Programme

'We're Not Really Strangers' is a purpose driven card game and movement all about empowering meaningful connections. Three carefully crafted levels of questions and wildcards that allow you to deepen your existing relationships and create new ones.

Let’s get connected, for real!

We've taken the much-loved card game and brought it online. Get a flavour of the game on YouTube here 👇

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijBBYujUPBk&ab_channel=We%27reNotReallyStrangers

Join Gary from Everyday Juice Limited and Rob from Tailored Thinking for a networking experience like no other. 

You may think you know someone, but do you really know what makes them tick? After playing this game, you're guaranteed to leave with at least one authentic, deep connection.

Partners: Everyday Juice and Tailored Thinking.

We will explore why organisations spend more time investigating causes of failure, rather than learning from success, when more success is the goal, along with other contradictions within the ambitions and practices of HR and organisations.

Our research on performance outliers (exceptional performers) sees them consistently subvert organisation practices and processes to succeed. While they agree with the positive intent behind such artefacts, they intuit their inherent contradictions and create adaptations and work arounds. The findings don't call for wholesale change, but subtle changes to policy and process.

Drawing on examples, we will explore how some small subtle changes can have a large effect, along with some science to explain why and how.

Speakers: Dr Mark Houghton, Managing Director, I-PERFORMANCE LIMITED, and Visiting Research Fellow, Leeds University Business School; Lisa Hughes FCIPD, Senior Consultant, People Insight.

Making changes to anything is hard – transforming an organisation, harder still. Changing the embedded behaviours and transforming the way that our universities perform…

With no let up in the pressures facing HE in general, ensuring that every pound spent delivers an appropriate return on investment is key. With so many levers to pull though, how can you ensure that change and transformation programmes deliver their intended outcomes and sustainably?

In this facilitated workshop discussion delivered by expert change and performance consultant Dominic Ashley-Timms, you’ll discover ideas from Notion’s Mission Control playbook that you can utilise immediately and develop some next steps to ensure that, for whatever programme of change you're hoping to implement, you have put in place the low, medium and high touch approaches that will guarantee that your programmes deliver exciting and measurable benefits.

Speakers: Dominic Ashley-Timms, CEO, Notion-STAR®, Carol McLachlan, Programme Director, Brigette Evans, Transformation Manager

The academic landscape is intensively changing and workload continues to be high on the list of concerns raised by academic staff.

New pedagogic models, changes in student numbers and student expectations, systemic biases in workload recognition and uncertainty about the research funding landscape are amongst the factors raised by staff in the context workload concerns.

A transparent and structured process to allocate academic workload enables universities to identify trends and potential biases, evaluate workforce utilisation, inform costing analysis and to gauge time spent and academic outputs.

Success with addressing workload concerns is believed to be more achievable where this process is underpinned by a clear academic management structure, effective line management and qualitative performance management.

Speakers: Dr Tine Blomme, Academic Workload Consultant, Simitive; Paul Sheppard, Managing Director, Simitive.

This session is designed to promote discussion around the fears and concerns HE employees have around the cost of living crisis and its implications for their mental & financial wellbeing.

The presenters will ask questions to get delegate feedback on concerns, worries and the main issues around wellbeing and finances.

They will then start a discussion around what potential solutions are currently in use and ask if we can ascertain their effectiveness.

Speakers: David Vallance, Partner - Financial Planning, Evelyn Partners; David Smith, Director - Financial Planning, Evelyn Partners.

We’d be delighted if you’d join us for a discursive session on social mobility and what institutions are, perhaps should or could be doing to attract and retain a more diverse group of staff in relation to socio economic background, better reflective and representative of the students of today.

Whilst legislation is awaited around social mobility, there is a growing focus and importance in the sector and beyond on improving social mobility amongst the workforce (and student population).

