As a sector, we understand the importance of internationalisation and global mobility from student and staff recruitment, partnerships and producing high-quality globally collaborative research.

The pandemic changed how we work, with remote and hybrid working increasing significantly, in fact, 38% of working adults have worked from home at some point over the past 7 days! A rise in remote working has led to some employers offering fully remote working opportunities, expanding the applicant pool across the UK and worldwide. However, legislation and liabilities such as employment law, tax, pensions and insurance can create issues, putting both the University and staff at risk.

The Global Mobility Project

Our Global Mobility project will first identify staff partially or fully overseas, then we will develop a policy and procedure that supports our internationalisation strategies, whilst ensuring the University and staff remain compliant.

Please notify us of any current or planned overseas travel/work.  You can do this by completing the overseas travel form.

For further information on our Global Mobility project and what information you are asked to provide, please visit our webpages.  You may also contact your HR team or Emma Milton on E.L.Milton@kent.ac.uk.

It’s that time of year again and it means Christmas Jumper Day is returning on 8 December. So indulge in a bit of holiday spirit and come to work (or work from home) wearing your most festive jumper!

Send a picture of you or your team wearing your Christmas Jumpers to communications@kent.ac.uk for a chance to feature on our socials!

Christmas Jumper Day is also a fundraising event for Save the Children. This year however the government has agreed to match whatever donations are submitted to Save the Children which will provide all that much more relief to the children who need it the most. Just £20 can buy enough antibiotics to help ten children beat malnutrition. We’ve got a new JustGiving site set up for Kent where you can donate as much as you’d like towards our goal of £500.

You can also donate by texting the code KENTDAY to 70050 to donate £2, £5 or £10 by adding the corresponding number to the end of the text code (ie. KENTDAY5 to donate £5). Though Christmas Jumper Day is on December 8^th, the donation page will be live for the entire month until January 6^th, so there will be plenty of opportunity to donate.

By Corina-Andreea Apostu, University Operations Coordinator

For many of us, 2022 has been another challenging year.  Workloads have remained high and we have all had to work hard to get used to new systems, new structures and our new post-pandemic normal.

In recognition of these challenges, the extraordinary efforts of colleagues across the University and the impact on staff wellbeing, Wednesday 21 December will be treated as a respite day and so the Christmas closure will begin on 21 December, with the University re-opening on Tuesday 3 January 2023.

Colleagues who have already booked leave for this day should cancel this via Staff Connect. Part-time staff who do not normally work on Wednesdays, those rostered to be on shift and staff in front-line roles who are required to work on this day should make alternative arrangements to take equivalent time off prior to 1 February 2023 in discussion with their line manager.

Annual Leave

We understand it’s often been difficult to take annual leave again this year, so as an exception to normal arrangements, all staff may carry forward up to 10 days leave (pro-rata) from their 2022 allocation into 2023.  Where this applies this will happen automatically via Staff Connect.  Any leave carried forward must be used by the end of July 2023.

Any exceptional carry-over of annual leave from 2020 and 2021 that has not yet been used will also be carried over automatically.

We continue to encourage all staff to take their annual leave regularly across the year to help maintain a reasonable work-life balance.

Winter can often be a challenge. Short days, limited daylight and cold days can all play a part in lowering our mood. Alongside this, Christmas is just around the corner. For many of us, Christmas will be a time for us to relax, enjoy ourselves and have a positive effect on wellbeing. However, for some, Christmas is a time of financial stress, family problems and feelings of loneliness.

If you find yourself affected by any of the issues outlined above, you can access support 24 hours a day through the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). This scheme is managed by Sodexho/Care first and provides easy access to expert help with both workplace and personal issues. You can phone Care first/Sodexho, free of charge, on 0808 168 2143 and get free and confidential advice from an information specialist or accredited counsellor. You may prefer to access services through their website. To log-in, use the username: uokent and the password: university. Their website contains information on a host of subjects relevant to how we live our lives and the challenges we face. There is even an AI interaction available for those who are drawn to technology.  

They also offer weekly webinars on topics such as how Care First can support you and grief awareness. Here’s the schedule for next week: 2022 Weekly Publicity Calendar – 5th December 2022.docx

The EAP is not just for Christmas and New Year; it’s there any time you need help; contact details are exactly the same. Please, keep this information handy so it is there if you need it. 

