HR Group’s overall objective is to support the College in delivering its academic mission by finding and developing diverse talent, creating an inclusive culture, and building a resilient workplace.

We are extremely proud of the current range of services and support we provide to our community. However, we know that in order to support the College’s aspirational vision for the future, we need to continually develop and build upon what we do. Our People Strategy sets out three core aims and explains how we will achieve them.

The first aim is to find, develop and retain diverse talent. We will work to find new and exciting talent and to reach the best candidates with a range of backgrounds and skills. We will ensure that we remain an attractive employer and that our employees’ achievements and contributions are fairly recognised and rewarded. We will provide high-quality workforce data and insights to enhance workforce planning and career progression, as well as address pay inequality.

Our second aim is to build an inclusive culture and support leadership to engage with staff. All staff should be supported so they can perform at their very best. We will provide support at all career stages. We strongly believe that an engaged, valued, and well-motivated staff community is fundamental to enabling the College to achieve its academic mission. Our College Values and Behaviours will be embedded within our College community, and we will continue to strive to eliminate bullying and harassment.

Finally, our third aim is to build a resilient workplace. This will involve supporting the move to more flexible ways of working, as we navigate working both in-person and online, while maintaining a sense of community cohesion. We will continue to place great importance on the health and wellbeing of our staff, to help them manage the pressures of life and work. We will continue to actively listen and respond to staff and implement practical approaches for measuring and improving engagement.

Our People Strategy is underpinned by getting the foundations of Human Resources right by ensuring that we have clear policies in place, that we have efficient systems with a high degree of operational optimisation, as well as access to high-quality data. We know that time is precious, and that by reducing the amount of time and effort required to navigate essential Human Resources processes and systems, we can help our people to deliver at their very best.

Our People Strategy is rightly ambitious – and we believe that it is achievable with the support of colleagues across the College. I look forward to working with you all in the delivery of this strategy and in our journey to be an exemplar of best practice and a great place to work.

Harbhajan Brar, Director of Human Resources