University of Glasgow - Schools - School of Health & Wellbeing - Information for staff and students - SHW suggestions, comments and questions box

SHW suggestions, comments and questions box

You said we did

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NB We are currently receiving an unusually high number of comments, questions and suggestions. Please bear with us as we work our way through your submissions. We will respond as soon as we can. For anything urgent, please speak to your line manager, senior administrator or head of unit. If you need to report a building defect please use the CP building defect reporting form.

2024

June 2024	You said: I was wondering whether we can ensure community engagement/music events do not take place during working hours. We can hear clearly the music from the Visit West End’s Make Music Day 2024 from our offices...office environment should be as quiet as possible. thanks! We did: The University has committed to sharing our spaces with the wider community including St Mungo’s Square and Curling Pond Place (outside of Clarice Pears) and this is an expectation by funders. We hope to have music outside on occasion and for short periods, to draw attention to the building and the public facilities and importantly, to also support local partners and artists. We also hoped that residents of Clarice Pears would enjoy the music on that occasion. We provided notice on Teams of the short times this would be taking place, but appreciate this might not have been read. If there are any future community events of this nature during office hours, we will aim to give more notice and also on multiple communication channels, so that staff can arrange to work from the flexible quiet spaces in other parts of the building, or if someone is unaware of these events on the day, we can also provide (noise cancelling) headphones, just ask our admin team at shwadmin@glasgow.ac.uk .
June 2024	You said: I will early voluntary severance be offered to SPHSU staff in advance of initiating the formal consultation/MOOC process? For staff on MRC TUPE contracts this would be in line with the policy on alternatives to redundancies (3.1.4 e). If so, what is the likely timeline for such an offer to be made? We did: The Transition Executive Group are not yet in a position to share further comment on voluntary severance as this matter will be for discussion during formal consultative processes. During consultation, TEG activities relating to voluntary severance would be fully communicated, where appropriate. This is in alignment with UofG and MRC respective policies, noting that specifically the MRC Redundancy and Redeployment Policy states these alternatives to possible redundancy [as detailed in 3.1.4.] are “not necessarily listed in order of operation and may, following consultation with the recognised trade unions, be implemented simultaneously, partially or not at all, as appropriate”.
June 2024	You said: I'm really concerned about the aggressive promotion of the 'future fellowships', given the number of people in SPHSU set to lose their jobs their spring. It feels really insensitive to ask us for recommendation of tags for advertising, or to put a little blurb in our email signatures about the fellowships, when we've been told that we can't keep our jobs. Especially for people who were unsuccessful in the PI review, it feels like a slap in the face to have the school so eagerly promote these fellowships (and clearly have money to hire people), while at the same time telling us that we aren't good enough. The emails and language around the fellowships have been really hurtful. We did: Thank you for your post. We appreciate that this is a very difficult time for SPHSU staff and agree that comms need to be handled sensitively. The Futures Fellows are a College scheme and we have shared your feedback with the college staff managing the scheme. Sharing information, e.g. through email signatures, is up to individuals and is not mandatory. The Future Fellows scheme is intended to support all four Future themes, two of which (Health Inequalities and Planetary Health) are highly relevant to SPHSU staff. We would encourage SPHSU staff who meet the criteria to apply for the scheme.
June 2024	You said: I was wondering whether we can ensure community engagement/music events do not take place during working hours. We can hear clearly the music from the Visit West End’s Make Music Day 2024 from our offices...office environment should be as quiet as possible. thanks! We did: The University has committed to sharing our spaces with the wider community including St Mungo’s Square and Curling Pond Place (outside of Clarice Pears) and this is an expectation by funders. We hope to have music outside on occasion and for short periods, to draw attention to the building and the public facilities and importantly, to also support local partners and artists. We also hoped that residents of Clarice Pears would enjoy the music this lunchtime. We did post on Teams the short times this would be taking place but appreciate this may not suit everyone. If we have any future community events of this nature during office hours, we will aim to give more notice and also on multiple communication channels, so that staff can arrange to work from our flexible quiet spaces in other parts of the building. If at any time, music or any noise comes as a surprise to anyone, then please do ask admin for a set of noise cancelling headphones. A gentle reminder that there are designated quiet rooms but other than that the School cannot expect the building to be an entirely quiet space and we do not always have control over street noise.
June 2024	You said: Building and Culture Survey. I can be easily identified if I put in my fte, working pattern and department. Can the survey please be changed so I can leave identifying questions blank We did: Thank you for the suggestion. The survey has been amended accordingly.
June 2024	You said: Building and Culture Survey. I can be easily identified if I put in my fte, working pattern and department. Can the survey please be changed so I can leave identifying questions blank. We did: Thank you for looking into the Building and Culture Survey, it is much appreciated. We need information on fte to help us understand working patterns. Also, we will not share any data related to research groups (RG), that is solely for the small group who will analyse the results. RG information will be shared with RG Heads, but no further. However, the survey set up has been amended and if you wish you can leave any questions/ boxes blank you may do so.
June 2024	You said: A therapet de-stress session for staff, the events run by the student bodies are for students only but staff can be as stressed as student during busy times. We did: We will reach out to the group to arrange the site visit for them to approve us as an authorised venue. Once this is done we will send a short report to get final approval to book the date of the first session.
May 2024	You said: Please don't close the Omni cafe, this is a great addition to the CP building for staff, students and visitors. Maybe the cafe could offer a meal deal to encourage more use? I use it often and it is really convenient to have it within the building, saving time and effort when I want something to eat. We did: Response from UoG Catering, “Whilst the provision of catering is changing within the Clarice Pears Building, there will still be the opportunity to purchase from a newly installed convenience vending solution. This will comprise of hot beverages, cold drinks and snacks and will be available in line with the opening hours of the building. A wider food and beverage provision, with greater choice and quality, will remain available within close proximity, at neighbouring University of Glasgow outlets”.
April 2024	You said: Please could staff have access to the facility store rooms? Week after week we have to ask professional service staff to ask facilities for supplies (particularly kitchen roll). It has now been a week that we have not had kitchen roll in either kitchen on L3, and we still have to wait for facilities to respond to our request. I would be happy to fetch the kitchen roll myself from the supply cupboard, but we do not have access. It is very frustrating not being able to dry our hands/wipe up spillages on the floor, and it is an ongoing issue. If security is an issue, could we please keep extra supplies in admin offices, so that we have access when we need it. We did: Contact Facilities Zone 1, estates-facilities-zone-1@glasgow.ac.uk who will send a facilities assistant to help. We have already requested addionnal paper towels be placed in kitchens which has been done. Due to health and safety (chemicals are stored in this room) it would no be possible for all staff to have access.
April 2024	You said: This is a message to the Chair of Athena Swan. Please forward. Dear Chair, in the recent TEG process for SPHSU, 20 people were reviewed, 10 men and 10 women. Of these 7 of the 10 men were moved into general funds but only 3 out of 10 women. At professorial level, there were 4 men and 3 women reviewed. All four men were kept on; 2 of 3 female professors were not. Could the Chair please raise this at school management meeting and ask how this can be acceptable in a Gold Athena Swan school? We did: As requested, this post has been discussed at the SHW Management Group meeting. The TEG sub-group that conducted the Academic PI review comprised 7 women and 3 men with representatives from MLVS, CoSS and SHW. The discussions covered additional circumstances as well as current academic performance, and trajectory and strategic fit with the College Futures Themes. The SHW Management Group is satisfied that there was no discrimination inherent in the process. The Academic PI Review is the first stage. The gender statistics will be kept under review as we now move to the next stages.
April 2024	You said: Could we please put in place regular checks to ensure that internet is working in the meeting rooms? I recently booked a meeting room and I tried to connect to the internet -without success. This is not the first time that happens and finding a meeting space last meeting it's very stressful, especially before an important meeting. Wi-fi is also very unstable. A good internet connection is a basic requirement for our job. We did: The internet connections are monitored by central IT and local teams are informed immediately if there is a break in connection. If there is a particular room with an issue please report to shwadmin@glasgow.ac.uk and we will alert IT to come to the room.
April 2024	You said: It would be great to have an instructions sheet in the meeting rooms for how to connect your laptop to the screens, using the room's webcam and connecting sound etc for hybrid meetings. Thank you! We did: The AV IT team who support Clarice Pears building regularly test all meeting room equipment on a rotational basis to make sure it is working, if there are any immediate problems please contact CP reception Shw-cp-reception@glasgow.ac.uk or shwadmin@glasgow.ac.uk with the room number and we will make sure they are notified immediately. Instructions for connecting equipment will be added to each room.
April 2024	You said: Hello, would it be possible to send an email around to remind colleagues to please make sure they are using the correct bins in the kitchens. Due to the design of the bins, a lot of non-recyclable material ends up in the recycling bags, and contaminated bags of recycling can end up in landfill. Also, the bins have a designated space for food waste, yet there are no bags for food waste in them. It would be great to have separate collection of food waste in the building. We did: We would remind colleagues and students to please be aware of using the correct bins in the kitchen areas for general waste and recycling, and of course mixed bins on all floors. At present FOOD WASTE is not supported at present in Clarice Pears, if this is revised we will keep you updated. UoG waste policy and where food waste pick up points are amongst many other waste services you can utilise can be found on this page.
Mar 2024	You said: Poem about assigned desks We did: Unfortunately we do not encourage assigned desks for various reasons. Most staff have a blended working week with work from home (WFH) options a few days each week. We are very happy for your personal items to be displayed on the desk you use each day and these can be kept securely in your locker at the end of the working day, this is the reason we have a clear desk policy. There are enough lockers on each floor to accommodate all staff and students
Mar 2024	You said: An email was sent round on 7th March from SHW reception ("Message to School RE Courier mail"). The content of the email didn't make sense to me but it gave the impression that reception staff are pissed off about dealing with couriers and that they can't be named as contact for "mail pick ups". I am a PS Staff member and don't like the fact that it is assumed we do all the menial stuff (tidying of offices, kitchen spaces etc). But surely reception staff can help with mail on behalf of staff in the building? We did: There is no issue with reception staff dealing with parcels for couriers, they are more than happy to facilitate this. The correct paperwork must be attached and a contact name must be on the parcel. Reception staff will advise you if the parcel is incorrectly labeled and how to rectify. Reception staff cannot be the named person for parcels as they would not be aware of contents, importance or value.
