Research staff are valued members of our research community. Often the ‘engine room’ of a research project, you help to deliver complex projects in a demanding timeframe to meet funder requirements. When considering your next project, post or role, you might hold aspirations to build on your career in academia, as a researcher or academic, or you might want to explore opportunities to progress in a different direction or sector. Whatever plans for the future you have, taking ownership of planning and exploring the options and experiences open to you are key. Over the coming months we will be sharing with you a range of resources, tools and events that can support you to take ownership of your career, the first of which is through your PDR.

The annual Performance and Development Review (PDR) offered to every member of staff is a key opportunity for you to engage in a two-way dialogue with your line manager to explore future career and developmental aims and ambitions. This entitlement, as part of your employment, is one that sometimes may not be fully embraced by all Research Staff, but can be an invaluable and extremely worthwhile process to undertake, not least because of the guidance you can receive to plan for your next steps and future progression.

By engaging pro-actively and positively with the PDR process you will be able to:

  • discuss your personal support and developmental needs
  • participate in setting individual objectives that can shape your future career
  • reflect on what you have achieved and how this can support your next steps and future career aspirations

Understanding the real benefits to you of a PDR is not always easy, and the process can sometimes hinder full engagement from all research staff members, in particular those who have short/fixed-term contracts. But there are clear advantages to embracing this entitlement for you.

With this in mind, The Research Staff Forum and the Researchers’ Network would like to invite any members of our Research Staff to a short online session on Thursday 3rd March 9.30-10.30am that will:
Outline the benefits to Research Staff of engaging positively with the PDR process.
Provide first-hand stories and advice on how it can help you achieve your goals and milestones.
‘You said, we did’ – Feedback to researchers on what has been done to improve the PDR since our last event.
Provide an opportunity to ask HR and RIS about the PDR via a Q&A session.

To book your place, please go to eventbrite
(NB – This event is aimed at early-mid career research staff and contract research staff. There is a separate planned event for managers/those who carry out PDRs.)