Category: Information Sharing

  • Colleague tickets – AIM Conference

    Colleague tickets – AIM Conference

    The Association of Independent Museums Annual Conference returns on 18 & 19 June, with the theme “Museums in Motion: Building Resilience for a Changing World”. The conference will be taking place at the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth. The conference also includes an optional social event on the Tuesday evening.

    We are able to provide three tickets for colleagues. If you are interested in attending the conference, please check in with your line manager for approval and express your interest directly via Jo Turner ([email protected]) by Friday 25 April.

    Details about the programme of the conference can be found on the AIM website.

  • Woodside Library – update

    Woodside Library – update

    Unfortunately, the Museum’s main contractor for the reconstruction of Woodside Library has ceased trading and gone into administration.  Despite this set back, we remain committed to completing the outstanding works and opening the library as soon as possible, to enable its stories to be told. We are currently working up alternative arrangements to complete the building and will share an updated opening timeline in due course.

  • Colleague Consultative Forum (CCF) – Vacancies

    Colleague Consultative Forum (CCF) – Vacancies

    Due to a number of colleagues leaving the Museum over the next month, and an elected representative’s term coming to an end, there are a number of vacancies on the CCF.

    We would therefore like to invite nominations for the following constituent posts;

    • 1 x Casuals
    • 1 x Historic Characters
    • 1 x Salaried
    • 1 x Visitor Welcome & Admissions

    There also remain open positions for the following representatives;

    • 1 x Volunteers
    • 1 x Cleaning & Recycling

    (Please note that participation of volunteers on the CCF remains on a voluntary basis)

    The CCF plays a key communication and discussion role in many significant matters affecting all colleagues across the Museum. Further information on the role of the CCF can be found in the Colleague Consultative Forum Constitution Terms of Reference.

    If you would like to be considered as a CCF Representative, you will need a colleague from the same constituency as you to propose your nomination and the name of another colleague, again within the same constituency, who seconds the nomination. Unsure about which Constituency you fall under? Find out here.

    The closing date for nominations is 21 April 2025. Elections will be held following this date if we have multiple candidates for a single role. In the event that a candidate for nomination is unopposed, their constituents will be invited to endorse their candidature.

    To put yourself forward, please complete and return a nomination form (which can be found here) to the People & Culture team (based at Canalside) either by hand, deposited in the black post box outside the People & Culture office, or via email to [email protected].

    All employees (who have successfully completed their probationary period) are eligible to apply, with the exception of the Leadership Team. Casual workers may only apply to represent the Casuals constituency and Volunteers may only apply to represent the Volunteers constituency. In the interest of ensuring a cross representation of the Museum, the 2 representatives in the Casual and Volunteer constituencies cannot be from the same team.

    As a reminder, the current CCF Representatives are:

    Constituency Representative(s)
    Salaried Elizabeth Peters *

    Lisa Bate

    Historic Characters Emily Banks

    Greg Dunn

    Matthew Robinson*

    Visitor Welcome & Admissions Lisa Edwards*
    Enterprise Lisa Evans
    Cleaning & Recycling 1 x vacancy
    Casuals David Ball*

    1 x vacancy

    Volunteers Karen Griffiths

    1 x vacancy

    *Constituent post up for nomination.

     

  • Museum restructure – consultation stage concluded and confirmed structure

    Museum restructure – consultation stage concluded and confirmed structure

    Dear Colleagues,

    We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your patience, resilience, and unwavering commitment to the Museum since we entered a consultation process regarding restructure proposals on 3 February. The journey we’ve been on together has not been easy, but your dedication has been vital in helping us get to this point. This essential process was driven by the need to manage costs in challenging economic times, alongside a revitalised focus on enhancing visitor experience and excellence in Living History. We acknowledge that this has been a challenging period, and we want to thank each of you for your continued commitment to our visitors, your input during the process, and the consideration you’ve shown for your colleagues.

    We are now at the conclusion of the consultation period, and we are pleased to share that the updated organisation chart is now available to view. Please do study the new staffing structure carefully to appreciate the responsibilities, working relationships and dependencies within the Museum Team. If you notice a mistake, please mention it to your line-manager. Our goal throughout has been to minimise the impact on our team, but unfortunately, a limited number of roles have been made redundant, with five people having their roles confirmed as such. The contributions made by these colleagues, especially during such a difficult time, are deeply appreciated, and we are incredibly grateful for their dedication to the Museum. Over the coming weeks, some will be completing handovers, while others will continue for a period of time as they undertake distinct pieces of work. We appreciate their ongoing support during this transition.

    As we move forward to implement this new structure, which includes new roles, teams, and reporting lines, we enter a transition period. This phase will allow for a smooth and effective adjustment to the new roles and responsibilities, and your manager will be in contact with you directly to schedule the time necessary to make these changes as effective as possible. As we do that, we also commence recruitment for roles vacant in the new structure, and you can find the first of these opportunities here.

