Hybrid working

• If you are a professional services member of staff in a non-student facing role, you may wish to consider dividing your working time between the office and another location that suits you, such as your home, for the whole of Semester 1. As a guideline, you may wish to aim for two days a week on campus. However, the way you choose to divide your time should be in agreement with your line manager/business area (some colleagues may have already agreed arrangements and should continue with those) and must fit with business need. Please remember that there may be occasions when you may be asked to flex your arrangements to suit business needs, as part of ongoing discussions within teams.
• If you are a professional services member of staff in a student-facing role, your working arrangements will reflect how that service is being delivered from September. This will be confirmed by your manager/business area (this may have already been agreed in some cases - please continue with those arrangements).
• If you are in a teaching role or are a researcher, you will continue to work on campus as planned.

More details can be found in emails from the Vice-Chancellor (29 June) and from Ruth Davies (26 August) and in the Hybrid working guidance for line managers. 

It has been agreed by VCG that all committee and large group meetings in Semester 1 will be held remotely. Some senior level committees may be held in person but these will be by exception and attendees will be notified in advance.

The arrangements for all other meetings - such as 1-2-1s, small group meetings and team meetings - should be determined locally, but colleagues should do so in such a way that helps to create space for our students and adheres to latest social distancing guidance.

This new approach will be kept under review and arrangements for Semester 2 will be communicated nearer the time.

A separate project for agile workspaces continues to be developed. Agile builds on hybrid working by providing colleagues with greater flexibility in the times and the places they can work, while still meeting the University’s needs and expectations of the role. Colleagues involved in the agile working pilot receive separate communications about the pilot and the changes that affect them. 

• Many of the University’s existing risk mitigations will remain in place.
• Face coverings (supplied to staff by the University) will be required to be worn indoors on campus, except where there is a valid reason for exemption
• We should still maintain a social distance of at least 1m distance wherever this is possible (note, 1m social distancing will not be implemented in most teaching spaces)
• Windows should be kept open as much as possible to improve ventilation
• An enhanced cleaning regime will remain in place.
• Most circulation routes will remain but may be subject to modification.
• All meetings should be held remotely; small, ad-hoc meetings may be held in person if all parties are already on-site and if meetings adhere to Covid-secure arrangements including the wearing of face coverings and social distancing. No-one should travel specially to campus for such a meeting, however.
• The University’s test and trace system will continue to operate on campus, alongside the NHS system.
• Campus Monitors will remain in place.
• From 1 September, all buildings will revert to pre-pandemic access levels for all staff and students. From this date, visitors to campus will no longer be discouraged and members of the general public will be permitted to access our campuses once again.
• Parking charges and enforcement will resume on all of our campuses from 1 September.

The University has updated its Five Steps process to working safely at Oxford Brookes, which aligns with Government guidance on reopening workplaces. The five steps are:

1. Review and new Covid-19 risk assessments
2. Maintain cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures
3. Limiting close contact with those you do not live with
4. Where people cannot limit close contact, manage transmission risk.
5. Help people to work from home, where possible.

Further detail on each of these steps, as well as information on reopening business areas on campus, managing PPE and signage are detailed in the full Five Steps plan document. 

It is widely accepted that wearing a face covering helps protect others. For this reason, everyone (students, staff and visitors) will be required to wear face coverings while indoors on campus (except where there is a valid medical reason).

Colleagues should continue to wear the University-supplied 9-ply face coverings, if you already have them, until you reach the maximum number of washes specified by the manufacturer. If you require further masks, please speak to your Faculty or Directorate Ops Team.

A visor has been provided for teaching staff and should be used in all classroom situations. You may wish to use both. Unless by exception you have been given specific Occupational Health advice on what you should be wearing.

A transparent face covering is also available to colleagues. It offers the full protection of a face covering and helps ease communication with those who have a hearing impairment, or who are communicating in English as a second language. Visit the Hub for information on requesting a transparent face covering.