Feb 2024	You said: Since there isn't food waste recycling in Clarice Pears, can we block-off the food waste sections of all the kitchen bins in building? If they are indeed redundant, they're only misleading people into believing that there is food recycling, creating more work for cleaners and wasting plastic bin liners. We did: At present FOOD WASTE is not supported at present in Clarice Pears, if this is revised we will keep you updated. UoG waste policy and where food waste pick up points are amongst many other waste services you can utilise can be
Feb 2024	You said: Today I tried to access the drop in room in L3, but staff cards were not working , and I had to find a suitable space last minute. One drop in room has been already allocated to a new staff member, and the other one is going to be used as a private office. If we have a meeting that involves confidential information, we need to have a suitable space, and drop in rooms were very useful. . We did: If you let reception know they can check Salto access on your card.
Feb 2024	You said: Students in staff spaces in CP Levels 2 & 3. Was there a staff consultation prior to introducing this? I have concerns about security/ equipment/ noise levels. Although Charles University in Prague was an extreme event, staff safety should come first. Some staff such as myself do not have an office space of their own and there are issues for holding confidential supervision meetings with PGT students. I am not comfortable with this idea just because of monitoring numbers using the building. The answer below addresses similar suggestions posted on the same day. We did: Everyone who had concerns around students using the agile areas on L2 and L3, the senior management group granted full access for both levels as a result of the trial and there have been no major issues raised.
Feb 2024	You said: With the weather improving and the reappearance of the sun (yay!), our office is struggling with sunlight coming through the top window panes (above the windows that have blinds), and shining directly in our eyes as we work. Would it be possible to fit blinds/coverings for these top windows please? Our office is room 359 (but others on our side of the building may have the same issue). We did: This issue is being raised with estates and we hope to have this resolved in the near future.
Feb 2024	You said: Will the School of Health and Wellbeing ever supply stationery again or are we expected to purchase our own? We did: Thank you for your enquiry. There is stationery available in cupboards next to photocopiers, in the print hubs. If you can’t find what you are looking for please ask your local admin.
Feb 2024	You said: Hi - would be great if we could get a couple of the smaller staplers in the printing rooms on level 3. Thanks! We did Please ask your local admin for any stationery supplies and they will provide for you
Feb 2024	You said While waiting at L1, it can sometimes feel a bit cold and sterile. To address this, I propose introducing music or a radio station that plays a variety of genres. This addition could transform the atmosphere, creating a more inviting and pleasant space for visitors. Music has the incredible ability to uplift spirits, ease tension, and create a positive ambiance. By incorporating carefully curated playlists or a dedicated radio channel, we have the opportunity to set a warm and welcoming tone, making the wait time feel more enjoyable for everyone. This simple addition not only enhances the physical space but also contributes to a more positive and inclusive environment. It fosters a sense of community and comfort, making L1 not just a functional space but a place that people look forward to visiting. I believe that this small but impactful change could significantly improve the overall experience at L1. I appreciate your consideration of this suggestion and am confident that it would contribute to a more positive atmosphere for both staff and visitors. Thank you for you time and attention to this matter, We did Unfortunately Clarice Pears does not have a PA system

2023

Dec 2023	You said: I really enjoyed the yoga that was offered to staff last year, will this be a regular offering going forward in 2024 We did: UoG sports will be offering a FREE taster session on 16 April, the Eventbrite link has been circulated on Teams
Dec 2023	You said Although there a lot of positives related to in-person meetings and events, I would like to highlight the importance of retaining hybrid as the default format for larger meetings for reasons of equity. SHW seminars, for example, are always hybrid and often recorded and this means our colleagues with disabilities and caring duties that necessitate reasonable adjustments can still participate. Just a reminder to anyone organising events that hybrid should be the default unless it is explicitly known that all attendees are happy with in-person. There has been a few instances where people have had to contact event organisers to add an online element. This places additional burden on those staff or students with disability- or care-related stressors that can already be making their working lives difficult. We did We agree that a remote attendance option should be offered unless this is not possible; either because of the nature of the venue (e.g. IT facilities) or type of meeting (e.g. meetings with break-out sessions and group work). The remote option is useful not only for meetings intended to be hybrid but also as a plan B for face-to-face meetings where people find themselves unable to attend due to whatever reason.
Dec 2023	You said I wonder if SHW could start encouraging colleagues to attend international conferences remotely, for the sake of the environment? There doesn't seem to have been much of a reduction in this since the pandemic, when we all found out that almost everything could be done at a distance. As far as the environment is concerned, there's no time to lose. This article ("No research on a dead planet") is very sobering. How about we lead the way, as we already do in other areas (EDI for eg), in committing to much less air travel in future, including holding meetings of our International Scientific Committee remotely rather than paying for people to travel to Glasgow? https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1237076/full We did We will email all staff to remind them to be thoughtful before booking travel and consider whether alternative options are available such as attending remotely or combining several meetings to reduce travel and we will include the link to university policy in the email, which is mindful of career stage weighting in such considerations University of Glasgow - MyGlasgow - Sustainability [for students & staff] - Strategic Travel Planning - Guidance for sustainable business travel for staff and postgraduate researchers - Examples of more and less justifiable purposes for high-carbon travel, with career stage weighting At this time, we do not know what the trends are in SHW travel. We are trying to access this information and intend to review it twice yearly at the School Management Group meeting, sharing updates with staff as appropriate. In relation to the International Scientific Advisory Group (ISAB), we only meet once every 2 years and several years ago decided to alternate between a face to face meeting and remote meeting. Therefore, they only attend in person once every four years.
Dec 2023	You said Hiya, thanks for all of your hard work in SHW/Clarice Pears this year! I was wondering if there is any further action that will be taken to repair the leaks on Level 4? Several staff and students We did Thank you for your message and the recognition of hard work that has been done so far. The leak on L4 at open area, Desk 74 next to meeting room 437 was reported again and we can confirm it has now been fixed. Apologies that the process takes time as we rely on a supply chain. Please continue to complete and submit the Defects form which is found here: 240103 V1 CP Defect Report Proforma.docx
Dec 2023	You said Could you put some surface wipes in the baby feeding room. (And please wipe the floor, the same wrapper has be sitting there for over a week now!) We did Wipes have now been put in the baby changing room and cleaners have been asked to sweep the floor regularly.
Dec 2023	You said Hello, could you please provide an update on action being taken in relation to the vegware comment that was posted back in July? Thank you. We did Apologies for the delay. Catering has responded as follows: "Regarding Vegware in the SHW, we are aware that currently there is not a pick up. This is due to the small volumes that are accumulated in this building however there is currently a review being undertaken regarding different options for disposable pick up (incl. Vegware) for all the new campus buildings and this will hopefully be communicated in the New Year."
Nov 2023	You said Clarice Pears (and all university buildings) should have a guide inside each lift to which department is on which floor. Even if it's displayed elsewhere, it's needed once in the lift when selecting which button to press to go to the relevant floor. This would help visitors and any less frequent staff and students coming to the building. We did Thank you for this very helpful suggestion. We will put signage in the lifts.
Nov 2023	You said Could SHW raise awareness among more senior staff members about the ability to change ownership of grants? One thing that was discussed in the grant writing group for ECRs was that ownership of grants can be changed. Arguments often made about excluding ECRs from grant applications because they might leave. However, more senior people leave and this does not seem to be a big problem as ownership can be changed. We did Thank you for your suggestion. This was raised at a SHW management group meeting, and an email was circulated to SHW staff on 05 Dec 2023, clarifying SHW's support for collaborative working and the importance for ECR career development of being included on PAFs (Project Approval Forms) as contributors to a grant. It is an integral part of our organisational culture that we recognise the input of our colleagues and support their career development.
Nov 2023	You said Is there a map showing the layout of CP level 1 meeting rooms including room numbers and room sizes? We did Page 16 and pages 19 to 22 of our Clarice Pears Building User Guide (available from within the SHW MS Teams area) list all our room capacities, facilities and functionalities. We have also added a level 1 map to this Teams folder. In addition, the UofG room bookings system indicates CP building room capacity.
Nov 2023	You said I had a networking meeting with Jonine Figueroa (University of Edinburgh honorary fellow and Senior Investigator and National Institutes of Health Distinguished Scholar at the NCI-DCEG Integrated Tumor Epidemiology Branch) recently. She would be happy to present her work or give a lecture. I would like to facilitate this and host her. She has availability in March 2024. Would love some help to get this organised as I'm inexperienced in planning academic events. We did We have passed this query to your unit, who will provide support.
Nov 2023	You said I was just thinking about Christmas and how lovely it would be to have a large (real, preferably) Christmas tree downstairs on the half level between Levels 1 & 2 that we can all look down on from above and admire. If allowed, I don't think it should fall to Reception to decorate or remove the decorations afterwards and would suggest that it's thrown open to everyone to put a decoration (or 5) on and then also remove a decoration (or 5) in the New Year. Perhaps a couple of LED Christmas trees near the entrances or up in the corner of Room 543 so that the festive spirit can be enjoyed by those walking past too would be nice as well.... Of course, I will be volunteering to help with the decorating and de-decorating :) We did Thank you for this excellent suggestion! We ordered a fake pre-lit Christmas tree which is now situated on Level 1 in an accessible area. It was agreed that this was the more eco-friendly option, rather than buying and having a real tree transported every year. Also the difficulty of erecting and removing a real tree, coupled with the inability to care for it when CP is closed between Christmas and New Year. We are leaving decoration to L1 staff this year.
Oct 2023	You said Would it be possible to turn the heating on in the building please? It is cold in our office and it has already been a barrier to coming in to the office for me and quite a few of my colleagues. We did The heating was turned back on in week commencing 02 Oct 2023. Radiators are manually controlled by office occupants and before opening windows to cool a room down, please ensure radiators are turned down.
Sep 2023	You said Alcohol is a major risk factor for poor health. I have become increasingly concerned about the number of bottles of alcohol which appear in kitchen areas. Could we discourage drinking alcohol in the work place and make the building alcohol free? We did Thanks for this comment, which has been discussed with heads of units. Occasionally, it’s really nice for staff/students to celebrate achievements together, and having a little fizz makes it special. These celebratory events are infrequent and have a limited supply of alcohol, along with soft drinks and cake etc. We are asking units to make sure they clean up after their events, and dispose of all bottles asap so that they are not left in kitchen areas. Colleagues may find the UofG policy on consumption of alcohol during work-related social events a useful resource: "It is noted that members of staff must arrive at work free from the effects of alcohol, drugs or substances, and the consumption of alcohol or misuse of drugs or substances is forbidden during working hours. However, the consumption of alcohol during work-related social events, e.g. retirement presentations, etc., is permitted, on the basis that there should always be an equal availability of non-alcoholic drinks, and where possible these events should be held toward the end of the 'normal' working day. Members of staff who are required to attend work following such events must ensure that they return to work free from the effects of alcohol. Staff should be aware that they are representing the university and behave in a responsible manner."
