Hybrid working policy

Hybrid working is an important element of the University’s strategy for embedding new and innovative ways of working for the benefit of the organisation, teams, and individuals; in addition to continuing to support a positive work-life balance for staff.

Who is covered by hybrid working

Hybrid working is available to all roles that have been identified as having the potential to be a ‘hybrid’ worker as described by the University’s Working Personas guidelines. These are roles where work can be carried out effectively from different locations depending on the activity.

Academic staff are not eligible for consideration as hybrid workers as they already have significant flexibility in determining where they work and these arrangements will continue to be managed locally by line managers. Arrangements with academic staff will take into account the need for a strong on campus presence to ensure that a first- class learning experience is provided within a vibrant learning and research environment.

Hybrid working is not currently suitable for roles that have been identified as ‘campus’ workers as described by the University’s Working Personas guidelines as these roles have a critical role on campus supporting infrastructure, operations or providing essential frontline student services.

Factors impacting the suitability for hybrid working

• The suitability of the job and whether the work is capable of being undertaken equally effectively from home; 
• The impact on the level of service, student experience, efficiency and/or effectiveness which ultimately take precedence, albeit staff preferences will be accommodated as far as reasonably possible; 
• Whether any costs incurred are reasonable; 
• The needs of the staff member for more flexible working arrangements; 
• The suitability of the home environment and its technical accessibility/connectivity; 
• Any potential negative impact on the staff member of working from home;
• Any potential negative impact on the staff member’s colleagues/team;
• The potential for maintaining good communication with the staff member;
• The staff member’s risk assessment and data protection assessment

Any arrangement for hybrid working is discretionary and the University will have the right to terminate a hybrid working arrangement, for example, due to a change in business needs, performance concerns or if a staff members’ role changes such that hybrid working is no longer suitable to hybrid working, subject to giving notice.

A member of staff can terminate their hybrid working arrangement by giving notice in writing to their line manager.

Any arrangement for hybrid working will need to be approved by the member of staff’s line manager.

Split between attending work and working remotely

Expected level of attendance on campus

The expectation is that most staff will spend some of their working time on campus and that the specific working arrangement will be agreed with the member of staff’s line manager.

The University contract of employment currently confirms the location of work on campus, but states that the staff member may be asked, according to the needs of the University, to carry out part of their duties at another location. If a staff member has been identified as a hybrid worker and is wishing to take advantage of this flexibility and split their work between campus and working remotely, they will need to discuss and agree this with their line manager. The specific arrangements agreed will be detailed on the approved form.

The expected number of days per week any member of staff will work on campus compared with working remotely will vary, depending on:

• individual circumstances;
• the nature of the role;
• what is happening within the role and team at any particular time; and
• the needs of the University, including the space available at the various work locations.

Taking individual circumstances into account

It is recognised that some staff may have challenges with their working environment at home which means that remote working is difficult and they would like to attend work on campus more often than the norm for a ‘hybrid’ worker. It should be noted that although certain staff may have been identified as suitable for hybrid working, the University will not ask any member of staff to work in a hybrid way if they do not want to. Those that wish to return to full-time campus working will be able to do so.

Alternatively, a member of staff may wish to work less time on campus than originally envisaged for their role. In this case the member of staff should speak to their line manager and Senior People Partner. Depending on the nature of the additional flexibility being sought, the manager may be able to agree to the request, alternatively, the member of staff may be asked to make a formal flexible working request under the University’s Flexible Working policy.

Flexibility of Workforce

Given the degree of flexibility that the University’s hybrid working arrangements provide, there is an expectation that the workforce will be flexible.

This means that staff may be required to be on campus on particular days at the request of the line manager, for example for in-person training and for meetings that the line manager has determined are best conducted in person.

Similarly, there may be circumstances in which we ask staff to work remotely, or to work from such other place as we may reasonably require, when they would otherwise expect to attend work on campus, for instance:

• for operational needs, for example if there are too many members of a particular team on campus on specific days; or
• in the event of government guidance requiring that employees work from home if they can. In such cases, staff will be given as much notice as possible.