    Once again, thank you for your understanding and support as we navigate this transition. We look forward to the bright future we will build together.

  • Winners at the West Midlands Tourism Awards

    Winners at the West Midlands Tourism Awards

    Last night at the West Midlands Tourism Awards it was an honour to be awarded the top prize for Large Visitor Attraction. The win puts us through as a contender in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, coming later this summer.

    The judges “loved this immersive experience where visitors can step back in time, from 1940s kitchens to 1960s record shops. Passionate staff bring history to life, making it an unforgettable visit!”

    We shared our category with other fantastic local attractions, including Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Ikon Gallery and Alderford Lake.

    You can find out more about the awards and winners in other categories at the Visit Birmingham website.

     

  • West Midlands Tourism Awards – all staff invitation

    West Midlands Tourism Awards – all staff invitation

    Colleagues,

    Next Tuesday 18 March the Museum is delighted to be a finalist at the West Midlands Tourism Awards 2025. We have a limited number of tickets available for the Awards dinner at Edgbaston Stadium. If you’d like to enter a draw to attend then please reply to [email protected] by 5pm on Thursday 13 and we’ll confirm attendees before the weekend.

    Details

    Date: Tuesday 18 March 2025

    Timings: 6pm – 12am

    Venue: Edgbaston Stadium, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B5 7QU

    Dress Code: Black tie

    Note: Before the awards celebration begins there is an opportunity to see behind the scenes at Edgbaston Stadium, one of Birmingham’s great sporting venues.

    The stadium tour includes:

    • Going pitch side to see views of the stadium.
    • Viewing the Warwickshire and England changing rooms
    • Visiting the Media Centre – where journalists from around the world report on the biggest matches.
    • Please note that this is subject to availability on the day of the awards.

     

  • Staff parking update – clarification on ‘the gravel section’

    Staff parking update – clarification on ‘the gravel section’

    Thank you for everyone for responding to the request to park in certain areas of Rolfe Street car park, which is helping to ensure our visitors can park as easily as possible and allowing our car park team to make the most of available spaces.

    For clarification, we kindly ask you to park in the following areas

    1. The gravel section that runs along the fence line backing onto the Museum site (please do not continue around the corner into the coach parking area).
    2. Once this area is full, please use the marked bays along the Tipton Road fence line.

    A reminder that the marked disabled bays are reserved for colleagues who require close access to the Museum for accessibility reasons.

    Thank you for your cooperation!

     

     

  • Internal booking instructions

    Internal booking instructions

    To book an internal event in the museum wide calendar, please follow the below instructions:

    Complete initial event meeting request form in full.

    Complete internal catering order form and include all details, including the department for internal transfers (complete the top details section, column C to order quantities and dietary requirements in column P).

    Add event to calendar and invite the following: The room required, museum wide calendar, any colleagues that are involved

    The event will then be sent for approval and will be accepted into the museum wide calendar and relevant room calendar if all documents are provided

    If documents are not provided as above, the request will be declined

    Timescales:

    • If the booking includes catering, it will need to be confirmed with numbers and dietaries 7 days before.
    • Bookings without any catering, but with room requirements will need to be confirmed 3 days before.
    • Bookings that require room only can be booked anytime, providing it does not impact other bookings

    Additional Notes:

    • Please leave rooms the way you have found them to ensure that those following don’t have to tidy up from your meeting/event before being able to begin their own. You may incur additional cleaning charges if this is not the case
    • If there are any changes to your booking, amend the calendar entry and re-submit. If there are any late room changes, let Laura know directly.
  • Restructuring Proposals: More open sessions

    Restructuring Proposals: More open sessions

    Dear Colleagues

    Helen Dinsdale, our HR Consultant supporting the restructuring process, is holding more open sessions next week for colleagues who have any questions or comments about the proposals. These are open to all colleagues but especially to those impacted less directly.

    The sessions will be held in the Hartill’s offices on Friday 28 February 10am-1pm, as 20-minute slots. You can attend individually or as a small group.

    If you would like to book some time with Helen, please contact me on 07966 418422 or at [email protected].

    Best

    Jo

  • Restructuring Proposals: Open Sessions

    Restructuring Proposals: Open Sessions

    Dear Colleagues

    Helen Dinsdale, our HR Consultant supporting the restructuring process, is holding open sessions this week for colleagues who have any questions or comments about the proposals. These are open to all colleagues but especially to those impacted less directly.

    The sessions will be held in the Hartill’s offices on Thursday 13 February 10am-12pm and Friday 14 February 10am-2pm, as 20-minute slots. You can attend individually or as a small group. We will arrange other dates, but you can contact Helen direct at any time by email [email protected].

    If you would like to book some time with Helen, please contact Jo Turner on 07966 418422 or at [email protected].