How we’re transforming the colleague experience at Manchester Metropolitan University
by Pamela Flynn, Chief People Officer, Manchester Metropolitan University
15 October 2025
A couple of years ago, we asked colleagues what made them proud to work at Manchester Met and what really stood out was the sense of people coming together to make a difference. “It’s the way everyone pulls together to have an impact,” they told us. That sense of shared purpose is exactly what we’re building on today, through our Great Place to Work strategy and our Employee Value Proposition.
How we’re transforming the colleague experience at Manchester Metropolitan University
With a workforce of over 5,000 colleagues supporting more than 40,000 students, Manchester Metropolitan University is one of the UK’s most forward-looking institutions. Whilst universities care deeply about student success, and the impact of excellent education and research, we also know our people are central to achieving this. That’s why our Great Place to Work (GPTW) strategy is a key driver of both our education and research ambitions — ensuring that while we deliver excellent education and research with impact, we also create a high performing yet supportive and rewarding environment for our colleagues.
Transforming lives together – our People Deal
At the heart of this is our Employee Value Proposition — our People Deal. Co-created with colleagues, it sets out what people can expect from working at Manchester Met and what we ask for in return. It also reflects the University’s ambitions, purpose, and impact. It reinforces our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), ongoing professional development, and meaningful reward and recognition.
It underpins our colleague lifecycle - how we attract, retain, and support talented people, ensuring everyone feels valued and empowered to thrive throughout the whole of their time at Manchester Met.
Listening to our community
Colleague voice is central to our approach. We regularly ask for feedback and opinion through engagement and pulse surveys, focus groups, EDI networks, and other colleague forums. These insights shape what we do and how we do it, ensuring it is always grounded in what matters most to our people.
Acting on what we hear
Listening is important, but action matters more. Over the last couple of years, initiatives shaped by colleague feedback include:
Connecting colleagues to our shared mission and to each other
Manchester Met Proud Week is an annual week-long series of events showcasing the work we do across education and research. The programme also includes career / personal development sessions, wellbeing activities, and social events. Our VC lunches, Townhalls, Back-to-the-Floor and Open-Door sessions have all increased the visibility of, and connection to, our senior leaders. And last year – our 200 years campaign celebrated our heritage and future aspirations through the colleague lens.
How colleagues are shaping our workplace
We also acknowledge challenges and we’re working with teams on long-term plans to make a meaningful difference.
Our approach is reflected in consistently strong engagement scores. In our last survey, 79% of colleagues participated, with an overall engagement score of 80%. Of these, 79% felt proud to work here and 76% would recommend us as a good place to work. Feedback across line management, EDI, and organisational purpose was particularly strong. And across all metrics, we exceeded the sector average — earning the number one spot in People Insight’s HE Inspire 2024 / 2025 rankings.
Colleagues have built our culture, and we’re proud to have received multiple external awards recognising our achievements in EDI, recruitment, pay, and engagement.
These numbers (and accolades!) tell a powerful story. But behind those statistics are real people, real stories, and a shared commitment to making our community, and the communities we are part of, thrive. Because when colleagues feel supported, valued, and inspired, the positive impact extends far beyond the university itself.
We have recently been named Modern University of the Year 2026 by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide – one of the most prestigious honours in UK higher education. In addition, we are consistently rising across all of the national league tables and we proudly continue to hold Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold status.
Continuing to drive progress
Whilst we’re proud of our progress, we know that being a great place to work is never “finished.” Our priorities for the coming years include:
For me, the most inspiring part of this journey has been seeing colleagues shape what “a great place to work” really means in practice. From small everyday wins to long-term cultural change, it’s clear that our people are what make Manchester Met such a special community. And while there’s always more to do, we’re committed to working together for the next 200 years — and beyond.
15 October 2025
A couple of years ago, we asked colleagues what made them proud to work at Manchester Met and what really stood out was the sense of people coming together to make a difference. “It’s the way everyone pulls together to have an impact,” they told us. That sense of shared purpose is exactly what we’re building on today, through our Great Place to Work strategy and our Employee Value Proposition.