Brenda Brunsdon, Health and Wellbeing Manager

6 December 10.30-13.00: Medway Staff Forum and Christmas Social

Please join us for an end-of-term event on Tuesday 6 December:

Medway Staff Forum (M1-22) 10.30-11.30

An opportunity to receive updates and ask questions about the strategic direction for the University and the Medway campus.

Led by Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Strategy Planning and Performance, and Dr William Collier, Strategic Lead for Medway.

Christmas Social (Oasis Lounge) 11.30-13.00

A festive buffet, Christmas tunes and the chance to catch-up with colleagues.

If you would like to attend, please register using this form.

We hope to see you there!

6 December 17.00-18.00: Carols on Campus in the Touchdown Cafe, Rowan Williams Building.

Come along and join us for an evening of carol singing on the Medway campus. Refreshments will be served from 16.30. For more information email medwayinternationals@gmail.com

13 December 11.00-13.00: Staff Coffee break in the Oasis Lounge, Rochester Building

We have now launched our Emergency Support Fund in response to the cost-of-living crisis. This fund aids staff facing a short-term, emergency cash flow problem. The fund is intended as a safety net and is not designed to help staff facing long-term financial problems.

Staff can now apply for a one-off grant by completing an application form, which will be sent to the HR Reward team. Send any questions to emergencysupportfund@kent.ac.uk and one of the team will get back to you. Please note, all enquiries will be handled in confidence.

Important FAQ’s

What qualifies as a short-term financial problem?

There is no set list of situations, however, the fund is to help purchase essential products or services that have arisen from an unexpected situation. For example, you travel to work in your car but it has broken down and you don’t have the immediate funds to cover the cost of repairs.

Who is eligible?

To qualify, staff must:

• Have been in employment at the University for at least 6 months
• Have no received a grant from the fund in the last year

How much help can I get from the fund?

A net of £500 maximum on one occasion. The amount provided to an employee will be at the discretion of the panel as will the method of payment e.g. cash or voucher

What information is required when I apply?

• How much money you need and a breakdown of these costs
• Information detailing the unforeseen circumstances
• A declaration that you do not have the funds to cover these costs
• A receipt if the goods or services have already been purchased or an estimate/formal quote

Who will decide the outcome of the application?

A panel comprising of the Reward and Recognition Manager, a representative from Finance and an employee representative.

See the HR webpage for further information and FAQ’s

Join Professor Matt Johnson, Director of Research and Innovation at the University of Sheffield on Tuesday 29th November 2022 in SLT1 at 1pm for his lecture Light for Life. 

Professor Matt Johnson will explain how plants harness the extraordinary power of the sun through photosynthesis and use it to weave life out of thin air and water. He will discuss how photosynthesis has shaped our world and will emphasise how humankind urgently needs to learn its inner workings if we are to successfully feed a growing population, estimated to reach 10 billion by 2050. Whilst simultaneously reducing CO2 emissions and increasing the generation of renewable energy.

Incorporating his own research, Professor Matt Johnson will highlight the great strides made in recent years in understanding photosynthesis by observing the photosynthetic machinery at work. He tells the story of how we are using this knowledge to grow bigger, healthier crops and even showing we are not alone in the universe.

www.sheffield.ac.uk/photosynthesis

For further information please contact Prof Martin Warren, School of Biosciences, University of Kent m.j.warren@kent.ac.uk

Dear Colleagues,

Later this week, industrial action will be taking place at universities right across the country as part of the University & College Union’s national dispute. Given we can expect widespread discussion around this both in the media and elsewhere, I wanted to give an update on our approach to this. There are also a few other developments to bring to your attention by way of a follow-up to my last update on 3 November.

Industrial Action

Pay, pensions and working conditions are important topics and we all want a sector where staff are well rewarded for their hard work. While decisions are taken nationally, we have made good progress at Kent in a number of related areas through working together. We remain committed to engaging fully in national discussions and debates about these issues, striving to achieve a balance between ensuring appropriate reward for the great work delivered by all staff and sustainability for institutions. I am now on the board of UUK and UCEA and will play my part in seeking to achieve that balance.

