Dynamic Working

The aim of these webpages is to provide a clear Dynamic Working framework that sets out consistent principles for making decisions and supporting the choices we make.

鈥榃e will create an outstanding, diverse and sustainable workplace which will promote the achievement of personal and institutional goals: a common purpose. We will retain, recruit, support and promote high quality and high performing staff, by creating an environment that will allow them to succeed. Our University will be recognised as one that values people as our greatest asset and one where we will support our staff to deliver sector-leading outcomes. Strengthening and Promoting our People and Talent鈥�

麻豆传媒高清版鈥檚 Strategy 2030

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the way in which we work. Many employers will have had to lift and shift what was done in the office to the home, rather than looking at the way in which they work. We now however move from an enforced remote working experience to a dynamic working approach.

A wide range of research indicates that after the pandemic the majority of workers want to continue to work from home at least some of the time.

While some employees want to work from home all the time after the pandemic, most would prefer a balance where they are in the office for some of the week and at home for the remainder.

This has led to the use of a relatively new term: hybrid working.

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD): 鈥淭here are few precedents to follow, and it is likely that some experimentation will be required to determine just what will work in a particular context.鈥�

For the University, as for most organisations, the introduction of new ways of working will require a significant culture shift and establishing new ways of working.

Return to Campus

What are we allowed to do when? How will we work?
  • Opening up elements of the campus in line with government legislation
  • The future of social distancing
  • Implications for activities on campus
  • Estate implications e.g. ventilation
  • Travel
  • Dynamic Working
  • Increasing staff wellbeing and job satisfaction
  • Giving us tools to enhance the way we work
  • Creating an outstanding, diverse and sustainable workplace
  • Promoting the achievement of personal and institutional goals: Common Purpose

What have we learnt from the pandemic?

  • Remote works
  • Technology works (most of the time)
  • Productivity is not a problem
  • (Most) people want to work flexibly in some form
  • We still want a presence on campus (and people)

So what is dynamic working?

A business and people focused approach to flexible working that delivers better efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery and organisational agility, as well as benefits for working people. It achieves this via modernisation of working practices while providing improved work environments and benefits for the employees.

We need to acknowledge that staff will have different expectations and that the University will have different requirements on staff.

Different Expectations: While some employees want to work from home all the time after the pandemic, most would prefer a balance where they are in the office for some of the week and at home for the remainder.

Different Requirements: The diversity of our staff group means that we are in a unique position. Our business operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week which means that 鈥榟ow we work鈥� requires some different thinking in different parts of the University. Dynamic Working will look different for teaching, research, and delivering services and staff will have no rights to work as they chose.

  • Dynamic working is not the same as flexible working and there will be roles that do not lend themselves to dynamic working.
  • Similarly, there will be posts where on paper, all duties can be carried out remotely. it remains important that we have a vibrant campus and be able to meet the needs of our students.
  • Other boundaries to dynamic working could include the personal working environment of staff at home or access to appropriate equipment and IT systems.
  • Dynamic working is not a right to work from home, but a framework to help staff work more flexibly where their job allows it.
  • Fixed points in the working week include: timetabled teaching, University meetings, service delivery, pastoral care, events and the need for availability of staff on campus.

However, the University wishes to build upon its recent experiences in adopting a dynamic working approach underpinned by 7 themes and principles:

Resources

So, what are the benefits we expect?

  • Productivity
  • Attracting and retaining the best talent
  • Enabling employees to progress into senior positions, whatever their life circumstances
  • Reducing absence
  • Becoming a more sustainable University
  • Improving job satisfaction, engagement and work-life balance

As is noted above, there are few precedents to follow, and it is likely that some experimentation will be required to determine just what will work in a particular context. As we learn and reflect on our own experiences, we will review and add to the information and resources on these web pages.