During this discussion based session we will explore what institutions are proactively doing or might consider in this space and encourage the sharing of ideas and thoughts – looking at recruitment, retention, barriers faced, training and monitoring. Linked to that are positive action initiatives - taking targeted measures to encourage the recruitment and career progression of those from under-represented groups protected by the Equality Act 2010.

We will encourage discussion around the types of initiatives, the concept of proportionality and dealing with any ‘backlash’ from those not in the under-represented groups.

Speakers: Emma Malczewski, Senior Associate, Pinsent Masons; Laura Starrett, Associate, Pinsent Masons.

HR Departments are facing unprecedented demands in a very changing world and in this session we will explore how new technologies can be incorporated into today’s modern HR systems to automate process and free up time. Universities are no longer destination employers that employees want to work for life. Recruitment, Retention and Motivation of staff has become as important as it is for Students. Staff are working from where they want to, and this is making management harder with Mental Wellbeing being an important factor for Staff in today’s institution. New technologies provide opportunities to use Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Chatbots and Digital Humans which if used correctly can give a host of options to improve the service provided by today’s HR department. We will explore the options and how different intuitions are looking to incorporate new technologies as part of their wider HR Transformation initiative. • An open and honest discussion on the challenges that institutions are facing • The technologies that are available and how they are/can be used by institutions today • A discussion about those that can be delivered quickly and cost effectively • Delegates will leave this session, informed and inspired to implement the new ideas and recommendations that will take your HR Transformation initiative on a path to success.

Speaker: Nick Gibson, Head of Higher Education & Research, NTT DATA Business Solutions.

The University of Stirling introduced a principles-led approach to hybrid working in August 2021. In December 2022 we launched a 10 question pulse survey to gather feedback from our staff on their lived experience of using our Agile Working Framework in practice. In this session we will discuss the value of our principles-led approach, sharing key data and insights from our staff. We will walkthrough how the use of pulse survey software enabled us to empower management teams across the University to enhance the agile working experience by taking responsibility for designing and implementing specific and relevant actions at a local level. We will also discuss how we have used this data at an institutional level to demonstrate the role of staff voice in enhancing the employee experience at Stirling in a meaningful way. Finally, we will share more on our future pulse survey approach – ‘Be Heard’.

Speakers: Deborah Hagan, Senior HR Business Partner, University of Stirling; Amanda Hopwood , Head of Employee Experience and Development, University of Stirling; Marie Murphy, Senior HR Business Partner, University of Stirling.

At Manchester Met, as common across the sector, there had been a long-standing arrangement to use teaching related hourly paid staff to provide cover for short-term unplanned absence, unplanned peaks in workload or seasonal demands, to provide specialist industry knowledge and experience, and for PhD students to gain employability skills whilst sharing their expertise and help improve graduate outcomes.

There were a range of local arrangements which had built up over the years resulting in a lack of consistency around the contractual arrangements for hourly paid staff. We therefore undertook a project aimed at providing secure employment for colleagues where appropriate, managing risk and reducing the use of teaching related hourly paid contracts. Our objective was to ensure we have a stable and engaged workforce to deliver the best possible student experience. In this, session we share details of our approach and the positive outcomes this project achieved.

Speakers: Sian Jackson, Principal Associate, Mills & Reeve; Kelly Russell, Assistant Director of HR Operations, Manchester Metropolitan University; Angela Shields, HR Business Partner, Manchester Metropolitan University.

In a world of competing priorities it’s sometimes hard to motivate yourself and those around you. Learn more about this aspect of your personality and look to learn about those around you. I will share with you tips to identify different styles and share with you what motivates different people into action. That will allow you to craft your message to those you work with, your clients, your family to communicate in a way that insights action. Come along and develop an action plan to help you craft your message to insight action. Or don’t join us, it’s up to you. Depends if you think this will be helpful to you or not!

Speaker: Hayley Watts, Coach, Trainer, Productivity Ninja, Inspireful.

