Case Study 1: Faculty of Population Health Sciences

Career Development 'The promotions process at UCL is applied fairly'

We were doing: considering accelerated increment and contribution points on an ad hoc basis, directing people to different central links regarding separate processes and each Institute had their own process for considering teaching and research promotions

You said: FPHS needs to improve perception of fairness around promotions and re-grading

We did: the Faculty re-designed the intranet with a dedicated HR page where an annually updated ‘Guide to Promotions Processes’ can be found with all processes and deadlines collated in one place. The applications are now reviewed by a Faculty panels with rotating membership, including a representative from each Institute, to ensure equitable treatment of all applications for teaching and research promotions and requests for accelerated increments and contribution points. The Senior Promotions process is regularly discussed in Faculty Executive Committee meetings and is annually featured in the newsletter. The Dean also holds individual meetings with those identified for promotion to provide personalised advice and support

Where are we now?: we will be entering our second cycle of Faculty promotions panels and feedback from Institutes indicates that processes are clearer with this more streamlined approach. The 14/15 Senior Promotions have been announced, with 39 successful cases in FPHS compared to 28 in 13/14

What we plan to do next: the processes and intranet guide are continuously reviewed and updated and communicated to all staff via email and in various meetings throughout the year at Faculty and Institute level