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Get Support

Contact us

staff-forum@reading.ac.uk
  • When you would like a colleague to attend a formal disciplinary, dismissal or redundancy meeting
  • When you need advice upon a University policy that appears unclear
  • When you have tried to resolve a problem at work which persists

An Employee Representative will reply and a colleague will be assigned to support you.

Dealing with problems

Staff Forum encourages problems at work to be discussed swiftly and informally. This is in-line with many University policies.

Some basic advice on how to resolve problems at work:

In addition to talking to a Staff Forum rep, there are a number of things you can do that will help to resolve problems at work.

  • Firstly try to resolve the problem informally on a one-to-one basis directly with the person who is causing you the problem. If you have not done that, and you decide to make a formal complaint, the complaint may be dismissed.
  • If that fails to resolve the problem, or if the lack of communication with that person is the problem itself, take the issue, still informally, to your line manager (unless that is the same person against whom you have the complaint), seeking to settle the issue amicably and productively.
  • If the problem is not unique to you, and is shared by others in your department or subject group, then you are advised to try to resolve it collectively, as a collective issue may more easily be settled long-term than an individual problem. It may be that this is the point where, logistically, you are best advised to approach a Staff Forum rep, asking him/her to ‘chair’ the informal gathering of affected staff and give advice as appropriate.
  • Throughout this process of informal attempts, build up a record of the process – of the problem and of the attempts to resolve it informally – listing dates of memos, meetings, events, incidents, etc and keeping whatever evidence may be relevant.
  • If the problem is still unresolved by informal approaches, then refer back to your Staff Forum rep as it may then mean you need to progress taking the complaint forward on a formal basis.

If you are asked to attend a disciplinary hearing, you should contact the Staff Forum immediately for support. We can help with last minute requests but realistically need some time to look into the details of your case.

Additional resources

Information and links to important topics can be found on our Get Informed page

  • Wellbeing pages – discover a wide range of resources, including material specific to COVID-19 and coping with change.
  • Wellbeing Peer Support Network – speak to a member of our peer-to-peer network.
  • Employee Assistance Programme – free 24-hour confidential support.
  • BAME Network – network of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) colleagues and allies at the University
  • LGBTQIA+ Plus Network -LGBTQIA+ is an inclusive staff support network for individuals identifying as Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and/or: other sexual and gender identities, such as asexual, non-binary, intersex or any others.
  • Parent and Family Network – It is intended to be a source of information-sharing and support for any colleagues who are parents or have any other form of caring responsibility for children or young people.
  • Staff Disability Plus Network – is an inclusive support network for all staff with a range of disabilities, impairments and / or mental health conditions, as well as non-disabled staff with an interest in disability issues
  • women@reading – network champions issues of gender equality across the University.