Advice and support to students is offered through our Advocacy and Policy team. They run our free, independent and confidential Advice Service that all students can access. The team also run a wellbeing and retention calling project, working to call every student at least one in the academic year with wellbeing check and escalate any need for help. Finally, they also work with the University closely on policies and processes to ensure that all students can be supported whilst at university.

1) We will co-create a student voice report which outlines the impact of our advice and support

2) We will enhance our digital and physical spaces to better communicate the support available to our students

3) We will co-create a comprehensive reward , recognition & employability programme for our student leaders and staff

4) We will work across departments to reduce loneliness

5) We will build links with local external support services, helping our students connect with the right support at the right time

1) See an improvement of 5% for Question 25 in the National Student Survey.

2) Website page views increase by 30%.

3) Rating pages useful get a 90% satisfaction score.

4) Awareness of services increases by 10% by the end of the year.

5) 80% of students report feeling supported in the GSU staff survey.

6) Exit survey responses are positive with 80% satisfied with the Advice Service.

7) Students report lower levels of loneliness in our retention calls over time.

8) Increase in the number of students engaged with Engagement and Opportunities team activity.

9) Three new external service relationships will be brokered.

Our Commercial team run our shops and venues on all three University campuses, as well as our online merchandise store, and our external hire service, Flagship Events. The whole union is not-for-profit, meaning all income our Commercial team makes goes back into the Union to contribute towards all our services and activities. They also work to ensure that our menus and products are great value for students, as well as providing a range of jobs for students to earn money and develop skills whilst they study.

1) We will develop a development plan for student staff to foster growth and skill development, this will include establishing staff incentives and a student placement internship program, to enhance staff and student experiences.

2) We will create Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for each brand to ensure consistency and efficiency which will in turn enable us to achieve year-on-year growth in contributions from commercial operations to be able to put this income back into Students’ Union activities for students.

3) Offer a diverse food selection based on the results of the food diversity survey.

4) We will maintain social media profiles for each outlet and grow followers through tailored content and engagement stats analysis.

5) We will successfully deliver Welcome and Freshers events with high satisfaction rates, working closely with Engagement & Opportunities. We will implement a feedback and survey program to benchmark and improve satisfaction annually.

6) We will develop a transparent pricing structure policy based on affordability principles from students. Ensuring students pay a fair price for goods and services within our purchasing powers.

7) We will conduct a review of the supply base and secure a more flexible approach to procurement where necessary involving students and staff.

1) Gaining insights through income, till readings, research and findings.

2) Implementation of SOP.

3) Track product ranges and space utilisation.

4) For social media, looking at the growth of followers, engagement metrics, and the effectiveness of tailored content

5) Regular surveys to analyse feedback.

6) Tracking student and guest spending patterns.

Our Engagement and Opportunities team is one of the biggest at GSU! They run our GSUmove and Medway Move programmes, Global Greenwich, Give It A Go, and support our Clubs and Societies across all three campuses. There are parts of the team at each campus, with the team at The Hub running activity for all students at Medway including the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church.

1) We will target students most at risk using insights from the Retention Project, creating a bespoke offering focusing on reducing the reported student loneliness by 50%.

2) We will co-create a comprehensive reward & recognition programme & employability offer for our student leaders and staff.

3) We will increase student opportunities by 20% including; student groups, fundraising, student media & volunteering.

4) We will enhance our programme at each campus to target the 25% least engaged through activity and community building.

5) We will co-create a student voice report which outlines the positive benefits of engaging with the E&O provision.

1) Student retention rates/insight.

2) Data from membership management system (e.g. Demographic data, Percentage of students engaged in activity, Hours volunteered).

3) Surveys and feedback.

4) Conducting cade studies.

5) GRE Passport data from the University.

6) Findings from the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).

7) Mapping pathway to GSU/further employment.

8) Exit interviews of student staff.

Voice and Representation at GSU covers a number of different areas: looking after our democratic systems of elections and Student Assembly; training and supporting academic representation; research into the student community at Greenwich to provide vital insight; campaigning and awareness through our Liberation Communities; and ensuring the student voice is heard at every level of the Union and University.

1) We will have a clear and consistent reporting process that enhances accountability and closes feedback loops.

2) We will have a Programme Representative and School Network Officer structure that promotes engagement from all stakeholders.

3) We will foster a sense of belonging to liberation communities and enhance the visibility of their representation in GSU spaces and activities.

4) We will become a key source for insights into Greenwich students at GSU.

