1
TEMPLATE 4: ACTION PLAN
Case number: 2019CZ470335
Name Organisation under review: Masaryk University – Faculty of Economics and Administration
Organisation’s contact details: Lipová 41 a, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic, Petra Ježová –
petra.jezova@econ.muni.cz
SUBMISSION DATE: 6/12/2019
1. ORGANISATIONAL INFORMATION
Please provide a limited number of key figures for your organisation. Figures marked * are
compulsory.
STAFF & STUDENTS FTE
Total researchers = staff, fellowship holders, bursary holders, PhD. students
either full-time or part-time involved in research
*107.4
Of whom are international (i.e. foreign nationality) *18.7
Of whom are externally funded (i.e. for whom the organisation is host
organisation)
*10.8
Of whom are women *37.0
Of whom are stage R3 or R4 = Researchers with a large degree of
autonomy, typically holding the status of Principal Investigator or Professor
*35.3
Of whom are stage R2 = in most organisations corresponding with
postdoctoral level
*61.6
Of whom are stage R1 = in most organisations corresponding with doctoral
level
*10.8
Total number of students (if relevant) 2,886
Total number of staff (including management, administrative, teaching and
research staff)
*169.1
RESEARCH FUNDING (figures for most recent fiscal year) €
Total annual organisational budget 9,734,255
Annual organisational direct government funding (designated for research) 1,115,739
Annual competitive government-sourced funding (designated for research,
obtained in competition with other organisations – including EU funding)
1,623,646
Annual funding from private, non-government sources, designated for
research
25,565
ORGANISATIONAL PROFILE (a very brief description of your organisation, max. 100 words)
The Faculty of Economics and Administration of MU was founded in 1991 as the first of the
faculties of Masaryk University established after the Velvet Revolution. Currently, the faculty
provides economics education not only in Czech, but also in English and French. In terms of science
and research, the faculty’s participation in a number of major research projects at the national and
international levels, including regular participation in the project plans of the Horizon 2020
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programme, has been a great success. In the ranking of the best Czech universities, published by
the Týden magazine, the faculty ranked first in the economics category – for the third year in a row
(2017–2019).
The organisational structure consists of 7 departments, 8 research institutes, and 5 professional
workplaces focused on the provision of library and IT services and services for the public.
2. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE CURRENT PRACTICE
Please provide an overview of the organisation in terms of the current strengths and weaknesses of
the current practice under the four thematic headings of the Charter and Code at your organisation.
Thematic heading of
the Charter and Code
STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES
Ethical and professional
aspects
Strengths:
• Research Freedom has been implemented. All academic rights are
guaranteed at the faculty’s premises; the faculty independently and
freely carries out educational, scientific and research, development,
innovation and other creative activities, and creates conditions for
these activities.
• Ethical principles and requirements for ethical conduct are
formulated in the MU Code of Ethics, and these are largely fulfilled
and adhered to at the faculty.
• Procedures for dealing with intellectual property, research data, and
the commercialisation of outputs are defined at the university
level. At the same time, mechanisms and on-line tools for controlling
plagiarism have been set up.
• The faculty provides consulting and project support for national,
international and internal grant schemes.
• Within the MU Rector´s Office, departments have been set up to
support research and publishing activities, and support is also
provided by the university-wide Technology Transfer Office and
MUNIPRESS publishing house. At the university level, there are
sufficient tools to prevent discrimination (e.g. MU Ethics Committee
and the Equal Opportunity Panel).
• There is a regular annual evaluation of academic staff in the EVAK
university application.
Weaknesses:
• There is a lack of sufficient knowledge of the Code of Ethics, of the
existence and functioning of the Ethics Committee.
• The faculty website lacks clearly arranged and easy to find
information and documents on the research agenda, publishing
activities, project management and work situations.
• Employees do not have sufficient knowledge or personal experience
with research support departments, they lack awareness of the
services provided by these departments in relation to the ethical
issues of research, publishing and intellectual property.
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• Ocuppational Safety and Health protection training takes place
unsystematically, the current form is ineffective, there is a lack of
clearly ordered records.
• Researchers in R1 position consider information regarding plagiarism
insufficient.
• There is insufficient PR and marketing of research activities, including
the commercialisation of research results.
• There is no systematic solution for publishing research
results in specialist journals and scientific databases.
• Women believe that they are not recognised as fully-fledged
members of the professional group.
• Evaluation is too much focused on quantity, it does not take into
account all aspects of the work (competency, work behaviour, overall
performance, etc.) and it is not linked to professional development or
career growth. The evaluation criteria differ across departments,
in some cases they are incomprehensible and there are too many of
them.
• There are no career paths defined for individual positions, the Career
Code is missing.
• Freedom of research is partially limited by the availability of suitable
collaborators.
• Employees are not sufficiently acquainted with the MU and the
faculty’s strategic documents, project researchers do not always have
the necessary information to ensure the smooth course of solving
projects.
• Most of the faculty’s materials and documents are in Czech, which
disadvantages English-speaking employees.
Recruitment and
selection
Strengths:
• Recruitment and selection of academic staff is governed by the MU
Regulations on Competitive Selection Procedures.
• Efforts exist to achieve gender balance in selection committees,
although this criterion is not a part of any university
directive. Representation of professionals at various levels and
foreign experts takes place automatically.
