Details on how operational HR support will be structured from 1 October

Last month we shared headlines on the upcoming changes in the HR Operations Team. We are now able to provide full details on how operational support will be organised from 1 October.

Who will be my named HR contact?

Starting next month, Operational HR Support will be provided by the HR Advisers (HRAs) who will work in small flexible teams, each covering a Faculty and Professional Service area(s). Departments will continue to have a named HR Adviser as their key point of contact, however, you can also expect to work with one of the other HR Advisers from the team when there are busy periods or your named HRA is on leave. This structure will provide a greater continuity in the support we offer and will also enable the HR Advisers to collaborate and share workload in the most effective way.

See the new HRA teams and named contacts by department

How do I contact my HR Adviser?

From 1 October, please contact your HR Adviser using the central email address hr-operations@york.ac.uk rather than sending messages to your HR Adviser's email account. By contacting the central address your query will go into Zendesk (our query management system) where it will be assigned to your HR Adviser. The fact it is in zendesk means your query can be easily picked up by another member of the team if the issue needs wider input, or if your named HR Adviser is on leave. If queries are directed to individual HRA email addresses there may be a delay in our response.

Who will be leading the HR Operations Team?

From 1 October, the HR Partners will be realigned to the People and Organisational Development Team. Find out more about how the HR Partners will be working from 1 October.

As a result of this realignment, we have created a new Senior HR Adviser role within the HR Operations Team. Layla Hemingway has stepped into the new role where she will ensure a consistent and high level operational service within the team. Colin Jobber, HR Partner, will remain in the Operations Team until summer of 2023, working alongside Layla to provide leadership to the team as they transition to the new ways of working.