Delivered by MIND, this popular session provides a comprehensive blend of practical advice and support for managers; including recognising potential issues and understanding how they can support and manage staff with mental health issues to effectively engage with the workplace.
The course is aimed at line managers and is taking place in Darwin College, Canterbury campus, on Thursday 24 January 2019. Book your place by logging onto Staff Connect.
The annual training for the safe release of trapped passengers is scheduled for 17 January.
This means that lifts in the following buildings will be out of service for short periods of time:
We apologise for any inconvenience caused and will endeavour to keep any disruption to a minimum. If you have any queries, please contact Estates Customer Services on ext 16666.
Phil Whittall
Head of Maintenance, Estates Department
The start of a new year brings a raft of new resolutions. Getting fit, losing weight, and being mindful of food are all common resolutions in the post-seasonal break. If this sounds like you, then we have an exciting competition which starts soon.
The Kent Sport Xercise Factor programme offers free one-to-one training over six weeks with the goal of improving members’ health and fitness lifestyles. The application process is now open to all Kent Sport Gold and Silver members, all you have to do is fill out an application form and post it in the ‘X’ box in the gym or email it to J.Dexter@kent.ac.uk by Friday 25 January.
The successful applicants will be guided by one of the qualified fitness instructors at Kent Sport and given specific advice and personal training to help them achieve their goals. At the end of the competition, the participant deemed to have embraced the programme the most will be crowned Xercise Factor 2019 champion.
Applications are now open and we are looking for students, staff and members of the public who think they have the Xercise Factor and want to commit to getting fit and changing their lifestyle for the better. It is a complete overhaul of exercise and lifestyle habits and the promotion requires full commitment from the contestants to complete the challenge. Pick up your application form from the fitness suite reception at the Sports Centre or download it online.
Not yet a member of Kent Sport? See kent.ac.uk/sports/membership for details and to sign up.
You can follow the progress of the Xercise Factor participants through our Instagram page UniKentSports or by searching #XerciseFactor.
Event date and time: Wednesday 16 January, 16.00-17.30
Event title: Multi-lingual Communication, Minorities and Identity
Event location: Grimond Lecture Theatre 2
Inspirational speaker Professor Itesh Sachdev examines the complex relationship between language, communication and group identity in multi-lingual communication, using data from indigenous and migrant minorities and majorities around the world.
Further details: email Alison Webb – acw42@kent.ac.uk
The Student Success Staff Seminar due to take place Wednesday 16 January 2019, Medway Campus, Pilkington Building Room 127, 1pm-2pm will be rescheduled. It has come to our attention that this seminar clashes with several other Medway events. We will be in contact shortly with a new date.
The Canterbury event Friday 18 January 2019, Canterbury Campus, Keynes Seminar Room 13, 1pm-2pm will still go ahead.
The University of Kent’s Annual Learning and Teaching Conference takes place on Monday 17 June.
This year’s conference will be focusing on interaction and inclusivity in learning and teaching, and we are inviting proposals for workshops, discussion papers, mini-presentations and posters from Kent staff involved in teaching or supporting students’ learning.
The deadline for receipt of proposals is 28 February. You can find more details of the theme and arrangements, and a straightforward and friendly booking form.
The Annual Learning and Teaching Conference is open to all who are interested in celebrating our excellent teaching at Kent, improving our support for students’ learning, sharing good practice, and trying out new ideas. It’s a welcoming space for us to think, talk and learn together; but we know the impact lasts much longer than the day itself. From previous conferences have come successful funding bids, published papers, collaborative research, and changes to practice – last year, for instance, our keynote presentation inspired several schools to try out new approaches to student induction.
To book a place on the conference please complete the online booking form.
Since 2 January 2019, staff have been able to request annual leave and record sickness absence through Staff Connect; the University’s integrated HR and Payroll system.
This is part of the continuing development of Staff Connect which aims to streamline our HR processes and extend employee and manager self-service, providing a one-stop-shop for as many HR activities as possible.
If you have any questions about Staff Connect and the launch of this new module, there is guidance and support available, including;
There are a couple of recurring questions that we thought it would be useful to highlight:
Bank holidays and customary days
Annual leave entitlement for seconded staff
Staff Connect calculates annual leave based on your current role. Unfortunately this means that staff on secondment cannot book annual leave for their substantive role until they return to their post. We are currently looking into whether this can be amended.
Sick leave
All new sickness absences need to be entered in Staff Connect. Any absence which started before 2 January 2019 should be managed via Payroll.
Team calendar view
We have temporarily removed the ‘view team calendar’ button as it is not showing the correct information. The issue has been raised with our suppliers as a matter of urgency.
‘My View Session Ended’ message
This message occurs for some users. This issue has also been raised with our suppliers. If you get this message and cannot enter absence you can ask your manager to do it on your behalf.
This is the latest update in the Staff Connect Phase 2 project. The new staff recruitment system, replacing i-Grasp, will go live in February.
Building on the Wellbeing Zone theme for January 2019, here are links to some articles and publications expanding on the theme of alcohol consumption and how high levels of consumption adversely affect health and relationships.
The University of Kent Wellbeing Zone is a free tool to help you learn more about all aspects of wellbeing and you can use it to better manage your own health and wellbeing.
Logon today at www.kent.wellbeingzone.co.uk Or create an account by clicking ‘Register’ and using the following organisation Code : KENT1
Having listened to your suggestions from the recent Campus Shuttle survey, which over 450 staff and students completed, we have introduced some changes to the shuttle service this term.
In response to your feedback:
Medway student feedback was clear in wanting the new service from Liberty Quays to the Pembroke campus and the Historic Dockyard. To ensure we can keep an hourly service, the decision had to be made to remove one of the stops at Canterbury. The majority of you in the survey said you’d prefer to keep the Keynes bus stop, or had no clear preference.
Features of the new vehicles include Wi-Fi, USB charging points, more comfortable seats, a toilet and fold out tables on the larger vehicle. Both of the vehicles will be wrapped in a University of Kent design.
*We aim to have the new booking system available in the next couple of days. We will tweet from @CampusShuttle when booking becomes available.
If you have any feedback about the changes to the shuttle service, please email TransportTeam@kent.ac.uk
Over the next 5 months we will be exploring the things that bring us together as a community. As you might expect, politics is a theme that flows through the season which includes Eutopia, our festival to celebrate Europe in late March (Brexit time!).
Eutopia is one of 5 festivals we have planned for you, alongside celebrations of food, comedy, International Women’s Day and the Autism Arts Festival. As usual we have an international programme of wonderful dance & theatre, and please take a look at our expanded music programme, which now includes some amazing artists from the Jazz and World Music scenes.
There are a range of University of Kent Staff discounts available across the season. Download the University of Kent Staff offers here.