• The international portals EURAXESS and https://inomics.com/, as well
as social networks, are used for advertising job positions.
• The internal e-recruitment system JOBS.MUNI is used in recruitment
and selection.
• There are minimum administrative requirements for candidates.
• Candidates have sufficient information on the selection procedure.
Weaknesses:
• No uniform university-level OTM-R policy exists. The MU Regulations
on Competitive Selection Procedures are not fully in line with the
principles of the Charter and the Code for Researchers.
• Uniform faculty rules and a methodology for the recruitment and
selection of academic and non-academic staff, including selection
criteria for individual positions, are missing.
• Members of selection committees are not properly trained, HR
employees do not have sufficient knowledge and skills in modern
recruitment, selection techniques and tools.
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• The postdoc position/status is not clearly defined, including the
recruitment, selection, development and career growth rules.
• The recruitment process does not attract the interest of suitable
candidates, and it is not sufficiently transparent.
• The requirements for specific job positions (qualifications,
experience, job description, competencies, etc.) are not clearly
defined. The general characteristics of academic staff’s work activities
are specified in the MU Catalogue of Posts.
• The process of recognising qualifications acquired abroad is
complicated (influenced by national legislation – it is necessary for
MU to enter into discussions with the Ministry of Education, Youth
and Sports) and administratively demanding.
• There is a lack of systematic approach to the integration of new
colleagues into the organisation, i.e. socalled
adaptation/onboarding.
• Repeated selection procedures for the same position. Clear criteria
for extending fixed-term contracts are missing.
Working conditions Strengths:
• The faculty has sufficient equipment, resources and opportunities for
science and research.
• Working conditions allow most employees to reconcile work and
family life. The faculty offers and supports part-time work for parents
on maternity and parental leave, and contractually guarantees a
return to one’s original position after maternity leave. It enables
flexible working hours, working from home, offers 8 weeks of leave
for academic and 6 weeks of leave for non-academic staff (2 weeks in
excess of the scope of the applicable legislation), creative/sabbatical
leave, and a wide range of employee benefits.
• Remuneration of academic staff at ECON MU ranks among the
highest among universities in the Czech Republic.
• MU/ECON MU offers sufficient opportunities for international
mobility, which are generally seen as an important part of
career/professional development.
• To improve the quality of teaching and to develop pedagogical
competencies, employees may use the services of the university-wide
CERPEK workplace, which offers continuous, systematic and effective
improvement of pedagogical competencies. The Language Centre
organises courses for academics teaching in English who need to
improve their pedagogical-language skills. The “School of Doctoral
Studies”, and newly also the optional FRESHERS courses, focusing on
professional skills development, are offered to Ph.D. students each
year.
• The participation of researchers in consulting and decision-making
bodies is fully supported.
Weaknesses:
• There is a lack of a systematic approach to the integration of new
employees into the organisation, i.e. socalled
adaptation/onboarding proces.
• Excessive administrative and teaching burden makes it impossible to
pursue research activities.
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• In comparison with other activities, teaching is not perceived as a
fully-fledged part of academic staff’s work; the pedagogical workload
is not adequately taken into account in evaluation and remuneration.
• There is a significantly greater representation of men in the faculty’s
management and bodies.
• Repeated renewals of fixed-term contracts are perceived negatively
by employees and it has an impact on the performance of
researchers.
• The area of career development is not sufficiently conceptually
addressed at MU/ECON MU, there is no general regulation – no
Career Code or methodology determining career paths for individual
positions of academic and non-academic staff at the university level.
• Employees do not have sufficient information on how to proceed
in the case of complaints regarding their rights and working
conditions.
• There is a lack of any comprehensive offer of development activities,
novice researchers do not have sufficient information regarding coauthorship,
research, and publishing activities.
• Ph.D. students (R1 researchers) are not sufficiently involved in
research.
• Basic workplace amenities for mothers with small children are
missing.
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Training and
development
Strengths:
• Relations with supervisors are formally set up and regulated by MU
and the faculty’s internal regulations for novice researchers.
• ECON MU provides its employees and Ph.D. students with a sufficient
number of professional development opportunities – professional,
pedagogical, technical, linguistic, etc. Examples include participation
in seminars and conferences at home and abroad, courses organised
by university departments, e.g. CERPEK, Language Centre, e-learning,
and IT courses, or courses and conferences organised directly at the
faculty.
• Employees have access to continuous training and development.
Weaknesses:
• There are no standards of supervisors’ work set up, there is no
regular training and development of supervisors.
• There is a lack of sharing experience by experienced colleagues
with other researchers, and a lack of involving R1 researchers in
research at the very beginning of their careers.
• There is a lack of comprehensive information about the offered
education and development opportunities within the faculty and
across the entire MU, as well as about the possibilities of career
growth in/outside of academia.
• There is no university-wide educational/development concept for
R1-R4 researchers or its link to career growth.
• The creation of development plans does not take place automatically
as part of the regular annual evaluation.
• There is a lack of systematic development of the knowledge and skills
of researchers at all career levels, and with regard to the needs of the
target group (especially in the areas of managerial skills, soft skills
and so-called interview skills).
• There is a lack of continuous education and refresh training relating
to the ethical and professional aspects of work, intellectual property,
handling research data, etc.
