Uta Ebertz from the Human Resources and Legal Affairs department reports on her activities within the Female Professors III project and the "HAW Professorship" campaign.
Uta Ebertz has been working in the Human Resources and Legal Affairs Department since 01.04.2022. Among other things, she is involved in the "Supporting the career paths of female academics" package of measures as part of the Professor III project at the HSZG. In this interview, she explains how diverse her area of activity is, how she aims to make female academics aware of vacancies at the university and how important a good start at the university is.
Ms. Ebertz, what do you think makes a professorship a career option for young female academics?
A professorship at a University of Applied Sciences (HAW) offers women undreamt-of opportunities and possibilities. In addition to the gain in autonomy, I see the work as having a lasting effect on people and society. The high practical relevance of an HAW provides opportunities for change, especially here in our region, which is characterized by structural change.
The UASs are recruiting good staff, as is Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. How can female academics become aware of our offers?
At the moment, it is challenging to find out quickly and clearly about the opportunities and paths to an HAW professorship. With "The HAW professorship - a career with impact", a campaign has been launched to bring about a significant improvement in this area. One of my first tasks after starting at the university was to organize the participation of our university in this campaign. (Information on this: HSZG profile at www.academics.de)
Once the path to the HSZG has been paved, the integration of new female professors at the HSZG should be as targeted as possible. What do you consider to be successful onboarding at the university and what measures could be considered to help them find their way "on board" at the university in good time?
Well-established onboarding not only inspires new employees, it also has a positive impact on early turnover and employer branding. There is a lot of potential for optimization and automation in onboarding in particular. The process should begin before the start at the HSZG. In addition to the classic aspects of preparing a recruitment with all documents and work tools, the focus here is on keeping in touch, staying in contact and providing support. Onboarding does not end after the first working day or the first week, but is about social arrival and professional induction, and therefore about long-term support.
When you're not looking after the career paths of potential female professors at the HSZG, what other activities are part of your remit?
Digitalization in the area of human resources - that has always been an exciting topic for me. In the PP III project, I'm working on the digitalization of application management and onboarding.
Under the name Hi!Lusatia, partners from scientific educational institutions, research institutes, innovative, research-oriented employers and from business and society want to work together in an association. I am involved in the founding of this association. One of the association's first priorities will be to set up a dual-career and talent pool.
My area of responsibility also includes supporting the work of our Equal Opportunities Officer, Dr. Reinhold. I have already been able to support her in updating the equal opportunities concept. I am currently working on aspects of gender equality work such as overviews for the active recruitment of women in appointment procedures and am involved in the creation of a gender equality plan.
Where does your passion for this work come from? What goals have you set yourself?
My passion for working in the field of HR has been with me for a long time. In my previous career, I worked in manufacturing companies and was able to gain valuable experience. I would like to contribute this here at the university. My goal is to support equal opportunities work at the university in order to promote equal opportunities for all genders at the university and to contribute to the digitalization of processes.
With such a diverse field of work, how do you recharge your batteries?
In my free time, I like to be active and seek sporting balance by hiking and cycling with my family. I also enjoy traveling and reading.
