New Ways of Working

It will be clear to line managers if there are roles within their teams that, despite their best intentions, offer no flexibility for remote working, due to the nature of the work. However, staff who need to be on site to carry out their role may nonetheless have views about broader departmental plans for new working arrangements or may be able to identify elements of their own roles which could be done remotely. It will be important, therefore, to include those team members in group and individual discussions, and to take their views into account, although those conversations may be shorter and simpler than with other team members. 

Where whole teams need to simply return to their contracted, pre-pandemic on-site working patterns (for example staff who were furloughed as it was not possible to do their job remotely)  the conversations outlined under the NWW guidance here may not apply.  However, it is recommended that a discussion is held with these teams so that they can think through and discuss the implications for their team, and the department more generally, of greater remote working in other teams.

The guidance does not affect formal, written agreements with staff to work 100% remotely.

The senior management team within the departments will need to understand the principles, aims and scope of the NWW Framework. The first step is for the senior management team to consider the factors that are critical to the successful operation of the department (a template workshop structure is available to help with this which can be customised to suit local arrangements). As part of this stage, senior leaders will want to consider how to:

• gather the views of customers/stakeholders on the working models which they consider best support them in their roles eg through surveys of users or discussions with key individuals, or team meetings within the department;
• communicate the NWW Framework positively in their department so as to:
  • engender the culture they wish to promote in the department and ‘set the tone’ for productive, supportive conversations;
  • encourage informal decision-making where possible;
• ensure that all teams in the department understand the ‘bigger picture’ of departmental aims and objectives, which will form the context to team and individual discussions;
• explain the rationale for any new norms, parameters or etiquette that will operate in the department, such as core hours or anchor days (when particular groups should be onsite for meetings or to promote teamworking), to make sure that departmental objectives are met and consistency is maximised; and,
• engage with their own reports, supporting them to consider new approaches in an open-minded way and make fair and objective decisions that balance the needs of the team and the individual and enable more flexibility where possible.

Departments will run this stage of the process as works best for them.  Some departments will adopt a whole department approach to discussion at this stage whilst others may create a working group or run the workshop at existing departmental leadership groups.  Whichever model is followed, the resulting parameters and approach need to be shared with team leaders in preparation for their local discussions. Senior Management teams may also want to consider whether they need to set up local/departmental approval processes such as for cases where primarily remote working models are requested.

Think about the work of your team, its objectives and operation and practical issues, as set out in step 1 above. Consider which stakeholders and teams rely on your own, and ways in which you could consult them to ensure any new arrangements meet their needs.

Team leaders should ensure that their teams read the NWW Framework and understand its aims, which include to support the academic mission, whilst building on the positive experiences of remote working during the pandemic, and the principles behind it.  It will be important to look carefully at the needs of the department and its local parameters, and other departmental teams and those who rely on services offered by the team. Everyone in the team should be fully aware of these, since they form the context for discussions about individual preferences.

To inform these discussions, team leaders should hold a team workshop to think about their service users and stakeholders’ needs, their own and the department’s objectives, and how these might best be met in future. The team should consider:

• What culture would you like to establish in the team, and how can the team’s working arrangements support that?
• Do you want in-person meetings on a regular or occasional basis?
• How can the team best support relationships and communication if some members work remotely?
• What working practices have worked well and given good outcomes during the pandemic and therefore should be retained?
• How can you ensure that the customers of your service are not adversely affected by any changes to team ways of working?

You should involve the team in thinking this through: they will have insights to share with you, and you will all feel more committed to ways of working that you have developed together. You can download advice on how to facilitate a team meeting  to discuss this.

Remember to invite all members of the team, including those on leave, including long-term sickness absence and family leave.

The issues that both team leaders and members of staff should think about in advance of individual discussions are set out below. Fuller guidance is available for team leaders on holding individuals meetings and on decision-making after those meetings.

Actions for team leaders

Bearing in mind the outcomes of your discussion about customer/stakeholder and departmental needs, review the working arrangements that each of your team had before the pandemic, and the period since the first lockdown measures began. In the context of any conclusions reached as part of Step 3 above, consider:

• Has the team been able to work effectively and meet objectives, meeting stakeholder needs to a high standard?
• What expectations do colleagues or customers have of the team? How will those change once everyone can return to working on site?
• Are there working practices that you would wish to retain going forwards?
• What has been challenging for individual members of your team?
• If members of your team have a disability, what has been beneficial and what has been detrimental to their work and health? How can any benefits be maintained?  
• How have individual members of the team coped with remote working? 
• Are there operational requirements that mean some or all of the team need to work on site for part or all of the week?
• Is there a requirement for core hours?

