Microsoft Yammer is now available to all staff, following a successful pilot.

Yammer is a University-wide staff social networking tool. You can use it to connect and engage with colleagues across Kent on topics of mutual interest.

• Start conversations, share ideas and knowledge, and interact with University news
• Discover communities: find community groups that interest you (or set up a new community) based on your personal or workplace interests

How much you use Yammer is up to you; it’s optional. It certainly isn’t something that you need to keep up with and check every day. If you want to, use it to discuss the deeper meaning of life, the universe and everything – or share your cat photo to make someone smile! It’s your community and your social space online.

• Where Yammer fits as part of Microsoft 365 collaboration tools
• Access Yammer via office.com with your Kent IT Account; or use the mobile app in your phone’s app store
• More about using Yammer: Microsoft Yammer for staff guide
• How to control which email notifications you see

If you have any questions, please get in touch with the Communications team

Recruiting for a student-staff role? Get in touch with the Work-Study Scheme, you could be eligible for match-funding.

The Work-Study Scheme (based in the Careers & Employability Service) has some match-funding available to Professional Service Departments and Academic Divisions who want to hire student-staff this academic year*. We support Widening Participation students in securing paid work on- and off-campus, take them through a series of activities to ensure they are work-ready, including 1-2-1 CV and application advice, and skills workshops to build up their confidence, and support in applying and interviewing for work opportunities.

We advertise your vacancy to students, collate and send you the applications, shortlist to your requirements and support you in interviewing (if required), and undertake all right to work checks and employment paperwork. We take the student(s) on our cost code and manage their timesheets (sent to us by you) and pay.

Working whilst studying is a fantastic way for students to build confidence and skills, and having student-staff in your team can bring a fresh approach. Undertaking paid work really makes a difference to students’ lives, and helps them prepare for the world post-graduation:

“This scheme is the best resource the university has to offer. CV help, interview tips, unique job opportunities and an amazingly kind staff all combine to give you the best help out there.”

– Nicola, English & American Literature and Film (2020)

“Through your scheme and help I have achieved so much, I am not only more skilled but more confident and motivated to achieve my goals. Tomorrow I start my new role at the Civil Service, and honestly do not believe I would have been able to do it without the Work-Study Scheme.

Zoe, History and Politics (2018)

If you are interested in employing a Work-Study Scheme student, or to discuss any aspect of this, please contact: Hannah Greer / Jen Davey, Work-Study Scheme, Careers & Employability Service – workstudy@kent.ac.uk

*In order to be eligible for funding, the student being employed must be categorised as Widening Participation. We can check this; you do not have to, and we will only advertise the role to WP students, unless otherwise instructed. Funding is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, up to a maximum of £1000 per Academic School/Professional Service Department during 2020-21, and all work must be completed by July 2021.

Phil Robinson is a busy man! Not only does he have two day jobs – Learning Technologist for both Kent Business School (KBS) and the Division of Law, Society and Social Justice (LSSJ) – but he volunteers much of his spare time for good causes.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic started, Phil, who is General Secretary of Lions Clubs International British Isles as well as Treasurer of Thanet Lions Club, has helped:

• provide PPE and other equipment for local hospital staff at the QEQM hospital, Margate, as well as care homes and funeral directors
• support University colleagues making PPE equipment, including visors
• manage parking at the local (Thanet) Asymptomatic Testing Site (ATS)
• raise and donate money for food bank equipment and hot food deliveries.

Phil says: ‘My voluntary work with the Lions is the best thing in the world to do. When you help people, you get more back than you can ever give’

PPE supplied by Thanet Lions to QEQM staff

Volunteering role

Phil first became involved in volunteering with Lions Clubs International 21 years ago, but became more active in 2010 when he retired as an Area bank manager for Santander in Kent. Phil rose through the ranks, becoming Chairman of the British Isles and Ireland from 2014 to 2015. His Lions roles have taken him as far afield as Belarus (after the Chernobyl disaster), Sri Lanka (following the 2004 tsunami) and the Philippines (post the typhoon in 2015).

‘After my early retirement from banking, my wife Jackie and I became even more involved with Lions Clubs International, the largest voluntary service organisation in the world with 1.4 million members. Since then, we’ve been lucky enough to get involved with projects ranging from supporting the Kent Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance to helping to build an eye hospital in Ghana. But much of our activities are about helping people in our local Thanet community.’

Now as General Secretary, Phil also has a management role, which includes overseeing a small office team based in Birmingham and representing Lions at international meetings around Europe, and is a Trustee for the Lions UK Charity Foundation. ‘My role in Lions usually takes up more time than my now full-time job at the University!’ he jokes.

