EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS
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Mentoring and Coaching
Improve uptake of mentoring & coaching support to facilitate career progression of females in STEMM. Create a culture where it is “expected” that ECRs both mentor and are mentored.
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Support STEMM women to:
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Follow up on requests for mentoring
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Raise confidence levels
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To prepare for promotion
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Provision of one-to-one mentoring
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Development of job portfolios
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Access to procedural information
NEW
Warwick Academic Shadowing Programme (pilot)
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LDC / STEMM Heads of Depts.
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2013-2016
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Mentoring is open to all research staff to assist in their training and career development. LDC offers a variety of coaching and mentoring, such as:
1:1 sessions on career development; 1:1 statistics; 1:1 research support; career development skills workshops to include:
Career Development – Evidencing your skills (30.01.2014)
Technologies for Research (04.02.2014)
Academic Writing: Dissemination for Impact (12.02.2014);
Academic Writing Programme Away Days (20-22.03.2014 and 26-27.07.2014;
Training Yourself to be a prolific writer (14.04.2014)
Since August 2013:
21 Mentor/Mentee partnerships joined up
19 of the Mentors were female (3 in research roles)
18 of the Mentees were female (4 in research related roles)
Evidence is currently (Oct 14) being gathered to give broad evaluation data/comments around the scheme without asking individuals to break confidences. The criteria for this is identified below:
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When (month) did your first coaching session take place?
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How many times did you meet your coachee/mentee?
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How effective was the ‘match’ between you?
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Comments (in general terms) on what the most useful aspects of your meetings were?
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How many people are still meeting with their mentors.
3 workshops (16 places on each)
on Coaching and Mentoring training are scheduled for 2014/15 calendar year. It is also being considered whether to offer specific mentee sessions.
WMG are also piloting a Lateral mentoring scheme with 5 people currently involved.
This pilot scheme was launched in July 2014 with the aim of providing more junior academics (both men and women) with the opportunity to be shadowed by a more senior academic.
There have been 6 matches overall with a breakdown of male to female ratios as below:
Junior male – 2
Junior female – 4
Senior male – 3
Senior female - 3
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Develop experience of Early Career Researchers on financial decision making (2 ECR’s are on the decision panel judging applications for conference child care support fund)
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Where possible, financial implications are included in training exercises, such as grant writing proposals.
2 ECR’s continue to serve on the decision panel for judging applications for conference care support.
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Creating Networking Opportunities
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Biannual Women in Science Symposium
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To ensure a ‘grass-roots’ committee is appointed each year to organize these Symposia and to monitor attendance and ensure discussions are engaging with the student/post-doctoral research community.
Provide admin, finance and academic support as required.
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Student/Post-doctoral community
E&D Adviser to monitor & flag need for action to AS Steering if required
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2013-2016
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The fourth Biannual Women in Science Symposium is scheduled for 24th September 2014. Warwick Women in Science (WIS) exists to provide support, information and opportunity to promote all aspects of Women in Science.
Many of women have a passion for science and the desire to pursue a career in the scientific world, however as women, they face some unique obstacles and challenges.
The symposium will be a combination of inspirational lectures from a number of successful women working in a scientific field and there will also be breakout sessions on a number of topics.
WIS aims to offer direct, practical help to the daily lives of women in science – be that providing support with career progression, providing networks to develop wider opportunities for collaboration or simply creating an increased sense of community.
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Support post-doc forums in departments
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To continue to help with funding for departmental events. Ensure local person in department’s sets dates.
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LDC/RSS
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The research staff forum continues to meet on a regular basis.
LDC delivers monthly electronic newsletters to research active staff (staff on research, academic and teaching terms and conditions). The purpose of the Newsletter is to:
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To raise awareness of Learning and Development opportunities (both at Warwick and nationally)
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To promote the Learning and Development offerings/workshops and encourage take-up by research active staff.
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Publicise funding available for Learning and Development activity (i.e. Awards / Funding for Research Active Staff Networks/other external or internal funding.
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Share ideas and practice. Also focussing on some of the activities at Warwick e.g. Impact, Public Engagement etc.
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Termly Welcome Lunches for PDRAs
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Ensuring funding is available
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RSF/RSS
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A Pro-Vice Chancellor attends these lunches, which continued to be funding through the Learning and Development Centre.
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MID-CAREER ACADEMICS & RESEARCHERS
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Annual events to raise profiles of female staff in STEMM
To ensure engagement with female staff and to provide role models to inspire and motivate other female researchers and academics
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To celebrate annually an event to recognise International Women’s Day that engages with female staff and provides role models.
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HR, Academic Community, Registrar’s Office
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2013-2016
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Physics held an event to recognise International Women’s Day. The event was open to all female staff – 17 attendees.
There are plans to have a joint institutional event for the next International Women’s Day.
Warwick female staff successes are recognised on the Athena web pages and are up-dated regularly, we also now have a student successes page. These will also receive a mention in the new Equality and Diversity Newsletter. The Athena Network and Steering Groups are updated with these successes as they occur and information is disseminated across departments. Major successes are communicated on InSite.
