Improving the working environment

“Improving the working environment for staff in ICT was a focus for us, following the 2022 staff survey. The feedback we got from staff was that they did not like coming into the office because of the environment. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work; hybrid working is now normal across many sectors, not just Higher Education.

"This, in turn, has necessitated physical changes to our office spaces, which needs to be both flexible and an attractive environment. For example, we share space on the fourth floor of the Sherfield Building South Kensington campus with Registry and the Marketing, Recruitment and Admission department.

"From a process perspective, we all work in different ways, so the challenge has been to create a space that is homogeneous and yet fluid enough to accommodate the different functions that we perform. We all worked together to come up with ways to improve the physical spaces we work in, and although this is still work in progress, it is undoubtedly true that we have moved closer to the vision of a truly ‘smart office’. 

Creating communal space

“One of the first things we did was to transform one of the large meeting rooms into a flexible communal space where teams can go and work or take time out. We installed a moss wall and added in moveable desks and chairs so that people can reconfigure the space as they wish. The new communal space is next to the kitchen so it can also be used as a social function space. That went down well with staff, and they have been using the space in a variety of ways.  

“The plan is to improve the new space further by adding a few more things such as bean bags and games so we can create a workspace that supports the range of needs of its workforce.   

Further refurbishment plans

“Some other changes we have made include refurbishing the toilets, reducing the number of lockers and clutter to create more space and light. We installed Dyson air fresheners and coolers to make the office more comfortable. We also started to use OfficeSpace for desk bookings which has been useful and offers the opportunity to create zones for example. That last point is important – we want to create zones, not partitions. The latter would really be a backward step towards silo’d teams.  

“We have some bold ideas to further improve the working environment for staff but this depends on having a healthy budget so I am hoping we can get further investment. For example, we want to create a pleasant meditation and prayer room, refurbish the women’s toilets as they are not fit for purpose and update our staff kitchen. This all takes significant investment from the university, but it is needed if we are to make our working environment truly 21^st century.” 

More diversity in leadership

“Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) was another area that we needed to improve on. There was a perception amongst those from ethnic minority backgrounds and women that opportunities in our department were not representative from a demographic perspective. But you can’t look at Imperial in isolation – the situation we are in is very much indicative of the wider world – and this is especially true with respect to IT.

"Around 25 per cent of ICT staff are women, which is typical of the industry. To change that requires social and generational changes such as encouraging women into IT – something both Imperial and ICT are very much involved in.

"What is more within Imperial’s purview is the fact that female representation tends to decrease as one moves up the hierarchy. Why that is the case must certainly be partly structural, but not entirely. But the question was this – what can we do at ICT (and Imperial because we worked with our colleagues across the organisation) that leads to positive change without compromising merit? We are a world-leading organisation that needs to employ world leading people. 

“To make progress on this we decided to partner with external organisations such as Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA), Every Woman, Coding with Black Females, Collaboration, Innovation and Technology Forum and Working Mums to learn lessons and share best practice in this space. We also created our own network called Women in Action and held our first inaugural seminar in 2023. Another initiative we are proud of is our women in ICT series where colleagues are encouraged to share their stories of working in technology.

"As a starting point we decided to change the way we recruit – though being mindful that we wanted talented people first and foremost. Our approach was to redefine what it was to be an IT professional, which is clearly more than just a list of technical skills (though they are important). 

Apprenticeship stars

“Another initiative was to create an apprenticeship programme. We recruited 12 people to the programme, with eight being selected for full-time roles - and they are all potential stars of the future. We view this programme as not only a huge success from a logistics perspective, but also because we such a talented group of young people who will make a great contribution to ICT and Imperial going forward. 

“There’s still more work to be done in this area but the information we received from the staff survey feedback has assisted us in our determination to create real change in the department.”