Tailored contact

Using lists which we receive monthly from HR, Lancaster UCU send recruitment e-mails to all new staff. E-mails are tailored to meet staff employment role and reasons for, and benefits of, joining UCU. We also attend staff induction events and receive participant lists of staff who are attending. We e-mail participants both before and after the event to raise awareness of Lancaster UCU and to follow up any enquiries we received at the event. We have found this combination of targeted e-mails and speaking directly to new staff at staff induction events to be successful.

One of our priorities is researchers. We established a university researchers' networking group last year. Networking sessions are facilitated by Lancaster UCU and help researchers from across the university meet up, discuss and identify issues of concern. These are then raised with the university. The networking group is open to all research staff (UCU and non UCU members) and faculty-based research groups have also been established.

The networking group ran a survey recently to gather views and feedback from researchers at Lancaster. The results of this survey have been submitted to the vice chancellor and various university committees to support our requests for improvements to the visibility, recognition, equality of treatment and career progression of researchers at Lancaster.

We are experiencing a significant growth in research staff joining UCU as a result of these activities.

(Lancaster University is another branch that has bucked the trend by growing over the last year, Ed.)

Louise Banton
Lancaster University UCU