3. ACTIONS
The Action Plan and HRS4R strategy must be published on an easily accessible location of the
organisation’s website.
Please provide the web link to the organisation’s HR Strategy dedicated webpage (s):
* URL:
https://www.econ.muni.cz/vyzkum/hr-award – Czech version
https://www.econ.muni.cz/en/research/hr-award – English version
Please fill in a sum up list of all individual actions to be undertaken in your organisation’s HRS4R to
address the weaknesses or strengths identified in the Gap-Analysis:
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Proposed ACTIONS GAP
Principle(s)
Timing (at
least by year’s
quarter/
semester)
Responsible
Unit
Indicator(s) /
Target(s)
Retrieved
from the
GAP Analysis
Ethical and professional aspects
1. Raising awareness about
the content of the Code of
Ethics and basic processes
and research documents.
a) Implementation of
trainings and workshops
for new and existing
employees and Ph.D.
students in the areas of the
ethical and professional
aspects of work,
intellectual property, the
management of research
data and research results,
project administration and
project financing.
b) Updated information on
the faculty website.
2, 4, 5, 6, 8,
9
Q2/2021 and in
the following
years
* Office for
Science,
Research, Quality
and Qualifications
in cooperation
with the Office
for Strategy and
Project Support
Number of
implemented
actions;
Number of trained
employees (R1–R4);
Web link;
Target: to create
conditions for
compliance with
ethical principles and
good practices in
the field of research.
2. Improving the
dissemination and
commercialisation of
research results.
a) Creation and
implementation of the
faculty policy of
commercialisation of
research results.
b) Creation and
implementation of the
faculty communication and
marketing strategy towards
the public.
c) Familiarisation of
employees with basic
activities and
communication channels.
5, 8, 9 Deadline
Q4/2024
* Vice-Dean for
Science,
Research, Quality
and Qualifications
* Vice-Dean for
External Relations
and Marketing
Created documents;
Web link;
Target: to popularise
science and research
through available
channels and
websites, as a result
of which the faculty’s
attractiveness for
potential students
and good quality
researchers will
increase.
3. Increasing the number of
women in decision-making
bodies and leading
positions of the faculty
and support of the genderfair
environment.
a) Implementation and
promotion of appropriate
10, 22, 24,
27
Deadline
Q4/2022
Q4/2023
(remuneration
review)
* Dean
* Personnel
Office
Share of the number
of women in faculty
bodies;
Number of activities
to support women;
Web link;
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measures/actions to
support women in science
and research within the
practice of the faculty
(support for individual
career plans, reflecting on
the needs of parents with
young children, raising
awareness of gender
issues, better visibility and
rewarding of successful
women researchers).
b) Establishing cooperation
with the National Contact
Centre for Gender &
Science –
https://genderaveda.cz/en
/gender-and-science/.
c) Sharing good practice
with national/foreign
institutions.
d) Remuneration review.
Document –
remuneration
analysis;
Target: to create
conditions for
increasing the
number of women in
leading positions and
faculty bodies,
recognition of
women as members
of a professional
group.
4. Improvement of the
faculty evaluation process.
a) Linked to the revision of
the EVAK evaluation
application at the
university level (12/2021)
to revise and adjust the
evaluation criteria (hard/
soft) for all faculty
departments and to set up
simple criteria for
evaluating teaching and its
quality.
b) To acquaint head of
departments with tools and
options of remuneration in
connection with the annual
evaluation and employee´
work performance.
11, 25, 26,
33, 38, 39
Deadline
Q4/2022
* Personnel
Office in
cooperation with
the Office for
Science,
Research, Quality
and
Qualifications
* Heads of
Departments
Revised and modified
evaluation criteria;
Number of informed
employees;
Created support
materials for senior
employees;
Target: transparent,
equal,
comprehensive and
objective evaluation.
5. Familiarization and raising
the awareness of
researchers with the Open
Science topic.
a) Trainings and workshops
on Open Science topics
(publishing, managing
research results, data
management).
b) Updated information on
the faculty website/
Science and Research
section.
6, 7 Q1–Q3/2021
and in the
following years
* Office for
Science,
Research, Quality
and Qualifications
in cooperation
with the Centre of
Scientific
Information
Number of
implemented actions
for researchers;
Web link;
Target: to increase
the awareness and
information level of
academics and R1–R4
researchers about
the given issue and
to support the
researchers in open
publishing.
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Recruitment and Selection (OTM-R Policy)
6. Creation of a university
OTM-R policy and revision
of the MU Regulations on
Competitive Selection
Procedures.
a) Creation and
implementation of a
central OTM-R policy for
the recruitment and
selection of academic and
non-academic staff, taking
into account the principles
of the Charter and the
Code valid for the entire
MU.
b) Revision and updating of
the MU Regulations on
Competitive Selection
Procedures in accordance
with the principles of the
university OTM-R policy
and supplementing the
missing principles of the
Charter and the Code.
10, 12, 13,
14, 15
Deadline
Q3/2021
(OTM-R Policy)
Q2/2022
(MU
regulations)
* Personnel
Office in
cooperation
with the
MU Rector´s
Office
Created document –
OTM-R policy;
Updated The MU
Regulations on
Competitive
Selection Procedures;
Web links
Target: recruitment
and selection process
comparable to
international
standards, the
Regulations on
Competitive
Selection Procedures
are compatible with
OTM-R policy.