Sep 2023	You said Would it be possible to provide or promote physical activity to assist with the physical and mental health and wellbeing of your staff? Regular weekly lunchtime classes, clubs, or encouragement and support to use the uni gym/classes at the Stevenson building on campus? We did UofG Sport will have regular Pop Ups in the Clarice Pears – another one is planned for Tuesday 10 October 2023, for the purposes of raising awareness of sport and what is on offer. Please take advantage of all the opportunities provided by UofG Sport. In October 2023, in collaboration with Margaret Thomson, UoG Health and Wellbeing Adviser, we plan to launch a "wellbeing/wellness" section in the SHW newsletter HAWKEYE and would expect the content to include information about sport and exercise.
Sep 2023	You said Could we please have an all staff update on what SHW SMG plans to address issues raised in the staff culture survey? In particular it would be helpful to have plans on how management aims to improve satisfaction with how bullying and harassment are addressed (53%) and support for mental health and wellbeing (62%). We did SMG continues to strive to ensure that SHW is a welcoming, inclusive, fair and kind environment for all who work and study here. To address the issues highlighted in the culture survey around bullying and harassment the prominence of the messaging of our values within Hawkeye and the sharing of information about how to report such behaviours will be increased starting from the September 2023 issue of Hawkeye. To explore issues around mental health and wellbeing, this is the topic of focus for the Athena Swan staff consultation group.
Sep 2023	You said Would it be possible to have spare bike locks at reception for occasions where a bike lock is forgotten (since we are not allowed to bring bikes into the building)? We did Unfortunately it is not practical for the school to provide and manage a supply of bike locks for loan. However, if you do forget, bike locks can be purchased across the road at West End Cycles, 16/18 Chancellor Street, Glasgow G11 5RQ (0141 357 1344)
Sep 2023	You said Can we please provide some plant-growth lights (some simple LEDs with a little UV emission) to the pitiful living walls that are hanging on for dear life without any light? We are aware that even low-light plants need some light to live, right? We did It is not a light problem. It has been an irrigation problem that the contractors are fixing.
Aug 2023	You said Please can people be mindful that the soundproofing in rooms is not great so if they're on a zoom/teams call either wear headphones (preferred) or make sure the volume isn't too loud (especially if it's just a webinar or when not contributing to the meeting). We did All rooms have been tested and are designed to the appropriate acoustic level
Aug 2023	You said Most of the staff work in open space offices in Clarice Pears building. Often constructors, engineers etc. come to check something in the building. I totally understand that some tasks may be urgent, or it may be too difficult for all of us to be informed every time a constructor has to be in some area of the building. However, it is a big distraction and very rude when random people come to work or chat in our offices, without informing us in advance. This is a lack of respect. I would appreciate it if there was information in advance letting us know the day and time people will come or at least the constructors etc. before entering to our offices, they will not ignore us and let us know who they are, what they will do, and for how long. We did We would ask for your patience with contractors, who are generally here to fix things under warranty, while this is still a very new building. Reception will endeavour to put a message on SHW Teams when contractors are due to be here, but assume that this can be every day while remedial actions are happening. Feel free to ask contractors to speak quietly if they are too loud. Contractors or university facilities support are usually wearing shirts or jackets which identify them as such.
Jul 2023	You said Would it be possible to have a bicycle pump kept at the reception desk at Clarice Pears? It would help with accessibility for bike commuters. We did Two bicycle pumps have been ordered and will be left at the ground floor reception.
Jul 2023	You said Hello! It's great that Clarice Pears has vegware cups in the Omni shop, however there is no vegware collection point. Most vegware products aren't suitable for at-home composting and are treated as 'contamination' in domestic food waste or recycling collections (see the vegware website FAQs). To close the loop and make the use of vegware actually sustainable, you need to arrange to collect the used vegware and have it picked up by the company for a special type of composting. The website states that you can get in touch with them to explore this option, so please can this be arranged? We did Catering have responded to this query as follows: "Regarding Vegware in the SHW, we are aware that currently there is not a pick up. This is due to the small volumes that are accumulated in this building however there is currently a review being undertaken regarding different options for disposable pick up (incl Vegware) for all the new campus buildings and this will hopefully be communicated in the New Year."
Jul 2023	You said I used the showers and lockers on the ground floor for the first time today – went really well, great facility – but I wondered whether a hook/peg could be added to the shower rooms (e.g. on back of door) to hang up clothes? We did This has been requested.
Jun 2023	You said Hi, please could we put bins in all bathroom cubicles, not just those marked 'female'? Not much point offering sanitary products in all cubicles when there is nowhere to dispose of them. Furthermore, could we please ensure sanitary products are topped up regularly – sometimes I have been unlucky to start my period and forgotten my products at home, only to find that there is nothing but condoms in the cubicle. Thanks in advance. We did Facilities has been asked to provide sanitary bins in all toilets. We are fortunate that sanitary products are provided free of charge, and it is our admin staff who top up supplies. Sometimes, when people are on leave, we don’t have enough staff to do this. We would ask you to perhaps check in the box when you walk in. If you notice empty boxes, please mention to your local admin and they’d be happy to give you further supplies to top up boxes. Thanks for your help.
Jun 2023	You said There are very few plant-based options in Omni. Given the evidence of plant-based lifestyles being better for individual and planetary health, why are the plant-based options in the minority in our catering? We did Commercial Services thanks you for taking the time to provide feedback in relation to Café Omni in the CP. The catering team is currently working on a range of initiatives to enhance the overall customer experience and hope to be in a position to implement these improvements soon. This will include a range of new vegetarian, plant based and Fairtrade products, sourced from a local Glasgow supplier.
Jun 2023	You said Central temperature control in the Clarice Pears Building in these days, when it is hot and sunny, doesn’t help. Opening windows leads to excessive noise and in shared offices it’s difficult as people may have allergies. We did At the planning stages, and after consultation with staff, the preference was to be able to open windows manually, rather than air conditioning throughout the building. You can manually adjust radiators to 0, if you find they are still on. The control panels usually near light switches do not control temperature, they are thermometers. The upper windows are timed to open during the evening if temps are above 23 deg in order to cool down the building. If noise is a problem then noise cancelling headphones can be requested from your local admin.
Jun 2023	You said Clarice Pears is too hot in the current weather (June 2023) especially in the open plan workspaces, it is not always practical to open windows, due to allergies, noise, wind etc. It should be possible to set the temperature, or lower the whole building temperature. We did At the planning stages, and after consultation with staff, the preference was to be able to open windows manually, rather than air conditioning throughout the building. You can manually adjust radiators to 0, if you find they are still on. The control panels usually near light switches do not control temperature, they are thermometers. The upper windows are timed to open during the evening if temps are above 23 deg in order to cool down the building. If noise is a problem then noise cancelling headphones can be requested from your local admin.
Jun 2023	You said While I understand that SHW have decided to make this building "dog friendly", there are some staff who are anxious around dogs or who have other reasons to avoid them. It would be helpful, if dogs are going to be a feature of our working environment, if they could be kept on leads and not allowed to run around communal areas. There also seems to have been a relaxing of the rule where notices are put up to inform staff that dogs are in single offices. It would be helpful to know before entering an office if I am to encounter a dog so I can prepare myself. I appreciate that some people like having their pets in the building. I am trying to be accommodating but as it stands, I feel my wellbeing is being compromised in favour of allowing staff to bring their pets to work. At this stage all I ask is that the policy be followed. I also think that its very difficult to discuss these issues because of the strength of feeling people have about their pets. None of the above relates to assistance dogs. We did Thanks for the reminder. Sometimes people forget and need to be reminded. We have put a message on the School of Health and Wellbeing MS Teams site for dog owners to read the guidelines and to remember to register their dog coming in. The June 2023 edition of HAWKEYE also included a reminder of the regulations. Hopefully this will address the issue, and we will remind staff and students every few months.
May 2023	You said Screen wipes, and disposable desk wipes (or similar) in each work area. This would help to adhere to good working practices while hot desking - using the spray and paper towels from kitchen isn't a practical option. We did These have now been provided around each floor for anyone to use. Ask your local administrator when refills are required, and please remember to press the lid down firmly to save them drying out.
May 2023	You said Could we please organise another Audio Visual session, or a series of sessions (e.g. one floor at a time) to cover the ground floor seminar rooms, drop in rooms and meeting rooms? In particular, support for setting up and recording hybrid seminars, using meeting room cameras, and avoiding microphone feedback would be helpful. Not everyone was able to make the first AV session and several internal and external events have been affected by AV issues so it's be helpful for everyone to make best use of the facilities. We did Your local admin team have undertaken this training and will be happy to cascade this to you.
May 2023	You said Cleanliness levels are great in this building. Our floor and meeting rooms are spotless. Thanks to the facilities staff. We did Thank you for your positive feedback which we will pass on to our facilities colleagues.
May 2023	You said Catering for all events should be vegan by default. Sustainability and health are core to SHW. We did We will send a message to staff asking that all catering orders for events are weighted towards vegan or vegetarian. However, we should ensure choice.
May 2023	You said I agree on definitely making toilets gender neutral! Just remove the signage? There's no good argument why single-cubicle toilets (or any, but that's another discussion) need to be gendered! Either having gendered toilets is really important for ""protection"" (as some advocates claim) in which case we are seriously letting down our disabled colleagues and visitors, as they get no such ""protection"" for accessible toilets, or it is fine to give gender-neutral toilets to some (i.e. accessible toilets) in which case it is fine to give them to all! As it is, the signs make to look like we have three genders: male, female, and people with accessibility needs, or as if only people without accessibility needs get to/have to consider gender when excreting waste. We did We hope that current arrangement for toilets provides a choice for all.
