Staff Review and Development
An early review meeting, as part of the induction process, to assess skills levels and begin to formulate a personal development plan, is important for effective career support of Contract Researchers. The best environment for Contract Researchers' development is with a supportive research manager, Head of Department and institution, where the Contract Researcher is also pro-active, opportunities for development are available within projects and throughout the wider institution, and progress is monitored via regular review meetings.
It is important for research managers, when putting in bids, to build time into the bid and plan for Contract Researchers' development, and to monitor proper use of this time via regular review meetings. Research managers may find the Research Managers Guide to Employability Skills useful as a starting point. The responsibility for ensuring potential research managers are aware of the guide could belong to Human Resources, the Research Office and/or individual departments. The management performance of research managers could be included in the managers' own review meeting.
The first review meeting, as part of the induction process, should include;
- The wider research picture
- How the project fits into institutional strategy
- A skills assessment with the Contract Researcher to assess the level of existing skills and identify any gaps, initially for use on the project but also to target the development of transferable skills. The Research Career Builder can help in this assessment.
- A longer term Personal Development Plan should be discussed.
Regular review meetings during core research time should include:
- Progress of the project and of development of the researcher's personal and professional skills, to feed into the Personal Development Plan.
- The direction of research on the project and any potential input into future bids by the researcher.
- Practical assistance from the Contract Researchers in putting future bids together, opportunities to practice skills being acquired (via writing papers, presenting at conferences, etc.)
- Discussions about wider options if no further monies were to be secured in the research area.
The final Pre-end of contract review meeting should take place 4-6 months before a contract end and should focus on:
- Forthcoming posts that may need particular skills (particularly if the Contract Researcher has a specific post in mind)
- Any major skills gaps that have not been addressed during the core research time (particularly transferable skills if there is no prospect of further research posts or if the contract researcher has decided to leave research).
The University of Sheffield has a Staff Review and Development Scheme that can be adapted by institutions as a model for review meetings. To be fully effective for contract researchers, it is important that the following factors are in place:
- Early meetings to assess skills/place of researcher in wider institutional priorities
- Regular meetings timed to contracts
- Ongoing support & commitment
- Monitoring of progress
- Honesty of expectations/future prospects
