People Strategy 2024-2027
Introducing the People Strategy
The strategy outlines how the University invests in its people.
The People Strategy is pivotal to the University’s mission and a foundational pillar of the Strategic Plan 2025 - 2030.
To achieve our goal of investing in our people, the People Strategy targets three outcomes, which we are working towards over the next three academic years; 2024 - 2027.
The first two outcomes are mutually supportive. Through creating a great place to work for all, we will attract the best talent to come to Oxford. They stay and build their careers with us because we are a University that enables talent to thrive. To support these aims, we will continue to build high-quality people services tailored to the University’s needs.
Together, these outcomes are the shared standard against which we will measure the success of our HR and people initiatives across the University, its divisions and departments. This document tells you more about how we will achieve this and how you can participate.
Foreword by Dr Markos Koumaditis, Director of Human Resources
This strategy focuses on the individuals who work, study and teach at the University of Oxford.
The University’s People Committee considered carefully what type of strategy we require. We thought about all of our people: those currently at Oxford, those we hope to welcome in the future, and everyone who is part of the wider University community.
We looked at trends in the higher education sector, as well as the wider world of work. People from all parts of the University contributed views. You told us what you value about Oxford as well as the challenges you face. We would like to thank everyone who got involved and helped to shape this work.
The resulting People Strategy is not about launching new initiatives or projects. Rather, it brings together many of our existing priorities and aims under one framework.
Reaching this milestone took considerable effort, and I thank everyone involved over the last 18 months. This is just the start; I look forward to kicking off conversations about how we can together create a positive impact on every facet of the staff experience.
Outcome 1: A great place to work for all
We aspire to provide an excellent experience for everyone that comes to the University to teach, conduct research or work in a professional capacity.
We will do this by fostering a culture of inclusivity, respect, and continuous growth; a place where everyone feels heard, valued and empowered.
We will know that we are making a difference because:
- We have advanced on the commitments outlined in the Pay and Conditions Review, ensuring fairness and transparency at every stage.
- We embrace a listening culture, that allows our priorities and management decisions to be shaped with input from our people through various feedback channels.
- Colleagues at all levels of the organisation role model inclusive leadership and governance, and commitment to an excellent safety culture.
- We have worked towards a set of shared Oxford Values, that reflect the type of University and workplace we aspire to be.
The Collegiate University EDI Strategic Plan sets out our aspirations for equality, diversity and inclusion. It is central to the way we will deliver each part of the People Strategy. Our efforts are also integrated with the Thriving at Oxford wellbeing plan, the EveryDaySafe initiative and the Estates Strategy, as well as our review of employee relations. Together these initiatives will foster a supportive, inclusive, and safe working environment.
How will we achieve outcome 1?
A great place to work
Pay and Conditions
We are implementing the recommendations of the Pay and Conditions Review to create fair and equitable compensation. A dedicated programme has been set up to manage delivery of the changes and guarantee that the impacts are monitored and assessed properly.
Values
Building on good practice from divisions and departments, we will work towards a set of shared Oxford Values that will underpin everything we do. You will be able to get involved in shaping the values, starting in 2025.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Launched in Michaelmas Term 2024, the Collegiate University EDI Strategic Plan sets out the University’s aspirations and objectives for the next three years. This is part of building a great place to work for all and the People Strategy will be a key partner in the delivery and measurement of our EDI goals.
Wellbeing
We will implement the Thriving at Oxford Action Plan, which aims to enhance work-life balance, health and wellbeing for everyone. The action plan will cover three core areas: wellbeing culture, services and structure and will include promoting awareness of our wellbeing services focussing on inclusive and accessible provision and preventative measures.
Safety
EveryDaySafe was initiated to address the ten recommendations from the 2021 Health and Safety Review. The objective is to nurture a safety culture where all individuals assume personal and collective responsibility for their own safety and that of others, adhering to legal standards.
Listening
We will cultivate an environment where every voice matters, fostering physical and psychological safety and active engagement. Building on the biennial Staff Experience Survey, we will expand the ways that we listen to staff and promote engagement across the University community.
How will we measure our progress?
We will gather evidence from a variety of sources. These include staff engagement data, inclusive recruitment data, gender pay gap progress, insights from HR metrics and external benchmarks, casework information and analysis of trends over time. The People Committee will receive an annual report.
Outcome 2: Enabling talent to thrive
We aim to inspire the brightest minds to come to Oxford to teach, learn, work and deliver world-leading research.
To achieve this, we are placing a renewed focus on attracting and retaining the best talent, ensuring that we create the highest quality experience for candidates and employees. This involves not only refining our recruitment processes but also enhancing the overall work environment to make it more inclusive, supportive, and conducive to professional growth. By investing in the development of our leadership and management capabilities, we will foster an environment where everyone has the opportunity to develop and reach their full potential.
A strategic approach to talent management will enable us to:
- Foresee needs and manage resourcing and workload pressures.
- Leverage our world-class reputation and brand to draw in and keep top-tier talent.
- Enhance career paths and opportunities for academic and professional services staff.
- Create the conditions for researchers to advance a range of career goals as set out in the Researcher Development Concordat.
- Support the growth of leaders, promoting internal mobility and nurturing professional communities.
How will we achieve outcome 2?
Enabling talent to thrive
Talent acquisition and retention
We are modernising our recruitment processes to improve the candidate experience and enhance our employer brand. Building on the Grading Service Review, standardised job descriptions will help to streamline our process. New data analysis will help us to measure and promote internal career mobility. Alongside this, the onboarding experience will be made more welcoming and effective.
