EDI | Athena Swan Quarterly Report - Q4 2024

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Planned Actions (Q4)

Q4 Update 

1.2.1

Monitor the existing timeframe for remaining academic depts engaging with the self-assessment process to ensure full engagement by 2026. Continue to provide adequate institutional support to depts carrying out self-assessment processes.

In progress - on track: 

Three departmental awards were conferred in Q4 2024 - SALIS, School of Law & Government and School of Psychology. This brings the total number of school-level awards to nine. 

Two applications were submitted in Q4 2024 - Faculty of Engineering and Computing and School of Chemical Sciences. 

Nine schools commenced their application process in 2024, aiming to submit in 2025. 

Create a decision-making matrix to support PMS units in identifying their eligibility/benefit to apply for an AS award. Through this, identify key PMS units and create similar plans and timeframes to support these units through the process.

A decision-making matrix was developed to support professional units engaging with the Athena Swan application process. 

Continue to engage as a project partner on the HEA-funded Engaging Men in Gender Equality initiative (led by MTU) and roll out project plans as appropriate.

DCU continues to engage with the ‘Engaging Men in Gender Equality’ project and is awaiting information on the next stage of the process. 

1.3.1

Update the DCU Athena Swan webpages to allow for greater interactivity and the ability to provide quarterly update reports online. Communicate these to all staff via email, the internal communication portal, at Heads & Deans monthly meetings within ‘Key Messages’ document, and by leveraging the EDI governance structures at all levels in the University.

New Athena Swan webpages were developed in Q4 2024, with information on our institutional application and action plan available to all staff, as well as information for units engaging with the process. 

Embed the practice of publishing School/Unit applications and action plans, as soon as award is announced, to allow for shared learnings and awareness of priorities and plans. This will support in achieving school/unit award targets as per SAP 1.2.1.

Schools have been informed of this action and this is in progress. 

3.3.1

Include AS/EDI as a standing agenda item at all FMB meetings to allow for the Faculty EDI to provide progress reports.

In progress.

Put a mechanism in place to allow AS Chairs/Convenors to present key findings from their self-assessment process and AP to the Athena Swan WG.

In progress - awaiting a new Gender Equality Working Group to be established (Q1 2025). 

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Planned Actions (Q4)

Q4 Update 

2.1.2

Monitor gender representation on all senior leadership committees annually and report to the EDI Steering Committee and other relevant stakeholders for consideration and action, where needed.

Request that Chairs of Committees consider gender in each renewal of membership.

In progress. 

An EDI audit of all senior leadership committees was conducted in Q1 2024, and will be conducted again in Q1 2025. 

Develop an approach to specifically target members of these committees to self-report on CoreHR to reduce the percentage of blanks in the next audit (aligned to SAP 1.2.3).

In progress - campaign to be launched in Q1 2025.

Launch the University Committees Policy related to gender composition which mandates university-level senior committees to ensure that “In determining the composition of the Committee no more than 60% of the membership should be of any one gender”. The policy will be updated to account for broader representation once more established data on our gaps is produced.

University Committees Policy launched in Q2 2024. 

Launch the University Committee Guidelines document to ensure that there is a consistent approach to how committees at all university levels operate, particularly in terms of membership and rotation of roles. This will include a specific protocol to support them in ensuring broader representation in addition to gender (follow on from BAP 5.15 - 5.16).

In progress. 

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Planned Actions (Q4)

Q4 Update 

2.2.1

Introduce more regular monitoring, on a quarterly basis, of academic and research statistics to ensure no significant negative change on representation after recruitment and/or promotional calls. Annual reports will be shared with the EDI Steering Committee, University Exec. and relevant stakeholders for consideration and actioning.

Quarterly monitoring of all relevant data is now in place. 

2.3.1

Monitor gender breakdown of applicants for all PMS positions to identify trends and gaps. Develop a report annually, with data disaggregated by gender and grade. Share with relevant stakeholders for consideration and action.

In progress - quarterly monitoring has commenced.

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Planned Actions (Q4)

Q4 Update 

2.2.4

Develop an informational sheet showcasing all the promotional routes in DCU; with explainers of each route and links to policies and detailed procedures. Distribute this via email, through Faculty Management, and via website.

In progress - to be finalised in Q1 2025. 

Continue ongoing promotion and raising awareness around the Academic Development and Promotion Framework which outlines the clearly-defined expectations regarding standards for academic career development and progression.

In progress.

Continue to implement a regular timetable of annual calls for promotion to Associate Professor. Where feasible, commit to annual calls related to the other academic grades.

In place.

Continue to publish an annual report on promotions across the University, broken down by Faculty/ School, and by gender, by grades and by targeted/competitive process. This will be shared with Executive Deans for consideration when making promotional appointments from a gendered perspective, with the goal of achieving gender balance across faculty promotions annually.

In progress - outcome of successful APC candidates announced in Q4 2024.

2.2.5

Review, and update where necessary, the Researcher Career Framework (linked to strategy for HR Excellence in Research Award).

Promote this Framework amongst all researchers through regular communication and via the annual PRD scheme.

HR Excellence in Research application submitted in Q4 2024. 

Enhance the ‘Researcher Development Hub’ to ensure that all researcher career and development supports are accessible via one webpage and communicate this Hub to all new researchers joining DCU upon induction.

In progress.

Ensure PIs and Supervisors utilise the PRD scheme to identify appropriate training and development requirements for researchers (linked to strategy for HR Excellence in Research Award).

In progress.

2.2.6

Relaunch the newly improved staff mentoring programme and build an awareness-raising campaign to encourage staff to participate as mentors and mentees.

