Human Resource Policy Plan of Action of the University of Oulu

Human Resource Policy Plan of Action of the University of Oulu Approved at the University Board meeting, December 3, 2008

2 Contents Introduction... 3 Human resource management and changes in the operational environment... 3 Human resource management goals... 3 Goals of the human resource policy plan of action... 4 Human resource planning... 4 Actions...5 Personnel selection and placement... 5 Actions...6 Management and well-being at work... 6 Actions...6 Know-how and the reproduction thereof... 7 Actions...8 Remuneration and rewarding Palkkaus ja palkitseminen... 8 Actions...8 Communication... 9 Actions...9 The follow-up and assessment of the human resource policy plan of action... 9

Introduction The University of Oulu is an international scientific and cultural university, the core of which is basic research in many disciplines and education relating to it. At the University of Oulu, research is conducted in 70 different disciplines. In terms of research and education, the university, with its 17 000 students and 3000 employees, makes use of its broad multidisciplinarity, its modern research and education environment and its close relationships with its regional, national and international collaborators. Because of these strengths, the university is an international expert in its focus areas, which in turn are important for the advancement of both regional and national well-being. The human resource policy plan of action specifies the human resource management principles defined in the university s overall strategy. The plan of action contains common goals and operational principles for the entire university staff and for human resource management. Human resource management and changes in the operational environment Improving the quality of research and education, reasserting influence and increasing efficiency have been listed as the university s development objectives for the next few years. These objectives require that the higher education institutions become profiled and focus areas strengthened and the network of higher education institutions is condensed in order to develop new higher education institution units that are stronger and of higher quality than the present ones. The development of the University of Oulu as an internationally high quality scientific university will continue in collaboration with the business life and the state research institutes. The University of Oulu has the special responsibility of the research of the Saami language and culture, as well as education pertaining to it. The structural development is connected to the expanding of the universities financial and administratorial autonomy. The structural reformation of the higher education institutions is supported also by the reform of the degree structure, the implementation of the plan of action regarding research training and research careers, the development of sectoral research structures and the research infrastructure policy, the preparation of a national innovation strategy and the reformation of the state subsidy system. The change in the administratorial status of the university from a civil service department to a juristic person of public law is reflected both in its financial basis and administration and its management and decision-making systems. As the legal status changes, the employment relationships of the staff are changed from public-law employment relationships to private-law employment relationships. The university becomes an employer, which brings about challenges but also allows for a more flexible human resource policy. In order to make the support services more effective, part of the financial and human resource processes are transferred to the university service centres. The remaining support services are organized by function so that they correspond to the new operational environment. The support service processes are clarified and turned electrical when relevant in order to improve and speed up the service and to cut costs. Human resource management goals Human resource management is an increasingly important part of the university human resource policy. The goal of human resource management is to enable a human resource policy that is in accordance with the university strategy and of high quality, supports the university core operations and takes into consideration the special features of each discipline.

Human resource management is an integral part of the management of the university operations. Management ensures that the operations are in accordance with the objectives and values of the university. Management supports the innovativeness and initiative of the units and groups. The task of the management is also to ensure that the organization renews itself through learning. The management of the university as a whole requires that the definitions of policy and operational principles are consistent with one another, which is a challenge in this kind of an expert organization. The university quality system, currently under development, compiles common practices for all activities. In the transitional phase during the next few years, the human resource policy follows the definitions of policy approved by the Council of State and the ministries. Goals of the human resource policy plan of action The task of the human resource management policy plan of action is to guide the operations of the university community so that the University of Oulu will be successful and a good workplace for its employees. Common values are upheld in all activities, and these values are: communality pioneering partnership Focal areas in the human resource policy of the University of Oulu are human resource planning, personnel selection and placement, human resource management and well-being, know-how and its reproduction, as well as remuneration and rewarding. Central human resource political thematic entities also include equality, occupational safety and industrial co-operation. These are dealt with in more detail in the equality plan and the occupational safety plan of action. The human resource policy develops guidelines and communicates good operational practices. Those in a managerial position have a special responsibility to strengthen the common value basis with their own example as well. The goal is that the staff adopts the university values as a part of their daily activities. Human resource planning Being successful and attaining the strategic objectives of the university requires that the number and quality of staff, as well as needs for changes are anticipated, human resource structures are developed, functionality is evaluated and redirected. Human resource planning is based on the faculties and other profit centres personnel plans, which have been compiled based on the university overall strategy. The contents of these personnel plans are revised in internal performance meetings and with the co-operation procedure. The profit centres personnel plans take into consideration the focal areas defined in the strategy of the unit in question, especially when planning the reallocation or discontinuing soon emptying positions. The purpose of the reorganization of the tasks is to promote the profitable and encouraging career advancement of teachers and researchers and the making of research-related temporary positions permanent, as well as the internationalization of the profit centre. The tasks of Financial Services, Human Resources, Educational Affairs and Student Services, as well as IT Administration Services will be reorganized according to the university policy and the principles of the support services development