5) We will work with GSU teams to create a professional development pathway for our student-staff and student volunteers.

1) Produce monthly reports per Faculty to feed into termly GSU wide ‘Student Voice report’.

2) 95% completion rate on ‘Academic issues’ tracker by the end of term to measure closure of feedback cases.

3) Increased and sustained engagement with Student Assembly compared to 2022/23 measured by attendance and voting figures.

4) Produce and follow a concise voice feedback model that is accessible and sustainable across forums and faculties.

5) Ensure the ‘GSU Student Voice report’ is presented to the Universities’ Student Success Committee and is added as part of the terms of reference.

6) 50% of Programme Representative positions are filled proportionately to each school.

7) 100% of Programme Representatives and School Network Officers to engage with training.

8) Collect fortnightly insights from across GSU teams.

9) 90% satisfaction score from Programme Representatives and School Network Officers at the end of the academic year.

10) 95% attendance at the regular engagement check-ins with School Network Officers for Programme Representatives and Academic Coordinators for School Network Officers.

11) Have academic staff from each school attend at least one School Network Forum across 2023/24.

12) 90% of History Month event attendees agree that they feel an increased sense of belonging.

13) 50% of surveyed students are aware of liberation work and 50% who attend a liberation event, feel that they have learnt something.

14) Hold exit interviews with Liberation Chairs and have ongoing check-ins to measure engagement, belonging and feelings of being represented to achieve overall positive responses.

15) Have established successful working relationships with staff liberation networks via cross-promotion of, and collaborative working on, events and activities.

16) Undertake at least one insight project commissioned from the University that is strategically relevant to GSU and supports enhancing the academic and learning experience of students.

17) Gather one piece of feedback per month from each GSU department.

18) There will be at least one research project led by the Officer team.

19) Hold at least one session with our student staff and student volunteers on the transferable, professional skills that they are gaining.

20) Work closely with the Universities’ Employability and Careers team to offer two employability activities tailored to GSU student-staff and volunteers.

21) Collaborating across GSU to create a consistent professional development programme, training and rewards and recognition scheme.

22) When Voice and Representation staff and volunteers are surveyed, 90% will agree that their work has improved their employability and can articulate how.

Our Operations team look after finance and HR at GSU. The finance part of the team run vital processes such as payroll for our career and student staff, paying suppliers for equipment and services we buy or hire, invoices clients who hire our spaces or services, and regularly checking our accounts to ensure we are financially stable as an organisation. Our HR team look after GSU employees, ensuring they have the tools, processes and support from the organisation to perform their roles.

1) We will train and develop both the Operations Team and other GSU teams to ensure consistent accurate data and a central source of truth. Financial Procedures Manual and Staff Handbook are key.

2) We will use internal and external audits of financial and HR processes to ensure they:

- Meet compliance obligations.
- Fit for purpose.
- Consistent across the organisation.

3) We will utilise a coaching approach to improve the overall Financial and HR Literacy of the GSU Staff Team. Articulate the roles of HR and Finance in GSU to determine boundaries and expectations.

4) We will build on the friendly and supportive culture at GSU and develop a People & Culture Strategy with a focus on Equality, Diversity & Inclusivity and Learning & Development. This People & Culture Strategy will include Student Staff and their development.

5) We will develop the reward and recognition and performance of the GSU staff team and the process associated e.g. appraisals.

1) Findings through our annual Staff Engagement Survey.

2) Findings through our annual Financial Audit.

3) Ensuring we have relevant processes and documentation for business continuity (e.g. induction, appraisal, probation).

Our Marketing and Communications team are there to shout about what we and our members do. They maintain our websites and social media channels, aiming to produce engaging content for everyone to read and watch to promote all our services and activities. They also work with teams within the union and produce materials to ensure that these services and activities can run successfully - from menus in our venues to leaflets about our events, information booklets for students and presentations at our celebratory awards.

1) We will be Digital First:

- Enabling all staff and students to best utilise digital spaces.
- Marketing team leading development of digital spaces.

2) We will lead with a sustainable and accessible design approach.

3) We will introduce formal internal communications at GSU to enhance organisational understanding and staff connection.

4) We will go back to basics and have clearer messaging and mechanisms to tell students who we are and what we do.

1) Analysing comms data to see impact, such as from our website and membership management system, Google Analytics and socials.

2) Surveys – using existing surveys with specific questions to measure impact.

3) Focus groups for info and checks, particularly for accessibility and content.