Union survey – online and home working in HE at the time of the Covic-19 pandemic

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

(Update 30th April – the university survey closed on 29th April)

Our branch has put together a survey aiming to collect evidence to inform trade union policies and to shape a collective response to the enforced fast move to working online and remotely.  We want to find out more about your experiences and concerns, including Health and Safety, work intensification and a sustainable work/life balance, the responses and adjustments by management, the differential impacts on different groups of workers (eg by contractual (in)security, gender, age, care duties, disability, access to equipment) and longer term implications. This survey is for all staff and is being sent out by the three campus trade unions.  We would be most grateful if you could fill it in and share it with colleagues as widely as possible.  The survey will close on 12th May and we will report on it to the Leeds UCU AGM.

We are aware that the university has recently circulated a (much shorter!) survey about working from home and we would ask members to fill that in as well (there is a free text box at the end where you can give detailed views and we would encourage you to do so).  Our survey is intended for a different purpose (to inform unions policies and strengthen our negotiations) and is aimed to capture more in-depth personal experiences of working from home.  So please complete both if you possibly can.

To complete the union survey visit https://yoursay.ucu.org.uk/s3/UCU-Leeds-online-and-home-working-in-HE-at-the-time-of-the-Covic-19-pandemic 

Thank you to the colleagues who put together this survey, and thanks in advance to you for filling it in and sharing it.

Casework – postponement of most formal hearings

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

There are ongoing discussions between UCU and HR about the postponement of formal hearings and other casework. HR have drafted some principles on casework which they will be sharing with UCU reps for us to comment on. The broad principles they’re working on at the moment are:

  • To put capability cases on hold, because they believe it will be difficult to monitor improvements during the lockdown. UCU reps agree this is the right decision at this stage, because of the pressures most us are under with home circumstances or the emotional pressures of the crisis. We are concerned however about extensions of warning periods.
  • To assess conduct, grievance and dignity and mutual respect cases individually to decide whether to continue the case online, for example via Microsoft Teams. The collection of witness statements will continue, but UCU are concerned that formal disciplinary hearings conducted online may make it hard for a member to get their case across as clearly. Each case will be discussed with union reps, the views of the member will be taken into account (some may prefer to go ahead), and if the case is a result of a complaint from another staff member this will be taken into consideration too. We think most cases will be postponed.
  • To put appeals on hold (with the possible exception of appeals against dismissal, to be confirmed).

Carrying over annual leave

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

UCU reps asked for staff to be allowed to carry over more than the usual 5 days of annual leave into the next annual leave year if they would find it difficult to use their annual leave during the lockdown, to help us recover from this crisis period.

This has been refused and we are told we must still take our annual leave during the year to 30th September. If you had a holiday planned and you now want to cancel your leave because the holiday has been cancelled, and work from home instead, you should discuss this with your line manager in the usual way. If you are part of the ‘critical activity team’ needed on campus, it might be difficult for you to take time off and therefore it might be possible to carry more annual leave over to next year.

Announcements to students without staff time to prepare

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Significant recent announcements to students have had implications for staff but staff have been told at the same time as, or some time after, students were told. It has left staff unprepared to answer the questions of students about what the arrangements will be.

UCU reps have reminded senior management that, while these are difficult circumstances, it is still both practical and respectful to communicate with staff in advance of announcements to students where there will be a need for staff to prepare and plan so they can communicate specific local arrangements and answer the questions students have.

Home working, equipment and health and safety

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

UCU national website has guidance on working from home and teaching online.

The university advice on homeworking during the pandemic says “Working from home expenses, such as internet provision … will not be covered by the University.”

UCU branch officers advise you contact your line manager or head of school or service if you need any equipment to work from home. The IT team is sending some IT equipment out by courier, according to the priorities set by heads of school or service. The university won’t give general approval for everyone to buy what they need and claim it back, so we are advising members that if you feel you need some equipment, you should get prior agreement from your line manager or head of school or service that the cost will be reimbursed, before you buy it, so you don’t risk being out of pocket.

The home working arrangements are still being seen as “temporary”, which is why the university is saying not to complete the usual display screen equipment workstation assessment, but clearly we all need a decent set-up to work in which isn’t going to cause us health problems. Here’s the advice from the university’s Wellbeing, Health and Safety team.  If you experience health problems from your home working setup, or believe you are likely to, then you should tell your line manager that you will have to restrict your working hours.  This is particularly important if you have ‘reasonable adjustments’ at the workplace to enable you to work safely but don’t have the same in place at home.