project. A similar survey and development work is going on with other support services as well. Actions - The new task structure of the teaching and research staff will be implemented in accordance with the personnel plans from 2008 through 2010. - Permanent tasks will be conducted in permanent employment contracts. Contracts will be temporary or otherwise limited only if the nature of the task is such, or there is a justifiable reason pertaining to the operation of the university that it requires a temporary contract. Temporary contracts must always be appropriately justified. - The goal of developing the support services is to free resources for the university core operations by centralizing services and taking into use high-quality and cost-efficient work practices. Support services are to be concentrated to the central administration service unit and service points. The services are partly unified, but the faculties different needs will be taken into consideration when organizing the services. The quality of the support services will be improved and the staff know-how developed by organizing training. - The tasks and facilities of the laboratory staff will be surveyed. - As the university changes into an institution under public law, the staff employment relationships will be turned into private-law employment relationships. During the change, the status of the personnel is secured so that as the juristic person status changes, the university personnel is transferred into the service of the institution under public law with the present benefits. Personnel selection and placement The basis of recruitment is the strengthening and promotion of activities that are in accordance with the university strategy. The new administratorial status of the university requires a new kind of an active recruitment culture. Recruitment is managed through the personnel plans of the profit centres. The objective is to have a personnel structure that meet the needs of its allotted tasks and is costefficient. The contents, requirements and employee selection grounds for each open position are carefully defined. The applicant who best meets the requirements will be recruited to each open position, while at the same equality is maintained. The grounds for the selection will be presented. Temporary employment relationships must always be justified separately. The university takes care of its attractiveness. The attractiveness of a job has to do with a functioning work community, flexible work arrangements, wages that correspond with the demands of the task, job performance and professional skills, the possibility for development, a secure employment relationship and the possibility to fit together work and family life in a balanced way. The operational environment of the university is a part of its attractiveness. In order to increase its attractiveness, the university functions in close cooperation with the city of Oulu and the other localities where it has offices. Introductory briefing is an essential part of human resource policy. At the level of the university, the creation of introductory briefing practices and tools is taken care of, and the possibility to add a mentoring program into the introductory briefing procedure is being investigated. In each unit, the head is responsible for having the introductory briefing arranged.