7. Standardisation of the
recruitment and selection
process at the faculty
level.
a) Creation and
implementation of a faculty
OTM-R guide for
recruitment and selection
(clear rules and
methodology for each
phase of the recruitment
and selection – including
setting criteria for the
renewal of fixed-term
contracts without a
selection procedure,
definition of the roles and
responsibilities in the
process).
b) Training the members of
selection committees and
HR staff on correctly
conducting and managing a
selection interview/
procedure.
c) Revisions and updates of
advertisement templates
in accordance with
the requirements of the
“OTM-R toolkit”.
11, 12, 13,
14, 15, 16,
19, 20, 23,
29
Deadline
Q3/2022
* Personnel
Office
* Heads of
Departments
Created documents
(methodology and
templates);
Web link;
Number of trained
employees;
Share of candidates
from outside MU/
abroad x internal
candidates;
Questionnaire –
feedback on the
selection procedure;
Target:
professionalisation
and streamlining of
the recruitment
process, reduction of
administrative
workload for process
participants.
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d) Creation of templates for
conducting an interview,
transparent evaluation of
candidates and
communication
with candidates.
8. Creation and
implementation of a
faculty Post/Role System.
a) All job positions are clearly
defined, including job
descriptions, required
competencies,
responsibilities, and
teaching workload in the
case of academic staff
(using also the European
Framework for Research
Careers which identifies
both necessary and
desirable competencies for
each of the broad R1-R4
profiles).
b) All employees (new and
existing) have updated job/
post descriptions.
11, 12, 13,
14, 21, 22,
28, 36, 38,
39
Deadline
Q1/2022
Q2/2023
(job description
update)
* Personnel
Office
Created document;
Web link;
% of employees
with job description;
Target: unification of
requirements,
definition of duties
and responsibilities
for individual types of
R1–R4 positions,
updated job
descriptions for
individual
employees;
transparent
recruitment,
selection and
evaluation of
employees.
9. Creation and
implementation of the
Adaptation/onboarding
process for new
employees.
a) Creation of internal
methodology and support
materials for newcomers
and senior employees
(checklists).
b) Updated guide for new
employees.
c) Creation and
implementation of initial
training/ welcome
workshop for new
employees; the training will
be divided into a general
part and modules
according to target groups
(administrative
staff/researchers).
2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 24, 31, 32,
34, 38, 39
Deadline
Q4/2021
* Personnel
Office
* Heads of
Departments
Checklist for
newcomers/senior
employees;
Updated guide for
new employees;
Number of
implemented
workshops/employee
s trained;
Feedback after a
probationary period
(structured interview
or questionnaire);
Target: to provide
basic information for
working and
operating at the
faculty, better access
to information for
new employees.
10. Strenghtening the position
of Postdocs.
a) In connection with the
created university strategy
for postdoctoral positions
(Q3/2021), to define the
13, 14, 21,
25, 28
Deadline
Q4/2022
* Vice-Dean for
Science,
Research, Quality
and Qualifications
Created document;
Web link – internal
OTM-R guide;
Number of postdocs;
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postdoc status, including
employment targets and
period of employment, job
description, and the
required competencies.
b) To set up
concept/standards for the
recruitment, selection and
career development of
postdoctoral staff (with
focus on
incoming/international
researchers).
Target:
internationalisation
of the faculty,
increase in the
number of postdocs.
Working conditions
11. Improvement of the
faculty internal
communication.
a) Updated and added
information on the faculty
website: Staff section – HR
information for employees
and senior employees
(including materials for
recruitment, selection,
adaptation, FAQ on work
issues, complaint handling,
links to important forms
and documents, offer of
development activities,
etc.); Science and Research
section – signpost, FAQ,
project administration,
commercialisation, Open
Science, links to important
forms and documents,
project administration and
project financing.
b) Implementation of the
faculty newsletter – a
regular overview of
important information and
news across the faculty.
c) Creation and
implementation of a faculty
communication strategy
towards employees.
2, 5, 7, 9, 13,
14, 24, 28,
32, 34, 36,
38, 39
Deadline
Q4/2021
(newsletter)
Q2/2022
(web)
Q4/2022
(strategy)
* Personnel
Office
* Office for
Science,
Research, Quality
and Qualifications
* Vice-Dean for
External Relations
and Marketing
Web link;
Monitoring website
usage;
Created document –
Communication
strategy;
Employee survey
outcomes;
Target: all employees
have all the
necessary
information easily
accessible, including
current documents
and manuals.
12. Implementation of Health
and Safety courses and
other legal trainings in the
form of e-learning tool.
• Conversion of health and
safety courses and fire
safety courses into elearning
form, regular
training of employees.
7, 23 Deadline
Q2/2021
*Bursar in
cooperation with
the Building
management
department
Web link;
Target: compliance
with occupational
health and safety,
prevention and
elimination of critical
events, knowledge of
regulations, clear
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records of trained
employees.
13. Repetition of employee
(satisfaction) survey at the
end of the revised Action
plan implementation
phase.
• The survey will focus also
on the areas of the Charter
and the Code for
Researchers, the results
will be communicated and
available to employees.
