Meeting agendas

The Kumpula Physics Wellbeing Group meets approximately monthly, with sometimes extra meetings for specific purposes, such as to organise an upcoming event. Here, for the purposes of transparency, we give short summaries of our meetings.

10.02.2020

• Discussed, and agreed upon, publishing short summaries of our meetings on this website.
• Agreed new members: Eleanna Asvestari and Harriet George.
• Discussed outcome of event held on 30.01.2020, in which the stress survey results were presented and group work culture was discussed.
• General conclusions for any similar future event: i) more early career researchers on the panel, ii) topic of discussion should be more focused, iii) Flinga questions should be followed up on, iv) could collaborate with Junior Faculty Club or Career Services.
• Responses to some questions written up here.

04.03.2020

• Discussed how to 'refresh' membership of Wellbeing Group. Agreed upon making an annual, open call for new members. Those members who have served longest, or who cannot continue their role, should be replaced by new members. Efforts should be made to ensure that different groups in the Department are represented in the Wellbeing Group members. Post call in May, with new members beginning in September.
• It was mentioned that postdocs are under-represented on the Faculty Board. Discussed the correct place to discuss issues with postdoc salaries at a general level: perhaps not the Faculty Board but the Rector and the Union.
• Discussed content to add to website: i) code of conduct, ii) what we do, e.g. colloquia, iii) stress survey results.
• Detailed discussion postponed for the panel discussion/group discussion event in May.
• Discussed organising a recreation day (last year a boat trip on 6 June).

24.04.2020

• Discussed upcoming colloquium, the first to happen online. May colloquium to be decided by colloquium subgroup.
• Outdoor trip postponed until autumn due to COVID.
• Discussed avenues for funding for the group, from the Department and from foundations such as Wihuri.
• Call for new members postponed to autumn due to COVID.
• Member of the group, Oliver Gould, to leave the University in September.
• Discussed other possible online activities. Should not to repeat things that are already organised.
• Discussed advertising activities. Proposed email to staff on Vappu.
• Contact cards for low-threshold contact persons, Eija Tuominen.
• Eija Tuominen representing us in Genera and Helsingin Tutkijanaiset Ry - The Helsinki Association of Women Researchers (see here).

27.05.2020

• Discussed upcoming colloquium.
• Discussed plan to define remit of Kumpula Physics Wellbeing Group, to be decided upon in September.
• Break for summer.

Although, the Wellbeing Group continued its activities and meetings this section had fallen out of use, but we intend to revive it and keep it up to date from now on.

21.02.2022

The wellbeing group met to discuss the best ways to support the wellbeing of our community. The chair, Prof. Flyura Djurabekova informed the rest of the group about the outcome of the meeting with the heads of the department, the Dean, and the HR representatives. It was discussed that postdocs remain unsatisfied with their career prospects and salaries. We agreed that although as a wellbeing group we cannot directly help with improving the academic career prospects and salary of postdocs, we can contribute to providing information for possible career developments for non-permanent staff at the departments (career prospects). To this effect we will contact the Junior Faculty Club and the career services to see how we can best support early career researchers on finding the career path that has future prospects and fits their interests. In addition, we discussed on how to improve the communication of supervisees and supervisors so that supervisors offer the best support possible in terms of career advancement either within or beyond academia. The middle group consisting of lecturers and university researchers needs also our attention and trying to identify the difficulties they face is also an item the wellbeing group wishes to help. Finally, we discussed about the possibility of organising a wellbeing event in the springtime for improving the community spirit (retreat).