Fun? Really?

Recently I read this article in Future Campus about fun at work. The authors make a series of suggestions as to how teams in universities can ensure there is fun at play to contribute to job satisfaction, psychological safety and collaboration. In July the ABC program ‘This Working Life’ also covered humour in the workplace.

Recently the faculty executive engaged an external consultant – Silvia de Ridder – to assist us with our meetings, culture and process. Among a multitude of reflections about our processes she encouraged us to start every meeting with an appreciation round, and also to add in a focused and settling question which often turns out to be quite fun. I have enjoyed listening to exec members advise what instrument they would be in an orchestra (I said bassoon), or which actor would play them in a movie about their life (I said Noni Hazlehurst). While this seems flippant, our meetings have improved. We are more present for the total meeting rather than dipping in and out for the bits relevant to our portfolio, and we have some fun as well. It is good to know there is an evidence base for the importance of fun. As most of you probably realise I love to laugh and it was one of the best things about working with Eilish, and now Kirby, and I wipe tears of laughter when trying to work out what we are doing in this more than occasionally impossible office. 

International caps

With the recent change to international enrolments, UNE is provisionally allocated 700 international student enrolments for 2025. We need to enrol as many as possible to ensure we keep that allocation into the future. In 2019 HASSE had 76 International students. However, year on year we reduced, and currently have only 34 international students in 2024 due to what is described as Ministerial Direction 107 (now revoked).

Please bring good ideas to your Head of School as to existing or new international student offerings we can enact in HASSE for 2025.

Safety and wellbeing at UNE

Associate Professor Sarah Wayland is our new Principal Lead, Staff and Student Safety Wellbeing. She started in June with a remit to ensure the recommendations of the Ernst and Young report on issues regarding campus-wide safety, following a survey of all UNE staff, are addressed. I appreciate what she wrote in Pulse news here:

“Whilst it can be sometimes easier to think about the workforce and how to create change, I believe that our mission and core focus should always be about the students and offering lifelong learning to those seeking to access education in multiple formats – on campus, online or a hybrid approach. This role provides an opportunity to work alongside Student Experience, Diversity and Inclusion, Safe communities and our residential college staff to respond to the needs of our on campus and online students to better understand the impact of safety and wellbeing on their academic achievements.”

If you would like to contact Sarah to discuss her role, or make a time for her to speak at a school, department, or team meeting, please email principallead@une.edu.au