23, 24, 36 Q3-Q4/2025 * HR Award team Response
rate/participation in
the survey;
Development trends;
Target: evaluation of
the fulfilment of the
principles of the
Charter and the Code
and the revised
Action plan, and
employee
satisfaction.
14. Improvement of
communication and
services provided in
English.
a) Translation of all relevant
and important working and
strategic documents, and
ECON websites, into
English.
b) Providing language courses
for administrative staff
according to their work
requirements.
5, 10, 21, 24 Ongoing +
Q1/2022 and
continuously
* Secretariat
* Personnel
Office
Web link;
Translated
documents;
Target: all foreign
employees have the
same access to
information as
Czechs.
15. Reduction of pedagogical
and administrative
burden.
a) Revision of the pedagogical
workload at individual
departments, proposals for
solutions.
b) Development of support
tools and measures to
further reduce
administration
(documents, paperwork) or
transfer it to electronic
form.
c) Creating a clear repository
of current forms and
documents on the faculty
website.
23, 24, 26,
33, 37, 38,
39
Deadline
Q4/2023
Q4/2021
(repository)
* Heads of
Departments
* Bursar
Document – analysis,
proposals for
solutions of
pedagogical burden;
Web link;
Employee survey
outcomes;
Target: reduction of
the administrative
burden,
improvement of
working conditions,
and sufficient space
for research projects.
16. Creation and
implementation of the
Career Code and
improvement of support
for researchers in the field
of career guidance
21, 24, 28,
29, 30
Deadline
Q4/2023
* Personnel
Office in
cooperation
with MU Rector´s
Office
* HR Award team
Implementation of
the Career Code
document at ECON
MU;
Web link;
13
a) Creation and
implementation of the
Career Code at the central
level – in cooperation
with the MU Rector´s
Office, and its subsequent
implementation at the
faculty level.
b) Finding out the possibilities
of offering the services of
the Career Center for MU /
faculty employees and
their active use at the
faculty level.
Number of informed
employees;
Target: to set the
framework for a
professional career
and it’s expected
milestones for
researchers and job
applicants, in terms
of their expected
career growth and
motivation
towards it.
17. Strengthening and
increasing the number of
mobility (outcoming /
incoming).
a) Monitoring and evaluating
obstacles to mobility for
individual groups of
researchers and
responding to them as
needed.
b) Revision of mobility
programmes and
programmes targeting
young scientists and
researchers.
c) Improving awareness
about the possibilities and
conditions of taking
creative/sabbatical leave.
10, 18, 24,
29
Deadline
Q2/2022
* Vice-Dean for
Science,
Research, Quality
and Qualifications
Number of mobilities
(outgoing/incoming);
Web link;
Target: to create
opportunities for
mobility in its various
forms, increasing the
number of mobilities.
Education and development
18. Improvement of the
leadership and supervision
of young researchers
a) Setting and implementing
standards for supervisors
(roles, duties, and
responsibilities in the
process of supervision of
Ph.D. students).
b) Regular training and
development of
supervisors − in
cooperation with the MU
Rector´s Office, including
methodology and examples
of good practice on how to
work with novice
supervisors.
c) Regular evaluation of the
activities of internal
supervisors (e.g. within the
2, 3, 4, 22,
28, 36, 37,
40
Deadline
Q4/2022
* Vice-Dean for
Science,
Research, Quality
and Qualifications
in cooperation
with the MU
Rector´s Office
Web link;
Number of events for
supervisors;
Created documents;
Share of successful
Ph.D. students
at different phases of
study;
Target: to set
standards for
supervisors´ work, to
improve the
involvement of
young R1 researchers
in research, and to
increase successfully
completed Ph. D.
studies within the
standard length of
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regular annual evaluation
in the EVAK application)
and on the basis of
information from the
internal information
system (IS).
d) Creation of supporting
materials for supervisors –
“ten rules for
supervisors”/supervisor’s
checklist.
the doctoral
programme.
19. Improvement of
awareness and
development of
Ph.D. students.
a) Updating the Ph.D. Day
format, reorganisation of
enrollment for study –
supplementation of
information, informal
networking, and sharing
experience with older
doctoral students.
b) Creation of the faculty
Ph.D. student guide.
c) Organisation of a workshop
focused on the specific
knowledge and skills
related to research,
publishing, co-authorship
and plagiarism.
d) Improving visibility and
promotion of FRESHERS
courses organised by the
MU Rector´s Office.
e) Updated information on
Ph.D. study on the faculty
website (FAQ).
22, 28, 30,
37, 38, 39,
40
Deadline
Q4/2022
* Office for
Science,
Research, Quality
and Qualifications
in cooperation
with the Office
for External
Relations and
Marketing
Number of events for
Ph.D. students;
Web link;
Created documents;
Number of Ph.D.
students trained;
Target: to improve
awareness about the
course of Ph. D.
study, increase of
professional
knowledge and skills
for R1.
