WorkSmart 2022-2024

Why WorkSmart?

As NYU Abu Dhabi settled into its second decade, it was vital that our administrative services were able to scale up, support our growth, reflect the needs of our community, and empower staff, faculty, and students alike to thrive at work and in the classroom. Thanks to incredible colleagues at all levels, we were able to effect change across the institution.

We are delighted to showcase some of the most significant outcomes, and we recognize that this doesn’t capture the full reality of how all our staff continue to seek to work more efficiently.
-- Jessica Sederquist, Ted Lee, WorkSmart Co-Chairs

WorkSmart

The close of WorkSmart does not mean the end of the work! All ongoing projects will now be housed under the department responsible for implementation.

Service Center

The NYUAD Service Center was launched in October 2023, with cross-trained individuals who can quickly answer questions and resolve issues, and representatives from HR, Student Services (covering Student Affairs, the Registrar, and the ARC), Immigration, and Hospitality for any issues that require further input. There are also ID card printing facilities and passport printing for visas and class-related travel.

Since its launch, the Service Center has:

  • Supported staff and faculty 4335 times, and students 4899 times
  • 89% of respondents rated the service as “very good”
  • On average, 230 community members visit the center per week

The Service Center continues to make iterative changes based on community feedback, so please ensure to provide your feedback using the forms available in the center.
 

Service Center Hours

Location: Campus Center (C2), ground floor

Hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm (bar the Friday prayer break).

Quick Wins

Since launching, the WorkSmart team has worked closely with departments to facilitate quick and impactful improvements and has showcased the work they have done themselves in the WorkSmart spirit, including but not limited to:

  • Adding back-dated newsletters to the intranet and student portal for ease of access
  • Improved HR intranet pages and contact information
  • Communications capability building for faster and more accurate responses, organized by Learning and Development for key departments across campus
  • Improved alias triaging for quick question and issue resolution (pre-NYUAD Service Center)
  • Automated workflows used by the Audio Visual team, saving over 210 working hours for the team to devote to better catering to the AV needs of the community
  • Improved signage across campus
  • Improvements to the US tax process
  • Standardized guidance for the use of forms
  • Implementing the use of project management software across the university, and supporting cross-departmental use for improved transparency, accountability, and collaboration

We encourage departments to continue to identify opportunities for business process and service improvements, and support is available to help you facilitate these changes.

Service Catalog

The NYUAD Service Catalog continues to be under development in partnership with NYU New York, currently housing HR, and with Immigration, FinanceLink, Campus Safety, IT, and AdminLink under development and to be implemented in a staggered approach over the 2024-2025 academic year.

The new HR Self-Service Portal allows users to quickly open, re-open, and comment on cases, has support articles, and allows users to see at a glance all tickets and their status.

For any further questions, please contact Dimitar Dimitrov at dd2529@nyu.edu.
 

Student Enquiry Management

Following feedback from students collected during the WorkSmart focus groups, departments from across Student Affairs with the support of WorkSmart have implemented the following improvements:

  • Reviewed and Enhanced Content on the student portal and intranet: Conducted a thorough review and update of the content available on the Student Portal to ensure accuracy, relevance, and accessibility for all students.
  • Major-Specific Student Government Sessions: Collaborated with key representatives from the Student Government to attend targeted sessions for students within specific majors, providing them with valuable insights into their academic paths and future career opportunities.
  • Video Content Development for Academic Resource Center: Video content for the Academic Resource Center to spread awareness on courses, career paths, etc.
  • Registrar Graduation Page: Updated with latest requirements and information.

The journey toward enhancements is ongoing, and we remain committed to driving impactful changes. For any further questions, please contact Mariela Kircheva at mk6924@nyu.edu.
 

Procurement

Following feedback from staff and faculty collected during the WorkSmart focus groups, Procurement with the support of WorkSmart has implemented the following improvements:

  • Intranet Design and Content Update: The intranet content has been reviewed and will be updated to ensure it remains relevant to end users, with information that is both up-to-date and easy to find.
  • Single Point of Contact: Procedures have been established to designate the sourcing manager as the single point of contact for end users. This change ensures that all request for information (RFI), request for quote (RFQ), and request for proposal (RFP) related communications within internal departments remain channeled through the sourcing manager, enhancing consistency, reducing information gaps, and streamlining the process.
  • Document Template Repository: An internal repository of standardized procurement-related templates has been created, enabling easier access for sourcing managers, faster response times, and consistency across departments.
  • End User Workshops: A workshop plan is currently being developed for various organizational roles, covering specific procurement procedures to ensure a thorough understanding of procurement processes and best practices.
  • Use of Monday.com: To improve internal reporting and collaboration, Monday.com is being utilized. This ensures consistency in processes across all sourcing managers and facilitates smoother internal transitions of responsibilities.

Some updates, including the Procurement Intake Form, intranet updates, and Workshop Program await approval before they go live. For any further questions, please contact Nabeel Abdul Rehman at nr1679@nyu.edu or Shehan Kankanamge at sdk8@nyu.edu.

Culture

141 Exemplars, chosen by their peers in the original pulse survey in September 2022, identified 29 spreading mechanisms to further Transparency, Accountability, Collaboration, and Trust (TACT) across the university. As a result of the October 2023 follow-up survey, the WorkSmart Culture team worked closely with the extended leadership team to ensure that TACT continues to be spread throughout all teams within NYUAD.
 

AdminLink

The AdminLink pilot program was launched in April 2023 by the Office of the Vice Chancellor and Office of the Provost, offering outsourced administrative support for a select set of administrative tasks including procurement and finance (purchase orders, honorariums, journal transfers, etc), travel and transportation bookings, p-card and reimbursement processing, and catering and meeting bookings.

The program is now undertaking a staggered scale-up, and you can learn more about joining the pilot program by emailing nyuad.adminlink@nyu.edu.
 

WorkSmart Updates