Exemptions:

Exemptions to the Brookes policy on face coverings will follow the government guidelines on exemptions. These guidelines explain that there are some circumstances, for health, age or equality reasons, where people are not expected to wear face coverings.

Students and staff who are exempt from wearing a face covering under Government guidelines can order an sunflower lanyard through the online shop to show that they are exempt from wearing a face covering.

For more guidance, please refer to the updated Face Coverings Policy and see above. 

There is no longer a requirement for social distancing, but it now becomes the responsibility of each of us to assess our individual risk and to keep each other safe as we learn to live with the virus. The guidance from Public Health England is:

• Limit close contact with those you do not live with.
• Other practical measures will be implemented on campus to manage the transmission risk:
• In-person teaching spaces have been risk-assessed and room capacities have been set appropriately. In some cases, larger lectures will be online.
• Oxford Brookes and our partners have kept the sneeze screens that were installed at appropriate places throughout the campus.
• All students, staff and visitors to campus will be required to wear face coverings while indoors on campus (except where there is a valid medical reason or while eating). Face coverings will be optional outdoors on campus.
• Those who are exempt from wearing a face covering under Government guidelines can order a sunflower lanyard from the online shop and are advised to wear a face shield, if possible.

Please continue to follow the hygiene recommendations to keep each other safe as we learn to live with the virus. Remember the 3 easy steps:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or sanitise your hands often
• Avoid touching your mouth, nose or eyes
• Protect yourself and others by routinely cleaning surfaces you have touched.

Before leaving a classroom or shared workspace you should sanitise your hands, and wipe down with sanitising wipes (provided) your work area, for example desk, chair arms and IT equipment.

It is important that everyone washes their hands regularly and frequently, using hand sanitiser where appropriate. There will be hand sanitiser stations around the University.

The University has worked with its cleaning contractor to provide an extensive cleaning process. This involves regular cleaning of all areas and identification of high-intensity touchpoints such as door handles, lift buttons etc which will be cleaned regularly by clearly visible cleaning staff.

The cleaning staff will use a curative cleaning product which destroys pathogens that may leave a smeary finish but is an indication that the surface has been cleaned.

The cleaning areas will be regularly swab tested for pathogens as well as having random site inspections by staff.

There will also be antibacterial wipes at workstations and we ask you to use these before and after you have used a workstation or desk.

The cleaning staff will safely dispose of any waste in a safe way.

Cleaning staff will pay particular attention to high-touch areas which will be cleaned regularly.

If there is a suspected or confirmed case the area will be deep cleaned using special chemicals to disinfect the area.

The University's contracted cleaning company, KGB, has also produced a helpful overview of the enhanced cleaning processes they have put in place.

The Government’s and Public Health England’s advice is to increase ventilation in buildings where possible. Research shows that being in a room with fresh air can reduce the risk of infection from particles by over 70% - further detail and a video can be found on the Government website.

Windows will continue to be kept open and the heating on as appropriate in University buildings in order to increase ventilation. You may find that buildings are colder than you expect so we recommend that you take regular breaks and wear layers of clothing.

Oxford Brookes’ Health and Safety Group has reviewed the types of ventilation systems within buildings and their optimal use. The University has considered the potential transmission of Covid-19 and continues to draw upon latest Government and industry advice, including best practice from the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, the Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning and the Building Engineering Services Association.

Any further enquiries related to ventilation should be raised via Service Now. Further information on CO2 monitors installed on campus to support ventilation measures can be found in the dedicated FAQs below.

To support Covid-secure measures on campus, the University has invested in approximately 150 CO2 monitors. Their introduction from November 2021 built on significant work already undertaken to review ventilation in rooms across our campuses. We release CO2 when we breathe out, so higher levels of CO2 in a room are related to higher occupancy and lower ventilation. Research shows that being in a room with fresh air can reduce the risk of infection from particles by over 70% - further detail and a video can be found on the Government website.

