Some advice for the VC

In spring this year, and almost overnight, UK universities were transformed into online institutions where e-learning and remote working was the order of the day, writes Kathleen Heycock, Partner at Farrer and Co LLP. Even before the summer term ended, preparations for the start of the new academic year were well underway with the focus on what the “new normal” will look like for students and staff. The challenge universities are grappling with is how to deliver a high-quality student experience and to facilitate academic research whilst maintaining social distancing on campus. Restrictions relating to Covid-19 may continue for some time and it looks likely that in many universities large numbers of staff will continue to work remotely for the foreseeable future. Moreover, the experience in Leicester and Greater Manchester shows that the Government will be prepared to reintroduce tougher localised lockdowns in areas (or even workplaces) experiencing an outbreak in coronavirus cases, such that universities will need to be responsive and adaptable in the face of changing public health requirements[1].

Against this backdrop, I was posed the question: “If you were the HR Director at a UK university now, what are the five or six things you’d be telling your Vice Chancellor?”

Collegiality and cohesiveness will need work

The ongoing impact of the pandemic means that bringing people together and making them feel they “belong” will be more important than ever for wellbeing and retention. Most staff members will by now have got to grips with the practicalities of home working, from getting the right equipment to using services remotely. But an ongoing dialogue with staff who continue to work from home will be key to ensuring they feel connected, supported and valued. For many members of staff, working from home will present challenges to maintaining and managing good mental health and well-being for all manner of reasons, from challenging working environments, to the stresses and strains of juggling working with childcare, to the absence of the usual separation between work and home life. How are you ensuring that teams continue to communicate effectively from a distance, both on work matters and to replicate the informal “coffee break” conversations that help to strengthen team relationships? What are you doing to maintain the motivation and trust of your staff?

It is also worth thinking about specific support that might be helpful for staff at different levels. For example, managers who are used to sharing an office space with their direct reports have suddenly been thrown into a situation where they can no longer meet face-to-face, overhear conversations and monitor work in a more informal ad hoc way. Have your managers been given guidance or training about managing staff remotely? As another example, have you thought about how to make your new recruits feel at home in circumstances where the opportunity to meet their colleagues face-to-face might yet be a long way off?

Idleness is the root of mischief

Anecdotally, I have heard tales from some HR managers of disgruntled employees with time on their hands during furlough or whilst working from home pursuing a range of complaints from petty squabbles, to grievances to employment tribunals. Job uncertainty can sometimes make people fight harder rather than fall into line. In contrast, I have heard other HR managers note a drop in petty squabbles as staff are not sharing physical office space and so have fewer opportunities for arguments and misunderstandings. This comes back to my first point – and the importance of taking action to foster team spirit and combat isolation, including by ensuring that issues are addressed promptly and not left to fester.

Your data security is only as strong as your weakest link

On a practical level, remote working has all sorts of ramifications and the “university” is now spread into thousands of studies, kitchens, bedrooms and spare rooms in your local area and beyond. Previously, most staff with access to – for example – various types of staff and student sensitive data or confidential information/trade secrets relating to university research projects would log in to university systems via university computers. Now, many of those same staff will be using personal devices and connecting to your systems via home networks (or possibly public networks if they choose to take their laptop to the local coffee shop or even further afield). Not all of these are going to be safe and secure physical or remote locations for your sensitive data. Physical documents held away from the office are also important to consider.

The ICO guidance emphasises that while data protection law does not prevent staff from working from home, suitable data security measures should be in place. At the same time, the ICO has said that data protection is not a barrier to increased and different types of homeworking but that employers will need to consider the same kinds of security measures for homeworking that they would use in normal circumstances. It would be wise to revisit your university’s relevant policies (such as your data protection and remote working policies) to ensure they are fit for a remote working model. And when did your staff last undertake data protection and information security training? Now might be a good time to consider the roll-out of refresher training before the start of the next academic year. 

Your unions are going to get tougher

Looking into the medium term, as the financial impact of the pandemic becomes clearer, employers across many different sectors are being forced to consider cost-cuttings, including changes to terms and conditions of employment, short-term lay-offs and redundancies. My recent experience indicates that unions are going to get tougher, as they do their best to protect those they represent amidst concerns that each new seemingly inoffensive step by employers is the thin end of the wedge. Put some thought into how you can work with unions in the best possible way to promote collaboration and cooperation. Ask yourself what outcomes you want, and how you might work with the unions to achieve that. Sometimes you need to stand your ground. But sometimes transparency and collaboration will get you where you want more efficiently and painlessly than a combative approach.

Dare to reimagine your workplace

And gazing further into the future, in many institutions of all kinds this period of remote working has prompted reflection about how the world of work might be reimagined. Pre-Covid, the conventional wisdom was that offices were critical to workplace culture and productivity. Many employers have been surprised by how smooth the transition to remote working has been and how quickly staff have adapted to new ways of working. At the same time, many employees are keen to retain some of the benefits of remote working, such as the absence of long commutes and greater personal freedom and flexibility in balancing their home and work lives.

However, this is not straightforward. Whilst many employees have enjoyed this experience, others have found it challenging and look forward to a return to the office. It is possible that remote working has worked well over the past few months as a result of strong relationships developed in the office pre-Covid. How will those team bonds be developed in the future without physical interactions, particularly for new recruits? And there might be longer term implications that are not yet on our radar, such as the impact on informal on-the-job training and support that comes from being surrounded by your colleagues. On the one hand, you should listen to your staff and give serious thought to what they have to say in terms of workplace satisfaction and aspirations for their working life in the future. On the other hand, think about how you will ensure that cherished aspects of your culture are protected. Dare to reimagine your workplace but don’t lose your identity in the process.

Your competition just got more international

And final food for thought… Certain roles in universities have always been exposed to international competition: from students to high flying academics. However, increased remote working means that there are fewer constraints on the pools of talent that institutions can tap into. Any member of staff can work in London, Leeds or Leith and indeed Canada, Chile or Chad at the press of a button. Why should they stay at this institution?

Kathleen Heycock

Partner, Farrer & Co LLP