20. Improvement of training
and development process
at the faculty level.
a) In connection with the
university concept of
education and
development (Q4/2022), to
set up a process of training
and development at ECON
MU, including the creation
of a standard offer of key
topics and the training
format.
b) Strengthening and
developing knowledge and
skills of:
6, 11, 14, 22,
28, 36, 37,
38, 39, 40
Deadline
Q3/2023
* Personnel
Office
* HR Award Team
Created document –
description of the
internal process;
Standard offer of
development topics
and formats
(catalogue);
Web link; Number of
courses
implemented;
Number of trained
employees;
Employee survey
outputs;
Target: to improve
staff skills for the
15
• administrative/support
staff, especially in the areas
of: specific HR skills/HR
management, managerial
skills, communication skills,
time management,
teamwork and cultural
diversity
• academic and research
staff ), especially in the
areas of: people
management/managerial
skills, coaching/mentoring,
pedagogical and language
skills, project management
and administration, and
gender issues
performance in the
given position, to
increase the quality
of services provided
by the administrative
staff of the Dean’s
Office, to improve
the professional skills
of R1–R4, and to
improve
opportunities at the
labor market.
21. MU Networking
• Sharing knowledge,
experience, and best
practice of HR Award
Managers/teams of
individual faculties in the
preparation,
implementation and
evaluation of the HR Award
project at MU.
2, 10, 11, 13,
14, 24, 27,
28, 37, 38
Ongoing – until
Q4/2022
(the end of
implementation
phase)
* HR Award team Unified materials and
procedures within
MU/selected
faculties;
Web link;
Number of meetings;
Target: sharing
knowledge and
experience,
streamlining work
and set processes.
The establishment of an Open Recruitment Policy is a key element in the HRS4R strategy. Please also
indicate how your organisation will use the Open, Transparent and Merit-Based Recruitment Toolkit
and how you intend to implement/are implementing the principles of Open, Transparent and MeritBased
Recruitment. Although there may be some overlap with a range of actions listed above, please
provide a short commentary demonstrating this implementation. If the case, please make the link
between the OTM-R checklist and the overall action plan.
16
Currently, the selection procedure for ECON MU academic and non-academic staff is governed by
the MU Regulations on Competitive Selection Procedures, which must be updated in future and
supplemented with the missing rules and principles of the OTM-R policy, alongside which a
uniform general university-wide OTM-R policy must be implemented. The first steps towards open
and transparent recruitment and selection have already been taken. ECON MU:
a) has reviewed the current recruitment policy, i.e. the MU Regulations on Competitive Selection
Procedures, and established faculty practice and procedures (as part of the GAP analysis);
b) has performed an internal analysis based on the OTM-R checklist;
c) has carried out a questionnaire survey on the HR Award project, the questions of which were
also focused on implementing the OTM-R policy within the faculty;
d) advertises selected researcher positions (R3 and R4) on the EURAXESS portal.
The outputs and information obtained then formed the basis for the proposed actions of the
Action Plan, and in some cases for the creation of indicators and forms of measurement within the
OTM-R checklist. These are specifically the following events:
1. Creating a university-wide OTM-R policy (Action Plan – item 6)
2. Revision of the MU Regulations on Competitive Selection Procedures (OTM-R checklist – items
1, 2, 17, 18, 19)
3. Standardisation of the recruitment and selection process through the following actions:
- creation of internal rules for recruitment and selection – a faculty OTM-R guide (OTM-R checklist
– item 2,7, 14, 19, 22)
- training the selection procedure participants (OTM-R checklist – items 3, 8, 19)
- revision and subsequent update of advertisement templates in accordance with the OTM-R
Toolkit (OTM-R checklist – items 6, 11, 12)
- creating a list of suitable and available advertising channels, including advertising rules (OTM-R
checklist – item 6)
- modification of the JOBS.MU application – optimisation of existing and introduction of new
functionalities (OTM-R checklist – item 4)
- creation of a template for candidate evaluation and conducting interviews (OTM-R checklist –
items 4, 21)
4. Translation of documents for the recruitment and selection process into English (OTM-R
checklist – item 7)
5. Setting up and implementing the adaptation process (Action Plan – item 9)
6. Post System (Action Plna – item 8)
7. Competence development – for HR employees (OTM-R checklist – item 3)
As part of the review and implementation of individual actions, the so-called OTM-R Toolkit (an
international guide defining the requirements and recommendations for individual recruitment
and selection phases) will be used to ensure that participants in the selection process have all the
necessary information for the selection process, advertisements contain relevant information and
links (e.g. links to workplaces/relevant documents), advertising takes place on recommended
platforms and channels, the required level of qualifications and competencies corresponds to the
required position, the selection process result is transparent, and the candidate receives adequate
feedback on the selection procedure result.
The entire recruitment process will be continuously monitored and evaluated. The employee
survey will also be repeated at the end of the Revised Action Plan implementation phase (OTM-R
checklist – items 5, 9 ).
OTM-R policies and updated documents will be published on the faculty website.
17
If your organisation already has a recruitment strategy which implements the principles of Open,
Transparent and Merit-Based Recruitment, please provide the web link where this strategy can be
found on your organisation’s website:
URL: The principles of the OTM-R policy are partially addressed in the MU Regulations on
Competitive Selection Procedures, which will be revised and updated as part of the HR Award
implementation phase.
