Purpose
These pages set out the University's response to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic with recent changes from the rise of the Omicron variant and increased spread. and your actions as line managers.
While the pandemic is ongoing, the arrangements on these pages are temporary and remain under constant review; they do not represent a substantive change to the underlying Terms and Conditions of employment. In the same way, the adaptation guides (see section 8 below) explain temporary changes in how we are applying our HR policies and procedures during the pandemic.
The guidance on these pages and the related General FAQs for staff and FAQs on self-isolation apply to all staff in the University.
Advice and support on any of the matters in this guide is available from your HR Advisor or Business Partner or see Who is my HR support.
This guidance continues to be updated on an ongoing basis in line with further national Government / public health guidance and in liaison with our campus Trade Unions.
Our Approach to the Step 4 of the UK Government's Roadmap out of Lockdown
On 22 February 2021, the Prime Minister addressed the nation again to announce the 4-step Roadmap out of Lockdown 3. The announcement set out the 4 steps to take England out of lockdown in graduated stages as follows, subject to meeting the Four Tests - Figure 8:
On 12 July 2021, the Prime Minister addressed the nation and confirmed that from 19 July 2021 England will move to Step 4 of the Roadmap out of Lockdown. Please see the updated UK Government guidance on what you can and cannot do in Step 4
While removing the legal requirements for social distancing and mask-wearing the Prime Minister and the UK Government have emphasised the importance of individuals and employers exercising caution and continuing to take steps to reduce the transmission of the virus. The University is applying the strongest rules that we can operate effectively under the Government's current legislation and guidance for employers and HEIs.
From 16 August the double-jabbed are no longer required to self isolate after contact with a COVID-positive individual. The guidance in this guide has been updated in line with these changes for those with contact with and who live with a COVID-positive individual.
1. What this means for our staff - changes for Step 4
UK Government announcements and implications for our staff
Our approach to this new academic year 2021/22 in line with Step 4 is set out here.
Step 4 means are staff who have not done so before, are able to return to work on campus / site but in line with our approach to Future Ways of Working for professional service staff, which aims to take the best from pre-COVID and in-COVID working arrangements.
Changes to self-isolation for double-jabbed staff from Monday 16 August
As announced by the UK Government on 6 July, from 16 August, "double-jabbed" individuals and under 18s will no longer be required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19 by NHS Test & Trace.
If your staff report that they have been a contact of someone with a positive test for COVID-19, then you should first ask them if they have received both COVID-19 vaccinations. This can be confirmed via a scanned copy of their vaccination card and / or from their NHS-App. If the staff member is unable to provide confirmation of their dual-vaccination status please contact your HR Advisor or Business Partner.
Please note that if someone gets their second dose just before, or after, the 16th of August, they will need to wait until two weeks after they have had their second jab to benefit from these new freedoms so the vaccine has time to build the maximum possible protection.
Double-jabbed staff who have had contact with a COVID-positive individual (e.g. confirmed through NHS Test & Trace)
Staff confirmed as "double-jabbed" who have had a contact with an individual who has COVID symptoms and / or has received a positive COVID PCR test are now required to:
take a PCR test themselves, to detect the virus and variants of concern. They may continue to work on-campus/site while awaiting the test result;
- if they test positive from the PCR test they will be legally required to self-isolate, irrespective of their vaccination status;
- if they test negative from the PCR they will be allowed to continue working. They should continue to take regular LFD tests - see details for how they can pick up their free LFD COVID tests.
For staff who are not double-jabbed they must continue to isolate for 10-days in line with the existing advice.
Those double-jabbed staff living with family or household members with a positive COVID test and / or with COVID symptoms
We are operating a slightly different approach for staff in this situation, given their likely higher level and period of contact with a family / household member who has the virus before that person is confirmed as COVID-positive.
Staff who have confirmed their double-jabbed status who are in this situation need to:
follow the government guidance for socially distancing and preventing infection at home straight away to avoid getting infected
inform their line manager straight away and they must not attend campus or any other University site while taking a PCR test and awaiting the result.
take a free PCR test, to detect the virus and inform their manager of the result as soon as they receive it;
if they test positive from the PCR test they must (as legally required to) self-isolate, irrespective of their vaccination status for 10-days;
if they test negative from the PCR test they will be allowed to return to work on campus / site. On return it is important that they continue to observe social distance, wear a mask where identified and take regular lateral flow diagnostic (LFD) tests - see details for how they can pick up their free LFD COVID tests.
Further information
There is more detailed information here on what to if a staff member has COVID or has been in contact with it
2. Return to campus - Actions for line managers and staff
From 19 July 2021, the Government removed the requirement for staff to work from home if they are able to do so effectively. This and the other changes in Step 4 mean that staff who have not done so before, are able to return to work on campus / site.
