The Bath Hybrid Model

This guide explains how professional services staff can work on a hybrid basis where their role can be performed remotely, and when the arrangement has been approved by their line manager in advance.

When campus returned to normal operations following the end of public health restrictions required by the COVID pandemic, it was acknowledged by the University that there was scope for more flexible working models for professional services staff than had previously been the case. This was introduced in the form of “Future Ways of Working Arrangements”.

A detailed review and evaluation of the “Future Ways of Working Arrangements” was carried out in 2022 and again in 2023. These reviews combined data drawn from responses to Work & Wellbeing Surveys, interviews with Heads of Department, focus groups with professional services staff, and input from trade union representatives. Additional data was analysed from car parking and Wi-Fi usage. These reviews identified the benefits of, and the challenges experienced from, a hybrid working approach.

The University remains committed to a hybrid working approach. Hybrid working patterns will continue to evolve as teams develop new services, new efficient ways of working, embed new technology etc.

The Model

This model is for staff in the Management, Specialist & Administrative (MSA), Technical & Experimental (T&E) and Operations, Facilities & Support (OFS) job families who can undertake their duties effectively away from the University premises. It should be noted that there are many roles in the OFS and T&E job families (e.g. cleaner / porters, electricians and technicians) that can only be undertaken on University premises so therefore staff in these roles would not be able to work on the Bath Hybrid Model.

This model will allow staff and their managers to agree hybrid working patterns which set out how often attendance is required on University premises to undertake their role effectively. The normal range of proportion of time on campus is likely to be between 40% and 80% of the working week. It is, however, acknowledged that some staff may prefer to remain on campus for their full working pattern.

We have however identified two further options for the model going forward. The expectation is that these would be agreed by line managers on an exceptional basis only and would apply to a minority of roles:

Very Low hybrid option: We recognise that there are a few roles where ‘Very Low’ attendance (<40%) on University premises can be beneficial for the Department and individual. Heads of Department should be able to approve such attendance patterns, ensuring that they put the appropriate management and support in place. We believe that having regular, physical ‘team’ meetings where people can form that social connection is one way of ensuring team cohesion and maintaining individual connection with the University.

Largely remote option: We expect ‘largely remote’ working (visiting University campus once per month or less) to be a rare exception, where there is a very clear business reason and individual need for such an arrangement. As well as establishing a very different type of working with colleagues, it can also have HR and employment contract considerations.

If Line Managers are considering any such arrangements, they should seek advice from their HR Business Partner, before putting any such arrangements in place.

Setting up hybrid working for professional services staff

The University has an obligation to ensure that all our staff have safe workplaces. This includes when a hybrid working arrangement has been agreed with the line manager.

All hybrid workers and their managers should refer to the Hybrid Working Safety Guidance, and it is expected that hybrid workers complete a workstation self-assessment before starting to work from home. Further information, including a link to the self-assessment can be found here.

Based on the common success factors currently found around the University, the model of hybrid working that is recommended for the future has the following characteristics.

As a university we provide each hybrid worker with:

• A laptop and suitable carry case
• The ability to book a workstation comprising of a desk, an ergonomic chair, docking station, monitor[s], external mouse, and keyboard on University premises
• Somewhere to store their personal effects, such as a locker

In addition, as a university we ensure that:

• Department desks, whilst bookable, are co-located to enable collaboration
• There is sufficient access to breakout space nearby, possibly shared with other, neighbouring departments
• There are sufficient bookable meeting rooms, set up for hybrid meetings, shared with other departments
• There are places to go for people to eat away from their workstation for the day

When it comes to working practices, we expect that each person:

• understands that they are employed to support the work of the University community, and so the first consideration in decision making about time, location and effort is the impact on the wider community and team
• can choose in agreement with their line manager, and with respect to the needs of what they are doing and the team as a whole, where is the best place to work from on a given day
• person can flex hours on the basis of informal agreement with line manager that takes account of being available to colleagues and customers, and the use of digital tools to achieve this
• will meet the expected outcomes as agreed with their line manager
• fulfils their promises to deliver their outcomes to time and quality

Beyond this, we expect that each team and department has a regular conversation where they work out how to apply this model to their context given the needs of what they are trying to do and how they need to support one another in doing so.

We further expect that this conversation results in a locally agreed set of standards [e.g. team charter] that places the interests of the academic mission of the University at its heart and should be revisited as situations evolve and change.

It should be noted that education and research job family staff already have a form of hybrid working arrangements which will continue to operate.