The Chair of the Faculty of Science requests on an annual basis nominations for female scientists for honorary degrees.
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Organise high profile celebration of AS and women’s successes in the University.
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Nominate outstanding women for honorary degrees.
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Enhancing opportunities for mid-career females
Recruitment, retention and progression of mid-career females
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Launch of Womens Network Group with termly meetings for mid-career staff to discuss relevant initiatives with a view to improve work life balance and promotion prospects.
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Chair of the Faculty of Science
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2014
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The Senior Womens Network group continues to meet on a termly basis and at the last event (10 March 2014), Siobhan Benita, The Director of Policy and Strategy in the Economics Department was invited to give a lecture on ‘A Woman in Whitehall – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’. This event was well attended by both academic and senior administrators.
The Chair of the Faculty of Science attended a Russell Group Diversity Forum to give a presentation on her personal career path in Science. The next meeting of the Senior Womens Network is scheduled for 27th November 2014.
A statement has been added to promotion documentation sent to departments (and on the web) that makes it clear that staff with special circumstances who wish to submit for promotion have the opportunity to disclose this circumstance (e.g. part time staff to mitigate differences in their rate of progression of quantity of publications). These circumstances can then be taken into account by the Vice Chancellors Promotion Group.
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Promotion and appointment requirements take account of leave.
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Monitor the gradual drop of women in STEMM against age profile
Progression and retention of female academics
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Carry out further investigations on how to support women in mid-career as the net drop is gradual at each career stage and could be mainly due to the age profile of women in STEMM academia.
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HR Data Systems
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2013-2016
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Work in its infancy and will be reported on at a later date
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Conference attendance is essential for academics but can be difficult if staff have childcare responsibilities
More parents attending conferences (which are essential to their academic & research careers)
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An annual fund has been established to assist with payments for extra childcare costs incurred when individuals attending conferences/ workshops (£100 per claim)
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Chair: Science & Medicine Faculties / AS Network
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2013-2016
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The University recognises the difficulty of attending conferences for parents and has therefore established a small fund to assist with payments of extra childcare arrangements for individuals attending conferences/workshops etc. Take up of conference care fund has increased year on year and feedback from staff utilising the fund has been excellent. Typical feedback: Without the money, I would have had to make a choice whether I would attend the workshop leaving my daughter behind or whether not to attend the workshop so I can be with her. Given that she is just 15 months old, leaving her behind was not an option, hence without the money, I would not have been able to go.
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From 2013 the fund is part of the Science & Medicine Faculty budgets, but may be rolled out to other Faculties.
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Chairs of Faculties
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Applications from non-STEMM departments are being received for the conference care fund, and to date have been funded whilst budget allows. With University Arts and Social Sciences departments being interested in working towards the Gender Equality Charter Mark, the Chairs of both of those Faculties will be approached to see if their Faculties would be willing to contribute to the budget so that more staff could benefit from the fund.
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Occasional Childcare
Occasional childcare available to parents wishing to attend workshops/ conferences linked with their work.
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Monitor effectiveness of new initiative: Nursery now takes a child on a one-off basis if a parent needs cover to attend a conference and the child does not usually use the facilities.
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University Nursery, AS Network
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On-going
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During 2013/2014 there were 3 members of staff who used this ad-hoc facility. There was one other request that the nursery were unable to honour due to no availability.
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Turning research outputs into a commercial proposition
More female participation in developing commercial impact of research
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Warwick has been awarded £2.2 million from The Impact Acceleration Account awarded by EPSRC. The money will go towards a number of initiatives to boost the University’s impact on the wider economy. Ensure women feel it is appropriate to apply.
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RSS
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2013-2016
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Warwick Ventures offers advice and services to the University’s innovators, offering support throughout the process of generating impact and a commercial return from their research, whilst maintaining their academic focus.
RSS advised that the IAA supported the “Science Communication and Impact for Female Postdoctoral Researchers”, this event took place over the summer. Of the 24 female participants 8 were from Warwick. The training course was organised by Alison and delivered by media experts including the BBC.
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Clarity on Promotion and Career Progression
All staff clear about what is required in the next step in their careers and how to achieve it.
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Gain information through focus groups about ignorance on this issue. Ensure all new staff, but especially associate professors, feel they know how to progress to the next steps through Warwick’s promotion process. To find out what support is offered/taken-up in departments, what barriers they face, how these can be overcome or lessened.
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HR, LDC
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Annually
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Heads of Departments are aware of the importance of communicating promotion criteria to all staff and to provide the appropriate guidance to staff, through line managers and Departmental Promotion Groups.
Some departments, as part of their Athena work, are hosting their own promotion events, but due to the success of the first ‘Demystifying the Promotion Process at Warwick’ event in April 2013 (41 attendees), another event was held on 13 March 2014 (47 attendees). The speakers at these events included Pro-Vice Chancellors, Chairs of Faculties and members of the University Promotion Committee. HR are monitoring the attendees at these events to see if they apply and are successful for promotion the following year. Of the attendees at the 2013 event, 8 members of staff applied for promotion, and 7 were successful. Feedback from the event has been excellent, with staff valuing the opportunity to speak with senior management on what issues to consider when working towards the promotion criteria.
