Why was a new HR policy plan needed?
Baars: ‘To start with, mainly because the previous plan had come to an end, in short. There have been major changes within UT, but also more broadly in society: geopolitical developments, new generations with different preferences when it comes to work... All of that affects how people work together and what they consider important in their jobs. The timing also coincides with the new institutional strategy. That requires an appropriate, up-to-date HR strategy.’
What went well, and what could be improved?
Oeloff: ‘The question suggests that perhaps something was not going well, but our previous plan simply had a set duration. We evaluate along the way and continuously adjust our ways of working. We will continue much of what we were already doing. But in some areas, you see a shift in emphasis.’
Baars: ‘We established several key pillars for good HR policy: talent development, a healthy workplace, both physically and mentally, and, of course, our solid foundation of accessible information, timely payments, and compliance with applicable legislation. Those three areas were already going well, and that will remain the case. One of our priorities for the next two years is strategic workforce planning: having the right people, with the right skills, in the right place. Managers and employees are continuously discussing this.’
What will we notice about the new plan?
Baars: ‘We hope to help people enjoy coming to work more, be themselves, and work and perform well together. We also want to show that we are there for employees and want to help them adapt as the organisation develops. We had already started our Recognition and Rewards initiative, and we will continue it. Success is often the result of teamwork, and we want to recognise that more.
‘We are also introducing Talent Map 3.0: a guide for academic staff to help shape their careers. It provides tools for employees to develop not only in research and education, but also in areas such as leadership. It also supports conversations between employees and managers about personal ambitions and recognition.’
How will the new plan help reduce workload?
Baars: ‘Workload is a key priority for all universities in the Netherlands. We will continue to take steps on this and discuss it extensively among ourselves. It is also an important issue in the new collective labour agreement. We are working on structural plans for well-being. Rather than separate initiatives, we want to take a more integrated approach: what is causing the problem, and how does it work within the university? We want to address root causes, but these can differ between target groups, teams, and faculties. That is why each faculty and service department develops its own plans based on its risk assessment.’
The plan mentions ‘strengthening team capacity’. What does that mean in concrete terms? Will you hire people to ease the workload? Cut tasks? Train staff?
Baars: ‘For teams to perform optimally, it is essential to have the right people in the right place. Besides offering extensive coaching and training programmes, we are increasingly being approached with team-related issues. Take the four impact domains, for example, which mean that some teams suddenly have to collaborate across faculties. We may then be asked to help think about redistributing tasks within the team. But it is also important to have conversations: what do we have to offer each other? Do we speak the same language, and do we understand one another?’
The plan seems mainly aimed at making workload easier to discuss and measure. But that does not guarantee it will actually decrease...
Oeloff: ‘I disagree. Sometimes, improving processes and systems can make the work more manageable. All the interventions mentioned are intended to distribute the work that needs to be done as effectively as possible. But you are also allowed to choose what you take on and what you do not. You can say ‘no’ to a task if it becomes too much. We want to work on creating the openness and safety needed to be able to say that. It is also about expectations. Sometimes employees feel under pressure because they think everything has to be finished immediately. A conversation about that can provide greater peace of mind.’
During the University Council meeting, the use of temporary staff to reduce workload was discussed. What can you say about that?
Oeloff: ‘The Executive Board recently issued a statement acknowledging that workloads are experienced as extremely high in some cases. That is partly due to the downsizing of the organisation. At the same time, we expect more students at UT in the coming academic year. The Executive Board has therefore said that, in exceptional cases, teams can temporarily bring in additional capacity. We do not yet know how much funding will be available for this. That is not something HR decides.’
Where do you expect UT to be in terms of workload by 2028?
Baars: ‘I don't think having no workload at all is a realistic idea. You also need a certain amount of drive, otherwise you run the risk of a bore-out. The difficulty is that workload is subjective. What is stressful for one person is perfectly manageable for another. UT is an ambitious working environment. If you hire more people, that can lead to even greater ambitions within a team, which may only increase the workload experienced by existing employees.’
Oeloff: ‘We have been working on this issue for a very long time and have already done a great deal. At national level, several working groups are looking into it, and we are involved in those as well. Workload is not only caused by the amount of work, but also by how people deal with work. You cannot simply point at HR. You need to be willing to challenge each other on it. We need to create a safe environment in which people can do that.’