May 2023	You said Picking up on the revolving door comment someone made earlier. There is a lot of reasons why using revolving doors may be difficult for people, even if there's nothing wrong with the door's functioning. I get that we are not to use fire exits, but that's not the issue. But the signs at the main entrance doors that say "please use revolving doors" is harsh and does not take into account physical disabilities and other reasons why revolving doors may be inappropriate. This sends the completely wrong message to staff and visitors. Having to see an elderly man with a walking aid awkwardly pushing the revolving door, when there are perfectly functioning automatic doors next to it, is heart breaking. As it is stigmatising when someone uses the automatic doors (on the occasions where the card reader actually opens them (during opening hours), which is NOT always) bypassing the signs. I always feel ashamed and believe people are judging me for not using the revolving door despite the signs, because my disability necessitating that is invisible! Sometimes I nonetheless have to use the revolving doors as the automatic ones won't open, even when swiping the card. Does not seem welcoming to visitors either. We did If people are finding the revolving door difficult, please report this using a CP building defect reporting form and this can be addressed by the contractors.
May 2023	You said Students don't seem to be able to book meeting rooms yet. Can an fix be implemented to the booking system so PGRs can book meetings rooms? It means my supervisors currently have to book rooms for supervisions of when I'm hosting visitors. We did There is some complexity to this and we are endeavouring to find a solution.
May 2023	You said I would like to access the building on a Saturday or Sunday to do some quiet work, I find it overwhelming when there is too much noise and movement around the building. I feel i will be very productive during this time. I am aware of the lone working policy and I have the safezone app on my phone. Can you tell me when the building can be utilised at weekends please? I regularly check the you said we did section of the web We did Unfortunately CP is not open at weekends, apart from an occasional community event. This was a Clarice Pears Project Board decision and reasons are stated in the Building User Guide as follows: ENERGY CONSUMPTION/CARBON FOOTPRINT It is noted that the building being in operation, out of hours, with few members of staff using the facility is not energy efficient. To achieve the university’s Net Zero 2035 ambitions consideration will required to be given to building operational times and out of hours plant setback to reduce the building carbon emissions. To this end staff should be encouraged to work within the time schedule for the building wherever possible and be in the building out of hours as the exception. WORKING CULTURE It was agreed that staff working excessive hours and/or extending the working day into the evening is not desirable or conducive to a good work/life balance. The opening hours of the building will promote better behaviours and good practice regarding working hours. The consensus was that standard, Monday to Friday opening times from 6am till 8pm should allow staff the flexibility to work around any personal time requirements. It was noted that home working is also an option for most staff which will complement the opening times flexibility. For anyone requiring to work out of hours, and unable to work from home, there are other buildings available on campus.
May 2023	You said Can we have fresh fruit in Omni? When the cafe opened there was a good choice of fresh fruit in a bowl, now there only seems to be a few speckled bananas in the basket. We did Please feel free to ask our catering assistant, who is on duty daily, if more fruit can be provided in Omni, and remember to look for ready prepared fresh fruit in tubs i.e. fruit is not always in the fruit basket.
May 2023	You said I don't understand why all bar one of the previously available access doors to CP are now not to be used, and that the one to be used is the only one that requires people to physically touch it, at a point in time when I myself (but I assume others as well) are trying to limit their contact with shared surfaces where possible? Not to mention the fact the revolving door has a fair weight to it and so in order to operate said door, a 'light touch' actually becomes a full on body lean into shove... We did A variety of doors (including fire doors) have been made use of previously due to continuing building work. Now that the majority of work is done we have been asked to use the doors for their intended purpose (eg fire doors). People are entering/leaving by the fire doors and these doors are being left open, giving access to any passer-by and to pretty much the whole building. This poses a security risk to most of the building, so we would ask for your own safety that you use the main entrance on Byres Road or St Mungo’s Square. If people are finding the revolving door difficult, please report this using the CP building defect reporting form and this can be addressed by the contractors.
May 2023	You said Can the automated lights in the Clarice Pears be re-evaluated? I appreciate the desire to save electricity etc, but the locations of the sensors mean that often during the day they aren't properly triggered by staff in the office, who just end up working in the dark rather than having to get up and wander around the office until the lights come on. Worse is the sensor location for the toilets at the stairwells. These are not fit for purpose, as just using the gents toilet won't trigger the lights at all. Instead you have to hang around outside the ladies until they switch on and then use the gents toilet. We did This is a known issue which has been reported as a defect and which we hope to have resolved in the next few weeks eg by end of June 2023.
May 2023	You said The cleaning in CP is awful. I've had meetings in rooms over the course of 2 weeks that have had the same marks on the table and passed agile working desks with crumbs on them for days... It would also be helpful if cleaning happened outside working hours where possible, so that booked rooms are not being 'cleaned' when the space is needed for staff, cleaning trolleys are left in areas blocking stairwell, bin bags left out in open areas... I'm not sure if the answer is more cleaning staff resources or better training for the quality of cleaning to improve but it's not a nice environment to work in and is embarrassing to bring external colleagues in for meetings. We did Please see our related HAWKEYE article which appeared in the May 2023 edition. In short – we do not have cleaning staff on hand 24/7. If our staff or students are eating in a meeting room, they are responsible for cleaning up afterwards and leaving the room as they would wish to find it.
May 2023	You said "It is a university-wide decision to disable the chiller function on taps to save energy." Can someone explain why cold water is thought to use energy but not hot water? We did Thank you for your comment. Hot water requires energy, whether that is by kettle or hot tap. However, we can put a bottle or carton of liquid in the refrigerators provided on each floor (already operating 24/7), to make them chilled. The chiller function also requires energy but it is not a necessity when there are other means provided.
Apr 2023	You said Remove the SALTO from the lift. The stairwells don't require SALTO access so needing a card for the lift is redundant. We did Lift 1 is no longer on SALTO and can be used freely
Apr 2023	You said Any chance we could make it a requirement (or, if that's not possible, a very strong recommendation) that people who have symptoms that could be contagious (not just covid, but coughs and colds and definitely vomiting etc) work from home, if they are well enough to work. For those of us with underlying conditions and vulnerabilities, picking up something from a colleague may be more complex than a few days of feeling under the weather. And presenteeism is generally not a good thing anyway for organisations, teams, and individuals. We did We have added this request to the SHW office etiquette guidelines: "We suggest that those who have symptoms which might be contagious (eg covid, coughs, colds, vomiting etc) should try to work from home. There are people who may have underlying conditions and vulnerabilities, which we may not be aware of, and may be affected more severely than others. NB please always remember to report any sickness absence to your line manager for awareness, and recording on HR system." This change was also highlighted in the June 2023 edition of HAWKEYE.
Apr 2023	You said How do I turn the lights off in the shower rooms on the ground floor? We did The lights are motion sensitive and will turn off after a certain length of time.
Apr 2023	You said I just want to support the person complaining about the noise notices. I come into the office mainly to connect with colleagues. We've had passive aggressive emails from people complaining about people having conversations by their desks. Yet this is perfectly organic behaviour. And the soundproofing on the drop-in rooms is nonexistent so it doesn't matter if we go and chat in them instead. We did Thank you for your comment. Notices on Level 2 relating to noise have been removed. Issues with soundproofing in the CP building are currently being investigated.
Apr 2023	You said I had thought we were avoiding having processed meats for sale in our cafe? Bacon and ham sandwiches spotted there today, and on other days (so not just a one off or mistake). Our very own researchers have reported on the clear harm to health of these products, plus the environmental impact of course, so it seems something that we should work hard at avoiding. If people want this stuff there are plenty of places nearby where they can purchase. We did Thank you for your comment. We can confirm that the environmental impact is no different to any other meat – and the guidance is to eat it occasionally, not regularly so we are offering this as a choice for all.
Apr 2023	You said As someone who cannot have children and had to adopt I am feeling very unwelcome in the workplace by someone who thinks having a photo of my child on my desk which I remove at the end of the working day thinks I represent heteronormative colonisation of the workplace. It's not only heterosexual people who have children. I thought we were supposed to be welcoming to ALL? A photograph of my child is deemed inappropriate yet people can bring their actual dogs to work? We did The School of Health and Wellbeing is inclusive. We do not support any form of stereotyping. All staff and students should feel comfortable being themselves. This includes being able to put photographs on their desk that reflect their reality. Rather than hiding our identities we should see this as opportunity to understand each other and appreciate that our diversity is a strength.
Apr 2023	You said Toilets should be gender neutral. It makes no sense to have them labelled by gender when they are the same facilities. I've had to apologise to people for coming out of "the wrong toilet" then realised afterwards how stupid that is. Maybe it's a cost-saving thing to have fewer sanitary bins? But that seems a weak reason to propagate unnecessary gender-based segregation. We did We hope that the current arrangement for toilets provides a choice for all.
Apr 2023	You said Appreciate that noise is a problem in partly open plan spaces, but there are now THREE notices in the entrance of level 2 asking people to be quiet. Our new building is an opportunity to feel more connected to our colleagues, to chat, find areas of common interest, and share experiences, and this makes me feel uncomfortable, as though I can't strike up conversation with someone for fear of disturbing a colleague. I try hard to be a courteous, considerate colleague, as many/most of us do, and, personally, I find these notices a bit offensive. (A side issue is that the lovely little spaces that we maybe thought we could use for this kind of informal chat aren't sound-proof so, again, we may be annoying colleagues if we sit in any of these.) We did Thank you for your comment. These notices have been removed. Issues with soundproofing in the CP building are currently being investigated
Apr 2023	You said Until there is proper, safe bike storage outside CP, I think there should be a room on the ground floor which is dedicated to storing bikes. As this is some people's only mode of transport, it feels unreasonable to not allow people to store these safely, especially as the ARC building could take away access to the bike store at any time. We did There is additional cleaning required when bicycles are brought into the building, for which the Facilities team don’t have capacity. If you no longer feel it's safe to park in an external bike rack, even with a D lock, please use the indoor cycle racks in the ARC or the JMS (a short walk across University Avenue). As you will know from recent correspondence, the university is looking at alternative secure storage, and hopefully will be resolved soon.
Apr 2023	You said All toilets should be gender neutral as they are all the same facilities We did The current arrangement for toilets provides a choice for all.
Apr 2023	You said Can we have small dustpans and brushes in each of the kitchen areas for any light spillage (particularly of dry goods like crumbs etc) and access to some liquid detergent so that we can wipe down tables after use? I appreciate that for larger cleaning activities we would need to put a call in to facilities, but for small amounts of spillage or just tidying up after ourselves after lunch it would make life much easier and would be much more hygienic for the next person who comes to use the table/worktop etc. We did There are now dustpans and brushes, and antibacterial spray, in each kitchen.
Apr 2023	You said Can there be a system in place so that rooms which are not used by people (e.g. if they work work part-time or are not in that day) can be used by those that might need them as they don't have their own room/desk (e.g. for zoom meetings or data analysis that cannot be done in open plan/shared areas). For the moment it is helpful if people leave their door open if possible and put a note on the door saying when the room can be used. We did Please have a chat with your unit administrator. This is already happening and is easy to resolve informally by local arrangement. Most who have single offices have already agreed that their offices can be used when they are not around. This is also why a clear desk policy is requested.
