Detailed guidance for returning to campus published
01 Sep 2020
A message from Professor Nalin Thakkar, Vice-President for Social Responsibility and Chair of the Campus Reopening and Corporate Support Group
I wrote to you on 11 August to let you know that our University would be announcing priority groups of staff to return to campus and that we would be publishing detailed guidance.
This guidance is now ready and can be found on our return to campus StaffNet site, with the following groups now being prioritised:
- Teaching & Learning
- Research & Innovation
- Student services and student experience
- Campus core services such as Estates, Safety Services, Library, and office-based activity where a campus presence is required or is necessary for staff wellbeing. This will be determined by line managers and relates to the specific duties of staff.
The phased reopening of Faculties, Schools and Directorates will be co-ordinated through Directors of Faculty Operations, Heads of School Operations and Directors. Schools, Departments and Directorates will be deciding on the people and activities that are now needed on campus, and using the guidance we have produced to make sure that this is done safely and efficiently, with a due regard for the wellbeing of our staff, students and visitors.
Staff will be contacted by their line manager in at least a week in advance for the return of their team/department to campus. Unless you are advised to return to campus, please continue to work from home.
We have also published guidance on the measures we have been taking to make sure our buildings are safe. With over 570 labs reopened, as well as other facilities, these measures have so far proved effective. However, we all need to ensure we act in the correct way to keep each other and those we are in contact with safe and we protect the NHS.
To help staff we have published simple video and written guides on how to travel to campus and how we should all act at work to keep each other safe, such as wearing face coverings and keeping 2 metres distance. We are supplying face coverings for everyone who returns to campus.
We have spoken to a number of colleagues who have been working on campus in a variety of roles for some time and their personal reflections can be found on StaffNet.
There is also a significant amount of further information including: travel, research, teaching and HR on our coronavirus site.
While we are some way from the levels of occupancy of campus that we all remember, I am pleased to say that we are now – safely – moving to a situation where some of that atmosphere is returning, and we are able to think about new ways we can work.
Thank you for your continued and valuable cooperation.
Professor Nalin Thakkar
Vice-President Social Responsibility and Chair of the Campus Reopening and Corporate Support Group.