Planning for our return to working on campus
The Government recently announced changes to its “work at home if you can” guidance with effect from 1 August, but for the majority of University staff this will mean no immediate change in where you are working.
Our Covid-19 Programme Board, led by Professor Christina Hughes, is continuing its detailed planning for our safe, phased return to campus.
Key principles of these plans are:
- We will put the safety of our people first
- We will only proceed once risk assessments have been agreed and necessary changes to workplaces have been made
- We will be open and inclusive, ensuring everyone is given confidence that they will be returning to a supportive environment
Staff who are eligible to return will contacted directly. You should not return to working from campus until you have been advised to do so by your line manager. Our initial priority will be those who need to undertake critical or essential work and those unable to work at home due to exceptional circumstances.
If you need to access the campus, for example to collect essential equipment, you can find out how to do this on the Estates website.
Working from home
Most staff will continue to work remotely for as long as it is practical, safe and realistic to do so. Our COPE Framework is designed to support you with this, including tips on identifying ways of working remotely that best suit you. You will find the COPE framework, together with guidance on how to set up a work station, help using Kent IT services remotely and support with mental health on our updated Covid-19 staff webpages.
Wherever you are based, the University has committed that no member of staff is subjected to detrimental treatment in relation to their employment as a result of the impact of Covid-19. You can find out more in our Covid policy statement for staff.
Staff webchats
Latest information on the Covid-19 Programme Board’s plans is being shared via a series of staff webchats. Two webchats took place last week – the first on Opening Our Campus outlined the different workstreams to ensure our campuses are safe and ready to welcome back staff and students, while the other on Student Experience gave an overview of plans for student experience this autumn, in line with Covid-19 guidance and regulations.
You can listen to recordings of both webchats here:
- Opening Our Campus: https://bit.ly/32DQuui
- Student Experience: https://bit.ly/3ho3HM8
A webchat on Student Recruitment and Clearing takes place on Wednesday (22 July) from 10.00-11.30. To sign-up, click on this Microsoft Forms link.
Find out more
Further information on plans for our return to campus, as well as working from home, health and wellbeing, annual leave and pay, is available on our regularly updated Covid-19 staff webpages.
You can also find out latest information for students on our Covid-19 student webpages, which include detailed FAQs.