Apr 2023	You said Maybe we could have meditation cushions/seats in the reflection/prayer room on top of chairs and a prayer mat? We did Colleagues are welcome to bring their own cushions and prayer mats. We would request that personal items are tidied away after use so that others can use the room.
Apr 2023	You said There is a great deal of glare in our office in the morning and then again reflected off the glass fronted building across the plaza in the evening. It is a problem for our whole office. Can we get blinds or some other solution (short of me wearing sunglasses) as a matter of urgency? We did Blinds for all windows are being ordered and will be fitted as soon as available.
Apr 2023	You said Hairdryer, mirrors, and clothes hooks in the shower rooms in the Clarice Pears building would be invaluable. The showers and drying units are really appreciated but adding these little extra features (which I would have thought were standard in shower and changing rooms) would be really good. We did We will order mirrors. There are no plans to install hairdryers. We will look into getting hooks but in the meantime please use the bench provided to place items.
Mar 2023	You said The wifi signal in Clarice Pears (eduroam) is often not strong enough to support Zoom meetings - this is obviously a major problem as due to the open plan structure, people have to try and find a quiet space away from their desks to conduct meetings. Are there any plans to improve the wifi in the building? We did Please report this via the IT helpdesk stating specific rooms where you have found a problem.
Mar 2023	You said Are there any plans to add bins or mirrors to the shower rooms? We did One bin has been placed in the shower corridor. We will order mirrors.
Mar 2023	You said The window blinds in CP are fairly transparent and don't block the sun at all making it very difficult to work sometimes. Are there any plans to upgrade these? We did The blinds are not designed to block out sunlight, but to prevent glare. We do not intend upgrading them at this point. We are ordering additional blinds for the North and West sides.
Mar 2023	You said Do we know/is there a reason why the toilets in Clarice Pears are gendered? Aside from a specific bin in one room, there doesn't seem to be any differences between the toilet "rooms" – which are awesome, love me a little loo pod room. Anyway, while on reception last week, a member of staff told me that she had to use the accessible toilet as "someone was in the ladies" – no doubt, the "mens" was standing empty. Seems really weird and not needed. Thoughts? We did There is a toilet block in each stairwell, with 3 toilets: male, female and gender neutral. Signage is as follows: There are two accessible gender neutral toilets on each floor (office side of stairwells) which anyone is free to use. Signage is as follows: This provides 8 toilets per floor.
Mar 2023	You said Could we please put hygiene product bins in the "male" toilets in the Clarice Pears building. Trans men and intersex people can have periods too. The bins won't cost a fortune so there's really no reason why they shouldn't be in all toilets esp. since it's single-cubicle toilets anyways. We did We have asked our facilities team for sanitary bins to be provided in all toilets.
Mar 2023	You said Kettle in the kitchens at CP please – the hot tap not hot enough for tea (nor cold enough for a drink of water) We did We have submitted a defects form to request water temperature, in all sink areas, is checked for consistency. We suggest putting your water bottles in the fridge if your preference is for very cold water. Hot taps are provided in place of kettles so we don’t envisage buying any.
Mar 2023	You said The CP meeting room booking system is not user-friendly, e.g. there is no way to amend a booking time (only cancel and make a new booking) and the need for approval by another staff member is causing burden on others. Also not clear why bookings can't start before 9:00am. Can the system be made more flexible and all staff given authorisation to book without approval? We did The room booking system is standard across UofG, and we are obliged to use it. It is not a local system that we can change. This allows UofG to monitor usage of all rooms, including teaching rooms, and which assists with planning across the entire campus. For bookings before 9am you must contact Timetabling timetabling@glasgow.ac.uk who can make the booking for you. SHW has a core meeting hours policy (whereby SHW meetings and events that any staff member might need or wish to attend, including social gatherings, must take place between 10.00am and 4.00pm) which we would invite you to read.
Mar 2023	You said When moving around the building and using stairwell 1 there is often a smell of cigarette smoke. I don't know if someone is smoking in the bathrooms or if it's at the emergency exit at the rear of the building. The smell seems to travel up to at least level 3. We did We will put up a sign on the fire exit doors, facing both inside and outside, saying "NO SMOKING". There is a section in the Building User Guide (page 8), which we would encourage everyone to read through, stating: "Smoking. The SHW is a non-smoking building. The university also has a no smoking policy.
Mar 2023	You said Hello, I'm writing to suggest that the SHW negotiate with the ARC to make its secure bike store available to UoG colleagues outwith the ARC. I am based in the SPHSU and previously had access with my staff ID card, but that access now seems to have been revoked. With a recent bike theft from outside Clarice Pears, I would like to continue to make use of the secure facilities that are provided, which have plenty of space. On a related note, I attempted to retrieve my bike from the ARC last night to find that I could not gain access. I then faced hostility from a male colleague who was coming out of the bike store, who told me that he would "have my head" for storing my bike there. So, at the very least there needs to be some clear communication about who can and can't use this store. We did Access to the secure bike store in the ARC has recently been withdrawn. We will amend this response if and when the situation changes.
Mar 2023	You said Disappointed to find that the coffee machine in CP Omni uses disposable cups. Can that be changed? We did This was a temporary measure and we now have Vegware cups (further info Vegware – plant-based compostable foodservice packaging)
Mar 2023	You said Can the CP meeting rooms please have power sockets added on the table. Need to plug in laptop during longer meetings. We did Some meeting rooms already have power sockets on the table and there are floor sockets available.
Mar 2023	You said Secure internal bike storage for the Clarice Pears Building. Crucial for being able to get into work then leaving your bike all day. We did Unfortunately we have no space to be able to offer this in the Clarice Pears building. However, both the JMS (James McCune Smith Learning Hub) and the ARC (Advanced Research Centre) have internal storage and are a very short distance away. Further information about all aspects of cycling to work is available on the UofG website: UofG tips for bicycle security UofG cycling information Bicycle parking facilities on Gilmorehill Campus UPDATE Access to the secure bike store in the ARC has recently been withdrawn. We will amend this response if and when the situation changes.
Mar 2023	You said I thought there was supposed to be a clear desk policy in CP. I see people are putting pictures of their spouses and children on display. This represents a heteronormative colonisation of the CP workplace. This can make LGBTQ+ individuals feel uncomfortable sharing information about their sexual orientation or gender identity. We did For desks that are shared, personal items should be removed at the end of the day and put in a locker, so that others can use the desk. We will send out a reminder of the clear desk policy to everyone. The SHW exec will also discuss this issue, and ask for input from the SHW Athena Swan LGTBQ+ working group.
Feb 2023	You said Has the air quality ever been tested? There could be too much formaldehyde in a new building. We did The air quality was tested in the building by RSK and the measured formaldehyde concentrations met the specified criterion of 100 μg/m3 at all sampling locations. The specified criterion of 100 μg/m3 is derived from the BREEAM 2014 manual. All credits relating to indoor air quality for BREEAM have been achieved and awarded by the BREEAM Assessor. Please see test results below:
Feb 2023	You said Would it be possible to have water coolers installed at CP? The smart tap in the kitchen does not produce cold water. The kitchen is ambient and the water dispensers on the ground floor are tepid! At the moment, we are using a jug in the fridge but that is not ideal as it is not sealed and if raw products are stored there there is a risk of bacterial transmission. We did There is a tap which dispenses boiled and lukewarm water. It is a university-wide decision to disable the chiller function on taps to save energy. Please put your bottled water in the fridge if you require chilled water.
Feb 2023	You said Would it be possible to get more mixed waste/recycling bins in CP. On level 2 at least I think there is only bins in the kitchen which means some of us having to walk the entire length of the building to find a bin which may not be the most efficient use of time! We did Additional bins are expected soon.
Feb 2023	You said Will there be water coolers in Clarice Pears? We did There is a tap which dispenses boiled and lukewarm water. It is a university-wide decision to disable the chiller function on taps to save energy. Please put your bottled water in the fridge if you require chilled water.
Jan 2023	You said The emphasis on office hygiene and general cleanliness when we returned after lockdown was, for me, very welcome. Not only does it reduce the likelihood of our picking up bugs (personally I don't have the time or capacity to manage avoidable illness on top of all life's other pressures!), but is respectful to colleagues and helps to create a pleasant working environment. I wonder if, when we move to the CP and particularly as we will be working in a more agile way and sharing desks, we could include in our office etiquette the requirement to clean our desks, keyboards and mice after use and clear away dirty coffee cups (which should be happening anyway!). Could we also perhaps provide a bottle of cleaning fluid and roll of kitchen towel in each office (or somewhere easily accessible) to encourage us to do this? And maybe our excellent office etiquette could be updated to include this requirement, and highlighted in monthly emails and Hawkeye, with a request for all staff and students to read and comply? It takes just a minute or two to clear up after ourselves at the end of the working day. Please let's start as we mean to go on in our lovely new building! We did Thank you for this. We have added this info to the office etiquette guidelines and there will be sanitiser stations at entrances, and cleaning materials readily available in kitchens and tea prep areas for anyone who wishes to wipe down desks. We envisage most staff to be working from laptops and therefore not sharing keyboards and mice, but if they do, these peripherals can be stored in lockers overnight. Hopefully, no-one will leave dirty cups on desks, however there will be regular reminders about keeping kitchens and desks clean in HAWKEYE.

2022

Dec 2022	You said Lots of staff/students currently set analyses to run overnight or over several days on their desktop PCs. Will this be possible in the new building, e.g. by leaving laptops running on desks overnight? We did It is not recommended to leave laptops on desks in open areas overnight. Please liaise with your local admin to leave laptop connected to internet in a secure place, particularly if this will be for several days.