Bear in mind that during the pandemic some temporary measures were introduced which will not form part of normal working post-pandemic. For example, an individual may have had special dispensation to work irregular hours or to have children under their care while working. Under Business as Usual arrangements staff will be expected to work their full contracted hours and may need to return to standard office hours for the team to meet its aims.

You should give particular consideration to the needs of disabled staff (colleagues, or service-users), bearing in mind that the University has a legal obligation to put in place reasonable adjustments to support disabled staff members to carry out their role effectively.

Remember – this is an evolving situation. In planning new arrangements you should be setting up trial periods that allow everyone involved to learn what works well and what needs to be changed in the light of experience. Some things will work better than others and all involved should expect a period of adjustment as teams embark on new ways of working.

Actions for team members 

Think about your working arrangement before and during the pandemic:

• What impact does your place of work have on your colleagues or your team’s customers?
• Who else relies on you, and how can their needs be met?
• What working arrangements do you think will be best suited to achieving the objectives of your team?
• If you worked remotely, what worked well for you? What were the challenges?
• If you have experienced any benefits or challenges associated with a disability or long-term health condition, have you discussed this with your team leader?
• Are there any aspects of your role that you can perform better on site or remotely?
• Would you like to return to your previous working arrangements (hours, location)? Or would you prefer to request a new pattern of working? What arrangements do you want, and are there others that might work for you?

Action for team leaders

Following the team discussion and consideration of future working arrangements, invite each member of the team to meet privately and informally to discuss the outcome of the discussions about the operational needs, and their own preferences. This may be a remote meeting or, where the department has returned to on-site working, it could be held face-to-face. This can form part of the regular 1:1 or a separate meeting (a template invite is available). Let the team member know what the meeting is about and remind them to read the framework and to think about the matters listed in Step 4 (above) in advance. No accompaniment or formal record of the meeting is required.

Read the guidance on decision-making before the meetings:

Make sure the discussion covers:

• The requirements of the work/team. Focus on the future, and how the team can operate as effectively as possible - avoid making assumptions based on ways of working in 2020-21
• The potential impact of future working arrangements on working relationships or practices, or career development, and how these might be mitigated
• What working pattern the individual would prefer and why
• Consideration of any disability-related needs, if the individual discloses them
• The individual’s circumstances, such as their caring responsibilities and their ability to establish a suitable work station at home
• If an individual wishes to work remotely for the majority of their hours, how they think interaction with the workplace will work effectively.

NB Do not make assumptions about an individual’s circumstances based on gender, disability, etc but do encourage them to be open about them.

A checklist is available for those who would find it useful.

Things to remember

• Pre-existing remote working agreements should only be reviewed if the staff member wishes to do so. No one will be required to work remotely.
• If you have team members who are currently away from the workplace (eg on family leave or sick leave) ensure that they are given the opportunity to have the same discussion with you and to join team discussions, if they wish.
• If a team member has a disability and working remotely would be a reasonable adjustment to assist them in managing this, it will be a priority to meet this need, where operationally possible. This may have financial implications, eg if the individual would need adaptive equipment both at home and in the office, and the University would be expected to find this.
• Separate authorisation is required if the individual wishes to apply to work from outside the UK.

Actions for team members

Prepare for the meeting as set out in Step 4 above.

• If you would like to work remotely for some of your hours and/or to have a different working pattern, explain this and how you think that will work in practice. Explain how you think that will support team objectives, and any challenges you anticipate.

• There may be more than one working arrangement that will meet your needs and aspirations, so explain your circumstances and where you can be flexible. Team leaders will need to balance operational requirements with the preferences of each team member, so be prepared to discuss different possibilities.
• If your request relates to a disability or long-term health condition, make sure your team leader is aware of this.
• Consider whether your proposal might have longer-term impacts on your career development and how these might be mitigated.
• Be honest about any concerns you may have about your future working arrangements or change in the dynamics or working practices of the team.

Team leaders should take a note of the preferences of each team member, to help them in considering how to balance the needs of the team, its operations and customers, and the individual.  No formal meeting notes are required; a simple grid is sufficient, for example:

The meeting checklist, includes space for these details to be noted, so where the checklist is being used no separate note needs to be kept.