4. IMPLEMENTATION
General overview of the expected implementation process:
Two MU workplaces (CEITEC, the Faculty of Science) have already won the HR Excellence in
Research Award. The positive impact and changes taking place within these workplaces have thus
contributed to HR Award certification becoming a priority both for Masaryk University as a whole
and for the remaining faculties that are individually striving for this award. The implementation
process at ECON MU is smoothly following the initial phase, during which the Expert Team and
Working Group (formed by the faculty management representatives, R1–R4 researchers and
administrative staff) have been appointed. They have been actively participating in the
preparation and elaboration of the GAP analysis, the questionnaire survey, and the Action Plan. At
the same time, the Steering Committee (SC) – faculty management which oversees the entire
process – was appointed. In connection with the end of the term of office of the current faculty
management (SC) and the appointment of the new dean as of 1 November 2020, members of all
the above teams have been replaced; however, the responsibilities and roles of these bodies have
not changed.
During the initial phase, a new position – the HR Award Manager – was established and filled,
which covers and coordinates the entire process for obtaining the HR Award.
Within the implementation phase, the following will take place:
- regular monitoring and reporting to the Steering Committee (on a quarterly basis), which
will provide the Steering Committee with an overview of the project development and allow
for a flexible response to any problems associated with implementing and fulfilling the
Action Plan;
- regular meetings of the Expert Team (at least once a month) – implementation of activities
and measures, review of compliance with the Action Plan schedule, operational agenda and
problem solving;
- ongoing meetings and consultations with the Working Group, involvement of other
researchers in the form of individual consultations and/or focus groups according to the
selected activities and topics addressed;
- getting feedback on the implemented measures and actions;
- meeting of the university’s HR Award Working Group (formed by the HR Award managers of
individual faculties and Personnel Office representatives) in order to facilitate and support
the implementation process at individual faculties and share best practice across MU.
18
During the implementation phase, employees will be regularly informed about the Action Plan and
the HRS4R implementation through internal communication channels – ECON website, MUNI
employee portal, regular employee meetings, department meetings, etc.
Implementation of the Action Plan will also be monitored and evaluated through set indicators for
each action,by regular reporting to the Steering Committee, and at the university level by
reporting to the Vice-Rector for HR matters.
With regard to the fact that the process for HR Award certification is taking place at most faculties
of Masaryk University y, and that the results of questionnaire surveys, GAP analyses and OTM-R
checklists across faculties coincide in some areas, it is necessary divide the implementation
process into two levels. This step also takes into account the future joint evaluation of MU as a
whole (site visit) within the HR Award certification renewal, which has been announced by the
evaluators and representatives of the European Commission:
a) university level – conceptual, strategic matters that cannot be created for each faculty
separately (e.g. creating the OTM-R policy, updating the MU Regulations on Competitive
Selection Procedures, creating and implementing Career Rules/Career Code, a central
system of education and development for academics, revision of the existing evaluation
system, etc.);
b) faculty level – activities and matters within the competency of individual faculties or those
that are based on university measures and regulations, and can be modified or otherwise
altered at the faculty level.
The Action Plan thus contains activities on which ECON MU will cooperate together with the MU
Rector´s Office (cooperation is currently underway as regards drafting the OTM-R policy or
updating the EVAK internal evaluation application); however, it primarily focuses on shortcomings
identified within the faculty GAP analysis and the OTM-R checklist (especially on: standardising the
recruitment and selection process in accordance with the principles of the OTM-R policy,
introduction of the adaptation process, Post/Role System, improving awareness and strengthening
knowledge in the area of ethics and professional responsibility, standardising supervisors’ work,
developing managerial and soft skills while taking into account the needs of the target group and
equal chances and opportunities for selected groups of employees).
ECON MU sees key areas for improvement especially in the areas of:
• recruitment and selection in order to increase transparency of the process and get high quality
researchers;
• doctoral studies to improve the leadership and supervision of the Ph.D. students and their
awareness;
• communication with the aim of improving the awareness of the faculty staff and strengthening
the popularization of the results of science and research;
• gender issues, resp. offering equal opportunities and opportunities for selected groups of
employees and increasing the share of women in faculty bodies.
The Action Plan is primarily set for a period of two years, from Q1/2021 to Q4/2022, including
actions implemented together with the MU Rector´s Office, part of the activities is then, with
regard to the Strategic Plan of ECON MU 2021-2027, extended for a period of five years. The
objective is to create a good and solid foundation on which it is possible to build further personnel
processes aand activities.
19
Make sure you also cover all the aspects highlighted in the checklist below, which you will need to
describe in detail:
Checklist * Detailed description and duly justification
How will the implementation
committee and / or steering group
regularly oversee progress?
- Once the Action Plan is approved, the
nominated persons or departments will take
over responsibility for fulfilment of individual
activities. These may simultaneously be
members of the Expert Team, Working Group
or Steering Committee.
- The Steering Committee (faculty management)
is informed about the Action Plan’s
implementation on a quarterly basis as part
of the regular meetings of faculty
management. The information is passed on by
the HR Award Manager and a representative
of the Expert Team (e.g. Vice-Dean for Science
Research Quality and Qualification or another
person).
- The Expert Team oversees fulfilment of the
Action Plan schedule in regular monthly
meetings, the HR Award Manager prepares a
quarterly report and updates the
implementation schedule (Gantt chart).
How do you intend to involve the
research community, your main
stakeholders, in the implementation
process?
