Constructive communication is a prioritised focus area at the university. For this reason, the faculty management team at Health is asking managers and employees to increase awareness of constructive communication over the winter. If the departments and units have not already begun this work, now is the time to roll up their sleeves.

2017.11.15 | Sabina Bjerre Hansen

The faculty management team has just discussed the faculty’s initiatives and decided that all departments and units should place constructive communication on the agenda from now and until March 2018 Photo: Colourbox.

The psychological workplace assessment from 2016 showed that the tone of communication was perceived as harsh in some parts of the university. There were also a few places at Health were there were challenges when it comes to respect for each other and the way in which we speak to and about each other.

Joint focus area with space for different approaches and perspectives

The faculty management team has just discussed the faculty’s initiatives and decided that all departments and units should place constructive communication on the agenda from now and until March 2018 – to the extent this is deemed relevant and necessary. Some departments and units have already begun. Several have chosen to integrate their work with the focus area in the staff development dialogues (SDDs), while others have begun new initiatives that aim to strengthen and maintain good and constructive communication. One example is the Department of Dentistry and Oral Health, which is inviting all employees to a seminar called 'Recognition, effective task performance, collaboration and well-being'. Another is the Department of Public Health, where the management and the WPA advisory group are dedicating a whole week (week 47) to the HEALTHY SPEECH campaign.

Constructive communication is a focal point for the whole of AU and the management is responsible for placing it on the agenda. Managers at the university – together with members of the liaison committees and the occupational health and safety organisation – have therefore been offered the chance to participate in a 'good constructive communication workshop' organised by HR. At the workshop, they will be given the opportunity to work with specific tools, methods and knowledge across AU. 

At Health, the faculty management team at will follow up on the work with constructive communication in March 2018, before the senior management team finally rounds off things by mid-2018.

Read more about the university's focus on constructive communication and the work being done in Rector Brian Bech Nielsen's presentation (in Danish).