Actions - The university recruits teaching and research staff internationally. Especially in the focal areas the clear goal of the recruitment is to sign up international top-level researchers and teachers at the university. - Researchers and teachers work at foreign universities will be supportef with exchange programs and scholarships. - The implementation of the research career model is promoted, and adequate time is reserved for the research work. - As the contents of the support tasks remaining at the university change, the support staff is trained for such new tasks that at least correspond their previous tasks in terms of the nature and demands of the task, as well as wages. - By the year 2010, new recruitment guidelines based on the new Universities Act will be prepared, preparations will be made for the new active recruitment culture, and the implementation of an electronic recruitment program will be investigated. The qualification requirements for the central tasks will be defined as relevant in the university regulations. - The possibility to introduce a mentoring system will be investigated while a introductory briefing plan and introductory briefing materials will be compiled. Heads of units will be responsible for arranging the introduction procedure, but each member of the university staff will be responsible for passing their professional knowledge on to new employees. Management and well-being at work Management must be professional and the management skills at the level that the task requires. Personnel management is emphasized in the positions of deans, heads of departments and immediate superiors. In order to improve management skills, systematic training will be organized, and those in a managerial position will be required to participate in it. Management is cooperative. It is a part of management to regularly offer the staff public information on and the possibility to discuss the work, the work conditions, as well as management. Management is crucial for the balanced development of the success of the work and the well-being of the staff, as well as the creation of the prerequisites and structures for the operations. The work communities must create, with the participation of the managers, conditions where the staff s psychological and physical abilities to work can develop and be maintained. The focal point of the managerial work is to ensure the smooth running of the operations so that the pre-set goals are met. The individuality and phase of life of each individual person will be taken into consideration in the human resource management work. The balance of the demands of the job on one hand, and one s own skills and abilities on the other, as well as the security of the employment relationship, are important. The employee must have a chance to make an influence in his or her work comminuty and to know that s/he masters his or her work. If the employee feels that his or her work is meaningful and if s/he mentally grows when doing his or her work, it increases both well-being and the enjoyment gained from the work. Actions - In order to meet the goals of the university strategy and the human resource policy plan of action, the university will professionalize management and clarify the decision-making processes and responsibilities to correspond with the future organization structure and the operating principles of an institution under public law.

- Introductory training will be provided for those in a managerial or supervisory position, which will improve the human resource management skills and clarifies the contents and responsibilities of supervisory work. - Units will be provided training and consultation about problem-solving and to support normal development activities. It is the supervisor s responsibility to make sure that problematic situations are intervened as early as possible. - Managerial processes and practices are revised and developed based on work satisfaction surveys. Based on the survey, the units will draw up a personnel well-being development plan. - The remuneration and bonus system will be developed further to be more incentive, in line with the general definitions of policy and the cost development. The possibility to introduce a working time bank will be investigated. - The starting point of the occupational safety plan of action and the industrial health system is the promotion of work well-being. - The co-operation procedure will be followed in all situations that demand changes in the status of the personnel. The co-operation will increase the personnel s chances to influence especially the development of the work and the work environment, as well as the passing of information about the work objectives and the meaning and the results of the work, especially in times of change. Know-how and the reproduction thereof The university offers its staff the possibility to develop their know-how in accordance with the goals of the university, and supports this development work. All personnel training takes into consideration the securing of equality and the improvement of cooperation. The personnel development needs will be surveyed with performance development reviews, in which the supervisor, together with the employee, goes through the demands of the task, know-how and development possibilities. These oneon-one reviews are preceded by a general assessment discussion of the unit that deals with the operations and development outlooks. It is the manager s responsibility that the performance development reviews are put to use in the systematic development of the know-how required by the goals of the unit, but in the end each employee is personally responsible for keeping his or her professional skills up-to-date. The performance develop reviews must deal with the employee s commitment to the goals of the unit and his or her possible need to improve his or her professional know-how. The Research Assessment Exercise sets up the directions in which the research activities of the university develop. With its help, both strengths and development needs are recognized. In order to strengthen the status of the University of Oulu within Finland s university network, the amount and quality of the personnel and the personnel structure must be anticipated, followed and developed. The new Universities Act brings with it new know-how needs that pertain especially to financial planning and follow-up. The support that the university financial administration gets for financial planning and financial follow-up will be increased. The research conducted with complementary funding will be organized in an administratorial sense mostly into projects, which requires strong know-how in project management.

