Author: boardmember

Happy Hour with DION 26.11

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Join us for this social event after working hours 🙂

DION invites PhDs, Postdocs and other temporary scientific employees to join the Happy Hour with shuffleboard (sponsored by us) at Work-Work! Grab some food and drink or just enjoy the social atmosphere and a game of shuffle board. If you have not tried out shuffle board yet, this is the perfect opportunity to give it a try. It is super easy and reminds of a table version of curling – so give it a go and join us! We will reserve a shuffle board table for one hour from 18.30 – 19.30.

When: Monday, 26 November 2018, 18:00-21:00

Where: Work-Work (Munkegata 58, Trondheim)

Follow the event on Facebook to stay updated:

https://www.facebook.com/events/258873928153042/

Hope to see you there!

DION’s call for Grants Winners

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DION’s call for Grants applications 2017-2018 is finished!

Now we are happy to announce the successful applicants:

1. Lucy Chamberlin (Department of Design), “Randomized Coffee Trials (RCTs)”
2. Lucy Chamberlin (Department of Design), “PhD and Postdoc Choir”
3. Amir Sinaeepourfard (Department of Computer Science), “Smart Cities”

Congratulations! We will soon contact you with more detailed information about how to use the grant.

DION thanks all the applicants who submitted their applications and encourages all members to apply next year!

We are looking forward for all supported activities!

Credit: https://flic.kr/p/bd5YD2

Summary of the Work and Mental Health Event for Temporary Staff

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Mental health is unfortunately an important subject for temporary employees in academia. PhD Candidates are especially overrepresented in mental health complaints. This Tuesday, at the event “Temporary Scientific Employees, Work and Mental Health” we started a discussion around this topic, which will be a priority area for DION this year. Although there are a number of preventative measures you can do yourself, the universities are responsible for creating a good work environment and still have a way to go.
 
The panel agreed that there was a clear connection between a highly demanding work situation, lack of predictability and mental health issues. Ingeborg P. Helland from The Young Academy of Norway, pointed out that, although there will always be some level of temporary employment in academia, we need to focus more on how this group is treated in the workplace. Many feel that they are treated differently on the basis of their employment status, being left out of decision processes, projects and information loops. A survey conducted by the academy showed that only about half of researchers would recommend an academic career to others –  which should be alarming for the universities. Jo-Kristian Stræte Røttereng pointed out that conflicting expectations can be a particular burden in academia, and that a good integration into the work environment for new employees is often lacking at some institutions. Eli Rognes Klepp from the HOS section at NTNU gave us some advice on how to prevent depression and stress symptoms, such as getting enough sleep, exercise, social contact and a good work-life balance. She suggested that one should try to actively integrate into the work environment, and that this is a good way of improving it. She pointed out that it is not the number of hours you spend at work that counts, but rather the quality of these hours. Getting enough rest and sleep is the key to the quality of your work! One way to take some time off is to join the social events hosted by us or NTNU International Researcher Support (NIRS).
 
The streamed videos of the event are available, as well as the slides of the speakers (find the attachments below), and we recommend you check them out.
DION will continue to work with this issue, and we are open to your suggestions of how NTNU could facilitate to help with the prevention of mental health issues among the temporary academic staff.

Seminar Working in Norway – Know your rights – from Forskerforbundet

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Are you new to NTNU and the Norwegian labor market? Do you wonder how working conditions and workers in Norway and at NTNU are organized?

The Norwegian Association of Researchers (NAR – Forskerforbundet) at NTNU arranges a half-day seminar for foreign employees working at NTNU. The seminar will give you insights in the unions and more specific on NARs role in Norway and at NTNU. Presentations will be held in English. The seminar is open for both members and non-members and free of charge for all participants. The seminar includes a lovely lunch and dinner. NAR will support those attending from Gjøvik and Ålesund with travel expences. Please forward this invitation to your colleagues new to NTNU.

You can find the program of the day here: https://www.forskerforbundet.no/om-oss/organisasjon/lokallag/ntnu/aktivitetskalender/2018/know-your-rights—working-in-norway/

Date: December 6th

Time: 11.00 – 18.00

Place: Clarion Hotel & Congress Trondheim

Streaming to Gjøvik: Temporary Scientific Employees, Work and Mental Health

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All temporary scientific employees at NTNU Gjøvik will have an opportunity to attend the video streaming of the event “Temporary Scientific Employees, Work and Mental Health” which takes place in Trondheim. The event is focused on mental health of the temporary scientific staff.

When: Tuesday, 16 October 2018 from 16:00-18:00
Where: G303 (Gneis building), NTNU Gjøvik

The event in Trondheim: https://www.facebook.com/events/274562569848799/

As a temporary scientific employee, you might encounter many challenges related to work. We have invited the Occupational Health Services at NTNU as well as The Young Academy of Norway to talk about the challenges one might face as a temporary scientific employee and who can lend a helping hand.

DION will also talk about findings from the recently conducted survey Onboarding experience at NTNU, e.g. how long does it take for new temporary employees to settle in, where do they get the most support from, and what kinds of guidance are offered to new temporary employees.

After the presentations, there will be a panel discussion and questions from the audience.

There will be PIZZA and CANDIES.

Due to capacity, we would like to know how many people plan to attend the event. Please register here.
If you are not able to participate, you can still ask questions for the panel to answer at the event. Check out the registration form above.

Follow the event on Facebook to stay updated: https://www.facebook.com/events/442090059653194/