The Think Ahead Team offered researchers from the University of Sheffield the opportunity to apply for funding to organise and host activities that supported professional development, wellbeing and the cohesion of researcher communities. Researchers who received funding are sharing their experiences and the outcome of their activities in a series of #Researcherled blog posts (use tags at the bottom of the posts to find the entire list).
Funded activity: ScHARR ECR Celebration and Networking Lunch, June 2022
Lead: ScHARR ECR Champions team: Jennifer Read; Jen Lewis; Ellie Holding, Maddy Henney/Laura Heathcote.
ScHARR has an unusually high number of staff on fixed-term contracts, most of whom self-define as early career researchers (ECRs). It is usually staff at University pay grades 6,7 or 8 in various roles including research associates, research assistants, fellows, university teachers, teaching fellows and lecturers. The Covid pandemic underlined many issues around the insecurity, work-life balance and opportunities for progression that many ECRs experience. We (the ScHARR ECR champions) wanted to raise the profile of ScHARR ECRs and their needs at departmental and Faculty level. In 2021, we sent a survey to the ECRs in our department to gain an understanding of their feelings around some of these issues. We presented the findings of this survey to a departmental staff meeting and the Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health ECR committee (MDHECRC).
Currently there are 97 grade 6,7 or 8 staff working in ScHARR (February 2023). Twenty six staff members who self-defined as an ECR responded to our 2021 survey. They were research and teaching staff at grades 6,7 and 8. We discovered that nearly 50% of our survey respondents had guaranteed funding for their whole role for one year or less and that 30% of respondents had had communications within a year of receiving the survey indicating that their roles were insecure. 30% of respondents were juggling more than one contract, which often had different lengths. Over 60% of respondents had considered changing careers as a result of being insecurely funded. The nature of ECR employment had a negative impact on people's future planning, wellbeing, financial security and work-life balance. When asked for comments on the impact job insecurity has on their professional life, 23 of the 26 respondents suggested this had negative effects on their personal/professional development, productivity, wellbeing and sense of belonging.
ECRs who responded to the survey suggested activities that would help address these problems. We explored these and examined alternatives. We chose to develop an ECR peer-support network in ScHARR to help foster feelings of belonging and wellbeing, and to provide an opportunity for ECRs to raise any issues of concern.
We wanted to launch this group with an ECR celebration event and networking lunch. The aim was to celebrate the important work ECRs undertake in ScHARR, raise their profile among peers and senior staff, promote their successes and help them network with peers.
Our two-hour event began with an introduction from the ScHARR ECR champions – we discussed the survey and highlighted many of the achievements of ECRs in our department. Our Dean, Professor Mark Strong, gave a short presentation discussing the wider employment context of ECRs in ScHARR and noted several measures recently introduced to improve security for ECRs, including the acquisition of 'bridging funding' to help support continuity of employment between contracts. He acknowledged and thanked ECRs for their important contributions to the success of the department – both in terms of research outputs such as publications and successful funding bids, but also teaching, administration and representation on internal and external committees, as well as their vital role in the promotion and progression of senior staff.
This was followed by a panel discussion including five senior members of staff from across ScHARR's four academic sections. In this discussion, we invited senior staff to reflect on how ECRs have been important in supporting their work and career, how they supported those ECRs in return, and what can be done better in future. We heard some excellent comments, including one staff member who lamented not having supported their ECR staff to find and apply for smaller bids to help build a funding record. Another panel member mentioned difficulties that arise when an ECR is contributing to multiple projects and is consequently under the supervision of multiple PIs. They identified that they might have been more proactive in their support for ECRs on those occasions rather than assuming that support was coming from elsewhere.
Finally, we provided a buffet lunch and invited ECR attendees to network with each other and senior staff members, and to contribute to a 'top tips for senior staff' suggestion board, which aimed to highlight to senior staff ways in which they might better support and help to integrate ECRs into their section.
Twenty ECR guests and eight members of senior staff and four ECR champions attended the event. Senior staff and ECR champions included the Dean and Deputy Dean, the ScHARR ECR Champion team and Lucy Lee, the faculty Researcher Development Manager.
Feedback after the event was overwhelmingly positive. All attendees who provided feedback stating the event was useful. The majority reported that they felt the event had a positive impact on contributing to a positive research culture, developing a community of ECRs within ScHARR, advocating for ECR development within the department and faculty, and highlighting the achievements and values of ECRs. All participants said they intended to attend future lunches.
Additional outcomes of this activity are:
● Discussions with Professor Mark Strong (Dean of ScHARR) and Louise Preston (Deputy Dean) to establish and integrate ECR representation within ScHARR structures
● ScHARR ECR support and networking lunches established and funded by ScHARR on ongoing basis
● Professor Mark Strong and Louise Preston have offered to drop in on our lunches to ensure both bottom up and top down communication of ECR relevant information (at department, Faculty and University level)
● MDHECRC promoting the format of this event 'good practice' for other departments
● Offer of support and mentorship for ScHARR ECRs from ScHARR mid-career researchers (MCRs) who are grade 9 to advise and support on the transition from grade 8-9
● Provision of an Autumn ECR focused Academic Career Pathway / promotions support/advice forum from event with senior ScHARR staff including Dean or Deputy Dean
This post was written by Jennifer Read and Jen Lewis on behalf of the ScHARR ECR Champions team
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