Blog entries

We will reduce administrative red tape

I imagine that most people who work at AU have occasionally felt that there’s too much administrative red tape – and that it ought to be easier to deal with administrative tasks. My question for all of you is what systems, tasks and processes can be handled more simply and efficiently? To find solutions, we all need to contribute.

We need to maintain a constant focus on how we can make the administration of the university as simple as possible. Not just the administrative tasks that we perform in the administration, but also the administrative tasks performed by academic staff. And there ARE things we can change in relation to our internal systems, tasks and processes.

One example is RejsUd, which many employees - both academic and technical/administrative – find difficult to use. I have to admit that I’m not impressed by its user-friendliness either. But RejsUd is a government system, so we can’t change the system itself.

The Travel Expense Accounts group, which is part of AU Finance and Estates Projects and Development, is responsible for advising employees on AU’s travel guidelines and RejsUd user support.  And they have decided to use their insight into users’ experiences with the system to improve the guidance and support they offer users. They have decided to review the existing guidelines and train local RejsUs ‘super users’ who can help employees who have problems with the system. They are also going to offer more one-on-one support and guidance to employees in connection with longer trips abroad.

The simplification of RejsUd support and processes will be something of a pilot project for how we can simplify other systems, tasks or processes. I’d like to than the Travel Expense Accounts group for initiating this project, and for sharing what they’ve learned so far from it.

One thing we can all learn from the Travel Expense Account group’s approach is the importance of staying curious – and of constantly questioning our systems, tasks and processes.

And the importance of mutual interest and dialogue between all parts of the organisation. Not just in the administration, but also between the administration and the academic units.

The rest of the administration needs to build on the experiences gained by the Travel Expense Accounts Group. Because as I stated above, there are most certainly other areas we can simplify. I will take this issue up in the the administration's management team (LEA), and I have already begun discussing it with the joint union representatives.

I strongly hope that we can reduce the amount of administrative red tape at AU through a close collaboration between the academic and technical/administrative sides of the organisation.