Staff mentoring programme in place. 

Run promotional campaigns twice yearly to encourage engagement. Specifically, tailor messaging to target and encourage underrepresented cohorts to engage effectively with the scheme.

In place.

Provide opportunity for those engaging to provide feedback on the scheme annually; and adjust scheme based on feedback as appropriate.

In place.

2.2.8

Conduct a learning needs analysis annually across DCU to identify what development programmes are required to ensure that all academic, research and PMSS staff have the knowledge, skills and competencies required to successfully fulfil their roles.

In progress - L&OD currently undertaking a learning needs analysis. 

Monitor applications for leadership programmes annually to ensure a more balanced pool of academic and research men and women are applying for and participating in these programmes.

In place.

2.2.9

Review the existing WiL lecture series and explore opportunities to enhance the diversity of backgrounds and experience represented by speakers.

In progress - review commenced in Q1 2025.

Continue to offer places on the Aurora programme annually, identifying high potential, early-career female staff; with a more balanced pool of staff categories represented in the annual participant cohort. A particular focus will be on engaging more researchers and women from underrepresented groups on the programme.

Aurora in progress for 2024, with 13 female staff participating in the programme.

Identify ways to sustainably fund annual iterations of the Vista Mid-Career Programme nationally; or consider alternative programmes that target those at mid-career stage, using lessons learned from the Vista pilot.

Funding application to the HEA submitted in Q4 2024 to continue to run the national Vista programme. 

Provide female Associate Professors the opportunity to participate in the PAA programme annually.

Conduct evaluations with participants on the programme annually to understand their experience of participating on the programme and the impact it could potentially have on their career progression.

Monitor all faculty promotion calls to Prof/Full Prof annually to determine the success of the PAA programme for DCU participants.

The national PAA programme ran in 2024, with four DCU academics on the programme. 

2.3.2

Continue to roll out the Emerge programme annually to support those at grade P3 and P4 in developing their skills for career progression.

Emerge continued to run in 2024.

2.3.3

Review training and development opportunities for technical staff, aligned to the general learning needs analysis being conducted (SAP 2.2.8), to determine if there are opportunities to improve the offering specifically for this cohort.

In progress - as part of learning needs analysis. 

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Planned Actions (Q4)

Q4 Update 

2.4.5

Package all formal flexible working policies together on a new HR webpage and disseminate to Heads and Deans for sharing to all staff to increase awareness of policies and flexible working options.

All flexible working policies are compiled on the new DCU People website. 

Undertake equality monitoring of the flexible working policies to gain a clearer understanding of who is engaging with the policies and identify any significant gaps.

In progress.

Reinforce the expectations that university meetings should not be scheduled outside the core hours of 10:00 – 16:00 through inclusion of mandate in University Committee Policy and guidelines.

Included in University Committees Policy.

2.4.8

Aligned with DCU’s Wellbeing initiative, create a Menopause Support Guidance document, and develop an online support hub, accessible to all staff.

Menopause Support Policy drafted in Q4 2024, including a consultation period with staff.

Policy to be launched in Q1 2025.  

Continue to host annual training for Managers on supporting those experiencing menopause.

Training took place in Q4 2024.

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Planned Actions (Q4)

Q4 Update 

1.2.2

In line with new proposed governance/operational structures for EDI (Figure 1.3), establish an EDI Steering Committee, ensuring representation from stakeholders involved in the management and implementation of EDI initiatives from staff and student perspectives. Develop new Terms of Reference (ToR) for the committee.

New governance and operational structures planned in Q4 2024, with rollout expected in Q1 2025. 

Develop key Working Groups (WGs) to lead on the implementation of relevant frameworks, including an Athena Swan WG, ensuring representation from across the University. This WG will lead on implementation of this action plan.

Develop specific ToRs for these groups. Other groups proposed are Race Equality WG, Dignity, Respect & Sexual Violence Prevention WG, Disability WG.

Race Equality WG was established in 2024, and other WGs will commence in Q1 2025, in line with the development of the new EDI Steering Committee. 

Ref.

Planned Actions (Q4)

Q4 Update 

2.1.1

Develop DCU’s new Disability Policy and Toolkit in collaboration with a Disability Working Group.

In progress - a draft was finalised in Q4 2024 with input from a staff disability advisory group.

Open consultation with Trade Unions and all staff will commence in Q1 2025, with the aim to have the policy launched by Q2 2025. 

2.2.3

Develop a system to collect information through an Equality Monitoring form via PeopleXD Recruitment at application stage of the recruitment process to allow for the demographic monitoring of candidates and for the transfer of information to CoreHR for new starters going forward.

An Equality Monitoring Form is included as part of the new application process, and is an optional form applicants can complete. 

Review the sources in which we advertise our positions, and proactively identify diverse talent pools.

In progress.

Include both offers and acceptances when capturing and monitoring recruitment data, disaggregated by gender and additional equality data (where feasible), to ensure trends are identified (this is a follow on from BAP5.2).

In place.

2.2.10

Review content of all L&OD training to ensure EDI and DCU values are embedded throughout.

In progress.

2.4.3

Build on work undertaken to date to implement plans to establish Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), including launching the Employee Resource Groups protocol/guidelines and supporting Leads in creating ERGs related to Cultural Diversity, Disability, and LGBTQ+ (this links with our previous BAP3.4).

Work collaboratively with ERGs to gather information and feedback on their experiences of policies and practices in DCU through focus groups/pulse surveys.

DCU’s first staff network was established in 2024 - the Pride+ staff network. 

Other networks are expected to be developed throughout 2025.