Learning and development
Our refocused learning offer will feature training programmes, mentorship, and personal and professional development plans, to foster employee growth within the University. Integral to this approach are our career development initiatives, which include the Academic Career & Reward Framework (ACRF) and initiatives under Professional Services Together.
Strategic workforce planning
This is a comprehensive approach to aligning our workforce with our long-term goals and objectives, to ensure that we have the right people, with the right skills, in the right roles, at the right time. The University’s methodology is being piloted in collaboration with departments, divisions and central services.
Researcher Development Concordat
The Concordat’s aim is a supportive, inclusive and equitable culture in which researchers can thrive in their current roles and achieve their career goals. The University Action Plan 2022-2025 outlines how we are fulfilling the national Concordat.
Apprenticeships
Enhancing our apprenticeship programme will draw new talent from diverse backgrounds to the University, as well as providing opportunities for existing staff to develop, enabling people to build successful careers at Oxford.
Management
Managers play a vital role in shaping the employee experience. We will continue work to identify and develop managers and to promote best practice in communications to staff through their line management.
Technician Commitment
We will implement the Technician Commitment Action Plan to grow the visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability of technician roles in the University.
Leadership
Our updated leadership development provision will include new programmes on leading in academic research and professional environments, as well as advanced leadership programmes in partnership with the Saïd Business School and Wellcome Trust.
Total Reward
We will move towards a total reward approach that recognises and promotes the wider, non-financial benefits of working at Oxford, which contribute to job satisfaction and overall wellbeing.
How will we measure our progress?
Evidence of our progress will be obtained by listening to staff at every stage of the employee lifecycle, looking at the take up of Personal Development Reviews and career development opportunities, including participation in recognition schemes such as the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards. We will analyse recruitment metrics and evaluate the new services and programmes we are introducing.
Outcome 3: High-quality people services
Embracing the collective ambition for Professional Services, set by Professional Services Together, we will ensure that the HR and people services provided are top-tier and delivered through the collaboration of teams across the University.
We will know we are making a difference because:
- Our decision-making is based on collective and shared leadership.
- Service delivery, strategic capabilities and the use of people information are enhanced.
- Our working practices are becoming more accessible, agile and efficient, enabled by digital transformation.
The ways we organise our services will follow clear principles which have been set out in the University’s Strategic Review of Professional Services. This builds upon work we began under Professional Services Together, which included creating professional Communities of Practice and career pathways.
Good people information and systems are key to providing the level of professional support that the University’s ambitious academic mission demands. People and Finance Service Transformation (PFST) is the programme of work that will update our working practices with the help of supporting digital technologies.
How will we achieve outcome 3?
High-quality people services
People and Finance Service Transformation Programme
This programme is working to simplify processes, make more effective use of technology, empower our people with easy-to-use digital tools, and build better data insights to support decision making. We will do this in partnership with Digital Transformation.
Employee Relations
We will focus on earlier intervention, building on the success of the recently formed mediation service to move to a people-focused approach with a greater emphasis on restorative outcomes. This will be supported by a new case management system.
People Services and the Strategic Review of Professional Services
The University is currently undertaking a Strategic Review of its Professional Services. The Strategic Review aims to bring consistency and coherence by setting principles and improving decisions for how professional services are designed, run and improved across the University. Working within this framework, we will achieve an improved HR service design, with clearer accountability, integrated delivery and an enhanced experience for staff.
Enhancing HR and people professional capabilities
We will partner with CIPD and other global leaders in the people profession to strengthen our capability and expertise in the areas of digital skills, pay and reward, talent management, employee relations, culture and behaviour and evidence-based practice. This will make a difference by building stronger relationships between divisional and departmental teams, making sure that everyone's knowledge and experience is valued and setting ourselves up for continuous improvement and innovation.
How will we measure our progress?
To measure improvements in our people services we can draw upon satisfaction surveys, performance data, the availability of high quality people information and insights and their use in decision-making, as well as the participation of HR and people professionals across the University in continuing professional development. Performance measures will include our efficiency at producing annual statutory returns. We will include all findings in the annual report of progress to the People Committee.
How we created the People Strategy
by Jo Mason, Head of Partnerships
I was honoured to be asked to lead the crucial task of developing the People Strategy. While I felt a bit daunted by the magnitude of creating a strategy that would encompass all staff in this large, devolved, and complex organisation, I embraced the challenge with enthusiasm.
My experience of developing the Wellbeing Programme highlighted the importance of feeling valued in the workplace and the numerous benefits it brings to both our organisation and the individuals who make it exceptional. My goal was to develop a strategy that resonates with everyone and, more importantly, makes a meaningful difference for all of us.
It was crucial to me that everyone had the opportunity to contribute to the creation of the strategy, ensuring it truly reflected our diverse population. A key part of our strategy is enhancing listening activities, which began with its development. In addition to analysing the 2023 staff survey results, we formed a project group with representatives from all divisions to gather input from staff with varied experiences. We presented the strategy to numerous groups and committees, held focus groups, and made sure to hear from as many people as possible. We engaged with professional services staff at all levels, academics, researchers, Divisional Boards, and Trade Unions, to name just a few.
People Committee played a crucial role in the development of the strategy, from its inception to final endorsement. They provided valuable feedback, supported our progress, and fully endorsed the strategy, acknowledging that their input had been incorporated into its various iterations. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with People Committee as we move into implementation, providing regular updates for their feedback.
Our finalised People Strategy, approved by Council in December 2024, is a testament to our collaborative efforts. I am excited to implement the initiatives within this strategy to make our University an even greater place to work.
