The Women in IT group met on 19 May, for a progress update and to discuss what to take forward next.
The group has achieved a lot already, including:
- Improving the transparency of the Annual Review process with a clear article in the newsletter about how the process works.
- We’ve taken some positive steps taken in recruitment, including various ways in which we can ensure job specifications are unbiased in terms of language and widening the advertising of positions to encourage greater diversity in applications.
- From an outreach perspective, Tara Lamplough and two others from IT Services will be presenting at the UCISA Women in IT Virtual Conference in October. The recruitment website jobs.ac.uk is running a series of events to encourage a wider range of people into employment in the Higher Education (HE) sector; IT Services will have representation at their September event, which is to focus on IT within HE – date to be confirmed.
Peer Support Network and Mentoring Scheme
The group split into two breakout rooms, discussing a potential peer support network and a mentoring scheme.
Peer support network
Matching the staff member with someone at a similar level within the department who can provide informal support. Particularly suitable for new starters trying to settle in, but could also be useful for maternity returners; staff seeking a broader understanding of other areas of the department; and staff feeling isolated due to remote working.
Mentoring
Matching the staff member with someone at a more senior level and/or who is more experienced in something. Mentors could be from within IT Services – but we’re also looking at mentors outside of IT Services (wider UoB colleagues) or outside of the University (IT sector leaders).
Take our quick poll to let us know if you’d find one of these useful.
Remote working and the road back to campus
Would you like to raise a point around working from home, the return to campus and what new ways of working you’d like to see? There are spaces still available on the Strategic Change team’s interactive workshop on Friday 29 May. See the Strategic Change Hub in IT Services Collaboration for more information and how to register.
Equality & Diversity Champions
IT Services Equality and Diversity (E&D) Champions, Stella Poole and Rai Furniss-Greasley, will run a Lunch and Learn soon around E&D related issues. They’ve now got a monthly feature in the newsletter as well, to keep us all updated with E&D issues.
Join the Women in IT group
If you’d like your voice to be heard on issues around being a woman in a male dominated industry and workplace, please join the Microsoft team with code kg0pmne.