Hybrid working

Hybrid work regulations

adopted by the Executive Board on 15 February 2022 effective as of 1 March 2022

Introduction

Radboud University supports hybrid work for all staff members who are able to carry out part of their work from home or other locations. Hybrid work means that you are able to carry out your work at the location that suits you best, in which working on campus is combined with working from home and/or another location. Staff surveys have shown that a large majority of staff want to work flexibly, but that they also value the connection with the university and the social interaction with colleagues.

The Executive Board believes that it is important that staff feel connected to Radboud University and feel at home on campus. The campus is the ideal place for colleagues to meet socially and, as a workplace, it contributes to creativity and innovation. The Executive Board aims to provide staff members with the best possible support so that they can carry out their job to the best of their ability. Such an approach requires guidelines, skills and resources;

• Guidelines on work locations, travel reimbursement expenses, expenses arising from working from home, meetings and hybrid meetings and guidelines for a healthy working environment;
• Skills concerning working, collaborating, and showing leadership and leadership styles in a hybrid environment.
• Resources for housing, the home office and/or work environment, secure ICT facilities, collaboration and consultation. Three important objectives form a foundation in this respect:

1. The activity-based support of flexible work;
2. The reinforcement of social interaction and collaboration;
3. The support of a sustainable and healthy working environment, both at home and in the office.

You and your team will make agreements about how you will work both together and individually within the framework of these regulations and the relevant Radboud agreements. To this end, the starting point will be leadership vision, which is based on autonomous staff members who take responsibility and initiative and make their own decisions, in coordination with their supervisor and their team.

Hybrid work requires new rituals and routines. Where will we be working? How will we find each other and establish a connection? Remote working means flexibility for the individual and simultaneously requires that a great deal of extra attention is paid to collaboration within teams. How will you ensure that you find each other, that you know what your team members are working on and that as a supervisor, you are really supporting your team? Hybrid work requires a redefinition of everything that we once considered normal.

In accordance with the aforementioned objectives, the principles that have been laid down in these regulations will apply for the forthcoming period. Together we are gradually going to change the way in which we work. This will entail experimentation, evaluation, collaborative learning, and adjustments will need to be made where necessary.

Hybrid work principles

1. Everyone is welcome to come and work on campus.
2. Our work will be activity-based: we will work in a workspace or a room that suits the activity of work that is being carried out at that moment. For staff members who are working on campus, activity-based work means that you will choose a place that is based on the activity or task that you are carrying out at that moment.
3. It’s the work that is being carried out rather than the chain of command that dictates the kind of workspace it is being carried out in.
4. Working from home is neither a right nor an obligation but it is an option, provided that it suits the nature of the work and the required collaboration.
5. If the nature of the work imposes requirements in terms of working hours, accessibility, presence on campus or otherwise, the staff member will make agreements about this with their supervisor.
6. A leadership style that is based on trust and commitment is crucial when it comes to these changes.
7. The balance between the conditions that allow staff members to carry out their work to the best of their ability on the one hand, and their personal working style and work requirements on the other, requires a tailor-made approach. This tailor-made approach can best be coordinated at the lowest possible level of the organisation.
8. Facilities shall be made available to staff members who are able and willing to work from home.

For whom are these regulations intended?

1. These regulations are intended for all Radboud University staff members who have an employment contract. For staff members who are working abroad, please see Item 3.
2. Other people who work for Radboud University, such as people on a scholarship, external staff members, staff members with a hosting agreement or temporary workers, may also discuss the option of hybrid work with their supervisor or contact person at Radboud University. Please note that the option of hybrid work may not be possible or that you may not be able to make use of certain facilities and certain benefits may also not apply to you.
3. Working from abroad may have major consequences from a legal and fiscal perspective, and a social security or healthcare insurance perspective, especially when a staff member spends 25% or more of their working hours working from home. Make sure that you contact Global Staff Services in good time if you have made any agreements or if you have any questions about this matter. Due to differing fiscal regulations, you will need to make sure that your supervisor and the Administrative Director have granted you permission to work from abroad.

