Staff forum for University staff up to and including Grade 5: call for nominations

Friday, 15 August 2014

The University is very keen to provide opportunities for relevant staff to hear about and discuss matters that affect their working experience with the University, and to influence the decisions made. The Staff Forum is one way of achieving this and has now been successfully launched and held its first official meeting on 16 June 2014.

The University is now seeking to appoint some additional staff representatives to the Staff Forum to ensure it represents staff from all areas of the University. Organisers are therefore seeking selection of the following representatives:

The Staff Forum will meet once a term; its primary purpose will be to listen and respond to the ideas and opinions of the relevant staff, and to discuss matters that may affect their working experience within the University.

Representatives will be encouraged to bring ideas, questions and concerns to the Staff Forum meetings, and to take an active role through the Forum in finding pragmatic solutions.

Representatives will have an opportunity to comment on some of the University proposals and will be the University's appropriate representatives for the purposes of providing information and consultation where the University proposes collective redundancies or transfer of staff that affect staff at these grades.

The terms of reference have now been agreed as have the principles of how the Staff Forum will operate. Full training for Staff Forum members will be provided.

If you are interested in becoming a staff representative you must be an employee of the University employed on or below Grade 5. You may nominate yourself; alternatively you may nominate a colleague (having first sought their permission of course). 

Nominations can be made by emailing r.k.thorns@reading.ac.uk who will provide a nomination form. This should then be returned no later than midday on Friday 5 September 2014. Nominations should identify the constituency and include a short statement (no more than one side of A4) stating why you (or the person you are nominating) would be a suitable representative.

If organisers receive the same number or a smaller number of nominations for each constituency as there are available seats, nominees will automatically become employee representatives. Should they receive more nominations than available seats elections will be arranged, with appointments expected to be confirmed before the start of the Autumn term.

It is expected that representatives will serve for a term of two or three years, although representatives will of course be able to step down during this period of time.

If you have any questions about becoming a staff representative on the new Staff Forum please contact Rachel Thorns, HR Partner & Secretary to the Staff Forum, directly via email r.k.thorns@reading.ac.uk or by telephone on 0118 378 6492.