In our new ‘A Day with’ series, we'll be hearing from staff who’ve spent a day with colleagues from another area of the University, finding out more about what their role involves and giving them the chance to ask some of the questions they’ve always wanted answers to!

First up are two members of the 'speak up and challenge' subgroup - Dan Pearson from the Graduate School spent the day with Business Development Director Tom Britten to find out more about the commercial side of the University.

Name: Dan Pearson
Job role: Senior Assistant Registrar (Graduate School)
Department: Graduate School

Why did you want to get involved in this series?

It's important for me to understand how the University works from a range of different angles. I've been fortunate enough to work in a number of central administrative departments during my time at Warwick but have only really interacted with the commercial side of Warwick through the purchasing of goods and services from them. I wanted to develop a better understanding of how they really worked; the pressures and challenges in their areas; and to view the University from another perspective. Through our work on the Pulse 'speak up and challenge' group, we've been discussing how to break down barriers between teams and I wanted to put theory into practice!

Who did you shadow?

Tom Britten, Business Development Director.

What did your day involve?

I attended a meeting with colleagues from Warwick Conferences as they reviewed their finances, bookings and current operational successes and challenges. I also attended the Administrative and Professional Services Group (APSG) which provided me with an insight into how administrative priorities are set, the concerns raised about over- and underspends on our budgets, and a discussion regarding communication of 5 Year Planning bids outcomes. We also met with a colleague from External Affairs about the new proposals to merge the different staff awards that we have into one bigger, better and more inclusive scheme. But mostly I just bombarded Tom with questions!

What did you learn about the role that you didn’t know before?

Tom's role is incredibly varied. As well as his focus on business development, he's also a senior manager within the University and responsible for flying the flag for commercial services. It was interesting to talk to Tom about the balance that he strikes between diving into the detail of the different businesses that he has oversight of and empowering his reports to get on with the job. When I compare his role to mine, on paper it looks very different, but when you strip away the focus on business there's lots of similarities - how do we communicate effectively (internally and externally), how do we get the most out of our teams, and how do we work collaboratively with different areas of the University to benefit the organisation as whole.

What did you learn about the area that you didn’t know before?

When you're purchasing a coffee in-between meetings, or ordering lunch for a meeting, my first response is usually "How much...?!" Spending this time with Tom gave me an opportunity to ask questions and to gain a greater understanding of the costs behind producing food and drink on campus. Staffing, production, delivery, marketing etc all add up the overall cost - which doesn't necessarily mean that I won't always grumble when I see the till cost appear - but I understand how they get to that point now!

From a department focussed on supporting postgraduates, it feels that outside of term time our campus becomes more commercial as the piazza fills with conference guests rather than students and lacks a University-feel at times. Within the Graduate School we’ve been working with colleagues across the University to communicate the range of services available during the vacation periods, which include commercial outlets. Through our events calendar we promote what’s on during these times, but it was interesting to hear from the other side of the University that the services that do open during these times can operate at a loss and aren’t always commercially viable. Even within term time, commercial services don’t always make a profit in all of their activities.

The other things that surprised me was that we don't always make a profit in our commercial ventures and that we operate some at a loss to support the campus community and experience - for instance, opening some of our outlets outside of term time and at extended hours, even though they might not be commercially viable during that time.

Why should others get involved in this series?

I found it a really useful insight into another area of the University that I didn't know much about. It helps break down barriers where there might be false assumptions and also to better understand each other's views and actions. It's also a good way to network with new areas of the University and to put faces to names.

Tom said:

I’m glad Dan found the day useful. I was really keen to get involved in the programme to help people understand more about how Commercial might be able to help in their department and also to share some of the challenges we face. This kind of activity is a really fun way of learning more about others and is really hands on. I’m looking forward to spending a day in the Graduate School later this month!”

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Want to know more?

Visit the 'A day with' programme page for more information and to see how you can get involved.

Want to know more?

This new series is part of our response to the 'speak up and challenge' question in our last Pulse survey - some of you said you didn't feel you could always 'speak up and challenge' the way things are done at Warwick - now's your chance! If there's an area of Warwick that you'd like to understand more about, why not get involved in the pilot programme. Or why not discuss with your line manager or Head of Department and see what you can set up? If you organise a day yourself, do get in touch - we’d love to hear how you got on and what you learnt!