We hope that line managers and heads of schools and services will respond positively to requests from staff so everyone can get on with the work they want to do without causing themselves harm.

We’ve also asked the university to contribute towards household bills for staff working from home. HMRC allow up to £26 unreceipted for this. Senior management says they’re not considering this at the moment because they don’t think it is cost-effective use of their money, but we will keep pressing for this.

How much work can you do at home?

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

University guidance about what can be achieved working from home has improved following trade union interventions but UCU reps are still concerned about how the current wording could be and is being interpreted by some line managers and heads of schools or services.

Senior HR managers have agreed with union reps that many staff will not be expected to perform their full normal duties while working from home. Some may be able to, but many staff will not be able to commit to their full hours or complete all their normal duties because they have childcare, caring or other responsibilities and/or may be finding the pandemic and lockdown personally difficult to cope with.

We understand from our discussions that people in those circumstances are not expected to do the same amount of work differently but that they will do what work they can. The university seems to be having some difficulty committing those expressed views into written advice for staff and managers. If you are feeling pressured to do more work than your circumstances allow and your line manager or head of school or service isn’t listening to you, contact ucu@leeds.ac.uk, or speak to the local HR manager first if you are confident to.

Fixed term contracts – awaiting an answer on extension/renewal

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

UCU is calling for all contracts due to finish during the crisis period to be extended at least until recruitment starts again in the sector. Otherwise the university will be making people unemployed when it is almost impossible for them get a new job. We think all universities across the sector need to step up and do this.

UCU reps raised this issue with senior HR managers on 1 April. They told us the university is involved in discussions at a national level with UKRI about securing research funding and with the government about whether universities can apply to the government’s Covid-19 Job Retention Scheme (“furloughing”).

It is clear the university considers getting this funding will be a major factor in how it can respond on staffing issues. HR told UCU reps that if they hope to get a response to us in a few days. There are also of course many research staff not funded by the UK research councils, and many teaching and other staff on fixed term contracts due to end later in the year when the government furlough period may have ended.

We believe the university has a moral responsibility to support its casualised staff, many of whom have been working enormously hard to move everything online.

We will keep you informed.

Latest news

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Covid-19

Information for UCU members on national talks and action over the employers’ responses to Covid-19, as well as updated details for contacting UCU head and regional offices, is at ucu.org.uk/coronavirus

Locally, the branch committee is in regular meetings with senior HR managers about the university’s response to Covid-19. The university regularly updates its guidance for staff as things develop and in response to some of the issues UCU reps raise on behalf of members. You can see the latest university guidance at coronavirus.leeds.ac.uk, particularly the pages from ‘staff advice’ and ‘FAQs’.

You can see the latest updates for UCU branch members at leedsucu.org.uk/covid-19

Strike hardship applications

Salaried staff can apply to the UCU fighting fund and branch hardship fund when you’ve received your payslip showing the strike deductions.

Our branch hardship process is ready to support those members who need it sooner, such as hourly-paid postgraduates who teach, who would normally be paid before the usual payroll dates.

For details and how to apply go to leedsucu.org.uk/hardship-applications-and-surgeries

The start of constructive progress on Covid-19-related issues

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

Text of email from Ben Plumpton to members 27 March 2020

Hello everyone,

Many of you will have been working at home for a week or longer. These are challenging times, and you might feel you are struggling with too much to do, juggling different responsibilities, health issues, practical problems or mental health. Many of us are caring for children or other family members, and that needs to be the priority. Try not to let work get you down, do what you can, and be kind to yourself.  I hope that we as union members can support each other with some of this, and that our solidarity can help us to feel less alone and less worried.  If there is anything you think the union could help with please email ucu@leeds.ac.uk.

1. Welcoming the start of constructive progress on Covid-19-related issues

On Wednesday 25 March we had a more productive meeting with university HR managers which indicated that the university senior management is starting to listen to some of the serious issues staff have been raising through UCU, Unison and Unite unions and through their managers.