Nov 2022	You said It's disappointing to see that the uni will not be proceeding with rewarding contribution arrangements this year, and that this has been linked to the "exceptional nature" of pay increases. Morale and energy levels have probably never been lower, and this is unlikely to help. Pay increases are to help the whole workforce manage cost of living rises, irrespective of performance. Rewarding contribution awards are a different matter entirely, and it seems odd to link the two. With or without an award, many SHW colleagues will continue to show commitment & dedication, and to do all they can to make our workplace run more smoothly and be a supportive, inclusive environment. They deserve better than what seems to me a tone-deaf decision to take away the facility, in this incredibly challenging year, to show them what this means to individuals, teams and our school. I hope SHW might be willing to feed back on this matter to UofG senior management and show solidarity with staff who give everything to their role and to the school. We did Thank you for your feedback. Your views have been conveyed to the MVLS Head of College who is a member of SMC, and who has responded as follows: "The Rewarding Contribution performance pay process usually runs annually but is always subject to affordability, so it is an annual decision whether it runs or not. I am sure that the School will be pleased to engage in the process when it does next become available and would take all performance meantime into good account. I would hope it would run again before too long but of course that may well be a year from now at the earliest. My understanding is that the affordability of the recent additional pay uplift was contingent on this performance pay restraint, which remains the University’s SMG position."
Nov 2022	You said My question relates to moving over to the new building, and not being able to take our desktop computers. As I understand it, only people who applied for a specific exemption to the policy are able to retain their desktop computers, requiring a good reason as to why they could not bring their laptops in daily. I am personally more productive using a desktop PC. Often I need to run models on the desktop PC and simultaneously continue work on my laptop. Further, I cycle in to work, and when it is raining, there is a high risk of the laptop being damaged. My question is, why is the reason of "wanting to be as productive as possible" not enough of a good reason to keep my desktop computer? We did In order to optimally support agile working and hybrid working, UofG IT services have adopted a preferred set up of one-device per person and have developed a new staff laptop build. Supporting both Mac and PC the new build supports access to all University applications and services from the mobile platform, with a range of specialist devices to suit every need. Ubiquitous USB-Docking stations will support seamless connection in offices and shared spaces. IT Services now advocate procurement of a laptop by default for all users, and are happy to work directly with users to ensure the best fit of kit to need, and to listen to any specialist requirements to ensure all users get the service they need. The SHW desk set up is: One monitor, one docking station and peripherals on request. Directly answering your points – laptops can work as efficiently as desktops. You can store your laptop in your personal locker. If you require a second laptop to work on, we can provide a loaned laptop to be kept on site. If you feel it is essential to have a desktop for the type of work you do, then please contact your local administrator who will check with IT. We have found that staff who thought they had to have a desktop to do their type of work have discovered, after speaking to IT, that they can still do everything on a laptop.
Oct 2022	You said I see that exhibition area in the Clarice Pears building will have a device to measure grip strength. I am concerned about encouraging a physiological measurement without professional guidance. While the equipment may seem a piece of puerile fun aimed at children, the measurement could nevertheless cause distress among others. If someone wishes to measure their grip strength or has concerns about their grip strength then they should consult a medical professional such as their general practitioner.I am also concerned about personal privacy by mounting public displays next to the entrance of toilets. This will encourage people to congregate at the entrance. I hope that you will appreciate that people should expect some degree of privacy when entering and leaving toilet facilities. We did The grip strength activity that will be in the Clarice Pears is similar to the one in the Glasgow Science Centre. It’s agreed that it is important to have some context around the activity so that it is meaningful. The activity is for insight. It is not a medical test. It is designed to link to research and to highlight indicators of health. There will be appropriate signage to that effect. It is envisaged that social groups ie families, will compare against one another and their more dominant and less dominant hand and may even be surprised by the outcomes. The designers were restricted as to where to put public toilets. However there are two doors to the toilet block and lockable cubicles inside. If it is busy outside one of the doors, then the other door can be used. There is also another public toilet close to the stairwells.
Oct 2022	You said We really need an academic returners' fund – researchers returning from mat leave have benefited from this. We've obviously relied on the College-wide Wellcome ISSF to fund it up to now but it seems strange to have not catered for this going forwards as SHW applies for an Athena Swan gold renewal. Not having considered this and created a budget to replace the funding post-ISSF sends out the wrong message. We did The current scheme closes in March 2023, so there is still time to apply. We will add a request to our strategic planning report that College provides this benefit to all staff in MVLS going forward.
Aug 2022	You said Can the cards on HAWKEYE newsletter be straightened? I find them difficult to read in current style. We did Thank you for your feedback. One of the potential benefits of Microsoft Sway, the system we are now using to produce HAWKEYE, is the facility for readers to choose how they view content. In relation to the "stacks" of cards, for example, which are used in a number of sections of the newsletter, clicking on the four-headed arrow (bottom right) allows us to view the text in a more static format, with arrows left and right to scroll through the various items. An accessible version of the full newsletter can be turned on by clicking on the three dots (top right) and scrolling down to "Accessibility view". We will add information about this to the top of the relevant sections about these viewing options, for anyone new to Sway. More about accessibility in Sway
Aug 2022	You said For the new Clarice Pears building – for all the cyclists/walkers coming to work it would be great to have not just sufficient showering facilities but also a dry room/heated racks or a tumble drier especially in the the winter but even just for rainy days like we have been having recently. At the moment many of us are draping wet clothes and towels over office chairs and radiators which is not ideal. It would encourage staff to continue to cycle/walk to work throughout any bad weather and keep up with our health and fitness goals. We did Thank you for the suggestion. We did request a drying room in the original CP building plans however, due to budgetary constraints we were unable to have this facility.
Aug 2022	You said For the new Clarice Pears building – a library area for all the books that people currently have in their offices. There must be hundreds of books to share between the school not just for the academics but some of the support staff might also value the chance to read them, and maybe even share with the general public as part of the community engagement programme (although this would require a check in and check out system) but would be a good offering as books are really expensive. It would bring the multiple schools' knowledge/expertise into one area, enhancing collaboration awareness. We did This is a lovely suggestion. In preparation for our move we have asked staff to have a serious clear out of offices and we would like staff to offer any books they no longer require to other staff, or to donate books to charity. We don’t have a specified library area in the Clarice Pears, but if staff are taking books then we can certainly look at where a library might be situated in future.
Aug 2022	You said Any chance we could have an outright ban on fish in microwaves?! Fish can be eaten cold so noone would be missing out on their favourite lunch and it would be considerate to colleagues NOT to do this. We did Thank you for your suggestion. Unfortunately we cannot ban certain foods but in our SHW office etiquette guidelines we do suggest that everyone "Try to avoid taking strong-smelling foods into shared areas". When we move into the Clarice Pears building, and if staff still find this a particular problem, then we can put up signage reminding of guidelines. There are a number of kitchen areas and seating areas to choose from on all floors, and SHW positively encourages staff to move around the building, which might also be a solution.
May 2022	You said Please ensure captions are always enabled for online meetings. (Those who don't want or don't need them can switch them off, but if they are not enabled, people who need or would benefit from captions cannot access them nor, therefore, the meeting.) We did SHW endeavours to enable captions on all our online meetings, and have added this information to the SHW online meeting guidelines, so that others are aware that this can be done.
May 2022	You said The SHW Social channel within the SHW Teams group seems to be underused. "Social" messages appear in the "general" feed, especially those posted by SHW admin staff. Could social messages (with the most recent example being messages about Eurovision) please be posted in the social channel? We did The occasional end of week SHW Admin posts on Teams are a means of keeping in touch, and to wish colleagues well for the coming weekend, however they may be spending it. These posts are not intended to start a thread about non-work or purely social matters. We would hope that colleagues understand the spirit in which these posts are made. Facilitating a good work/life balance is key element of our Athena Swan/equality, diversity and inclusion activities. This includes supporting all staff and students in using their rest days to relax and recharge, and to engage in whatever leisure activities and interests may help with this.
Apr 2022	You said What is the university doing to resolve the pensions, pay and conditions dispute with UCU? More specifically what is the College doing in relation to the aspect of staff with insecure contracts and the anti-casualisation concerns voiced by UCU? We did The university is fully engaged as part of the national HEI employer structures and continues to meet with our local UCU branch representatives on a regular basis to discuss matters spanning the disputed areas: i.e. pensions, pay, workload, equality and casualisation. MVLS and CoSS are directly active in respect of workload management, and we are investing in enhancing workload management practices and systems over the coming period. College-wide efforts on equality continue, with our now well embedded Athena Swan teams and College Equality Diversity & Inclusion Committees. MVLS and CoSS also continue to contribute to the efforts overseen by the university’s Anti-Casualisation Working Group, which has involved each School/School reviewing its practices to ensure that fractional employment arrangements are minimised and underpinned by fair terms and guaranteed hours. In terms of employment security, ongoing review work is transferring staff to open-ended or longer-term contracts wherever possible, and while many jobs are naturally time limited in line with external funding, this will be an area of ongoing review for local management teams with College support. SHW statement on UCU Strike Action The University and College Union is currently undertaking a national campaign of strike action and action short of a strike. There are two disputes: the first is focused on the cuts to USS pensions; the second is over falling pay, the increasing pay gap in relation to gender, ethnicity and disability, precarity and unsafe workloads. SHW appreciates that not everyone in the School is part of UCU. We do, however, acknowledge the challenges and sacrifices that those taking part in industrial action are experiencing. We therefore urge all colleagues in the School to be mindful of when there are strike days, ensuring that colleagues fighting on behalf of the wider workforce are not disadvantaged by missing meetings or opportunities for collaboration. We would ask everyone to respect both digital and actual picket lines. We will also be mindful of opportunities to lobby the University to ensure that UCU members are supported, for example by ensuring that docking of strike pay is carried out in a way that minimises hardship.
Apr 2022	You said Hello, I wanted to recommend to you Ailsa-Mary Gold (https://www.facebook.com/AMGPilates/) who is a Pilates instructor passionate about providing Pilates classes in workplaces. GPPC used to have lunchtime yoga session that was well attended and I seem to remember that we were looking for something similar in the new building. I'm happy to put Ailsa-Mary in touch with whoever is coordinating 'extra curricular' activities. We did Thank you for the suggestion. We have set up a Team for "SHW ideas" and "SHW Social". We have posted this suggestion and when we have volunteers for committees, we can try to use.
Mar 2022	You said As SHW now have a dog policy when we move to open plan will there be spaces allocated that are dog free for those with allergies or phobia. Currently people do not stick to the guidelines and dogs are off leash and in areas where they should not be. We did Dog owners should always ask those working in the same area, BEFORE bringing a dog in, if they have any objections/allergies. If dogs are currently off leash then this should be reported to Unit admin or to line manager so that it can be dealt with. If this re-occurs then it is the 3 strikes and you’re out rule. We have reviewed and updated our Dogs at Work guideline (and will continue to do so on a regular basis) and in April 2022 introduced a requirement for dog owners to register their intention to bring their dog to the office, confirming that they have read and agreed to follow the guideline and have consulted with their line manager and all affected colleagues. We have posted about this change on Teams and in a newsletter item in the April 2022 edition of HAWKEYE.
