Coming back to campus webinars
Following the Government’s easing of Covid-19 restrictions, we are starting to welcome staff back to campus this month. To make sure you are familiar with all our Covid measures and the new Remote Working Framework, from next week we are hosting four webinars allowing you to put questions to senior managers from Estates, HR, Student Experience, and Health & Safety. The webinars take place on 24 August and 1, 9 and 16 September – register for a place now.
A gradual return
A reminder to staff that it's important you use / test your office space on campus ahead a fuller return in September to refamiliarise yourself with your work environment. Perhaps schedule your visit in with colleagues so that you can meet and talk about how you will be implementing your new ways of working. With the majority of staff in hybrid roles their contractual place of work will be on campus.
We encourage you to discuss how to maintain a focus on delivering the service and how best to maintain high standards. Plans are likely to vary across the different services based on the needs of the different groups who are accessing and receiving the services.
Desktop PCs have not been removed, and are available to use – however anyone with a university provided laptop may wish to use that. Do remember to save all your files to a cloud location (Box, OneDrive) so that you can access them from either a laptop or desktop machine.
We acknowledge that there may be some challenges as we transition to new ways of working and it will take time and investment before we will be able to operate in a truly hybrid way, but a working group has been formed to ensure we are listening and responding to people's experiences.
Please read the FAQs for answers to commonly asked questions on new ways of working.
If you get ‘pinged’
If you are contacted by the NHS track and trace app, the latest advice from Government this week is that instead of self-isolating, those who are double jabbed and under 18s identified as close contacts of positive Covid-19 cases are advised to get a free PCR test as soon as possible to check if they test positive.
A new Community Pledge
The University’s Community Pledge attracted more than 4,000 signatories last year. As we begin to return to campus, we still need to support each other with mutual respect and care and be considerate of those who may wish to take a more cautious approach as restrictions are lifted. With this in mind we’ll soon be updating our Community Pledge for 2021/22.
Face coverings
We are encouraging staff to wear face masks in busy areas, such as teaching spaces and the Library. Please remember to carry a mask at all times. If you forget your mask you can buy one in the Co-op at Bramber House.
Lanyards
The University will soon be making red lanyards available to staff and students who want a clear way of indicating to others that they wish to observe social distancing.
Vaccinations
To encourage students to get their full vaccinations, the University will be running a prize draw of 10 x £5,000 cash prizes on 30 November. We will also be actively publicising any pop-up vaccination clinics to students as soon as they become available.
Flu jabs
The Government is rolling out a seasonal flu vaccine programme from September, alongside any Covid vaccine boosters. A free flu vaccine will be made available at GP surgeries or participating pharmacies for anyone over 50 or those living with certain health conditions. University staff who are not eligible are welcome to pay for a flu jab and then reclaim the cost through expenses. Our campus pharmacy will have limited supply of flu jabs from 1 September and no appointment is needed to obtain one.
Testing
The Government recommends that people in the workplace get twice-weekly Covid-19 tests. We are making this as easy as possible for staff by making Covid-19 testing available at Bramber level 1 throughout September, and supplying home testing kits from locations across campus, including any School reception desk from September. Home testing kits are also easily ordered from the gov.uk website.
Ventilation
Thorough checks have already been carried out on all spaces on campus to ensure that Sussex is compliant with all industry standards for ventilation – a review of ventilation arrangements will be undertaken in November. If you have concerns about a specific space health and safety have created a form to allow staff to submit queries about ventilation where they work.
Manager guidance
The Health and Safety team are currently preparing some additional FAQs for managers in anticipation for questions they might receive from staff as they begin to return to campus. These will soon be made available on the from the returning to campus page and the HR new ways of working page.
Health and safety guidelines
Official guidelines relating to Covid-19 change regularly and as such it’s important to take some time to familiarise yourself with the latest advice on our returning to campus pages. The Health and Safety team have recently updated the University’s guidance for Offices and other Low Hazard Spaces and for Laboratory Areas.
Reconnecting with colleagues, and campus
Please set aside some time for yourself and put your name down for coffee and a cuppa session at the ACCA between now and 1 September. It's an ideal way meet your teammates face-to-face, and if the sun is out you might be able to meet outside on the grass in front of the ACCA café. If your group is larger than ten then please book through events@sussex.ac.uk – smaller groups can book using this link. Take a few minutes to read our other suggestions for ways to reconnect with your colleagues and campus.