Our approach is to take the best from pre-COVID and in-COVID working arrangements, to give staff and the wider University community the most effective working arrangement. [Future Ways of Working](https://www.bath.ac.uk/topics/future-ways-of-working-for-professional-services-staff.bho/) is the approach for all professional service staff to follow.
Actions to keep yourself and other members of the University community safe
The University is maintaining a range of measures to protect each other. This relies on each member of staff (and other members of the University community) following these measures. Please make sure that your staff are aware of these and motivated to keep following them.
Make sure that your staff are aware of the University's guidance on how to [Be safe on campus and in Bath during the Covid-19 pandemic]. This includes:
Social distancing - for example maintaining social distancing wherever possible, following one-way systems and keep left signage and the 2m separation of staff and students in in-person lectures
Maintain good hand hygiene - follow the NHS hand-washing guidance** every time they arrive at the University or get home, blow their nose, sneeze or cough, use the toilet, before they eat etc.
- Maintain ventilation - maintain the ventilation arrangements that the University has put in place and increase ventilation if a room feels stuffy
- Wear a face covering - where advised, such as when moving around in indoor public spaces, such as corridors and in retail and hospitality outlets - see University guidance
- Reporting symptoms straight-away and self-isolating - it is critical that your staff report any COVID-symptoms and self-isolate in line with the University guidance for staff with COVID or required to self-isolate
- Report any concerns - Your staff should report to you any concerns that they may have about any areas where the measures are not being followed. This will allow you to raise these with our Estates, Safety, Health & Employee Wellbeing and / or HR teams and take any further feasible actions to improve controls
3. Supporting Staff to Return to Campus / Site and the end of Furlough
Supporting our Clinically Exceptionally Vulnerable staff and others with health concerns around their arrangements for returning to campus
If members of your staff have any health concerns around returning to campus, then they need to advise you as their line manager as soon as possible.
With the positive impact of the UK's vaccination programme on the transmission, severity and outcomes of COVID and there has been a change to the Government's guidance for the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable with the end of shielding and working from home guidance.
If you have any staff who are in the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) group they will have originally received a letter from their GP or the NHS confirming their status on the Shielded Patient List. These individuals identified as CEV on the Shielded Patient List will have received (or be about to receive) a letter from the government informing them of this decision to end shielding for this group and what to do. They and you should follow the **Government's guidance for CEV staff.
Assessing new returners and those whose personal health situation has significantly changed
New returners to working on campus / site, or staff i whose personal health situation has significantly changed since they last returned to site should complete a confidential online return-to-campus health questionnaire, which will be reviewed through our Occupational Health service. We would expect those going through this process to normally be staff in the CEV group or those whose GP has written to confirm concerns and / or possible adjustments.
To action this process you should contact your [HR Advisor](HR Advisor or Business Partner or see Who is my HR support to organise for the staff member to be able to access and complete the return to campus health questionnaire. Where necessary, a consultation will be arranged for the staff member with an Occupational Health practitioner. This will be arranged through HR who will triage the submitted questionnaires.
The Occupational Health practitioner will advise on any possible additional control measures that might be helpful for specific individuals. You as their line manager, with assistance and advice from HR where required, will then translate this guidance into specific working procedures and to determine what is feasible and reasonable.
Staff with anxiety
There may be staff outside of the CEV group above who suffer from anxiety about returning to campus; particularly if they have been working from home for up to 18-months. It is our job to help support these staff to return to appropriate working to benefit them, their colleagues and the wider University community.
We would ask staff with anxiety about returning to campus, to first talk to you you as their line manager. In many cases, through sensitive encouragement, support and graduated steps you may be able to help them in returning to on-site / campus working as required for their role and your service.
For staff who require greater support please contact your HR Advisor or Business Partner or see Who is my HR support who can give you advice on supporting these staff and assist them in accessing confidential support from the Employee Assistance Programme or the **Education Support Partnership.
The end of Furlough
With the move to Step 4 of the Govt Roadmap the number of staff on furlough has already to very low numbers. The Government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) better known as the Furlough scheme ended on 30 September 2021. Information has been sent to the very few staff on furlough, that this will end on 30 September 2021. Please contact your HR Business Partner or Advisor or see Who is my HR support if you have any staff in this group about the next steps and support for them.
4. Wellbeing support for staff
In these challenging times in particular, please do make your staff aware of and make use of the online wellbeing resources as well as our Employee Assistance Programme and the 24/7 Education Support Partnership for anyone feeling as if they need additional support at this time.
