Preparing for your professional development conversations, new guide for research staff

Vitae has published a new publication in the series of the Every Researcher Counts resources. The aim of the project is to improve equality and diversity for the research community across all protected characteristics.

'Achieving your best as research staff: Preparing for your professional development conversations' has been designed to be used as part of the research staff induction programme. It will also be useful in development review meetings, for example in appraisals, to allow researchers and PIs to reflect on any changed circumstances, raise concerns, take action to prevent issues arising and improve the situation. Used individually, this guide may also help researchers to plan the course of action and reflect on their needs, particularly around equality and diversity. It is designed to enable open conversations arounds such issues as work life balance and well-being in order to ensure that these issues are considered holistically and as an integral part of any review.  It provides a framework for potentially difficult conversations.

By using this as part of ongoing staff review, individuals are given time to reflect on protected characteristics and the changing nature of requirements.

We hope this document will become a useful tool in mainstreaming equality and diversity within the research landscape.