Athena Swan Action Plan
We are proud of the Athena Swan Gold Award the department obtained in 2023, as it recognises our commitment to advancing gender equality and fostering an inclusive and supportive working environment for all staff and students. Undertaking the self-assessment also identified areas where we can do better. An action plan was created to address these and is being monitored by our Self-Assessment Team (SAT), guiding their work and priorities until the next Athena Swan application in 2028.
Our department's Athena Swan Action Plan supports the promotion of inclusive working practices and aims to improve career progression, work-life balance, and equitable opportunities across all roles. This page present our five Athena Swan priorities, along with a highlighted action selected by our SAT. View our full action plan to explore the rationale behind each objective and track our progress to date
PRIORITY: 1 Increase the number of women progressing to more senior grades in the department
Athena Swan action 1.5
Support the development of excellent leadership in the department across job roles (Professional Services and Academic & Research) and seniority, by re-running the Leadership Learning Pathway taking on feedback from the pilot year in 2021-22
Highlighted projects:
"A key Athena Swan priority for our department is to increase the number of women progressing to senior grades. To achieve this, we are committed to fostering leadership development across all job roles and levels of seniority through initiatives such as the Leadership Learning Pathway.
The Leadership Learning Pathway programme was first launched in 2021-2022 and run again in 2022-23. Between 2021 and 2023, there were also measurable improvements in staff being clear about the training and development opportunities available (+9%) and having the opportunity to develop and grow (+8%) from the staff experience survey.
Given its success, the Leadership Learning Pathway programme will be re-launched in 2025, building on lessons learned. The 2025 programme will focus on developing key leadership skills identified by groups across the department, in particular:
This initiative reflects our ongoing commitment to creating pathways for all staff to thrive and advance within the department".
PRIORITY 2: Reduce the gender imbalance in students feeling supported to think about career development
Athena Swan action 2.2
Improve networking opportunities between DPhil students and other staff across the department through events such as Meet the Professor and Meet an EMCR
Highlighted projects:
"To date, we have supported students’ career development through two initiatives. The first was establishing the department’s first DPhil career development group to ensure equal access to opportunities for male and female students. Two DPhil students, appointed as career development reps by the Athena Swan DPhil representatives, lead the group. While only female students volunteered for leadership roles, the reps will work with Athena Swan reps to monitor and encourage gender balance in attendance. The group’s first meeting, held on December 5, 2024, focused on identifying gaps and uncertainties in career development.
The second initiative was a “Meet the Academic” event for DPhil students on November 26, 2024. Four students attended and had one-to-one 13-minute chats with three professors and a senior statistician on big data and qualitative research. Feedback was positive, and a gender-balanced panel of academics was ensured, though achieving gender balance in attendance remained challenging.
Moving forward, we will collaborate with DPhil career development reps to ensure inclusivity and accessibility for all students. We hope to continue to host events such as "Meet the Academics" events and aim to increase engagement with these initiatives".
Ruya Abdulsalam, DPhil Representative for the SAT.
PRIORITY 3: Reduce the gendered impact of insecurity caused by fixed-term contracts
Athena Swan Action 3.2
Hold an annual meeting for the EMCR group with the HR and Finance leads to discuss and answer questions related to contracts, regrading and pay. Where applicable, ensure contracts are extended or renewed 3-6 months in advance.
Highlighted projects:
"We recognise the insecurity of fixed-term contracts, particularly for our many researchers funded by external grants. To mitigate this, we’ve implemented a robust system for monitoring contract end dates and securing extensions. Our Grants team collaborates with Principal Investigators (PIs) and Group Leads to monitor funding, while HR regularly reviews contract statuses. Group Leads receive up-to-date staff lists to help plan funding needs in plenty of time.
Most fixed-term contracts are extended promptly once funding is confirmed. Due to volume, extensions are processed in batches each month following updates to the HR/Payroll system. Where there is no funding in the immediate group, we support individuals to find roles elsewhere in the department and have redeployed a number of people in this way.
I join the annual EMCR A-Z event to explain these processes, answer questions, and gather feedback. We are committed to supporting our researchers in transitioning to open-ended contracts. The policy is outlined on the HR Intranet and the pathway regularly monitored. Each year, the number of individuals on open-ended and permanent contracts continues to grow.
We are particularly mindful of the challenges faced by women whose contracts end during maternity or parental leave, ensuring extensions or redeployment where possible. Legal protections were strengthened in April 2024, and we have processes in place to ensure compliance".
Clare Wickings, Head of HR.
PRIORITY 4: Reduce the gendered impact of workload on all staff, particularly line managers
Athena Swan Action 4.1
Models of managing workload from different research groups will be shared across the department to encourage best practices and consistency. Equivalent options for staff with caring responsibilities will be promoted.
Highlighted projects:
"In the 2021 workload survey, three quarters of line managers said they felt their workload was excessive and female academic and research staff reported spending 6.2% less time on writing academic papers/reports than their male counterparts. Managing workload is an important issue for everyone with only 61% feeling able to strike the right balance between work and home life in the 2023 SES. It’s important that everyone feels able to protect time for important work and activities which will help career progression. In 2023 a Digital Distractions workshop was run for the department to help participants take control of their time using devises to enhance focus and productivity. As part of the EMCR group activities Rebecca Barnes has organised a number of day and half-day writing retreats, making focussed time accessible to all during working hours. Further ideas from groups across the department are sought including fire-break weeks, writing retreats and golden hours to build a toolkit that everyone in the department can tap into".
Kathryn Ungerer, Head of Organisational Development
PRIORITY 5: Reduce bullying and harassment in the department, with particular focus on the unequal proportion of women reporting experience of bullying and harassment
Athena Swan Action 5.3
Continue to educate staff at all levels through anti-bullying and harassment training and bystander training.
Highlighted Projects:
"32 people, staff and students of the NDPCHS, attended training on Active Bystander Interventions commissioned by the department’s Bullying And Harassment Working Group. This is part of the department’s programme of initiatives to address potential bullying and other forms of harassment, ideally by checking it at source. While other initiatives are addressed to managers in particular, Active Bystander training is for anyone who may witness an incident or behaviour that creates an unwelcome environment for staff or students. The training was concise, constructive, well-delivered and thoughtful, and was well-received by attendees. We considered ways for a bystander to intervene under 5 headings, and consolidated the learning with discussions about specific case studies. The training was well attended, but places were finite and we hope to run the course again. I would strongly recommend this training to everyone in this or any academic department".
Richard Stevens, Workplace Mediator and member of the Bullying & Harassment Working Group