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Heather Badru, Staffing and HR Officer, UCL School of Pharmacy
I think Shared Learning is really important to success at UCL, and my experience is that it is a beneficial approach all round. When I started with UCL in 2017 I noticed a need to link up with Central HR, this was based on what I had done in previous jobs. I contacted our then Interim HR Delivery consultant and asked if it would be possible if this was something she could arrange for me to do. She did, and I was able to spend the day in central HR and shadowed two of the supervisors. This went really well; I got to meet everyone in the department and put names to faces. I also got a feel of their environment, volume of workload and how they prioritise it. We discussed ways of working, went through checklists they use. This gave me a great understanding of the information they need from us, and in a format that will aid them not hinder them.
After a year in my role as a Staffing and HR Administrator I wanted to progress and move towards more Staffing and HR Officer level work, so I felt it was vital for me to gain more knowledge from experienced members of staff, review their job descriptions and compare notes. I recently attended a training workshop, which I think are excellent ways to network and meet colleagues in the same roles across UCL. I approached a Staffing Officer, who was more than happy for me to go over to their office. We discussed best practice and shared ideas regarding their recruitment process, Wellbeing for staff and students, working towards the silver Athena Swan application, Exit interviews and the induction process. After speaking with the Staffing Officer, I shared my findings with my team and we are have implemented quite a few changes that have improved the way we work in the Staffing Office at SoP.
I am also part of the UCL Wellbeing Champions team and have organised events with other champions in different departments, as I feel collaboration is key to achieving a successful UCL Wellbeing strategy.