Latest Government and British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) guidance has been utilised and the devices have been installed in rooms identified as being suitable and likely to benefit from being monitored. Assessments will continue to take place on whether additional CO2 monitors are required.

Data from the devices will be monitored by the University. This will help to ensure that our BOHS informed assessments are accurate, that ventilation systems and processes in rooms are effective and whether any further mitigations are required.

Measurements are also displayed on the monitor’s screen, with a green (lower), yellow (average) or red (higher) indication of CO2 level. If the data reaches a higher CO2 level, the monitor will also emit a small beeping noise but not at a volume which will disrupt activity taking place in a room. The measurement interval is set to five minutes to allow for a regular checking of CO2 levels in appropriate rooms.

Should the monitor display a red indication level, colleagues can help to reduce CO2 levels through increased ventilation by opening windows or doors. If required, a further action might be to leave the room for short periods of time. Colleagues are asked to keep windows open wherever appropriate when they have finished using a room to help reduce CO2 levels. Please also help to let students know about the monitors when they arrive in teaching rooms - a slide has been produced to support this.

Staff and students should continue to follow the University’s face covering policy.

Beyond this, the University is not asking staff or students to take any further action if the monitors demonstrate higher levels of CO2.

The devices are being monitored by the University so that further mitigations can be made to rooms in future as appropriate. Colleagues can also email healthandsafety@brookes.ac.uk, should they wish to inform the Health and Safety team of a room which has demonstrated high CO2 levels via a monitor, or any spaces they have ventilation or health and safety concerns about.

Assessments have been made on rooms across the University’s campuses to determine which were suitable and likely to benefit from being monitored. No monitors were shown to be required for the Swindon campus as part of the initial assessment of pooled rooms. Assessments will continue to take place on whether additional CO2 monitors are required, including for Faculty teaching spaces and offices.

In line with its ongoing Covid-secure measures, the University will continue to take a risk based approach to the ventilation of its spaces and mitigations will be introduced as appropriate.

Not all rooms would be suitable or likely to benefit from being monitored for CO2. The University will continue to assess its spaces on campus, in line with latest guidance.

The initial assessments of spaces on our campuses were focused on pooled teaching spaces. The University is continuing to assess other rooms, including Faculty teaching spaces and offices, to ensure that appropriate measures are in place.

Please report any potential issues related to faulty equipment to Estates and Campus Services via Service Now.

In order to further support the NHS test and trace it is essential that all staff who are working on campus at any time keep their Google calendars up to date with the following information:

• The office/space that you were working in.
• The date and time of all meetings.
• The location of all meetings (even if it is just in a social/study space or in your office).

It is also important that all staff calendars are made ‘open’ so the information can easily be accessed in the event of an infection. (Please see a helpful guide with a video on how to make your calendar public if you are unsure).

It should be understood that in exceptional circumstances to support the tracing needs of the NHS, then we may need to seek access to a private Google calendar.

By engaging with these measures it helps provide a safe environment to work in and helps us identify and isolate incidents if there is a confirmed case.

Refer to our Test and Trace Policy for more details.

Catering outlets will be open at all campuses

For opening times and more information go to Catering Services.

The Co-op in the Colonnade building on Headington Campus is open 8.00am - 10.00pm, Monday to Friday and 8.00am - 8..00pm at weekends.

Library

From Week 0 (Monday 13 September), Headington, Harcourt Hill and Wheatley libraries will be open 24/7 - you will need your SALTO card to gain access to buildings out of hours. Swindon Library will be open during opening hours for Swindon Campus. Find out opening hours for all libraries.

As well as Live Chat and the Virtual Help Room, face-to-face help will also be available. Scan and Send (where you can request a scan of library material is emailed to you) will also remain available.

The libraries will reopen to visitors and NHS Test and Trace will be in place.

Study spaces will be reinstated and group study rooms/Platform pods will be reinstated for student bookings.