Mar 2022	You said In the new building, how will sound levels be managed in an open plan office if calls are being made from people's desk space? Noise cancelling equipment doesn't block out human voices, and can't necessarily be worn all the time or at all by people who need the exclusion of intrusive noise (as experienced by an individual's own nervous/sensory system), including human voices? We did There are sound reduced booths and noise cancelling headphones available, staff must be respectful to others by chatting in communal areas other than at their desk. The situation will be monitored and subject to change. There are a number of booths and small rooms where you can do quiet work on an ad hoc basis – they are not for full time working. A number of single offices will be made available when not in use.
Mar 2022	You said It's disappointing and discouraging to see info on the Clarice Pears FAQ page about the amount of space to which different job families are entitled, with academics given more than MPA staff. This has been raised before and I know comes from the uni rather than SHW, but I wonder if (a) the School would be willing to challenge the fairness and logic of this, and (b) there could be text added to this answer to make clear that SHW values all staff equally and to explain the rationale? Even if unintentionally, this information sends a very disconcerting message about the importance and value of different categories of staff. SHW works hard to be inclusive and supportive of all staff but these efforts may be undermined if management is seen to approve of what could seem like unfairness and inequity. (As covered in a previous suggestions box response, senior staff may well need space to hold meetings – although won't there be specific meeting rooms available? – but that would apply to MPA as much as to academic. It's hard to fathom how job family could have any bearing on how much desk space is needed.) We did The SHW Project Development Board did raise its concerns at the outset regarding differential allocation of space. Nonetheless the standard University parameters were applied to all new buildings, including Clarice Pears. Furthermore, Estates counted single offices in the building’s provision of small meeting rooms for up to 4 people. As part of the Clarice Pears Operationalisation workstream, it’s been agreed that single offices may be used by any other member of SHW when available, and by agreement. There are dedicated meeting rooms on all floors for larger meetings. Again, these can be used for meetings convened by any member of SHW.
Mar 2022	You said What will the arrangements be for locking up the CP building, if we are working beyond 5pm and find ourselves last to leave? I think I would be nervous of having responsibility for securing such a large building! We did The building is open between 8am to 6pm, outwith those times swipe access is required. So there is no locking up as the doors will automatically lock behind you when you leave.
Mar 2022	You said Please make available the equality impact assessment around the use of space within the new Clarice Pears building, and name the individuals and committees who have determined the number of closed office space "allowed by the university". We did Contractually the Clarice Pears building is designed to the University of Glasgow Design Standards 2017. The Design Standards are reviewed on a 2/3 year cycle. There is no rule about the number of closed offices and it allows a specified m2 per staff member, and you need a minimum number of m2 to have a single office. The areas are 9m2 for Academics; 6m2 for PSS; 4m2 for PGR Students.
Mar 2022	You said What are hygiene procedures for all the hot desks in Clarice Pears? Who is responsible for cleaning the desktop, monitor, keyboard and mouse after use? Will there be enough social space for people to have lunch away from their desks to ensure keyboards don't become clogged with crumbs and other germ attracting detritus? We did It is expected that everyone will bring their own device (BYOD) and therefore there will be little or no equipment to clean. There are many areas throughout the building for people to have lunch away from their desks. Office etiquette including food and drink guidelines are available on our website.
Mar 2022	You said Given the decision about hybrid working and hot desking, it seems that staff are expected to work at home for a good portion of their working week. What support is SHW/UofG planning to offer as compensation payments for home wifi/broadband that is required to carry out our work? And what are the expectations in terms of wifi speed/connections that staff are to provide? We did There is no expectation for staff to work from home. Staff who want to work 100% of their time on campus can and should do so. UofG are willing to support staff who wish to work off campus, where it is appropriate to the nature of the role/task and is supported by their line manager. More information about this is available in the UofG hybrid working portal.
Feb 2022	You said Why is the Let's talk about Race in the workplace moodle course optional for staff to complete and not mandatory? It's a great course which does a very good job of explaining and understanding the coded forms of racism experienced by ethnic minority staff in the university, as identified in the Understanding Racism, Transforming University Cultures report. We did The course is not mandatory for all staff, but this suggestion has been raised via our Race Equality Group and will be discussed at EDSC in March, where this decision is made. However, we have recently discussed issues like this with senior staff in MVLS and each School/RI/College has the autonomy, should the local management team choose, to make it mandatory. This has happened across the organisation.
Feb 2022	You said Recent email "Please provide the potential speakers name, gender ... We plan to ensure the seminar series remains gender-balanced.... Sent on behalf of Theme Leads" – I would not presume to know the gender of every speaker without having asked them. Perhaps it would be more appropriate, or accurate at least, to ask speakers to anonymously complete a brief demographic questionnaire and to ensure that there is space for a variety of responses to questions concerning gender. There is an Athena Swan subgroup doing some LGBT work, so that could be a place to start if needing specific ideas for how to resolve this issue. We did Gender has been removed from the email.
Jan 2022	You said Why aren't admin staff included in annual workload survey, will a workload survey be set up for them to ensure they are not overloaded? Many admin staff are working over their contracted hours due to pressure of workload. We did Professional services staff can't be included in the academic workload survey because the questions relate specifically to academic work. However, we are going to look at the data from the UniForum survey, which is only for PS staff, to see if we can glean any information from that. The SHW Athena Swan professional services staff working group will look at this. They are always looking for new members and we'd encourage staff to join by contacting SHWadmin@glasgow.ac.uk.
Jan 2022	You said Could SHW reiterate Scottish Govt and UofG guidance to take regular lateral flow tests, including before travelling to work? I know we can't enforce it, but communicating to colleagues that this is the responsible and respectful thing to do if we are likely to be meeting others in the workplace might encourage more to comply. Thank you. We did In our January 2022 monthly email bulletin to staff we included the following information: "As staff and students start to return to campus, we’d like to take the opportunity to remind everyone of the guidance for taking lateral flow tests. Further info and links are on the main UofG website. The Scottish Government advises everyone to test regularly and before meeting with people from other households. We also ask all colleagues and students to take a lateral flow test before travelling to work, study or to events on campus. You can access free lateral flow testing kits from pick-up points on UofG campuses, as well as many pharmacies or you can also order them online. New Scottish Government guidance is that a positive lateral flow test should be treated as an individual having COVID-19 – a PCR test is only required if you are symptomatic."
Jan 2022	You said Why is it assumed that administrative staff can go into buildings to let other people in at a moment's notice, when Scottish Government has advised people should be working at home if they have been doing that in previous lockdowns? We did SHW does not expect professional services staff to be asked to open offices if they are not due to be on site anyway. Staff/students or "other people" requiring access should either plan ahead for access so that arrangements can be made, or contact security if it is urgent or essential to attend an office. Note that the guidance is still "Colleagues should continue to work from home where possible".

2021

Nov 2021	You said There is far too much focus on a job grade determining someone's worth. I don't think grades should be highlighted to other members of staff. I don't think it's right to openly discuss someone's salary and to evaluate their abilities based on what they earn, particularly when non-academic staff are underpaid for their duties and find it near impossible to get a promotion. Academic staff are promoted regularly. Any promotion is announced with adoration and details of their new pay grade. Things really need to change. I'd also like to add that regardless of your grade, all employees should be treated with the same level of respect. A higher earner should not consider themselves more superior than someone on a lower grade, and that behaviour should not be encouraged by senior members of staff. No member of staff should be talked down to under any circumstances. We are all equal and pay should not determine the level of respect you receive. Every team meeting and unit conference highlights the "us vs them" mentality. There is a very obvious hierarchy, and it needs to stop as I think it is outdated and insulting. Non-academic staff should not be treated as second class citizens. You can still be highly intelligent, educated, and skilled without a PhD. We did Thank you for taking the time to bring this to our attention. We agree completely that everyone in SHW has a valuable contribution to make and should be supported and appreciated equally. In response to your post, we have tabled the issue for discussion at the next School Management Group meeting where we will remind the heads of groups/units of the importance of this issue. Remember that you can always speak to Kate O’Donnell, Cindy Gray or Asha Costigan in confidence.
Oct 2021	You said Would it be possible to have social communications from SHW sent to a specific channel/email address? e.g. in Teams there could be a 'social' channel in addition to 'general', which I would see as being more for general work/study related communications. Similarly, perhaps an SHW Social email address could be set up. This would help to reduce some of the repeated instances of sending the same information that staff and students are likely have varying levels of interest in. We did We will set up a channel within the main SHW MS Teams area for information relating to social events. Everyone who is a member of the main Team will be able to view this content but may opt out of being notified about it by accessing their personal notification settings. (To do this, click on the ellipsis at the RH side of the channel, then from "Channel notifications" select either "All activity", "Off (except for direct replies and personal mentions", or "Customised" for other options. There is more information about managing notifications within MS Teams on the Microsoft website.) We are also organising some specific MS Teams training for staff and students (late 2021/early 2022) and would encourage as many as possible to attend this training. Within email, you can set rules to move specific emails with the same title. For social events SHW will endeavour to keep the format on all emails e.g. SHW Social – title of event.
Oct 2021	You said I note with interest the Hawkeye October newsletter highlighting equality etc. At recent SHW townhall meeting we were told professional services (PS) staff will be manning reception in Clarice Pears. PS staff were not consulted about this nor agreed to it. Also to be told that there will be a PC to allow us to work shows contempt for our roles and duties, that we can just drop our work to assist with visitors to reception, and any other ad hoc items, also seems to suggest our work isn’t taxing so can be interrupted anytime. PS staff are extremely busy and get a lot of tasks added to their roles without consultation. This wouldn’t happen to any other job family, and shows inclusion of an admin group in Athena Swan was just an exercise to tick a box for the Gold award. We did Thanks for the comment and we fully acknowledge your concerns. We plan to work through operations with PS staff in the near future to address this issue, and would also encourage staff of all job families to join the focus groups which are being offered by the Culture and Operationalisation workgroup to discuss this and other aspects of moving into the Clarice Pears Building. Up until the Facilities Services review recently, it had been expected that there would be janitorial cover on the Level 1 reception, however, we have been informed this will not be the case. It has been agreed that there will be a dedicated full time receptionist on Level 1, with an additional post is being requested from College. We are genuinely sorry that you might perceive Athena Swan (AS) to be a tick box exercise. All of us involved in leading or supporting AS believe that a key aim is to improve conditions for all staff, regardless of grade or job family. PS staff have made remarkable contributions to AS which senior management of the School fully acknowledge. The issues raised by our PS staff are important to us, but some things lie outwith the control of SHW. Please know that, where responsibility lies with wider university management e.g. in relation to admin staff resources, we continue to raise these with senior management.