If there was any uncertainty or lack of clarity in the meeting about what the individual is seeking, email them to summarise your understanding of what working pattern they want and why, and ask them to confirm that your understanding is accurate

Once you have met with each member of the team, you should review how far the operational needs you have identified might accommodate the preferences your team have expressed.  Guidance on decision-making for team leaders is provided.

Individual departments may ask line managers to refer their recommendations to a senior management team before any new arrangements are agreed, to ensure that changes to working practices work well across the whole department, particularly where ‘primarily remote’ arrangement are being considered.

If it is not possible to accommodate the individual preferences of all team members, or if there are conflicting demands, you may wish to seek advice from your local HR contact.  It is important that decisions are seen to be fair and non-discriminatory and that any individual circumstances are considered. 

It is recommended that any new arrangements are subject to a trial period of 3-6 months. The NWW Framework provides an opportunity to try out new approaches to working practices, as well as new arrangements for individuals, and trial periods will be beneficial during this period of experimentation. They also allow individuals to adjust to new processes and arrangements, and test them over time, when their colleagues are also working in new ways. It will often be appropriate to use trial periods across the team, for a consistent period. Trial periods will be terminable, with reasonable notice, by either party if the arrangement does not prove satisfactory; if this happens, the individual will revert to their pre-pandemic working pattern, unless an alternative arrangement is agreed for a further trial period. It will be important to confirm to the individual in writing what will signify success in the trial period, and how that will be assessed, to ensure a smooth review at the end of the trial.

If it is possible to agree to all the new working patterns that are requested (and, where relevant, the head of departments/senior management team have approved the changes), go to Step 7(c)  below.

It is important for team leaders to be open to discussion and new ideas about how to manage work effectively, and for staff to consider the needs of the work / other team members and to be prepared to compromise.  If the initial round of discussions has not led to agreement on all new working arrangement requests, team leaders should have further discussions with team members.

In that meeting, the team leader should:

• Explain the reasons they do not think they can agree the original request, with reference to the team’s objectives, and the desired culture and ways of working in the team.
• Where relevant, ensure that the individual is aware of any changes that may arise due to other members of the team changing their working pattern eg someone who wishes to work primarily remotely may reconsider if most of their colleagues are returning full-time to on-site working.
• Ensure they do not share personal data relating to other members of the team, including why they have certain working arrangements. 
• Explore other possibilities, so as to provide as much flexibility as possible to the individual, within the parameters of operational requirements, if their original request cannot be met.

As previously these conversations are not formal meetings; a brief note of the key points of the discussion should be retained.

If you are able to agree a change to working arrangements (and, where appropriate, this is approved by the department’s senior management team), the pro-forma ‘confirmation of change form’ is sufficient to note the agreed changes.  Both team leader and employee should sign the form which should be passed to the HR contact to be filed on the individual’s personnel file. A copy should be provided to the individual. As the formal place of work remains the University department referenced in the employment contract, no further contract amendment is required.

Team leaders should monitor the success of the new working arrangements. They should consider the performance of the team as a whole, gain feedback where possible from service users and other stakeholders who might be impacted by the changes, and identify whether any adjustments are required to optimise effectiveness and ensure continued support for the academic mission. Team discussions should be held as part of this process, as a means of ensuring commitment to the team’s preferred culture and ways of working.

Team Leaders should also consider how well the new arrangements are working for individual members of the team, recognising successes where arrangements are working well and discussing any emerging concerns with them so that they can be addressed early.   This might include concerns about staff being unavailable, or unproductive whilst working remotely (including, for example, potential conflicting demands of homeworking and caring responsibilities) or working excessive hours or working whilst unwell rather than taking proper sick leave.

The NWW Framework and guidance will be reviewed regularly as we all learn from experience, so team leaders should read any announcements about adjustments to the guidance, and consider how they might apply to their own team.

Trial periods should be reviewed at their specified end date, in one-to-one discussions with the team member. Team Leaders should then decide whether working arrangements need to be adjusted or can be confirmed.

If, after informal discussion, it is not possible to agree a new set of working arrangements (either the original request, or a compromise), the team leader should confirm this in writing, and explain why it is not possible (a template is available). As this is an informal process there is no right of appeal for the team member.  Instead, individuals should be advised that they can submit a formal flexible working request, which will be considered through the normal formal routes, at a management level higher than that at which the informal decision was made.

The step-by-step guide provides an overview of the process you should follow to familiarise yourself with the New Ways of Working Framework, and any local parameters within your area of work. It also encourages you to discuss with your team as a whole the sort of culture and working practices you want to build, before you discuss individual preferences with your team members.