Arrangements while working on campus

Working hours

For days on which you are attending the workplace, your normal hours of work are set out in your contract of employment.

Workspaces

Each School and Directorate has different arrangements in place relating to the utilization of space in their buildings and the workspace to support hybrid working will vary:

If you are provided with your own permanent workstation, which includes lockable desk drawers/a lockable cupboard. At the end of each day on which you are attending work, please ensure that your laptop is either taken with you or secured away in your desk drawers/cupboard.

Alternatively, if you are hot-desking, at the end of each day on which you are attending work, please ensure that you leave the hot desk clean and tidy. Your laptop and other equipment and any personal items should not be left on any of the hot desks overnight. You will also have access to a lockable cupboard/locker and at the end of each day on which you are attending work, please ensure that your laptop and other equipment are either taken with you or secured away.

Safe-working measures

Your safety is our priority and all the usual workplace health and safety measures will continue to operate on campus. However, due to the use of flexible working arrangements and hot desking, staff need to pay particular attention to certain aspects of health and safety

• Ensure you have complied with any sign-in procedures, which are necessary to identify building occupation in the event of an emergency.
• Ensure that you know how to evacuate the building/space in an emergency and where to assemble.
• Ensure that you know about local first aid arrangements (who the first aiders are and how to summon help if needed).
• Ensure that your workstation is kept tidy during the day and especially that bags and trailing cables do not represent trip hazards (this is especially important where “hot desks” are being used).
• Ensure that your workstation and chair are adjusted properly and set up correctly for you. When using a new workstation, a DSE self-assessment should be undertaken. More information is contained in the DSE policy (again, this is especially important for “hot desks”).
• In addition to general workplace health and safety measures that must be followed, specific COVID-19 measures may still be in place and must be complied with. Up to date information is available on the University Sharepoint site.

We encourage staff to let us know if they have any concerns, have identified any potential risks, or have any suggestions for further adaptations we can make. You can do this by raising concerns or making suggestions to your line manager, the People Support team, your union representative or your local H&S advisor.

You have a role to play in ensuring our staff can work in a safe environment and you must follow our safe-working instructions. A failure to do so may be considered a disciplinary matter and dealt with in accordance with our disciplinary procedure.

Arrangements while working remotely

Working hours

While working remotely, you must be available and working during your normal hours of work, as set out in your contract of employment.

We ask you to be mindful that you are not overworking - "downtime" from work is essential. To help maintain your wellbeing, please make sure that you take adequate rest breaks:

• Take a lunch break each day.
• Even if you are busy, it is essential that you find the time to take a break of at least 20 minutes during each working day that lasts more than six hours.
• Ensure the time period between stopping work one day and beginning the next is not less than 11 hours.

Please be as clear as possible with your line manager about your hours of work for days on which you are working remotely. Making use of tools such as shared calendars and out-of-office messaging can help colleagues to be aware of your availability on these days.

Sickness

When working remotely, you should not work if you are unwell. If you are sick and unable to work, please follow the University’s Absence reporting procedures and notify your line manager (by telephone or by message) as early as possible on the first day of absence (normally within one hour of notional starting time) to explain the reason for your absence and to give an estimate of its probable duration.

Technology and equipment

The standard set up that will be provided is:

• a laptop computer (to be used both remotely and on campus)
• a docking station
• a set of headphones
• 2 monitors
• a keyboard and mouse

If you are hybrid working, it is for you to decide what equipment you want at keep at your on-campus location and what to set up remotely. So, for example, some staff may prefer to have two monitors on campus while others may wish to have one monitor on campus and one at their remote location.

