Updated staff FAQ: Childcare, re-grading, off-campus staff, insurance

24 Apr 2020

Frequently asked questions are updated regularly

This advice is correct at the time of publication of this news article.

If you have health concerns then you should refer to the NHS website as recommended by Public Health England. For other queries regarding the current situation, email coronavirus-info@manchester.ac.uk.

The following new questions have been added to the coronavirus staff FAQ:

I’m a key worker but I can’t find any childcare for my child/children – do I still need to come in to work?

If staff are having difficulty finding childcare, they should approach their manager to see whether it's possible to arrange additional support or adjustments to working hours so they can continue to deliver their role. If this is not feasible, they can instead discuss taking furlough leave – the government is now allowing organisations to offer this to staff who are not able to balance their work and caring responsibilities during this difficult time.

I’m in the process of having my role re-graded – will this process continue during this period?

We have decided to pause all re-grading applications so our HR colleagues can focus on urgent issues related to the COVID-19 situation. Managers have been notified of this pause – if you are currently going through the re-grading process and have any questions, please discuss with your manager first. We do not know yet when the re-grading process will resume, as this depends on how the external situation develops. However we will regularly review this and provide further updates as necessary.

I’m a member of staff who is not normally based on the University campus – what should I do during this period?

Government guidance is very clear that all work should be done from home unless it is absolutely essential. As such, we expect that staff not usually based on campus should now be working from home unless they are a key worker. If a company is not adhering to this policy, staff should request that they be permitted to work from home and inform their School / Division if they encounter any issues with this.

Am I covered by the University's insurance arrangements whilst working from home or do I need to inform my home insurance provider?

The University's employer and public liability policies remain in force and are not compromised by staff having to temporarily work from home.

However, while staff are working from home they are only covered by University insurance when undertaking safe admin or computer-based work. While at home, staff should not undertake any University work that involves higher risk activities such as heavy lifting, heat or chemicals. Even on campus, this kind of work requires significant controls for health and safety reasons – the home environment is not normally risk assessed or equipped to do this work safely.

Further guidance on working safely at home is available from our Safety Services site and the working from home FAQs.

If you have existing personal home and/or motor insurance, the Association of British Insurers has recently pledged that your cover will include the circumstances listed below. Your cover will not be affected if you take part in these activities, and you do not need to contact your insurer to update documents or extend your cover:

You are an office-based worker and need to work from home because of government advice or because you need to self-isolate
You have to drive to your workplace because of the impact of COVID-19
You are using your own car for voluntary purposes to transport medicines or groceries to support others who are impacted by COVID-19
Your work is critical to the national response to COVID-19 and you need to use your own car to drive to different locations for work purposes because of the impact of COVID-19