This annual survey measures characteristics of staff, such as ethnicity, gender and disability. It provides a national snapshot of the student movement workforce and helps to inform initiatives aimed at promoting equality.
The results of the survey will be published in a Diversity Report, which will provide students' unions and NUS with an evidence-base for workforce planning and development of talent management strategies. The 2010-11 Diversity Report is available to download on NUS Connect Please put the link and use the additional text provided.
This year the survey is only for non-student staff and student staff, it is not for officers. It has been decided to exclude officers from the diversity survey because shortly NUS will offer the facility to students' unions to conduct a survey of all candidates in sabbatical officer elections and shortly thereafter, all those successfully elected. These surveys will explore the diversity of candidates and elected officers.
Students' unions where more than 25 respondents complete the survey will receive their own tailored report providing a diversity snapshot of their workforce.
As a result of data collected by the Diversity Survey key challenges facing the student movement - in relation to the diversity of the workforce and the support provided to staff from a variety of different backgrounds - have been highlighted.
For example, the in response to the findings of the last four diversity surveys NUS has chosen to invest in diversifying the students’ union workforce by creating an Equality and Diversity Consultant role in the organisation.
The survey results have also provided context to NUS joining the Network for Black Professionals (NBP). NUS have also negotiated a bespoke membership package from the NBP for students’ unions. This membership package includes a free HR health check or advice on how unions can respond to their bespoke diversity survey results. For more information on this membership package please refer to the Diversity Report 2010-2011.
Visit NUS Connect to complete the survey, where you will also have the opportunity to enter a draw to win a £50 Amazon voucher. All union staff should complete the survey and circulate it to colleague
Student staff should also be given the chance to fill the survey in, so please pass it onto them too.
Any questions about the survey should be directed to the Diversity Action Working Group on dawg@nus.org.uk.
What students' unions can do:
1. E-mail the survey flyer to your staff (non-student and student staff) and ask them to complete it. Please click here for the eflyer or please email dawg@nus.org.uk
2. Encourage student staff who work in shops and bars to complete the survey by giving them a five minute break specifically to do so.
3. Table the survey as an item in your team meetings; discuss the findings of last year's report and think about how your union could use the results
FAQs - for staff
What is this survey about?
It's about you - and other staff who work in the student movement. It collects information about who you are - your gender, ethnicity and age for example.
Why do you want to know this?
We use this information to see how the student movement is doing in reaching out to particular groups of people. How many women work in the student movement compared with men? How many disabled staff are there? If we know these statistics, we can compare ourselves to other organisations and put measures in place if we're not doing so well.
How will it help my students' union?
We want to make sure that students' unions are able to support staff from all backgrounds. The survey helps unions to do this, because if enough people fill in the survey from a particular union, we will give them their results back to help them improve services. For example, they might find out that there are more parents amongst the staff than they thought, and the information will allow them to think about changes they can make to make the workplace parent-friendly.
Why are officers not completing the survey?
It has been decided to exclude officers from the diversity survey because shortly NUS will offer the facility to students' unions to conduct a survey of all candidates in sabbatical officer elections and shortly thereafter, all those successfully elected.
Having started recording data on diversity of candidates and elected students last year, already there are some interesting findings, which we shared in the first instalment of the democracy toolkit. Following the survey, NUS will be consulting with unions to look for best practice in changing the attitude of students in this field to increase the diversity of candidates, voters and successfully elected students.
I don't want my union to know all this information about me.
Don't worry, we don't want to know your name or your job title. The data is collected securely and is completely confidential. We won't pass on any data to your union that could identify individuals.
Need another reason to fill in the survey?
To say thank you for your time, we will enter you into a prize draw to win one of two sets of Amazon vouchers worth £50!
Complete the survey
FAQs - for General Managers
Why should I promote this survey to staff in my union?
The principle of equality is at the heart of the UK student movement, with student participation and access to higher education deeply embedded in the work of most individual unions. But equality and diversity issues relating to union staff have been paid less attention in the past. Collecting data about the diversity of your workforce is a great first step to identify where you are doing well, and perhaps not so well, in targeting communities that are reflected in your membership as well as the local population. It will help your union become a reflection of the community it is part of.
Can I get the results for my union?
Yes, if 25 people from your union complete the survey, DAWG will provide you with a bespoke report. This will contain anonymous statistics about the diversity of your workforce in a number of different areas, and will compare the makeup of your staff team to national statistics.
Why do I have to get that many people to fill it in?
Because of the sensitivity of the information we are asking for, it is absolutely paramount that it remains anonymous. Although we don't ask for names, it may be easy for you to identify individuals from the data if only a few people fill it in. So we ask for a minimum sample size as a guarantee of confidentiality to the people completing it.
How can I get staff to fill in the survey?
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Make sure the survey is on the agenda of any team meetings or briefings that are taking place over the next month
- Put a link to the survey on your student staff Facebook group (if you have one)
- Make a laptop available in areas where student staff work and give them five minutes to fill in the survey - five minutes off work with a chance to win £50 Amazon vouchers should convince them!
- Add information about the survey to your employee payslips - or email them the link if you email their payslips electronically
What can I do with the report?
Your responses will provide vital information to help you identify areas that need attention, and to consult with your staff to plan to make changes where necessary. It will also be helpful if you are carrying out Equality Impact Assessments or developing action plans to promote equality in your students' union. If you are not doing these things already, it is likely that you will be in the near future. Equality legislation has increased the obligations on universities to promote equality. If you have any kind of contractual relationship with your University, they will be looking at your equality and diversity practices for evidence that you comply with legislation that they are bound to. Increasingly, they will start building these requirements into any written agreements or contracts that you enter into.
What will the Diversity Action Working Group do with the report?
We will look at the national picture - which will allow us to highlight areas of national concern - and plan our work to provide development opportunities for unions facing similar challenges across the student movement as a whole. We will also look at trends over time to see what progress has been made, and where we still need to press for change.