As a University our focus is on working with our staff and mitigating the impact on our students as far as we can. We have set out our principles in responding to industrial action, including that any money saved through withheld salaries of striking staff will be reinvested in the student experience. HR have also put together guidance for those looking to take strike action.

Our 2022/23 budget

We are currently in the process of signing off our 2021/22 accounts, which achieved the planned deficit of £10.6m we set out as part of our return to sustainability, while investing in areas that support us in the future. Many university accounts this year will also include the finalisation of the USS pension valuation from 2020, adding a significant extra ‘deficit’ – to be clear, this is an accounting measure and does not affect us in terms of the underlying position.

For 2022/23 we had set a broadly break-even budget. This is now being looked at again given the emerging issues I updated on recently in relation to returning students. While we won’t have the final picture until early December, this has impacted us significantly and we are taking action now to address the in-year financial gap it creates. This includes tighter controls on staff recruitment, pulling back on capital spend and reducing our non-pay spend.

Our improved underlying position means that, while difficult, we are better able to manage a bump in the road like this. However, we have never seen attrition to this extent before and it is crucial we address it. I have asked Richard Reece to lead a group focusing on continuation and retention to ensure we understand and minimise this issue in future. We will also gather input through our senior leaders group on what else we should be doing.

Looking ahead

In relation to recruitment, while we have broadly met our income targets for new starts, this was assisted by international postgraduates who are with us for just one year. However we have not recruited as many home undergraduate students as we wanted, which unfortunately has a three-year adverse financial impact. Combined with the increasing numbers of non-returners this year, our overall student population is shrinking which impacts our income negatively.

My focus remains on turning this around to ensure we get back to steady growth and a good mix across home, international, undergraduate and postgraduate students. We also need to build our apprenticeship programmes, develop and continue to improve our overall course offer, and target a strong NSS this year to help improve our league table position. These will all help to generate resources to invest in our future.

The excellent REF 21 result, ensuring the right balance of programmes and having appropriate cost controls all help here. I am acutely aware as well of workload and system issues, plus the uncertainty out in the wider world right now. I am committed to working systematically to address these issues, as well as trying to reduce uncertainty by protecting the jobs of those who are already with us. I am also focussed on keeping you informed – last week we had our first Community Catch-Up of the term on measures to help with the Cost of Living, and there will be more in the new year.

I hope this helps in terms of an update on our current position and why we are taking the actions we are taking. Finally, on a personal note I will not be around on campus for a couple of weeks as I am having some hospital treatment. I hope to be back on campus mid December, and during this period EG members will covering for me as needed.

Yours sincerely

Karen

It’s with great sadness that we announce the death of Fr Tom, who has been Catholic Chaplain at the University of Kent since September 2018. Retiring due to ill health at the beginning of this academic year, he was best known to Kent students who are in their second years and beyond.

Fr Tom was a kind and characterful priest and a member of the Order of Friars Minor. He was interested in various fields of Franciscan Studies, especially Franciscan Christology and the writings of Francis and Clare.

As well as being Catholic Chaplain for the University of Kent he had priestly duties in one or two other places in East Kent and had – until its closure in the summer of 2021 – been one of the tutors at Wonersh Seminary in Surrey. As well as caring for the Catholic community on campus, he enjoyed taking part in wider Chaplaincy activities including interfaith events and the Aylesford Priory weekend. Fr Tom died peacefully, surrounded by friends, on Tuesday  November.

May he rest in peace, and rise in glory!

Revd Dr Stephen Laird, Anglican Chaplain

___

Fr Tom’s funeral arrangements will be publicised later, and a Requiem Mass well also be held on campus.

If anyone would like to share their memories of Fr Tom, or is feeling upset, please contact Sister Anouska Robinson Biggin (regional Catholic Chaplaincy Coordinator)

Tel: 020 7960 2505 Mobile: 07846 417 989
Email: anouskarobinsonbiggin@rcaos.org.uk

Or Revd Dr Stephen Laird, Anglican Chaplain s.c.e.laird@kent.ac.uk

The process of finding a replacement Catholic Chaplain began last month, after Fr Tom announced his retirement.