN took part. The feedback from the 2023 survey highlighted key areas where you felt action was needed. Here’s what we have done to progress these priorities.
DEPARTMENTAL CULTURE AND EMPLOYEE VOICE
In 2023, 44% of staff in NDCN said they did not feel integrated into the Department.
To address this, we introduced the termly Lunchtime Newsround events, which have been hugely popular and well-attended. We re-started the CNS (Clinical Neurosciences Society) after the COVID hiatus, and this has been active over the last year with a mix of social events and a Careers and Networking Day. Termly networking events for NDCN Professional Services Staff have been initiated.
We continue to hold monthly seminars with lunch provided as well as our annual Thomas Willis Day, Summer Party and End of Year Celebration. We hope that all department members feel able to come to these events to integrate with others outside of their immediate work team and NDCN division.
In 2023, only 49% of staff in NDCN said they feel they have a voice on issues within the Department.
To address this, an open call invited new members to join our People & Culture Working groups (Athena Swan, EDI and Research Culture) and other department committees, helping to amplify the voices of all members of NDCN as well as providing professional development opportunities.
A newly structured People & Culture Oversight Group meets monthly to coordinate and monitor the work of the People & Culture Working Groups and agree on strategic priorities.
We have started more regular department-wide events (including the Lunchtime Newsround) to provide opportunities for engagement with senior leadership. In 2025 we will trial 'town hall' meetings to provide all members of the department with opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback on department matters.
LEADERSHIP
In 2023, 37% of staff did not agree that senior leaders make the effort to listen to and communicate with staff.
Since 2023, the NDCN-developed Inclusive Leadership Programme has been adopted by the Medical Sciences Division and continues to train senior leaders in inclusive management and communication. The programme promotes the use of group handbooks as a mechanism for feedback within research groups, coaching skills to improve leaders' ability to guide discussions led by members of their groups, 360 feedback reviews to voice concerns about leadership, conflict resolution skills, and ways to cultivate psychological safety such that group members feel empowered to speak out. Feedback from those who have taken part, including several NDCN staff, has been extremely positive.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND JOB SECURITY
In 2023, 53% of staff in NDCN said that they are not actively encouraged by their line manager to take up career development opportunities, and only 25% were aware of the Researcher Concordat.
To increase awareness of the opportunities available and reinforce our strong support for their uptake, details of the practical support for professional development offered by the University and department were communicated by email to all staff in January 2024 and will be repeated annually.
NDCN Senior Staff also discussed how to support the development of Early Career Researchers at its Away Day in May 2024.
In 2025, professional development opportunities will be highlighted in a dedicated section of the NDCN newsletter to increase visibility.
To increase the financial support available for such development opportunities, the department is now routinely including a budget for staff professional development in all grant applications.
We are actively considering different routes to enable staff to take up the 10-day allocation for professional development.
Transparency around academic career progression and career pathways for academics and researchers in NDCN is an identified need that will be prioritised in 2025, led by the Research Culture Working Group.
To address the issue of job precarity for staff employed on fixed-term contracts, the University Pay & Conditions framework has committed to an annual review of the contract status of anyone employed on a repeat fixed-term contract for four or more consecutive years. Work to implement this in NDCN will continue in 2025 starting with those with more than 10 years' continuous service.
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
In 2023, 34% of staff said that their health and wellbeing is not adequately supported at work, and 35% of staff are unsure how to contact a Harassment Advisor.
During 2024 we advertised and recruited a new cohort of harassment advisors who are currently being trained. Three Wellbeing Champions have also been recruited and trained.
During 2025 we will be using a variety of communication methods and department initiatives to enhance the visibility of the harassment advisors and other sources of support. In addition, two of NDCN's senior staff are being trained as mediators as part of the newly-launched MSD Mediation Service.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSES
In 2023, 54% of staff said they did not feel well supported by the administrative teams in NDCN. Alongside this, staff mentioned in the free-text responses that they would like “more support for professional services” and would like to improve their “attitudes toward professional support teams”. Further, they indicated a desire for transparent administration processes, better communication and relationships between research and professional services staff, and clarity about who to approach and how roles are divided.
Since the last survey, there has been a change of leadership in the core Professional Services Team which has led to extensive consultation within the department and review of practices and processes.
As part of our work to address the feedback in the 2023 survey, a new termly newsletter from the core Professional Services Team has been introduced which shares information about team members, their work and priorities.
Much groundwork has been made during 2024 to strengthen NDCN's Professional Services Team cohesion and values, recruitment and retention, and embracing continuous improvement and digital transformation opportunities. There is much more work planned for 2025 to simplify and automate processes and ensure that guidance is clear and transparent.
UNIVERSITY IMPACT
Feedback gathered in the staff survey has contributed to change and improvements at the University level as well as in the Department. For example, staff survey feedback contributed to the Pay & Conditions Review and the Academic Career and Reward Framework. There are many actions across a range of priority areas, including:
Read more about some of the projects underway to address your feedback.