1. OBJECTIVE
DTU’s HR policy supports education, research, public-sector consultancy and innovation by:
- attracting and developing talented employees
- setting the framework for DTU as a result-directed, challenging and development-oriented workplace
Together, DTU’s HR policy and the underlying sub-policies and guidelines comprise the overall inspiration for all senior officers and employees to use in everyday work with the objective of optimizing the realization of DTU’s goals and strategy.
2. ATTITUDES REFLECTED BY THE POLICY
Based on DTU’s values – innovation, trustworthiness and commitment – the HR policy describes DTU’s expectations regarding employees and senior officers, as well as outlining what employees and senior officers are entitled to expect from DTU.
The main goal at DTU is to create results that fulfill the strategy and needs of society. DTU creates the scope for making this possible.
The employees can expect DTU to create the setting in which knowledge and insight can grow within the technical and scientific areas and associated social sciences.
DTU makes demands and provides opportunities regardless of an employee’s position within the organization.
The HR policy interprets the values from the perspective that it should embrace all groups of employees at DTU.
Innovative thinking
- which means the creative nurturing of thoughts that can stimulate innovation; while retaining a balanced evaluation of the consequences of the new ideas
DTU expects employees to be creative, reflective while maintaining a critical mindset.
Employees can expect DTU to create the scope for exploring their creativity and to encourage the development of ideas. They can expect DTU to be positive and unprejudiced in relation to what is new and different, and can expect DTU to recognize the need for the preliminary conclusion which all knowledge reflects.
Credibility
- which means possession and honest communication of knowledge and insight; but also involves acknowledgement of when knowledge and insight cease, as well as an ability to communicate on the recipient’s terms
DTU expects employees to be thorough when disseminating knowledge and to communicate in a trustworthy manner.
The employees can expect DTU to back them up and provide a critical and professional environment on a level with the best technical universities.
Commitment
- which means an approach to work based on enthusiasm, but also on the acknowledgement of an obligation to work as an employee in a working partnership
DTU expects employees to work with fellow professionals and colleagues with loyalty, enthusiasm and innovation.
Employees can expect DTU to offer jobs that are professionally and socially attractive for all groups of employees. They can expect the level of DTU’s recognition to reflect performance levels, and can expect DTU to focus on the mutual obligation to solve the university’s tasks at a level that equals the best technical universities in the world.
DTU’s HR policy is based on DTU’s values and includes a number of special attitudes toward HR policy. These are:
Elite
The HR policy underpins DTU’s position among the leading technical universities in Europe.
The recruitment policy is used to attract excellent employees at all levels and encourages the precise alignment of new employees’ expectations with those of the workplace – the organizational unit.
Good, well-founded professional environments are established within research, teaching, public-sector consultancy and innovation, in which values and work and management efforts have high priority.
DTU stands for high professionalism, respect for colleagues and freedom with responsibility.
Investments are made in competence development for senior officers and employees to ensure that the foundation for retaining and developing DTU’s position as an elite university is cultivated and optimized.
Management
Good management at all levels is a core element in ensuring that DTU remains a leading technical university.
Good management is situational, and goal-oriented individual identification and framework setting are required for the maximum display of talent and creation of excellent results.
All employees are entitled to competent management assured through goal-directed training for all senior officers at DTU.
The hallmark of good and visible management is that all employees have one and only one point of management reference.
There is a continuous dialogue with the employees on goals, resources and performance. All employees, including senior officers, have an annual appraisal with their immediate superior.
Communication
DTU appreciates that we all express ourselves clearly and straightforwardly.
To promote excellent professional development and creativity, DTU creates the setting for free, open and unprejudiced debates.
Clear and trustworthy communication promotes good cooperation among employees, and everyone is expected to actively share knowledge and help to create a culture that values diverse results and opinions.
Career development
DTU offers all employees attractive careers and challenges.
All employees have the opportunity to and are obliged to continue developing with careers based on abilities, wishes and DTU’s needs. Discussion of career opportunities, including those across DTU, is an integrated part of all annual employee appraisals.
Every career at DTU describes a continuous movement in a direction that benefits DTU and enhances the individual employee’s professional and personal development.
DTU clarifies potential individual career options for all groups of employees and offers relevant continuing education to promote success in the performance of work tasks.
Competence development
Career and competence development go hand in hand. Competence development is both a right and a duty and is to be promoted throughout the entire duration of employment.
Regardless of the level of career and competence, it is always possible to learn more for the benefit of one’s professional field of work, and DTU provides the setting for sustaining the thirst for knowledge.
DTU offers a wide range of professional and personal training courses and expects employees to actively accept co-responsibility for their own development.
Competence development is a key theme of the annual appraisal.
Evaluation
DTU has a strong evaluation culture that is broadly anchored and permeates the entire organization. Evaluation is an important element of continued development and improvement.
As demands made on DTU originate from an outgoing and internationally-oriented culture, we always benchmark with the best universities in the world.
To promote a culture based on a thirst for knowledge, DTU expects employees to continuously evaluate both large and small projects and processes, partly to identify new knowledge and partly to evaluate whether new knowledge could trigger the need to adjust any practices.
Identity
DTU’s employees are its ambassadors. It is important that employees identify with and are proud to work at DTU, and that they share with others their enthusiasm for DTU’s results and importance in society. DTU must therefore maintain a standard that ensures that employees are proud to be associated with the university.
Employees who signal DTU’s core values and culture help to inspire respect and interest in DTU in society.
Diversity
DTU is an international university in terms of scope and standard, and diversity and equality between the genders and nationalities is a matter of course. DTU focuses on all employees exploiting their talents optimally for the benefit of DTU and society.
As integration of international employees has the highest priority, the meeting with DTU as a workplace, and Danish society – especially for new employees – is to be experienced as smooth and supportive.
DTU is a secular university that allows room for very diverse nationalities, cultures and personalities, and through this diversity, achieves groundbreaking research and teaching of the very highest caliber.
The social dimension
A good work environment and socially responsible role as a workplace and educational institute are essential at DTU.
A good work environment helps promote DTU’s image as an attractive workplace. Mutual respect across DTU, the professions and personalities enhances well-being and job satisfaction.
Job satisfaction is vital if employees are to identify with and take pride in working at DTU. Well-being stems from management and employees jointly accepting responsibility for a stimulating work environment based on a high level of ambition and an appreciative cooperation culture that leads to outstanding results which benefit society.
DTU’s regular well-being dialogues are a tool for working with and improving well-being.
DTU pays extensive consideration to individual employees facing difficult life situations.
DTU assumes social responsibility for achieving its objective regarding diversity in government institutions. First and foremost, by retaining employees with reduced working capacity due to illness or accident, e.g. by continuing to offer employment in a flexi job.
3. IMPLEMENTING THE POLICY
The HR policy is the foundation for working on employee development, both on an everyday and future-oriented basis.
The HR policy is implemented through the management and necessary sub-policies and guidelines.
4. REFERENCES
The HR policy exists with respect for the legislation, collective agreements, etc. in force at any time.
5. APPROVAL AND VALIDITY
The HR policy was approved by the Board and discussed by the Joint Policy Committee on 22 March 2010.
The policy entered into force on 1 April 2010.