"As things stand there have been no staff cuts in either the Library or as regards the posts of hall secretaries," begins a recent statement by Rhodes University spokesman Lebogang Hashatse.
"As things stand there have been no staff cuts in either the Library or as regards the posts of hall secretaries," begins a recent statement by Rhodes University spokesman Lebogang Hashatse.
The statement continues:
"However, in both instances the restructuring of staff structures and positions has been taking place. The building of a new library which is double the size of the old library and which will provide an increased variety of services, has necessitated the restructuring of staff structures and positions to ensure that new service requirements and changing information demands will be met.
This represents an exciting development for Rhodes and its staff, as the new facility provides for new and enhanced service delivery to all Rhodes University users as well as growth opportunities for all concerned.
The restructuring process has entailed reviewing portfolios and offering repositioned positions to staff. The expansion of Rhodes library has not only enabled rescoping and broadening portfolios, it has also led to the repositioning into new types of posts which we are looking forward to filling in the course of the year.
Naturally, there is no way an institution can embark on such major restructuring without extensive consultation with staff and union representatives.
This has been an ongoing process in collaboration with the Human Resources Division since 2009. This is not only a requirement of the law, but it is also good practice and sensible to do.
Without adequate consultation it is always going to difficult to get staff motivated, accepting of change and to willingly give their best.
With regards to hall secretaries, once again, to understand the positive changes taking place at the university, it is worth restating that the growth in student numbers has necessitated reviewing the effectiveness of services provided in halls and residences, and to ensure that the university attracts and retains the best hall wardens.
Consequent to a review it was decided to bolster the administration of halls and residences. This meant repositioning and re-grading the old secretarial posts to ensure these assume and dispense greater administrative responsibilities.
With the changes, the hall secretary posts will fall away and be replaced by hall administrator positions. As in the case of the library, this development represents growth opportunity as it allows the university to improve on positions which, if left unchanged, often become deadends.
The change will also enable hall wardens to focus their attention on student contact services and not spend an inordinate amount time on administrative duties.
The change in our view is for the better as it benefits secretaries, wardens, students and strengthens the residence system.
The process to restructure hall secretaries’ posts involved developing a detailed project plan for discussion and approval by the university’s senior management.
This is part of ensuring that the plan and process is sound and that all people-related issues and impacts have been adequately addressed.
All key stakeholders including the hall secretaries, were consulted and advised of the project plan and possible outcomes. Current hall secretaries were given an option to be assessed against the new posts.
The selection and assessment process comprised:
● An in-basket with tasks typical of the new hall administrator post;
● A series of assessments focused on ability and personality; and
● an interview. To ensure a valid and rigorous process, a selection panel consisting of experts in administration, carefully considered the assessment results and made the final decisions.
The assessments have established that five of the current hall secretaries are unsuitable for the post of hall administrator.
This possible outcome was made clear from the beginning of the project and has now been communicated to the relevant staff.
Every effort will be made to reassign those affected and Rhodes is hopeful that this will be successful. Further, the vacant administrative posts will allow for transfers and promotions to take place."
