We are the first social science faculty in the Czech Republic, which the European Commission awards to research institutions that are pushing towards an international and transparent work environment in line with international science trends (HRS4R).
Our faculty has received the HR Award certification. It is awarded by the European Commission to research institutions that try to create an international and transparent working environment in line with international trends in science (HRS4R).
The Faculty of Social Studies is the first social science faculty in the Czech Republic to receive the HR Award certificate and we are one of the seven newly awarded faculties of Masaryk University. In the past, the award was received by the Faculty of Science and CEITEC. We have become a member of the community of 594 internationally awarded HR Excellence in Research organisations.
This European certificate of HR Excellence in Research is awarded to research institutions that made a commitment to raise the prestige and attractiveness for researchers on an international level. Thanks to the HR strategy, we want to improve the quality and care of our staff and thus create conditions for all those who participate in excellent research in the social sciences and attract international researchers.
The HR strategy is based on the 40 principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, which focus on research ethics, open recruitment, appropriate working conditions and professional development of staff. The specific activities that the FSS has committed to implement over the next two years can be found in the Action Plan of the faculty and the Gantt Chart. Three activities from the Action Plan will be implemented over the next five years.
How the entire process of becoming certified went:
Submitted application letter to the European Commission and set up the HR Award working group.
Staff questionnaire survey.
Conducted three focus groups on discrimination.
Preparation of background papers and documents for the European Commission.
Uploaded documents Action Plan, GAP analysis, OTM-R check list to Euraxess portal. All documents have been approved by the Steering Committee.
Receipt of the HR Award certificate. Project working groups starts to implement the Action Plan.
And what's next?
““Getting the HR Award is a major achievement for the faculty. But this is where all the work begins for us - by April 2023 we will be implementing the Faculty Action Plan to which we have committed. What does that mean? We will financially support the further professional development of our employees, create an adaptation plan for new employees, create a gender equality policy, support the harmonization of professional and family life, plan to develop internal communication towards better information and bilingualism or create a regulation for the evaluation of non-academic employees. And that is just a selection of what is in store for all of us. And we're going all in."”
Gabriela Vybíralová, HR Award Manager at FSS MU
By April 2023, we will be implementing the Faculty Action Plan, which was created based on a questionnaire survey of all faculty employees. Our five-year commitments are to create a mentoring system, define the postdoc position and define the amount of workload for an employee. To get feedback on these processes, we will again contact our staff via satisfaction surveys in the fall of 2022, or you can send them to us at: hraward@fss.muni.cz.
Thank you for helping us be better!
The English International School of Bratislava, comprising 15 students and accompanied by two teachers, paid a visit to the Faculty of Social Studies. The International Relations Office prepared a captivating program for them.
The Faculty of Social Studies' International Relations Office (IRO) warmly received incoming international students at the onset of the spring semester, hosting a series of events throughout the week commencing on February 12, 2024.