Staff may also require other equipment, such as an operator chair and/or desk, foot rest, copy holder, etc. Where equipment is required for the work done or to remove a hazard identified in a DSE risk assessment and it is agreed that the staff member will work in a hybrid way, the equipment will be provided (note that the University reserves the right to decline hybrid working in situations where it considers the equipment requirements to be unreasonable. In such circumstances, the staff member would be required to work at an appropriate workstation on campus).

Staff must take care of any equipment provided to them, and notify their line manager or Help4U of any faults with the equipment. If you do need any equipment, you should notify your line manager.

The suitability of the home environment in terms of its technical accessibility/connectivity may impact on your ability to work to work from home and may require you to work on campus.

Key policy facts and responsibilities and processes in relation to the management of client devices for university staff can be found in the Client Device Policy.

Financial assistance

The University will not provide any additional financial assistance for any member of staff wishing to work from home. 

You may be able to claim tax relief for any household expenses incurred as a result of working from home, provided the expenses are solely work related. If you wish to benefit from this tax relief, see the Government's guide on claiming tax relief for your job expenses.

The costs (and time) for a member of staff travelling from a home-work base to a campus place of work will be met by the staff member. 

Health and safety

You should liaise with your line manager and/or health and safety advisor to ensure that your remote working set-up is appropriate and that you are working in a safe manner. However, you must also take responsibility for your own health and safety and that of anyone else who is affected by your work (for example others in your household when you are working from home). In particular, you must keep your remote work area clean and tidy, avoiding trip/slip hazards. You must undertake a DSE self-assessment of your remote workstation and implement any changes required to ensure it is suitable.

Guidance is available on the Safety Services website.

You must notify your line manager if:

• you feel any discomfort due to working remotely (such as back pain) or
• you believe that there are any work-related health and safety hazards
• any work-related accidents occur in your home (these must also be reported via the University system: Safety Services website).

Your line manager will escalate the matter to your local H&S advisor who will discuss with Safety Services if appropriate, to  review what action can be taken.

Data protection

Staff who are working remotely are responsible for keeping information associated with our organisation secure at all times.

Specifically, remote workers are under a duty to:

• practise good computer security, including using a unique password for your work laptop and any other devices you use for work
• use one of our corporate systems as outlined in the University’s data protection guidance for remote working
• keep your, and others’, data secure and make sure personal data is stored, shared, and used lawfully and appropriately
• keep all hard copies of work-related documentation secure, including keeping documents locked away at all times except when in use and
• ensure that work-related information is safeguarded when working in public spaces, for example by:
  • positioning your laptop so that others cannot see the screen
  • not leaving your laptop unattended and
  • not having confidential/business-sensitive conversations in public spaces

In addition, the laptop and other equipment provided by us must be used for work-related purposes only and must not be used by any other member of your household or third party at any time or for any purpose.

Request flexible working

This policy focuses on how our organisation operates hybrid working, but there are many other forms of flexible working. If you have 26 weeks' service with us, you retain the right to make a formal request for flexible working, whether or not hybrid working is available for your role.e. 

Examples of other types of flexible working that can be requested are:

• reducing the number of hours that you are working;
• changing your start and finish times;
• working flexitime.

If you would like to request another form of flexible working, or if we do not currently offer you hybrid working but you would like to request it, you can make a formal request (i.e., a statutory application) under the University’s Flexible Working policy.

Request hybrid working

Procedure to request hybrid working:

1. A member of staff must submit a Hybrid Working request form, to their line manager, confirming that they wish to opt into the policy and setting out their proposed arrangement.
2. This request will be considered, and either accepted or rejected, according to the University's business and operational requirements.
3. To assist the application process, it is recommended that the member of staff would beforehand discuss their proposal with their line manager to identify any potential issues, which can then be addressed.

It should be noted that:

• being categorised as “hybrid” does not automatically mean that the staff member will get the arrangement that they have requested; and
• a hybrid working arrangement is unlikely to be agreed if an employee’s most recent appraisal identifies any aspect of their performance as unsatisfactory, they have an unexpired warning, or they need training and/or supervision to deliver an acceptable quality or quantity of work.