This guidance builds on that briefer overview, giving you more detailed advice on what issues you should think through when preparing for those conversations, talking to your team members, and making decisions afterwards.

Scope

If members of your team simply wish to return to their pre-pandemic contracted working pattern this should be facilitated wherever possible.  However, in light of the changed circumstances and the current exercise, you will need to review working practices across the team, and this may mean reviewing even well-established arrangements.  You should include everyone in the team in your discussions, even if they don’t want to change their current working arrangements.

You should include everyone in the team in your discussions, even if they don’t want to change their current working arrangements, are on sickness or family leave or furlough, or you judge that there is no or little opportunity for flexibility in their role.

Overarching considerations

1. Departmental and team objectives

Operational needs will be paramount, and you will need to consider the impact of any proposed changes on departmental and team objectives.  During the pandemic, some duties have been carried out in a way that is ‘good enough’. In future, all professional services staff must work in a way that maximises the service levels provided in support of the academic mission of the University. There may also be local parameters set by the Head of Department and guidance on how to think through working practices is available. Don’t forget that happy and healthy employees are generally more productive, and that supporting individuals and maximising performance are not necessarily incompatible.

2. Team culture

The success of a team depends on its culture – day-to-day working habits, social and work interactions, norms and approaches – and this will be impacted by how much time members of the team spend together face-to-face or on-line, and how they communicate. Although individual arrangements may differ, you should be mindful of the need to build and maintain the team’s preferred culture. It is recommended that you discuss this in a team meeting early on in this process: there is guidance on how to do that.

3. Supporting work / life balance

Within these parameters, the University wishes to maximise the flexibility available to staff to manage their time and place of work to best balance with other aspects of their lives. This will promote engagement, satisfaction and effectiveness, and is a way in which the University wishes to support the wellbeing of its staff.

4. Flexibility

You may need to consider new ideas about how to manage the team’s time and its work (using trial periods where appropriate to try new things). Equally, it may be that you can't accommodate everyone and have to make choices.  You may need to ask members of your team to compromise and/or take turns at different patterns of work.  Everyone involved needs to be open to new ideas, and as flexible as they can.

5. Supporting individual needs

Team leaders must be mindful of the needs of individuals in their teams, particularly those that relate to a disability or caring responsibilities; these needs may need to take precedence over the preferences of other team members. The University has a legal obligation to put in place reasonable adjustments to support disabled staff and it is not unlawful to treat a disabled person more favourably than a non-disabled person.

6. Balancing short and longer-term impacts

Decisions made now about working arrangements may seem attractive in terms of supporting work / life balance but have longer-term impacts on career development, eg through the erosion of social capital. Team leaders should encourage staff to think holistically about their needs and aspirations and how these are best supported.

Specific considerations

Where a member of staff who previously worked wholly, or largely, on-site now requests to work from home on a regular or majority basis under the NWW definitions of  ‘occasional / regular / primarily remote working’ team leaders should consider the following:

Departmental and team objectives, including the needs of ‘customers’

• How does this post contribute to departmental and team objectives? How does it support the academic mission?
• Does the post provide a service to students, colleagues or other ‘customers’? Can that service be provided as effectively remotely? Will those customers be working remotely and will that effect the way the postholder communicates with them?
• What is the optimum way of working to ensure the team meets those objectives and provides a high level of service in support of the academic mission?
• Could additional equipment be provided to enable the individual to work remotely more effectively?

Some of our ways of working during the pandemic were ‘good enough’ – for the future we must return to providing the best level of service possible for all those who rely on our support. In many instances, this can be maintained while individuals, or whole teams, spend part of their time working remotely; in others it will mean a presence on-site.

The needs of colleagues

• How will the individual’s proposed working pattern impact on others? For example, if they provide support (eg coaching, expert advice, supervision) to staff who will be working on-site, how effectively can this support be provided remotely?
• What impact will the proposed working pattern have on the culture of the team? How will team-working / effective work relationships be maintained? 
• How do you intend to work yourself?  How will the proposed working pattern impact on your ability to manage the individual, and to ensure their welfare?
• Are there facilities in place to hold team meetings with some staff working remotely and some on-site? Or will team meetings be held on-line?
• How will you cover absences such as holiday, sickness etc?  If you agree that some staff can work remotely will you need them to work on-site to cover absences?