The Demystifying Promotion Session has now become an annual event with the next one scheduled for 12 March 2015.
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(ii)Ensure recently updated information on web remains useful.
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Annual Event ‘Demystifying the Promotion Process’ established to provide academic led information about what is needed for promotion at each career stage.
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A Women’s Leadership Programme to be established if there is demand. Further consultation to be undertaken by LDC to see if there is demand for a Women’s Leadership Programme. Determine best format balance between meeting, mentoring and shadowing
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E&D Adviser, AS Network
HR, Academic Staff Committee, VC’s advisory group
LDC
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Web pages are being kept up-dated and the 2015 Promotion event is already being advertised. Feedback from the events are taken into account as to what information would be useful for display on the web page (or links to appropriate information).
See previous comments on the Demystifying Promotion Events’.
Warwick has an extremely good Leadership programme in place, which receives good feedback. Uptake of the programme is monitored annually by LDC, and this will continue to be monitored by attendance and success. LDC will continuously review if there is a need/desire to run a female only leadership course.
In 2013/14 two members of staff (one academic and one professional members of staff) attended the Aurora Female Leadership Programme. Their views on this course have been evaluated by LDC and the programme advertised again across the University for 2014/15 year.
Two members of Warwick Staff (S Sparks and V Goodship) were invited as Guest Speakers at a Leadership and Management Research Excellence Programme on 15 January 2014 to speak on Coaching and Mentoring. Both have been invited back in January 2015 to repeat their talks.
In Jan – March 2013, the University provided a Research Team Leaders Programme to equip research team leaders with the key skills in leading and managing their teams to meet departmental and project requirements.
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ALL STAFF
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Managing maternity leave
To ensure employees feel welcomed back into the workplace at a time when their levels of confidence may be low.
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Endeavour to arrange for a member of the RPNG to accompany new returning parents to their first meeting.
Ensure RPNG keeps running and its format is dynamic. Ensure all departments are using the two maternity checklists which have been produced to assist with arrangements before, during and returning from maternity leave.
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HR, Departments
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On-going
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The Returning Parents Network has now been re-named as the Working Parents Network. This is due to its success and demand by staff to continue to participate in the group, even though they are no longer new returns from maternity/paternity/adoption leave. The group meets each term and has a number of internal and external speakers.
There have been some hic-cups with the maternity checklists, as sometimes they were sent to the department and not passed on to the appropriate line manager. A new system has been created in that both checklists (employee and line manager) are now sent to the individual going on maternity leave for them to hand them to the line manager. This system will be reviewed in 2014/15 to ensure it is working. The web pages for the Working Parents Network have been redesigned and a new poster has been created and promoted across campus.
The WMS/Life Sciences campus has a dedicated Nursing Mother’s Room, which is a clean, private place where nursing employees, visitors and students can relax to express milk. The milk can be stored in a fridge provided solely for that purpose. The room is private and dedicated only to lactation and first aid purposes.
A dedicated Breast Feeding room will been opened in summer 2015 in Social Sciences, discussions are currently underway to establish if this room should be available to all staff on campus and not just those from Social Sciences.
Discussions are also ongoing for the University to provide more nursing mothers rooms, as well as more baby changing facilities across campus.
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Car parking spaces for parents working at the Medical School & Life Science campus to enable them to visit children at the Nursery
Parking reserved for parents visiting babies
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Review the one year pilot project (started March 2013) to allow for dedicated parking spaces at WMS/Life Sciences campus for parents (in particular nursing mothers) of children in the University nursery as parking is extremely limited at WMS/ Life Sciences campus.
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WMS, Security Services
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2013-2016
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Car Parking spaces on WMS/Life Sciences campus continues to be very stretched and therefore the pilot of a priority parking scheme was implemented in March 2013. One year on the scheme was considered successful and now operates as follows:
The Athena car parking priority scheme is designed to facilitate quick access to nursery/home for nursing mothers. It can also be used by pregnant mothers in the late stages of their pregnancy. Currently there is one bay allocated to this priority scheme. The scheme is monitored by a registration and assessed on the needs of the applicants, who will be considered against the following criteria:
Priority Group I – expectant mothers in their late stages of pregnancy who are experiencing mobility problems.
Priority Group II – nursing mothers returning to work after a period of maternity leave
Priority Group III – nursing mothers
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Lack of general understanding of flexible working options
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The Flexible Working Policy was updated in May 2012 to give greater clarity to the fact that parents of children under 17 or disabled children under 18 or carers have a legal right to apply for flexible working and gives clear guidance and links to the government website.
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HR, All Departments
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On-going
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At a recent Women in Science event, HR did a presentation on family friendly policies, including, maternity/adoption, paternity, parental leave, flexible working and career breaks. It is intended to include this presentation at future events, so that staff become more informed of HR policies.
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