Agreements on hybrid work

1. All agreements on hybrid work should be made within your team and with your supervisor. Please enquire about any agreements that have been made within your unit or department that are to be used as a supplement to these guidelines.
2. Speak up and make sure that both your supervisor and your colleagues are aware of your wishes and expectations, evaluate all agreements and talk to each other if things are not working out as planned.
3. Discuss with your supervisor and immediate colleagues how you will organise your work and how you will collaborate in a hybrid work situation. When making agreements, it is vital that your team or department and any internal and external relations or clients are considered. You can also use one of the discussion cards that have been specially developed for this purpose.
4. There is no university-wide standard for the minimum number of hours or days you are expected to work on campus. The key principle dictates that working entirely from home is not advisable. Radboud University aims to offer its staff members the flexibility of the hybrid work option, in as far as both work and collaboration allow. The agreements must be suited to the work, the working conditions and your individual situation. If circumstances change, the hybrid work agreements may also need to be revised. Keep this in mind and be flexible, as you may at some point be expected to work more often or work completely on campus, in either a temporary or permanent capacity.
5. Make sure that the agreements that have been made are regularly evaluated and revise them if necessary, and always make sure that this is done during the annual appraisal interview. You and your supervisor share a joint responsibility for this.
6. After consultation, your supervisor will ultimately determine what the hybrid work arrangements should be. It may be that your wishes cannot be met in full due to corporate interests. In such circumstances, your supervisor will discuss this matter with you. If you are unable to reach an agreement together, you will need to contact your unit’s HR advisor.

Home office

1. Radboud University will provide facilities for setting up your home office. Use the home office tips to check whether your home office meets the necessary occupational health and safety requirements. The requirements for a healthy and safe home office apply when you usually work two or more hours a day at a computer screen. Signing the loan agreement when you take possession of the facilities for your home office from the university (or signing the home office checklist when you have furnished your own home office) will confirm that your home office meets the occupational health and safety requirements. Both you and Radboud University have a responsibility in this matter.
2. Should you be in any doubt about whether your home office meets the occupational health and safety requirements, or should you have any complaints about working from home, please seek advice from your supervisor or the Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Service Prevention Officer in your department.
3. Location-independent work involves a responsibility in terms of information security. The Radboud University Staff Members Code of Conduct for ICT and Internet Use is applicable in any place where you work.

Compensation

1. On 1 September 2021, a new scheme for travel expenses and the working from home allowance came into force. You can submit an expense claim for the workdays on which you have worked from home. The same applies to workdays on which you travelled to the campus.
2. Radboud University can provide you with the means for setting up your home office, as described in the Working from home memorandum.

Health and well-being

Hybrid work can have an affect on your health and well-being. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working from home with your supervisor. For example, consider the blurring of the boundaries between work and home life and work-related stress. Radboudnet contains tips for creating a safe and healthy hybrid work environment. Make use of the possibilities that a flexible daily routine offers so that you get enough rest and exercise. Should hybrid work lead to psychological or physical problems, you should inform your supervisor immediately and contact your HR advisor or the Department of Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Service (AMD).

For supervisors

1. Radboud University aims to support hybrid work where possible. Take all requests into serious consideration and, if possible, experiment with new situations. In this respect, you should try to set a good example. Discuss the situation with your team using one of the discussion cards in gROW and the information on the ‘Hybrid Work’ page (under construction). Have a talk with each of the staff members who wish to work from home in 4 order to ascertain whether their home office meets the requirements and check to see whether the staff member is able to work without interruptions, etc.. Further digitalisation of work may require additional skills from staff members; keep this in mind and ask HR about the potential for support.
2. Working from abroad may have major consequences from a legal and fiscal perspective, and a social security or healthcare insurance perspective, especially when a staff member spends 25% or more of their working hours working from home. Make sure that you contact Global Staff Services in good time if you have made any agreements or if you have any questions about this matter. Due to differing fiscal regulations, you will need to make sure that you always grant a staff member permission to work from abroad; this should be done in coordination with the Administrative Director.
3. As a supervisor, you will determine what the hybrid work arrangements will be and you will confirm your decision to the staff member in question; you will do this only after you have consulted with your staff member. If you are not able to accept a proposal and another solution is not possible or not negotiable, you will need to verbally justify your rejection during a meeting and confirm it in writing. If you and the staff member in question are unable to reach an agreement, you will need to contact your unit’s HR advisor. Possible reasons for rejection are:
   a) The work that needs to be carried out can only be carried out on campus.
   b) The staff member’s wishes conflict with the required staffing for the services on campus.
   c) The home office does not offer a suitable environment for working from home on a structural basis.
   d) Hybrid work may have too much of a negative effect on the collaboration between team members and on the performance, progress and/or the interests of the team as a whole.

These regulations have been adopted with the approval of the Works Council and following consensus among the members of the Local Council.