Oct 2021	You said I was perplexed following the last townhall meeting when Jill said that all professional services (PS) staff will work a rota basis to cover the main reception (and receptions on individual floors) when we move to the new building. Does SHW not want to convey a professional image to visitors to the new building, that they have staff whose role it is to know what's going on in the building, who can assist the public with enquiries, who can give a little more information on the planned exhibits on the ground floor, amongst many other queries they are likely to receive? I'm not sure how PS staff, who are already busy in their own roles, can be expected to take these additional duties on … especially without any discussion with them on the topic thus far. The University Pay and Grading Policy states: "ensure that pay and benefits are allocated on a fair and consistent basis and that the university fulfils is legal obligation to provide equal pay for work of equal value", so if indeed all PS staff at all grades will be covering reception then how can you say it is equal work for equal value, when for example you have a grade 3 on reception one day and a grade 7 the next day? I wonder if HR would agree with the suggested rota system across PS staff at different grades. We did See response immediately above
Sep 2021	You said In the Clarice Pears building, will there be lockable storage for confidential research files? We did There is lockable storage for research, and lockers provided for personal items. We request that everyone reviews what paperwork they are currently keeping, and clears out as much as possible (if you are able to return to the office) by the end of December 2021. If you are required to store paperwork which is not needed on a regular basis, you should consider archiving. Your administrators can supply waste bags and assist with disposal if required. The clear-out also applies to out of date equipment.
Sep 2021	You said In the Clarice Pears building, will janitorial or security staff be on ground floor like other university buildings or will receptionists be hired? We did There has been an ongoing review of Facilities Services (FS), which includes janitorial support. FS will deliver a service to a number of buildings which will be grouped into zones. There won’t be dedicated 9am–5pm janitorial support in the Clarice Pears building. SHW will require the support of all units to cover the ground floor reception via a rota. There will be computers at the reception desks on all floors therefore professional services staff who are located there will be able to undertake their normal work when not attending to reception related duties.
Sep 2021	You said It would be really helpful for those of us who plan and deliver teaching in SHW if we could have an update soon on the teaching space that will be available in the new Clarice Pears building please. Number of rooms, capacity and when room bookings will be available. We did There are a variety of multi-purpose rooms on the ground floor (Level 1) of the Clarice Pears building. SHW will have priority in terms of access to booking their own rooms. Then if the space is not being utilized, rooms may be released to the wider university community. As regards putting CP rooms into your schedule for teaching, this will fit in with the usual university timetabling system. To book space at short notice, there will be digital signage next to rooms to allow you see when a room is reserved or free, which is useful for the drop in flexible teaching spaces to use flexibly for tutorials, small group teaching and PhD supervision etc.
Aug 2021	You said Current Scottish Government guidance is that we should continue to work from home where possible. What is SHW’s perspective on this? We did Current advice from Scottish Government is to work at home if you can. Our approach is if you can work from home then please do so if possible. If you need to come into work because the work can only be undertaken on campus, or because you as an individual feel (for whatever reason) you’re not able to do it at home, and you prefer to come and work on campus, then that is fine.
Jul 2021	You said Will SHW be encouraging staff and students who plan to return to the office (rather than working remotely) to have the COVID vaccine? We did UofG will be issuing communications soon regarding the return of more people to campus. The communication is expected to include a statement to the effect that the most effective measure that you can take to ensure your own safety and those around you is to receive two COVID vaccinations. The communication is likely to also contain a link to the NHS site providing more information on vaccination and how to book.
May 2021	You said At the recent town hall meeting, Jill said that space for staff is allocated on the basis of seniority (i.e. senior staff get more desk space). Can the School lead the way in challenging this within the university? All staff deserve equally to have a comfortable working space (not just the well paid ones) and I would imagine that senior staff spend less time at their desks than staff at lower grades anyway. I believe SHW values fairness and the move to the new building and the associated space-planning is an opportunity to set an example for the rest of the university. We did At the outset, the University gave us approval for the new building along with an associated budget and size based on the university space criteria whereby a certain amount of space is allocated per staff member/student depending on grade and job family. The amounts per head differed by grade and the reality is that you need a minimum amount of square metres to have a single office vs shared office or a shared office vs open plan. The actual numbers in the University guidance have changed since then but the criteria still specify four groups of staff/students who are allocated different size (9 vs 6 vs 4 m2) and type (single office, shared office, open plan) of space. One reason for these size allocations is the recognition that more senior staff are more likely to have managerial and team responsibilities; slightly larger space allocation allows those meetings to take place locally, allowing other meeting rooms to be freed up for other members of staff to use. The university also instructed that single offices need to cater for all (up to) 4 person meetings involving the incumbent. This meeting capacity was deducted from the space allocated for meetings in the building. Whilst this is the default setting it would not be appropriate for offices to be under-occupied and this applies to single offices as much as other types of space. Therefore, if senior members of staff are not using their office space full-time we will have systems in place to ensure that this space is available for other uses as appropriate.
Apr 2021	You said Remember that SHW is cross-college, therefore MVLS contacts and procedures are not relevant to all SHW students. If information is sent to all SHW students, please clearly communicate whether it is relevant to all SHW students, or only those in MVLS (or another college). If it is a university-wide requirement, direct students registered in other colleges to the relevant contacts and procedures in addition to including the MVLS details. We did Thank you for this suggestion and in future we will add to any information we forward to students that the info may only apply to MVLS students, and you may want to contact the college you are registered with for the relevant info. We hope that the College you are registered with also send you the appropriate information.
Apr 2021	You said Would it be possible to emphasise to staff that, when attending a training course, they should behave respectfully and courteously at all times towards the trainer? Comments and queries are fine if something in the content is difficult to grasp, and if they arise out of a genuine desire to learn. However, negativity for the sake of it is the height of rudeness to colleagues who are sharing their time and expertise with us, unhelpful and embarrassing to other attendees, and has the potential to reflect badly on SHW's reputation in other areas of the university. We did When training is organised internally SHW will add info on the invitation saying "SHW has organised this training for the benefit of our staff, it is voluntary to attend. We would ask that attendees are respectful towards others, whether it’s the expert who has spent time putting the course together at our request, or to other attendees."
Apr 2021	You said Actively work to improve the culture around disability, accessibility and inclusion. This should be led from the top through actions and not just words. Learning opportunities should not be delegated to admin and support staff (e.g. attendance at an event in hidden conditions), although it is invaluable that all staff have the chance to increase their knowledge in this area if an effective cultural shift is to be achieved. Promoting collaboration and drawing people in is central to actively considering and implementing an inclusive, accessible culture. Overemphasis on individual competitiveness promotes ableism and an exclusive culture. We did As SHW, we acknowledge and support the importance of accessibility and inclusion for all, including those living with disability. The hidden disabilities workshop was a starting point and will not be the only activity to promote inclusivity and tackle ableism. We agree that this is not only the responsibility of admin and support staff and will strive to ensure that staff across all job families attend events in the future, as we are doing for other issues e.g. mandatory bystander training. These issues are also at the heart of our Athena SWAN work. In 2021, we appointed an SHW disability champion, Elise Whitley, to sit on SHW's Athena SWAN self assessment team.
Mar 2021	You said I have a question about today's email regarding recognition. Can I ask the university to explain why my contribution over the last year is worth less than someone on a higher grade? If we are all valued the same and have ALL contributed to the success of the university why are we not all recognised in the same way. This basically tells everyone that you are valued but those who get paid more are valued more (despite the fact that those very people rely on those of us at lower grades to do the day to day work). I mean I already know that ECRs are valued less but this confirms it. We did SHW management values ALL its staff equally and recognises your contribution to our success. The SHW DoRI emailed the Principal, Head of College MVLS and Head of College CoSS raising concerns about the higher payments to staff on higher incomes. The Principal responded as follows: "I fully understand the concern. The recognition payment was originally set out as a %age one-off payment, but we capped it to ensure that higher paid staff did not receive too much and we put a floor on it to ensure that lower-paid staff got a higher percentage. If we had expressed it as a % it would have been clear that this was the intent." And further commented: "I should also have added: of course earlier in the year we made a payment to provide some compensation for Covid disruption and that was paid only to grades 1-6 with higher grade staff receiving no payment. That is also important re context. But as I say, useful to see these comments as it will help us calibrate further decisions." Please know that the Senior Management of the School take these issues very seriously. We commit to listening to your concerns and following up on those wherever possible."
Feb 2021	You said Could we speak to those who chose to publicly berate other researchers for simple mistakes and discuss how these micro-aggressions actually fuel hostile environments. I am particularly thinking of the last two occasions that white, middle aged male researchers chose to publicly berate females who mistakenly replied all to an email. To be honest these kinds of actions make me less likely to reply to anything at all for fear of making a mistake and being publicly ridiculed. We did We have passed the suggestion to UofG Equality and Diversity to find a way to address, as the staff member was not in SHW.
Jan 2021	You said For some ECRs the current situation has vastly reduced their opportunities for collaboration/career development beyond their initial team e.g. being on grants relies on being aware of the application in the first place prior to a success and some some this is line manager dependent. For some they are being excluded from opportunities which as a result has implications for their promotion/future development. It's much easier for established researchers to be involved as they are more known and have better connections through prior work. If we are to move to a more blended way of working how will you ensure that ECRs are not disadvantaged even more particularly if the intention is to increase more School-wide collaboration. We did SHW recommends: – Accessing the SHW online induction site (still useful even if you’ve been here a while) – Accessing UofG personal development planning toolkit – Registering with one or more SHW research theme and be included in the mailing lists for any theme meetings, workshops, seminars etc – Registering for the SHW grant writing group to make more contacts – Speaking to your line manager and/or mentor. They should assist in identifying useful collaborators and making introductions. – Accessing information on the UofG website about moving conferences online We’d value feedback on whether it would help if SHW supports a series of "Research in progress" seminars (which currently happens in a couple of units). There would be a deliberate a mix of topics at each session and people can then follow up if they hear something that resonates with them. Format of 4 presentations of 15 mins each on research ongoing or being planned, rather than completed. Discussion is encouraged along the lines of "have you thought of...", "I am having the same problem how are dealing with it...". This would be a chance to share ideas, problems, solutions, forge collaborations etc..

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