In many teams, one of the greatest challenges in managing an increased level of remote-working will be balancing the needs and preferences of all the different individuals, especially where some already have established working patterns including an element of remote working. Where existing arrangements are contractual, they will normally only be changed by agreement with the individual. Other arrangements should be reviewed if that will assist in balancing needs across the team. Seek advice from your HR contact if you wish to change an existing arrangement.

There is no single way to ensure that arrangements are ‘fair’ for all. Some team members will need to compromise. It may be difficult to ‘take turns’, particularly if people need to buy season tickets or make other permanent arrangements around their working pattern, but this may be an option. However, do ensure that you give all requests equal consideration and that decision-making is based on fact, rather assumptions or implicit bias.

Any needs relating to a disability should take precedence over the preferences of other team members and, where possible, requests to facilitate caring responsibilities towards a dependent family member should be prioritised.

The needs of the individual

We have demonstrated during the pandemic that there are advantages to working remotely, in terms of work / life balance and environmental sustainability. For some staff, working remotely has contributed to greater wellbeing. As an employer, we would wish to celebrate and support that. For these staff, we would wish to enable continued remote working, where that can be balanced with operational requirements and the needs of the team.

Others have found remote working to be a less positive experience, and they may wish to return to on-site working, when that can be safely achieved.

In either case, the views of the individual staff member will be an important factor in determining future working arrangements, and the role of the team leader is to ensure that the staff member has thought through short- and long-term consequences of their request. Factors to consider include:

• If staff were working remotely during the pandemic, how did they cope with this?  Were they effective at home? (Discount any issues which were outside their control, such as the need to home-school.) 
• Does the individual have any needs that will take precedence over other factors?
  • Would remote working constitute a reasonable adjustment for them?
  • Will remote working support their caring responsibilities for dependent family members (NB no one should supervise small children while working)?
• Would continued remote working support the wellbeing of the individual? Do not make assumptions: staff who experienced mental health challenges associated with isolation during the pandemic may not experience the same issues when they can return to a normal pattern of social activities and in-person support outside the workplace. The individual is best placed to assess this.
• Is the individual new to the team or University?  Consider whether working regularly on-site during the probation period may be advisable so that there is support available and the individual has a chance to meet new colleagues in person.
• Will working from home have any impact on their short- or long-term development?
• If the individual wants to work from home how suitable is their home environment for this?  Do they have a dedicated space? If they work with sensitive information can they work without being overlooked/overheard?
• Do they need special equipment to work remotely, or maximise their effectiveness?  Can this be provided? Guidance on this can be found in the ‘enablers’ theme.

If you are considering multiple requests within one team, it will be important to consider how the on-site element of the roles will be managed:

• Will you need all staff to come into the workplace on the same day each week/fortnight? 
• How does that fit with part-time working patterns? 
• What about the availability of suitable workspace in the office?

The balancing exercise

There is no magic formula to balancing the needs of the department, team and individual. Nor can an order of priorities be given. All of these factors are important. Remember to seek advice if you need it, from your line manager or your HR contact, and to use trial periods where you are not sure if an arrangement will work.

Delivering the team’s objectives to a high standard is of primary importance, as is supporting colleagues who have needs relating to a disability. Facilitating caring responsibilities, and ensuring fairness across the team (as far as job roles and responsibilities, and the needs of others allow) are also important guiding principles.

Fully remote working/working overseas

The New Ways of Working project does not address issues of staff wishing to work completely remotely.  If this issue is raised, staff can submit a formal flexible working request through the normal channels. 

Working overseas involves a separate authorisation process since amongst other issues there are legal, tax, and social security issues which need to be explored.

Defining business and operational needs

• Workshop guidance and materials
• Focus tools – ‘Stop-Start-Continue’

Place of work

• Workshop guidance and materials for facilitating team discussions
• Working from outside of the UK

Health, safety and wellbeing

• University Health and Safety Policy
• Occupational Health
• Display screen equipment assessments

Operational support

• IT security training
• Protect my computer
• Recommended AV equipment 
• Digital skills website
• IT help site
• Guidance on hybrid committee meetings
• Insurance
• University miscellaneous expenses guide
• HMRC guide to tax relief on work expenses
• University’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy
• Green Impact

Working at our best

• Organisational Development Adviser
• New Managers’ Toolkit guides
• Creating an Inclusive Workplace
• Managing remote workers
• Having difficult conversations
• People Managers’ MS Teams group
• Workshop to develop skills managing dispersed teams 
• The Leadership Framework 
• Courses and learning resources  
• Focus toolkit (problem solving and continuous improvement)
• People and Organisational Development