5. Staff with symptoms or required to self-isolate
If your staff have symptoms or a diagnosis of Coronavirus and / or are required to self-isolate
The University is strictly following the guidance from the UK Government and the NHS in order to protect our staff, students, visitors and the wider community. For this to be effective we need all our staff (and students and visitors) to follow the University's guidance as set out below at all times.
As the line manager we need you to proactively manage any COVID-related absence from your staff and immediately report it using iTrent. Please follow our guidance for line managers on what to do if my staff report COVID symptoms or are-required to-isolate.
6. Arrangements for staff returning to the UK from overseas
Arrangements for staff needing to quarantine / self-isolate on return to the UK
If a member of your staff is planning to take leave or has already booked to take leave outside of the UK then it is important that they contact you as their line manager prior to leaving for their holiday. The University is strongly recommending that staff do not travel to countries against the Foreign & Commonwealth Office advice (see below), which is currently to not travel to red list countries.
If staff have traveled to an amber or red list country they must follow all of the requirements for quarantining on their return to the UK and will need to take annual leave or unpaid leave to cover all of the required days of quarantine.
Check the Government guidance: The government advice on individual countries and the requirement to quarantine is likely to be subject to change on an ongoing basis, particularly in relation to which countries are classified as amber or red list. Your staff are required to act at all times in accordance with the latest government guidance on re-entering the country and should check the UK Government / Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) red list travel guidance.
If they are returning from a country which requires them to quarantine / self-isolate they must do the following:
• Follow the current Government / FCO guidance on red and amber list countries and self-isolation
• Working from Home: If it is possible for them to work efficiently from home on their return, then you as their line manager can agree for them to work in this way while self-isolating and to continue to be paid their normal pay.
• Not Working from Home: If it is not possible for your staff member to work efficiently from home (e.g. your work can only be carried out on campus) they must self-isolate for 10 calendar days and not work during this period. Unless they have symptoms and / or have tested positive for COVID-19 this absence cannot be classed as sickness absence (where sick pay would be paid) so the pay arrangements below would have to be applied:
Pay arrangements for not working during 10-day self-isolation period: As your staff will not be working or absent through sickness during this period you will need to agree with your staff member how these days will be covered. The options available are as follows:
i. If your staff member has sufficient annual leave, they can take additional annual leave to cover both their trip and the required period of self-isolation on their return (exceptionally you could agree for them to bring forward some of their 2020/21 leave allowance to cover this period);
ii. If they do not have sufficient annual leave, they can request for annual leave for your trip and additionally for a period of unpaid leave to cover the all or the remainder of the days of their required period of self-isolation on their return;
iii. If there are particular and extenuating circumstances and your staff member has taken the first full week (7-days) of their required period of self-isolation on their return through annual and / or unpaid leave (i or ii above) then you may agree to give them exceptional paid leave for the remaining period up to a maximum of 5 working days (pro-rata for part-time staff).
Should your member of staff develop symptoms of COVID-19 at any point, they must follow the relevant government guidance with regards to getting tested and report this to you as their line manager without delay. From this period sick pay would be paid.
Government guidance in this area continues to evolve and may change at any time. The University will continue to review this guidance in line with it.
7. Supporting Staff with Caring Issues
Staff with care issues caused by their child or other dependent having to self-isolate or the closure of a school / nursery / crèche / care home due to COVID or COVID restrictions
While this is now much less likely due to the changes to self-isolation of those aged 18 and under and the double-jabbed, if your staff are in this situation, they are asked to contact you (or their Head of Department) to discuss their situation and how this is impacting on them and undertaking their role. You should talk through this with them and work through the three options below, hopefully being able to agree one of these.
a. Working from home – As their Head of Department / line manager you can agree for your staff to work from home in this situation. We want as many staff as possible in this situation to work from home, while this will depend on them having sufficient time to do so and on their role and IT arrangements enabling them to work effectively remotely. To enable this to work, it may be necessary to allow staff to work during different hours wherever these can be accommodated to allow the employee to fit this around their caring responsibilities; we would strongly encourage flexibility in this area. They should follow the University’s guidance on working from home.
b. Not able to work from home - in these situations you should explore options for the staff member to request and take annual leave, TOIL-taken and / or carer's leave (which is unpaid) to cover the period of absence.
8. Adaptation Guides - Managing your staff under key HR policies during COVID
Adapting how you manage staff under key HR policies to take account of the impacts of COVID-19
We have developed Adaptation Guides which are separate guides for line managers on how to adapt your practical application of our existing HR Policies and Procedures that are affected by COVID.
There is a separate Adaptation Guide for HR Policy that is affected by COVID. Please click on this link to access these Adaptation Guides to find the guide and advice that you need.
If you have questions please contact your HR Advisor or Business Partner or see Who is my HR support.