Actions - The research and teaching personnel s working in foreign universities and research institutions will be supported. International experience will be taken into consideration also in recruitment and remuneration. Through research and teacher exchange, the university develops its undergraduate and graduate education, conducted in English, in its focal areas, and also strengthens its teaching and study counselling in English. - Teaching staff and graduate students will have the possibility to participate in pedagogical education. - The professional skills of the support staff will be improved in financial planning and follow-up; human resource affairs; staff and student affairs pertaining to internationalization; marketing and PR, as well as project management. At the same time, the university s processes and practives will be developed in the aforementioned areas as required by the quality system. - The employee s know-how improvement methods and career needs are canvassed and each individual s personal investments in training will be agreed upon on the basis of the know-how survey and the performance development review. Training will be targeted toward both content areas and language studies (language skills driving licence). - The university transfers its financial administration and human resource management tasks to be the responsibility of the service centre, and simultaneously develops the support service processes that will remain the duty of the university. During the transitional period, the university wll support the activity of the support service staff in finding new jobs. These support measures will include e.g. transferrals of offices, cooperation between operational units in arranging tasks, retraining, leaves of absence, flexible working time arrangements, making use of IT, incentives for employees to seek employment elsewhere, and adequate human resources to provide the support measures. As the employees change, each unit will systematically make sure that experience is passed on and knowhow maintained. Remuneration and rewarding Palkkaus ja palkitseminen The basis of rewarding work is a remuneration system based on the demands of the tasks, the quality of the work, job performance and the required know-how. A flexible remuneration policy with incentive improves the competitiveness of the university in international recruitment as well. When defining remuneration, however, the university s definitions of policy and presently applicable cost framework. The publicity of the grounds of the remuneration system promotes just and equal remuneration. The supervisors have a central role in the assessment of the tasks and performance. Training is organized to support them in this work. The rewarding of groups and individuals for exceptionally good work brings good publicity both within and outside the university and encourages employees to perform better. Individuals and groups can be rewarded for good performance on individual single occasions as well. The rewarding is targeted at all personnel groups. Actions - The forms of rewarding based on successfulness of the operations are surveyed and developed as a part of the management of the university.

The rewarding includes personal wages and other material and immaterial incentives. - The grounds for remuneration and rewarding are clearly defined and available for all. Managers and supervisors are responsible for the functional and effective application of the remuneration system. Feedback is given as a part of everyday work and the operation of the work community. Performance development reviews are used for agreeing upon new goals, and for giving general feedback about the activities during the previous period. - Individuals and groups can be rewarded for good work performance on single occasions as well. The possibility to introduce success-based rewarding forms will be investigated as well. Communication Functional internal communications and open interaction are basic requirements for succesfull activities. The flow of information is also a prerequisite for a comfortable and inspiring work and study atmosphere. Open communication provides the staff with a common information background, clarifies the backgrounds of decisions and supports the smooth functioning of the work community. In addition to this, open communication also promotes the university s public community image, respect and attractiveness. The changes and results of activities etc. are reported comprehensively, equally and quickly to the university staff. The goal is that information flows freely and fast. At the university and in its units there are agreed-upon channels and practices for regular discussion and opportunities for influencing the activities. Proper communications practices and equipment ensure that all the necessary information is available at the university and its units. Internal and external communications follows the university communications strategy. Actions - Open interaction is strengthened in discussion and information sessions organized by supervisors. In these sessions, imminent changes are discussed, past decisions and their grounds, as well as other topical issues central to the university community, are clarified. - Electronic internal and external communications are developed with the university portal. - The university s electronic internal and external communications are divided to intranet and extranet pages. The pages are compiled both in Finnish and in English. The follow-up and assessment of the human resource policy plan of action The university board approves the human resource policy plan of action and monitors its realization. The units, in their performance agreement meetings, will monitor the realization of the plan of action in their own personnel plans. The realization of the plan is also monitored through performance development reviews, when mapping know-how and with work satisfaction surveys. The heads of departments and unit supervisors, as well as the entire staff, are responsible for the compliance with the human resource management principles. The human resource policy plan of action is assessed and developed with for example work satisfaction surveys, equality surveys, co-operation procedures and on the basis of opinions that come up in the occupational safety plan of action.