There is a lot still where the decisions are yet to be made, which is understandable given the fast-moving situation, but we have moved on from the ridiculous situation last week where the senior management was refusing to stop teaching face to face, suggesting our reps were motivated by emotion not science, and saying they were too busy to consult trade unions on decisions.  We now seem to have a shared aim of trying to get things sorted out as well as possible.

We hope things will continue to improve as senior management recognise the hard work and good will staff are demonstrating in working hard to support students and the university, despite the absolute refusal to spread or waive the strike deductions as other more progressive universities have done.

*** Important: The university’s coronavirus page, and the Staff FAQs page on that site, are updated frequently. Some of this email could be out of date by the time you read it, so please check the site if you have specific issues or queries.

2. Workload and work-life balance

After the mistake of insisting people move straight to online teaching and work with no break for people to learn new systems and prepare their materials for the new format, and some initial bad messaging, the “Staff FAQs” page has been updated to include, under the section about school closures: “We know that for those of you with children or other caring responsibilities this is a daily balancing act and you’re unlikely to be able to work exactly as you would from campus” and “What is key is that you work as best you can in your individual circumstances and that your line manager supports you to do your best, allowing for the fact that we’re all unlikely to be able to work exactly as we would from campus.”

HR senior management have been clear with us that this should not be interpreted to mean staff with children are expected to fit in our normal workload in the evening when we’ve finished the home schooling and childcare. It should be interpreted to mean we’re unlikely to be able to do the same amount of work as we would on campus. We recommend members have those discussions with their line managers, heads of schools or services on the basis that the university’s expectation is we will do what work we can in the circumstances.

We expect the same consideration for staff with other caring responsibilities, and also that managers should take into account practical issues affecting work such as bad internet connections, longer preparation time because of the new format, or needing to take regular long breaks because of not having proper office equipment or setup.

It is our understanding from HR that the university senior management approves this sort of practical, pragmatic approach to the current situation. So if your line manager or head of school or service is not taking that approach, please contact ucu@leeds.ac.uk so that we can talk you through the options of what to do next.  It’s likely that we’ll need to contact HR, but we can work out with you whether it’s best to do this anonymously (for example, if a manager appears to be treating a whole team unfairly) or whether it is something that is just affecting you.

We are hearing reports of school and service leadership showing real compassion and flexibility and working very hard themselves to support staff and students, and we thank them.

3. AAMs, SRDS and other non-essential meetings

We have asked for non-essential meetings such as AAMs and SRDS to be postponed for the time being. We’re waiting for a response from senior management.

4. Mental health support

The university has told us they’ve put additional resource into staff counselling, which is very welcome. The best way to arrange an appointment is to email staffcounselling@leeds.ac.uk.

The service also has a page of online resources with Covid-19 situation in mind at wsh.leeds.ac.uk/info/134/staff_counselling_and_psychological_support

As an alternative, UCU members can contact Education Support day or night to talk, for advice, and to arrange telephone counselling appointments.

5. If you become ill

You no longer need to provide a doctor’s note (‘fit note’) but you should fill in a return to work form when you are well enough to work again. See https://coronavirus.leeds.ac.uk/staff-advice/staff-frequently-asked-questions/#ill_with_symptoms

6. IT equipment

IT staff are working incredibly hard to support the move to home working, and we are most grateful. They are arranging to get as many laptops and PCs as they can to staff who need one and don’t have one at home. These are being prioritised to begin with according to whether people are essential to keep the students living on campus safe, payroll running, and other essential roles. If you don’t have suitable equipment you need to speak to your line manager or head of school or service in the first instance. (You can’t be expected to do the work if you don’t have the equipment.)

7. Volunteering

The campus trade unions asked for the university to allow staff to volunteer for the NHS or in the community. We’re pleased to say that this is now agreed, see https://coronavirus.leeds.ac.uk/volunteering/ (you will need the agreement of your Head of School or Service).

8. Fixed-term contracts

Recruitment across the HE sector is grinding to a halt, so making anyone redundant now is very likely putting them into poverty. We have asked if all fixed-term contracts can be continued until recruitment resumes in the sector.

UCU has asked UKRI to alter deadlines and relax reporting rules, and amend funding, in order to support fixed term and early career staff. We understand many HE institutions including Leeds are also contacting UKRI about this.