At local level, for the Thanet Club, much of the recent effort has focused on the community response to Covid-19. Phil says: ‘Most of my recent weekends have been spent overseeing the carparking for our local Covid Vaccination centres, which often means going home cold and soggy. But it’s so rewarding actually doing something to help us all.’

Phil’s wife Jackie presenting equipment for QEQM staff areas to Theatre Assistant, Steve Griggs

Kent role

Phil first joined the University in 2010 working in all sorts of roles for the temp bank. ‘I had retired after 30 years of banking and got bored after a couple of months so returned to work!’, he said.

Initially, he worked as a finance officer on the JISC project for the School of History and EDA, but for the last five years, he has supported distance learning via Moodle and film editing for the Tizard Centre. Following the Organising for Success restructure, he has moved to his full-time shared role with KBS and LSSJ.

‘I’ve gone from four days a week to full-time even though I’m retired,’ said Phil, ‘but I really enjoy what I’m doing. And my work at the University enables me to volunteer at the level I want to.’

Getting involved

Lions Clubs International is always looking for more like-minded volunteers. ‘We welcome support from anyone keen to support their community,’ said Phil, ‘whatever their interests or background.’ You can find out more on the Lions Club International website.

As well as clubs across Kent, there is also a newly formed Canterbury campus club for any interested University students. Find out more by following them on Twitter: @ukclionsclub

Kent staff who give up their time for Lions and/or other organisations may also benefit from University support for volunteering activity. Find out more on our Staff Guide pages.

If you know any other Kent colleagues who are going “above and beyond” in helping others, please let us know at communications@kent.ac.uk. We’re keen to celebrate their good work!

Our official Employee Assistance Programme provider, Care first offers a numbers of services and provide useful advice and support, including weekly webinars.

This week’s (Monday 1 March – Friday 5 March) webinars are as follows:

Monday 1 March 2021 – ‘How Care first can support you’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link.

Tuesday 2 March 2021 – ‘Understanding Vaccine Anxiety & Protocol’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Wednesday 3 March 2021 – ‘Advice for getting support during the pandemic’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Thursday 4 March 2021 – ‘Change, loss and Bereavement’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

Friday 5 March 2021 – ‘Maintaining routines for Back to School’
Time: 12.00-12.30 – to register please click on this Go to webinar link

As those of you who attended this week’s staff webchat will know, a great deal of work is now underway to put plans in place to respond to the Government announcement earlier this week.

You will no doubt be aware that students on practical or practice-based courses can return to campus from 8 March. This means that the majority of students will continue to be taught online until the end of term. As a result, we will be reviewing our position on rent rebates and communicating this when we are able.

Although some staff will be coming back to campus to support the March return, staff who are already working at home as part of an agreed pattern of work should continue to do so until 21 June at the earliest in line with Government guidance. Meanwhile, any return to campus for staff will remain subject to health and safety procedures.

Following the next Government review of restrictions in mid-April, we are hoping to offer on-campus events for the summer term including a range of extra-curricular activities. It is unlikely that we will offer our ‘traditional’ graduation ceremonies at Canterbury and Rochester Cathedrals this summer but, together with Kent Union and GKSU, we are looking at how we can hold a series of small-scale celebratory events.

We would also like to hold an event – or a series of events – to thank staff for all their hard work over the past year and to mark the start of a return to a more normal way of working. We will update you on this as our thinking develops.

Work has also begun on plans for the next academic year. It is likely that we will retain a remote study option, as we believe that international students in particular may benefit from this due to travel restrictions. In addition, we will be prioritising first year students as they will have had several years of interrupted education and our aim will be to give them a clear and understandable offer which concentrates on the delivery of core modules.

As we continue to make our plans for the coming months, I would like to reassure you that the wellbeing and safety of staff and students will stay at heart of all our decision-making. We are keen to ensure that all staff are able to receive their Covid vaccinations as quickly as possible and have been working with line managers to ensure that staff are able to take time out in order to do this.

I know that many of us – staff and students alike – were hoping for more certainty for the university sector from the Prime Minister’s announcement on Covid. While I share this sense of frustration, the national roadmap does provide us with a strong direction of travel and will enable us to consolidate our plans for the summer and a return to some form of normality.

However, we now need to consider what the ‘new normal’ will look like for the University. Work is beginning on a review of our institutional strategy  to ensure we are well-positioned to respond to the requirements of a post-Covid world both for the University and the wider world.

Over the next few months, the Executive Group will work with colleagues across the University as we move through this process and we will continue to keep staff up to date.

With my very best wishes to you and your families,

Karen

Professor Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President