As part of the HR Excellence in Research initiative, Charles University is continuously striving to improve working conditions for its employees and foster greater job satisfaction. The university believes that only satisfied employees can deliver the best performance. 

To ensure optimal integration of new employees into their workplaces, regular university onboarding training has been introduced. This training is designed for “newcomers” from all faculties and units, providing essential information about the university’s activities, operations, and management. In addition, an Employee Handbook has been created. Based on a satisfaction survey conducted as part of the gender audit, measures related to flexible working hours, remote work, and clear guidelines for personal leave and development days have been introduced. The university intends to continue in this direction in the future. 

A range of new activities and programmes have been introduced in the area of well-being, offering activities to improve the physical and mental health of employees. Yoga courses, quarterly advisory days on health prevention, trips abroad, and psychological counselling are very popular. Employees can also take advantage of free coaching, which inspires them to make the most of their personal and professional potential. In cooperation with the Language Centre of the Faculty of Arts, Charles University offers its employees language courses in several foreign languages to expand their professional competencies. 

The new “Centre for the Care of the Soul” was established at Charles University in response to the experience with the COVID-19 pandemic when the need to supplement existing counselling and therapeutic care with other forms encompassing the broadly conceived area of spiritual life became apparent. The centre cooperates with experts from various religious and non-religious backgrounds and participates in the work of counselling centres where it focuses on spiritual guidance and shared low-threshold meditation. It also offers interactive courses and other forms of support focused on caring for life’s inner resources. It thus unites care for spiritual life, resilience, value orientation, and interpersonal relationships. 

Shortly after receiving the HR Award, the university established in 2020 a centre for international staff (the Staff Welcome Centre), which offers comprehensive assistance in matters of mobility for academic and research staff. The centre minimizes the bureaucracy associated with moving to the Czech Republic and also helps family members throughout their stay in the Czech Republic. In particular, methodological support regarding visa requirements and mandatory contributions abroad are the main areas of the centre’s focus. The centre also coordinates intensive Czech language courses for newcomers with the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies, enabling them to adjust to the Czech Republic as quickly as possible. The onboarding process for international researchers at Charles University has thus been significantly unified. Given the university’s increasing internationalization, documents and websites are being translated on an ongoing basis. English is gradually becoming the university’s second language, and thus our international community has equal access to information.