Building a resilient workplace
We will create policies to ensure that Imperial is prepared to be more flexible as we work both in-person and online, while maintaining our culture and a sense of community cohesion.
Our plans
The picture today
The Operations Committee continues its work on considering the return to campus approach for many who had been working remotely, while interim policies to support flexible and hybrid working as part of the ‘Transition and learn’ phase are developed.
Our ambition
- Put in place policies and contractual arrangements that support flexible, hybrid and remote working in accordance with the College’s vision.
- Develop and maintain a positive collective College culture in future working enviroments.
Our plans for the future
To achieve our ambitions in this area, we will:
- Develop objectives in collaboration with the Operations Committee, as well as our staff community.
- Consult with staff on the cultural implications of more dispersed working arrangements.
We will work to support the health and wellbeing of our staff to help them manage the pressures of life and work.
Our plans
The picture today
Wellbeing has been supported across HR by different teams. It has also been promoted through campaigns including Mental Health Awareness Week, Black History Month and Women at Imperial Week. Wellbeing pulse surveys have guided us to priorities for action. To consolidate and improve the offer, we have recruited dedicated OD staff who have created a new Wellbeing at Work development offer and are working on a College Wellbeing strategy.
Our ambition
- We want to work in a healthy environment that promotes wellbeing, helps people flourish and supports staff and the organisation to achieve potential.
- We want our staff to remain mentally and physically healthy while dealing with the pressures of life and work.
- We want staff to feel supported and able to talk to their managers about mental or physical health issues and for managers to be confident and equipped to facilitate these conversations.
Our plans for the future
To address these challenges, we will:
- Continue to build and implement the new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
- Address the underlying causes of workplace stressors.
- Embed understanding of wellbeing at work and what this means to our staff and students.
- Clarify expectations around roles in maintaining wellbeing and provide self-help resources.
- Improve managers’ skills in creating the right environment to promote wellbeing.
We will listen to and respond to staff and support all areas within the College to do the same. We will implement practical approaches for measuring and improving staff engagement.
Our plans
The picture today
The Staff Survey measures employee engagement. Engagement levels at the College were 74% in the 2022 Staff Survey, which is stable since 2019 despite external and internal challenges.
The Staff Forum was introduced during the pandemic and became a popular event for hearing from senior leaders. These engagement events are continuing to evolve - for example, the new 'In Conversation with the President'. A new ‘pulse’ survey tool offers the possibility of more focused and frequent measurement.
Our ambition
- Foster a culture of high staff engagement where all staff groups are proud to work at Imperial and feel part of the College community.
- Managers who are skilled in engaging and retaining staff, so they speak positively about the College, feel a sense of belonging and are highly motivated to do their best work.
- Increase our understanding of how people feel about working at the College and use these insights to continually improve our working enviroments.
Our plans for the future
To maintain and further improve staff engagement, we will:
- Support managers to understand more about employee engagement and their role in it.
- Develop managers’ skills to lead individuals and teams in a way that inspires high levels of engagement.
- Address the drivers of engagement.
- Increase the way we generate and use employee insight.