Illuminate is an internal University of Salford programme for aspiring leaders who feel their opportunities to progress may be hindered by our current working environment. During the programme, we develop a community that positively influences our working environment for the benefit of everyone. We do this by imagining the future they want to see, amplifying their personal influence and helping to broaden the range of voices we all hear. There is also an opportunity for minoritized ethnic colleagues to participate in a ring fenced cohort, and we continue to explore opportunities for colleagues to participate in specialised groups to positively change the environment to the benefit of all. This workshop provides an overview of the programme, invites you to experience an exercise from Illuminate, and discuss the impact the programme has had on our community.

Speakers: Sonal Patel, Head of Learning & Organisational Development, University of Salford; Elaine Robertson, OD Specialist, University of Salford.

This interactive session will explore the impact of the system of work on employee wellbeing and experience and encourage participants to consider alternative approaches to building vibrant organisations where people can thrive.

At Semco Style, we believe the system of work is fundamentally broken. Leaders focusing on long-term strategy and direction yet feeling disconnected from where the organisation is currently. Front-line employees trying to do their best to deliver on the needs of end-users, but without the resources to deliver what is needed. Middle managers feeling stuck and squeezed. End-users feeling dissatisfied through poor experience.

All of this compounds to create huge stress and pressure. Typical approaches to address this stress and pressure aim to build greater resilience or put wellbeing programmes in place to support individuals. In this session, the SSI UK team encourage us to reconsider. Don’t try to fix the people, instead, fix the system.

Speakers: Lizzie Benton, Pathfinder, Semco Style Institute UK (SSI UK); Mark Green, Managing Partner, Semco Style Institute UK (SSI UK)

Financial wellbeing remains the last workplace taboo that needs to be overcome if employers are to ensure that employees remain financially resilient and supported in achieving short, mid and long term savings. This workshop will explore how the challenge can be approach and discuss the pioneering work the University of Lincoln has undertaken with younger workers to identify appropriate savings vehicles with supported incentivisation’s that will allow better saving habits to become embedded. This session will include commentary on the white paper produced by the University HR Team in partnership with their workplace ISA provider to influence a ministerial change in workplace savings legislation.

Speakers: Ian Hodson, Head of Reward, University of Lincoln; Claire Kennedy, Head of Payroll Services, University of Lincoln.

This interactive session will explore the rise of international remote work and how it can be used to enhance and help differentiate an organisation's employee value proposition to attract and retain key talent. Whilst recognising the benefits of international remote work we will explore what it means for employers and employees looking to be compliant in the complex world of cross border moves sharing relevant insights from our global New Work Journey Survey. Further, we will demonstrate how organisations can harness technology to track their remote workers, to perform instant risk assessments and enhance the employee experience at the click of a button. Join us to explore how organisations may embrace the benefits that international remote work can bring with peace of mind that costs and risks are being managed.

Speakers: Gemma Buxton, Global Higher Education Director, Vialto Partners; Marie Green, Global Higher Education Leader, Vialto Partners.

Over the last few years, employee expectations have changed drastically – and changed for good. To work well, employees want to know that their voices are heard and there is a purpose to what they do and treated as an individual with unique traits and aspirations – just as we all do in our lives.

Many organisations are re-imagining and re-designing their employee experience and those that don’t – or respond too slowly – risk losing even more employee trust and may fail to retain or attract key talent and fail to enable their employees to ‘work well’.
Pivotal to achieving success for the employee is connecting their experience to that of the student for maximum impact.
This session will focus on why this is important for future success in Higher Education – what steps need to be taken to achieve success – and how this can be delivered with impact.
Thought provoking and practical – this session is designed to ignite the imagination and provide motivation for action.

Speaker: Leatham Green, Transformation Director UK&I, Oracle.

Addressing the challenge of overcoming the barriers to improved racial and gender representation in recruitment. This session will focus on how this can be achieved in line with your institution’s Athena Swan and Race Equality Charter submissions.

Speaker: Mark Holleran, Managing Director, TalentEdu.