How we’re transforming the colleague experience at Manchester Metropolitan University
With a workforce of over 5,000 colleagues supporting more than 40,000 students, Manchester Metropolitan University is one of the UK’s most forward-looking institutions. Whilst universities care deeply about student success, and the impact of excellent education and research, we also know our people are central to achieving this. That’s why our Great Place to Work (GPTW) strategy is a key driver of both our education and research ambitions — ensuring that while we deliver excellent education and research with impact, we also create a high performing yet supportive and rewarding environment for our colleagues.
Transforming lives together – our People Deal
At the heart of this is our Employee Value Proposition — our People Deal. Co-created with colleagues, it sets out what people can expect from working at Manchester Met and what we ask for in return. It also reflects the University’s ambitions, purpose, and impact. It reinforces our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), ongoing professional development, and meaningful reward and recognition.
It underpins our colleague lifecycle - how we attract, retain, and support talented people, ensuring everyone feels valued and empowered to thrive throughout the whole of their time at Manchester Met.
Listening to our community
Colleague voice is central to our approach. We regularly ask for feedback and opinion through engagement and pulse surveys, focus groups, EDI networks, and other colleague forums. These insights shape what we do and how we do it, ensuring it is always grounded in what matters most to our people.
Acting on what we hear
Listening is important, but action matters more. Over the last couple of years, initiatives shaped by colleague feedback include:
- The development of our People strategies – our Great Place to Work and Inclusive & Diverse strategies promote an innovative, collaborative, purpose and values-driven culture.
- Evolving colleague listening mechanisms – we reshaped how we measure and respond to feedback, making our engagement and pulse surveys transparent and impactful, and supporting and empowering “local” colleague forums and groups focussing on engagement, EDI and wellbeing.
- Enhancing reward, recognition, and wellbeing – improvements include evolving how we financially recognise colleagues, introducing a new benefits platform and expanding our package, reviewing our pension offering, enhancing our Staff Awards, and delivering regular wellbeing campaigns.
Connecting colleagues to our shared mission and to each other
Manchester Met Proud Week is an annual week-long series of events showcasing the work we do across education and research. The programme also includes career / personal development sessions, wellbeing activities, and social events. Our VC lunches, Townhalls, Back-to-the-Floor and Open-Door sessions have all increased the visibility of, and connection to, our senior leaders. And last year – our 200 years campaign celebrated our heritage and future aspirations through the colleague lens.
How colleagues are shaping our workplace
We also acknowledge challenges and we’re working with teams on long-term plans to make a meaningful difference.
Our approach is reflected in consistently strong engagement scores. In our last survey, 79% of colleagues participated, with an overall engagement score of 80%. Of these, 79% felt proud to work here and 76% would recommend us as a good place to work. Feedback across line management, EDI, and organisational purpose was particularly strong. And across all metrics, we exceeded the sector average — earning the number one spot in People Insight’s HE Inspire 2024 / 2025 rankings.
Colleagues have built our culture, and we’re proud to have received multiple external awards recognising our achievements in EDI, recruitment, pay, and engagement.
These numbers (and accolades!) tell a powerful story. But behind those statistics are real people, real stories, and a shared commitment to making our community, and the communities we are part of, thrive. Because when colleagues feel supported, valued, and inspired, the positive impact extends far beyond the university itself.
We have recently been named Modern University of the Year 2026 by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide – one of the most prestigious honours in UK higher education. In addition, we are consistently rising across all of the national league tables and we proudly continue to hold Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold status.
Continuing to drive progress
Whilst we’re proud of our progress, we know that being a great place to work is never “finished.” Our priorities for the coming years include:
- Investing in, and strengthening, digital skills and new ways of working.
- Building a culture of recognition.
- Expanding wellbeing support.
- Enhancing career development pathways, starting with an outstanding onboarding experience.
For me, the most inspiring part of this journey has been seeing colleagues shape what “a great place to work” really means in practice. From small everyday wins to long-term cultural change, it’s clear that our people are what make Manchester Met such a special community. And while there’s always more to do, we’re committed to working together for the next 200 years — and beyond.
