New hybrid working guidance for Central and Faculty Professional Services and Technical Staff

We have published new hybrid working guidance for professional services and technical staff, as well as other tools and resources to support staff and managers. 

Line managers will be discussing the guidance with their teams over a three-month period. We expect the guidance to be operational by 1 October 2022 but recognise that some staff may also need a longer transition period to make necessary arrangements. Any arrangements that are already in place for individuals because of a flexible working arrangement or reasonable adjustment will remain.  

The Interim People Management Guidance currently remains in place for academic, teaching and research staff pending further review. We are hoping to extend to scope of this new guidance to accommodate all staff, and engagement with academic, teaching and research leadership and staff to review their needs will take place over the next few months. However, any academic, teaching or research teams who wish to organise their working arrangements in line with this new guidance may do so, subject to line management approval.

How the guidance was developed

When we returned to campus after lockdown in 2021, we launched the Interim Return to Campus Guidance and staff were expected to work at least 40% of their time on-site.

We reviewed these arrangements earlier this year in consultation with our people through a series of listening exercises. It was clear that many staff value spending some time on campus when it is linked to specific activities and when it provides an opportunity for in-person interactions. Many staff also feel that hybrid working provides a good work life balance.

Campus life is integral to the student and staff experience and it is important that staff continue to be engaged in the culture and life on campus, providing excellent services to students and staff in-person when needed, and for teams to come together in-person. We acknowledge and are grateful to staff who have worked wholly or mainly on campus throughout the pandemic and continue to do so to deliver essential services and meet our academic mission. Our revised guidance seeks to set out a single way of establishing the proportion of time each role needs to spend on campus and seeking flexibility for remote working in all roles where possible.

If you have concerns about the new guidance, you can discuss them with your line manager or your HR Business Partner.

Overview of the new guidance

The new guidance applies to professional services staff in central departments and faculties, including technical staff. 

The new guidance introduces 3 categories of worker:

• On-site First: Working more than 80% of time on-site.  Those whose roles do not normally lend to working remotely and are mostly involved in the delivery of student-facing or in person work which requires an on-site presence. However, where staff are required to be onsite to perform their role for all or most of their time, we are asking department heads to give thoughtful consideration to offer some degree of flexibility where possible, for example outside of term-time.
• Hybrid Worker:  Working between 20% and 80% of time on-site, using an Activity Led Approach rather than a strict % baseline.  This means teams will work on-site for planned, specific activities and where in-person collaboration is necessary.  This category of worker covers those whose roles do not dictate the need to always be onsite, and who can carry out large amounts of work remotely but may also deliver services and activities on site, such as events, meetings, and interaction where face-to-face contact is necessary and/or beneficial.
• Remote First: Working less than 20% of time on-site. This is a new category that can be applied in exceptional circumstances and if agreed at Director or equivalent level. An example may be for a role which does not require a reasonable degree of in person interaction such as those that are systems driven or that do not benefit from cross-collaboration or networking.

How the guidance will be implemented

Using the guidance as a framework and following consultation with teams/individuals, over the next three months, line managers will discuss with their people which categories apply to the roles in their area as well as how best to adopt the guidance in a way that suits their Division/ Department/Team. Overall approval for categories and working patterns will be at an appropriate leadership level, Head of Department or Director of a professional services division. 

Decisions around how much time individuals or teams need to work on-site, and therefore which category will apply to them, should follow an activity-led approach and take into account factors such as:

• Whether there is a benefit to carrying out face-to-face activity such as meeting new starters or team meetings
• Whether there is benefit to having access space, equipment or facilities that are available on-site or if work requires quiet “head down” space which might be best carried out remotely
• The benefits of spending regular time working alongside team members and how teams can best facilitate in person collaboration

The guidance and accompanying toolkit and resources that can be found on the Making Hybrid Work site provide a framework to help teams discuss which category they are in, their working patterns and the type of activity they come on-site for.  

Over the course of the next few months, additional resources will be added to the Making Hybrid Work site and our FAQs pages will be further developed in response to feedback and queries.

Resources

• Hybrid working guidance for professional services and technical staff 2022
• Interim People Management Guidance (for academic, teaching and research staff)
• Making Hybrid Work hub