Researchers are involved in several ways:
- The Expert Team – is responsible for involving
researchers in the implementation process
(focus groups, individual consultations, ad hoc
meetings as needed, survey among staff) and
providing up-to-date information on the
process.
- The Working Group (formed by R1–R4
representatives) – actively participates in the
creation of methodologies, procedures,
introduces/implements individual actions,
measures, and documents into practice, and
passes information to colleagues and their
workplaces or departments.
- The Steering Committee – oversees the
implementation process, comments on
the proposed measures and documents, and
subsequently approves them.
- Researchers are regularly informed about
ongoing events, implemented measures,
20
processes, and newly created documents
through the Personnel Office, the Expert
Team, the website, the newsletter, and other
faculty information channels. For this purpose,
the HR Award/HRS4R website has also been
set up – with a News section where
information on HRS4R-related activities is
already being published. Separate information
meetings with employees are also planned as
part of the HR Award. Employees will also be
informed about planned or already
implemented activities during regular
meetings of the academic community, which
take place once a year. An overview of the
Action Plan’s implementation (Gantt chart) is
regularly updated and published on the faculty
website.
- The Expert Team will carry out another
employee survey/questionnaire survey among
researchers which will map whether the
previously identified deficiencies have
been improved by the measures taken.
How do you proceed with the
alignment of organisational policies
with the HRS4R? Make sure the HRS4R
is recognised in the organisation’s
research strategy, as the overarching
HR policy.
- The fact that ECON MU is striving to obtain the
HR Award is embedded in the Strategic Plan of
ECON MU 2021–2027, which also reflects the
actions from the Action Plan, as well as in the
Dean´s Measure. Obtaining the HR Award is
also listed as a priority in the MU Strategic
Plan 2021–2027.
- HRS4R fulfilment is also supported by the
implementation of actions at the university
level, which arose from the initiatives of the
individual faculties. The primary result will be a
unified OTM-R policy, a new Career Code and,
for example, newly set processes and services
in the area of career counselling and education
and development.
- Other suggestions and comments arising from
the implementation phase at ECON MU will
also be presented at regular meetings with
the Vice-Rector for HR and Academic
Affairs. This position was newly established at
MU and it is an important manifestation of MU
new management’s commitment to focus on
improving care for MU employees in the
upcoming years.
21
How will you ensure that the proposed
actions are implemented?
- Regular meetings of the Expert Team and the
Working Group will take place, including
persons responsible for the ownership and
performance of partial activities
(representatives from the: Office for Science,
Research, Quality and Qualifications;
Personnel Office; Office for External Relations
and Marketing; IT; Office for Strategy and
Project Support; researchers).
- Quarterly goals and performance indicators
have been set, which are regularly evaluated
by the Expert Team and the Steering
Committee.
- The Steering Committee is regularly informed
by a quarterly monitoring report and an
updated Action Plan implementation schedule
(Gantt chart). In case of any delay in
implementation, the Expert Team shall justify
why the delay has occurred and propose a
solution and a new deadline for the action.
- A shared document repository will be created
where responsible persons and individual
teams store materials and documents
for individual activities and implementation of
the Action Plan.
How will you monitor progress
(timeline)?
- The Expert Team is responsible for monitoring
the Action Plan’s implementation: it monitors
fulfilment of individual actions and quarterly
goals in accordance with the Action Plan
schedule (Gantt chart) in its regular monthly
meetings.
- The HR Award Manager is responsible for the
preparation of a quarterly report on the Action
Plan’s implementation, which is submitted to
the Steering Committee at regular meetings.
- In the case of delays or other deviations from
the planned schedule, the Steering Committee
decides on the next steps and takes such
measures that will eliminate other possible
risks associated with the successful
implementation of the process. In such cases,
an extraordinary meeting of the Steering
Committee may also be organized.
22
- Feedback will also be collected within
the framework of regular and ad hoc activities,
e.g. evaluation of adaptation process,
feedback on selection procedure, exit
interviews, and outputs from annual
evaluations.
- To monitor the implementation of actions
defined at the university level, there will also
be regular meetings of the HR Award
Managers of individual faculties, which will
also allow better coordination of the
implementation of these actions at the faculty
level, and the selection of appropriate
procedures for their implementation.
How will you measure progress
(indicators) in view of the next
assessment?
- Actions with quantitative evaluation indicators
will be evaluated individually as of a given date
or on an annual basis. This will allow to
compare data at regular intervals and to
monitor future trends.
- In the case of internal documents, e.g. guides
and other materials, the indicator will be the
document created and/or the link to the
website. In the case of website
adjustment/creation, a link to the relevant
website will be provided.
- Evaluation will also be carried out through an
repeated employee survey and assessment of
its outputs.
- Employees will also be able to share and
communicate their opinions and observations
on the success of the entire process through
the planned information events on the HR
Award. Other activities and materials will also
be used to obtain feedback, such as evaluation
of adaptation process, exit interviews, and
outputs from the annual evaluation of
employees.
Additional remarks / comments about the proposed implementation process:
23
• MU – Masaryk University
• ECON MU – Faculty of Economics and Administration of MU
• MU Strategic Plan 2021-2027 is at the moment in the approval phase, it is not possible to
provide the link to check the compliance of the Action plan with it (it will be available in
Q1/2021)
• ECON MU Strategic Plan 2021 – 2027 – same as above