Audit of the University of Vaasa

Staff competences are developed in versatile ways

The responsibilities for developing staff competence and well-being are clearly stated in the quality management manual. The university has transparent procedures for staff recruitment. The manual also states that a plan for competence development is drawn up for each employee in connection with the target and development discussion. According to the staff workshops, supervisors enable and support employee participation in training in accordance with the plan. Annual staff performance assessments, pedagogical training and support staff training are offered through various training courses, such as IT, HR, working methods, communication and language training, and leadership and management training for different levels. According to the audit visit and self-assessment report, there is the opportunity for a particular unit to request tailored courses. Funding is also available to schools for competence development and participation in international conferences and networking.

UVA has functioning procedures in place to identify development needs concerning staff competence and to support the development of this competence. According to the staff workshop, staff can learn from the experiences of others and share their own by participating in conferences, both in Finland and abroad, and collaborating with colleagues. According to the staff, UVA supports and enables pedagogical development, including pedagogical mentors.  

UVA offers various pedagogy-related courses in cooperation with various partners. According to the staff workshops, the range of pedagogical courses available varies too much from year to year, making it difficult for good time management planning. Pedagogical courses are extensive and demanding and difficult to complete alongside other work. The staff wanted more permanent and flexible training package that better considers the busy schedules of faculties. They also wanted shorter and more intensive pedagogical courses, which they considered would increase participation rates in pedagogical training. In addition, they wanted pedagogical training to go deeper into specific topics, such as artificial intelligence.

According to the staff workshop, the pedagogy courses offered by UVA take little account of the realities of so-called mass courses, where it is more difficult to implement time-consuming teaching methods. The audit team recommends that staff development is better aligned with UVA’s strategic development priorities and the impacts of UVA’s strategic growth goals also consider in terms of changing needs for staff development.

Staff well-being is regularly monitored

The staff well-being survey is conducted bi-annually. There is a high staff response rate (85.5%) to the survey. The survey has had the same format for a long time, allowing trends to be traced and forming a sound basis for decision-making. Results of the survey are analysed and feedback on the developmental discussions is gathered. However, according to staff, these results do not always have an impact on the university’s well-being activities. The audit team therefore recommends that feedback to staff on the surveys be improved. The occupational health company Pihlajalinna and the occupational pension company Varma have their own survey on health trends.

UVA has systematic procedures to support staff well-being, equality, and non-discrimination. According to the self-assessment report, an equality plan guides the university´s development activities. The aim is to reinforce a non-discriminatory and equality-positive atmosphere as well as effective equality communication among students and personnel. The audit visit found that staff well-being and motivation are important at UVA. Staff are also rewarded for training, projects, and publications. According to the visit, staff feel that their ideas and voices are heard. This shows that UVA is a staff-centred organisation. The development of staff competences and well-being also contributes to staff engagement, involvement, and participation in the quality improvement of the university’s activities.

Well-being is explicitly considered at the university and well governed based on strategic processes and management. The audit visit shows that there is a good communal spirit at UVA. Staff pointed out that their work and well-being at work is supported by the various social events organised by the university both formally and informally, at different levels in schools, research groups and teams, such as breakfasts, lunches, school quarterly meetings, Christmas parties, well-being weeks, lunch discounts, guest lectures on stress and conflict management, and harassment. There are also many initiatives to support well-being, such as Smartum vouchers. An Occupational Safety and Health Committee, as mentioned in the self-assessment report, also organises activities to safeguard and increase staff well-being. The self-assessment report also states that UVA has developed and implemented three career pathway models: a tenure track pathway towards professorship, a path in project and research work, and a teaching-oriented pathway. These are well appreciated by staff.