9. Strike deductions and Strike Fund/Hardship Fund claims

March payslips are now online, accessed either via Desktop Anywhere and then browse to ESS at https://selfservice.mais.leeds.ac.uk/, or directly by using the Self Service icon on https://access.leeds.ac.uk/ before you go into Desktop Anywhere. If you get an error message, that’s because there are still capacity issues – the best times to try are early morning or late afternoon. As expected, for most staff the strike deductions have all come out in March. If you were unable to report your strike action before 20 March, then some of the deductions will come out in April. If you haven’t yet been able to report (e.g. if you were on holiday or sick or had connection problems), and if you can’t access ESS now, then email industrialaction@leeds.ac.uk and a helpful person from HR will get back to you.

Please claim to the UCU Strike fund and our local Hardship Fund if you need to. Full information at https://www.leedsucu.org.uk/hardship-applications-and-surgeries/, including a claim form to download for our local Hardship Fund, plus a link to the national Strike Fund claims web pages. If you didn’t claim for the November/December strike action and now wish you had, you can still apply. Both nationally and locally we will be processing applications as quickly as we can. NB If you took strike action in November/December and also in February/March, for the second period you can claim from day 1. If you have any queries after checking the above web pages, please email ucu@leeds.ac.uk.

10. Visas

The Home Office has announced that visas can be extended (to 31 May) for those currently unable to return home at the end of their visa due to COVID-19. See https://www.gov.uk/government/news/visas-extended-for-those-currently-unable-to-return-home-due-to-covid-19 In light of the current advice on self-isolation and social distancing, the Home Office is also waiving attendance requirements, so that sponsors such as universities don’t need to report absences from students or employees sponsored under Tier 2, Tier 4, or Tier 5, where those absences have been the result of the consequences of the coronavirus outbreak.

11. REF

We understand that REF2021 has been put on hold until further notice. This means the November submission deadline will no longer apply, although the REF staff census date (31 July 2020) remains unchanged. See https://www.ref.ac.uk/publications/further-update-on-coronavirus-covid-19-and-ref-timetable/

12. Some practical tips

Here are a few of the ideas UCU committee have found useful about working from home.  Feel free to use, adapt or ignore!

  • Keep your to-do list flexible. With increased reasons for anxiety, and friends and family in need of support, we can only do so much.
  • It can be helpful to switch off work notifications outside of your working hours (eg emails, Teams – see how to do this for Teams), and perhaps to shut down your work device when you’re not working rather than leaving it on and ‘seeing’ work constantly.
  • Don’t feel pressure to respond to emails at all hours because your manager or colleagues are working then. If your work pattern means you work at unusual hours, you can save emails as drafts and send them later, or if you are using Outlook software you can usually schedule an email to be sent at a later time.
  • It’s extra important to take breaks if you haven’t got a proper office-style setup at home. Move regularly! It can be hard to make yourself stop (I am rubbish at this…) but it helps to avoid backache etc.
  • A lot of online meetings (Teams, Zoom etc) can be a strain on the eyes. When you aren’t speaking, you can listen in with your microphone and camera off whilst focusing on something else (looking out of the window, a pet, knitting etc).
  • You could use online groups from strike days (eg WhatsApp, Facebook) to keep in touch and support each other, or set up online tea breaks with friends.

13. Finally

If you have a teaching role, or have been working flat out to get things ready for everyone working off campus, I hope things calm down a bit soon. I know so many of our members have been working incredibly hard – your committment to students and colleagues has been fantastic. Official advice from your union (!): it’s important to look after yourself as well as everything else. It’s OK to slow down, and it’s OK to tune out when you need to.

If you or a friend or relative is or has been unwell, I hope you or they make a swift and full recovery.

Best wishes for the weekend and the weeks ahead,

In solidarity,

Ben Plumpton

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

University of Leeds UCU President

How to contact UCU reps

UCU University of Leeds Branch Posted on by

The UCU office in EC Stoner building is closed, but your UCU reps are still working hard to support everyone.

You can contact your local department rep by email for issues affecting members where you work

Email ucu@leeds.ac.uk if you need individual support. (We will only support other UCU members; please encourage all your colleagues to join UCU and don’t leave it too late to get support.)

Alternative number to contact the branch administrator while the office is closed because of Covid-19, for working hours only: 07748186958

(This phone will not be answered outside of office hours; please don’t use this number for text (SMS) messages, please email ucu@leeds.ac.uk)