Sports

Some restrictions still apply to sports facilities and pre-booking may be required either online or through the Brookes Sport app. Please check with the sports centre about what facilities are open as this may change as further government advice changes.

Other facilities

• All sites will use cashless payments.
• Social study spaces and open access computers will be available.
• Showering facilities will be open.

As soon as anybody starts to feel unwell at work they should go home. In the case of experiencing Covid-19 symptoms they should report using the Coronavirus reporting form. It is vital that the person self-isolates and arranges to take a test.

Yes, but you should leave enough time at the end of your session to reset the room to its standard layout. 

Dealing with refusal to wear face coverings, or not wiping down surfaces before /after teaching sessions is covered above. It would be very helpful if this could also be reported using the Covid Secure Feedback form as this will enable trends or themes to be identified and dealt with. Campus monitors will also be available on campus during access hours. Regular contact with the line manager will also enable issues to be dealt with locally. In an emergency situation contact security on 01865 483060 or security@brookes.ac.uk (24/7).  

Due to current circumstances, the University will only permit a small number of large scale events. All event requests will go through a central approval process.

The first step is to get in principle approval from the Director or PVC Dean. If approved, this request will then be submitted via the Event Request Form for approval by the Recovery Steering Group.

From 1 September, the general public and visitors will be able to access campuses. 

We have worked with Brookes Union to create a student behaviour agreement which outlines the expectations of students to behave in a socially responsible way.

We have also communicated to students about the protocols for teaching rooms and being on campus, sent as part of the communications about their timetable.

For more detail, see the Keeping each other safe page. 

The University is in constant contact with bodies such as Public Health England, central Government and local authorities. As and when advice changes we will react as swiftly as we reasonably can and advise staff.

If you are working from home you can apply for tax relief on the Gov.uk website. You will need to reapply for the 2021/22 tax year if you applied for the 2020/21 tax year.

For many people, any increased costs from home working are likely to be offset by savings in commuting.

The University will therefore not be making any other financial contribution at this time.

Please take a look at the Working from home in exceptional circumstances guide, available on Moodle, put together by the Health & Safety Team.

If you are experiencing significant aches, pains or discomfort related to your temporary DSE arrangements, having already reviewed the above DSE checklist, please speak to your line manager in the first instance. If this cannot be resolved locally they may suggest a referral to Occupational Health.

There is also guidance for line managers managing teams remotely.

If you haven’t already, and are now working from home, we require all colleagues to complete a home working assessment form. This complies with our responsibility to conduct risk assessments for all work activities. After completion, you will receive a copy of the form via email. The Health and Safety team will contact you and your line manager if there are any actions to take.

Information about hybrid working has been shared with colleagues as we move to a new way of working. Some colleagues who work in John Payne and Buckley buildings will also be involved in an agile working pilot to help us create space for our students.

If you haven’t got Covid-19 symptoms but have to self-isolate, then you may be asked to work from home as best you reasonably can.

If you have tested positive for Covid-19 and are too ill to work, you will be regarded as taking Covid leave to solely concentrate on getting better. Please complete the Coronavirus reporting form to inform the University

On 16 August, the rules about who needs to self-isolate changed. If you have received both Covid vaccinations and it has been more than two weeks since your second vaccination, or you are aged under 18 years 6 months, you will not need to self-isolate after contact with a confirmed positive case of Covid-19 (as long as you do not have Covid symptoms).

If you do not have symptoms, the NHS recommends that you:

• Take a PCR test
• Follow advice on how to avoid catching and how to limit the spread of Covid-19
• Consider limiting contact with people who are at higher risk of Covid-19.

If you are finding it challenging to continue working remotely, please discuss any concerns you have with your line manager, your link HR team and if it would help, with Occupational Health.

There are existing resources (HR Advice to support your wellbeing) to help.

If you are leaving the University, you can follow this ECS guidance to ensure that furniture and IT equipment is returned safely.