SydneyPeople News & Events - February/March 2009
- University named Employer of Choice, 2009
- Launch of New OHS & Injury Management Module in myHRonline
- New Indigenous Cadetship Program
- Updated Recruitment and Selection Policy now available
- Development programs for Researchers
- What to do with staff personal information
University named Employer of Choice, 2009
The Federal Government's Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) has named the University as one of just 111 organisations in Australia to be recognised as an Employer of Choice for Women.
To be recognised as an EOWA Employer of Choice for Women, employers are required to meet stringent criteria each year. The University of Sydney was named for its achievements across a number of areas, including offering one of Australia's leading paid maternity leave schemes.
Other initiatives at the University include Women in Leadership, a program designed for women who aspire to, or are in, leadership and management.
Supported by the University's management and organised by the Staff and Student Equal Opportunity Unit, the program runs throughout the year. One of its most in-demand events are forums where senior women at the University talk about their successful careers and how they have negotiated barriers to female achievement.
"We are committed to helping women pursue and progress in their chosen careers. Initiatives like the Women in Leadership program and the Women in Science program, backed by our maternity and parental leave provisions, have assisted many women in the realisation of their academic and professional goals," said the Vice Chancellor Michael Spence.
The Women in Science Project, instigated by Professor David Day, Dean of Science, is another program that aims to identify some of the obstacles preventing women achieving senior roles in the sciences, and to encourage more women into senior roles within the Faculties of Science.
Dr Maree Murray, Assistant Director of the University of Sydney's Staff and Student Equal Opportunity Unit, said: "This award recognises the incredible efforts that many different people across all parts of the University have put in to improve the situation of women in the workplace."
Acting Director of EOWA, Mairi Steele, said: "We don't claim that the organisations on the list are perfect, but they are certainly leading the way."
The EOWA's list "provides women with a guide to organisations showing a real commitment to creating fair workplaces and to achieving genuine results for working women."
"Employers work hard to get on this list because despite the economic downturn, many are acutely aware of the need to attract and retain women for sustainability in the long term," she said.
About the citation
The EOCFW citation is awarded to non-government organisations with more than 80 employees that have demonstrated that they have policies and practices that support women across the organisation and these have had a positive outcome for both women and the business.
Launch of New OHS & Injury Management Module in myHRonline
The new occupational health and safety and injury management module has been added to the Talent2 human resources information system.
The new functionality is being rolled out in phases. Phase 1 delivers, via myHRonline, an online version of the paper based Incident and Injury Report.
The benefits of the new OHS and injury management module are:
- On-line reporting of incidents and injuries via myHRonline
- The ability to record and monitor actions needed to prevent recurrence of incidents
- Faster, more accurate recording and processing of workers’ compensation claims
- Enhanced capacity to meet regulatory requirements for reporting work related injuries
- More efficient use of HR information as the new module is integrated in Talent 2
- Removal of manual processes and improved operational effectiveness of our OHS and Injury Management (OHSIM) team
- Improved management reporting capability
The new functionality enables staff to report an occupational injury or incident by logging onto myHRonline and selecting the tab Report Incident or Injury and following the prompts.
Once an incident report is lodged via myHRonline, supervisors will be routinely contacted by the OHSIM team using the Talent2 functionality and asked to provide details of the investigation and preventative measures (Section B of the old form) via email.
Staff who need assistance in using the new myHRonline incident or injury reporting functionality are to contact the ICT Helpdesk on x16000. A Quick Reference Guide is also available for downloading from the myHRonline information website.
New Indigenous Cadetship Program
The University’s Indigenous Employment Program, in partnership with SydneyPeople Recruitment and Learning Solutions, is accepting expressions of interest from faculties who can offer cadetship opportunities to Indigenous students.
The Indigenous Cadetship Program is a new University training program that goes live next month. It aims to provide paid work experience to undergraduate students of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who are enrolled in a university within the Sydney metropolitan area.
Faculties registering to take part in the scheme will gain a motivated cadet who will typically work at the University one day per week, in a program that is aligned with their area of interest or study. Up to 20 cadetships will be offered in two phases this academic year, running for up to three years to complement undergraduate degrees.
Faculty staff who would like more information on the Indigenous Cadetship Program can contact Vladimir Williams on 9351 7489 or visit the 2009 Indigenous Cadetship Program website.
Updated Recruitment and Selection Policy now available
The updated version of the University’s Recruitment and Selection Policy is now available on Policy Online.
This policy is a key document for the entire University as it provides a framework and structure for all staff in the recruitment and selection of continuing and fixed term roles.
The policy has been updated to improve the efficiency and timeliness of our appointments, and ensure our recruitment and selection processes work well to support hiring managers in attracting and employing staff of outstanding quality.
The changes you will note in the new version of the policy are procedural, the underlying principles and approach are the same.
The policy provides detailed, step by step guidance to staff and managers through each of the stages in the recruitment and selection process, and includes links to all the relevant forms.
A new section has been added on candidate care, outlining the respective responsibilities of SydneyRecruitment and faculties/departments.
Development programs for Researchers
In 2009, Learning Solutions will continue to offer programs which meet the specific development needs of researchers, including Development for Early Career Researchers – Biomedical and Development for New and Emerging Chief Investigators.
Development for Early Career Researchers(ECRs) – Biomedical
The Semester One program will focus on the development needs of ECRs in the Biomedical field, in the areas of:
- Career planning
- Working in teams
- Grant writing
- Communication
- Networking and mentoring
The program is targeted at researchers who are one to ten years post-doctoral and consists of seven half-day sessions, from Friday 27 March, at the Camperdown campus.
Development for New and Emerging Chief Investigators (CIs)
The Future Research Leaders Program is a joint collaboration with the Group of Eight Universities and comprises eight modules which explore various aspects of research project management.
The program is targeted at early to mid-career researchers who have recently won grants and are new to the role of CI, or are researchers who have already been involved in successful grants and have submitted grant applications with themselves as a CI.
The program helps develop the skills required to manage research projects, teams or budgets. Choose one, several or all of the modules to suit your needs.
For more information please visit the Learning Solutions website.
What to do with staff personal information
An official electronic staff file is created for every staff member when they are appointed to the University. It is created by Records Management Services (RMS) and maintained by HR Service Centre (HRSC) staff. RMS can also help you manage copies of staff files held within your office.
If you choose to keep a copy of the personal staff documents that have been sent to HRSC, you must ensure that they are kept in a secure area. If you have any doubt about the staff files you have in your office, or you need help in managing them, please email the or call x69537.
A detailed explanation of staff files is avialable in Part Four of the University Recordkeeping Manual or on the Archives and Records Management Services website.