Agile working Top tips when working agilely

 Balancing work & home life

The physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of our staff and our students is key. As members of the Strathclyde community, we must all recognise that everyone’s personal circumstances are different, and we must all do what we can to be flexible and respectful of the competing demands on our colleagues’ time both at work and at home.

Getting the right balance between home and work life can be challenging, particularly when working at home when the boundaries between home and work life can become blurred. As we return to campus for 3 days per week (pro-rated for part-time staff) many of us will need to adjust to the transition of being based both at home and in the office throughout the week. It is also still important that when we are based at home that we keep a degree of separation between work and home life where possible.

Top tips

  • try to schedule your work time and non-work time and discuss this with your manager as required. You may wish to then let your colleagues know when you will be available for work matters and, conversely, when you have to prioritise other issues
  • if you have childcare or other caring responsibilities which mean that working during the day is difficult, perhaps you can do some work in the evenings or at weekends, when others can help. Every individual’s situation is different and the University’s aim will be to help you do what work you can whilst ensuring you can support your loved ones
  • try to separate work from home: a separate room is ideal, but if that’s not possible, try to create a workspace in a quieter area of your home
  • ideally work from a desk and chair: avoid the sofa or bed if you possibly can– they’re not good for your posture, or creating a work-like environment which might help you keep work ‘separate’
  • regularly check in with your manager to ensure you are both clear about what your work priorities are at this time
  • remember to take regular breaks from work including meal breaks. Taking breaks away from the screen – including getting up and walking about the room, is incredibly important to your wellbeing

Hands on a laptop keyboard

 Keeping in touch – effective team working

Regularly keeping in touch with other team members and your line manager is key to successful home working and is also important for your mental health and wellbeing.

Some tips for effective keeping in touch include:

  • make the most of technology: Skype for business and Zoom are great for face-to-face meetings and decision making. But make sure you build in time away from your screen. Hold in-person meetings where it is practical or appropriate to do so but allow the option for people to join remotely.
  • consider setting up a WhatsApp group for your team to keep in touch when you may not all be on campus on the same days
  • support each other: stay visible and in touch. If one of your team seems “quiet” check-in and offer support, highlight this to your line manager, or just let them know you’re thinking of them
  • communication isn’t only for work: well-functioning teams will get together online for virtual coffee or lunch and check-in with each other regularly. However, it is important to recognise that while some of your team enjoy socialising through work others may wish to spend time with family and friends away from work as well as taking some exercise or enjoying their hobbies
  • chat with other team members: this can be a virtual version of popping your head round the door, it’s quicker and more responsive than email. Skype for Business is linked to work calendars and lets you see if someone is busy or available. You can change your status if you don’t want to be disturbed
  • email is still important: for more formal work matters and especially decision making, email is best
  • use a mixture of online chat, email and video to best effect

 Creating capacity

It is important to make the best use of our time as we adjust to hybrid working and we find the balance of working on campus and working remotely, potentially at varying hours during the week. Creating capacity is important in ensuring that no one person or team finds themselves over loaded or struggling to meet the demands on their time. It is also important that we think carefully about the use of meetings and our email communications.

  • teams should think carefully about how they are spending their time and challenge themselves on whether there are any tasks that could be stopped, paused, reduced or made more efficient. Team leaders should prompt their colleagues to consider this and be open to innovative and challenging ideas
  • help others to manage their workload by being clear on when you need something by and make sure you have allowed time in your calendar to process their outputs
  • if you are struggling to manage all your demands, it is important to let your manager know this. There may be simple adjustments that can be made to address this
  • make time to take your annual leave and get a proper break. Managers should review taken annual leave and speak to their teams about booking some leave throughout the year

Meetings

Meetings are an essential part of our daily work and allow us to share information and ideas and to get things done with colleagues. However, they can be time-consuming and expensive; a team of four employees with 10 hours of meeting per week can cost approximately £26k per year (Watts, author of ‘How to Fix Meetings’, 2021) so gaining the most from a meeting is important. Colleagues are asked to consider the following meeting improvement suggestions:

  • ask yourself if each meeting is necessary. A phone call or instant message conversation using MS Teams or Zoom chat might be more effective
  • think carefully about your invitee list and keep meeting attendees limited. To ensure effective participation and decision making, it is suggested that a meeting of 5 or 6 colleagues might be optimal
  • be clear on the purpose of the meeting and the planned agenda so colleagues can make an informed decision on whether they need to be there
  • let invitees know if only a part of the agenda will relate to them. Give them time back by allowing them the option to attend only for the part relevant to them or confirm they may leave the meeting after their agenda point is covered
  • if the meeting is being used to relay information to others, consider if it could be recorded and made available for colleagues to catch up with later. This will be particularly useful for colleagues working agilely
  • review the frequency of recurring meetings – could you meet less frequently e.g. moving a weekly meeting to every two-three weeks to allow more time for actions to be completed between meetings
  • if it is a recurring / placeholder meeting, think carefully about whether each occurrence is still needed considering the conditions at the time, for example, if little has changed since the last meeting, consider a quick update by email circulation instead
  • reduce meeting durations where possible: don’t automatically schedule meetings for one hour if you only need 45 minutes and try to keep to the meeting time scheduled
  • if you are organising a meeting, avoid holding it between 12 noon and 1.30 pm to ensure colleagues get time away from their screens. Try not to schedule meetings or phone calls before 9am and after 5pm, unless this is unavoidable or fits with the working pattern of participants.
  • plan to finish meetings five or 10 minutes early where possible to provide time for a break between meetings. For longer meetings, build in time for a short break to allow participants time away from their screens
  • when preparing for meetings, think about:
    • purpose – to provide key information; to consult; informal or formal
    • plan - an agenda with desired outcomes
    • protocol – rules of engagement, for example, when the meeting is held virtually, direct colleagues to the chat function to comment
    • people – identify roles for the meeting, for example, have you asked someone to take notes/capture action points?
  • if sending packs of information in advance of a meeting, consider providing summaries of ‘must-read’ information or clearly classify the parts of your pack that are essential reading. You can include the fuller detail in a supporting appendix for those who wish to read more detail. This is especially useful if you have a large audience, not all of whom will need the same level of detail
  • focus on the meeting outcomes –be clear on what actions have been agreed at the meeting, who will do them and by when. These can then be reviewed at the start of the next meeting
  • encourage participation from all members – sometimes this may need the Chair, or most senior person in the meeting, to hold back on giving their opinion to gather the views of all attendees
  • if you are having fewer or shorter meetings, this may lead to colleagues missing out on the social element of interaction with others. Take time to check in on colleagues and ask how they are doing, especially those living alone or with challenging caring responsibilities at home
  • annually review the effectiveness of longstanding meetings, such as Committees. Ask, for example, whether membership, frequency or formal Terms of Reference require updating

Email etiquette

Always think about when you send an email

Unless exceptional circumstances apply, avoid sending emails to colleagues in the evening or at weekends; this will make it more difficult for them to switch off from work as they feel the need to reply. If you are working at night or at the weekend, think about setting your email to arrive in the recipient’s in box at the start of office hours next day or following the weekend using ‘Message Options’ in Outlook. If you regularly work different hours, consider adding a statement to your email address such as: "I sometimes email outside standard working hours. Please don't feel the need to respond until you are at work."

Include a clear subject matter

A short summary works better than a full sentence. If your email is for review, put that at the beginning of the subject line and if there’s a deadline then add that too but make sure your deadline is appropriate (see below). If your email is urgent, then indicate this on the subject line but please don’t overuse this – ask yourself if your matter really is time critical to University business.

Consider the purpose of your email

Always state if your email needs an action and by when. Remember that colleagues will always have other priorities and give them as much time as possible to complete an action. Think about setting a timeline and asking them to get back to you if that’s not possible given other commitments. Alternatively, if appropriate confirm what action you require then ask what timescale would be possible for completion.

More generally, don’t always use email as your preferred choice of communication; ask whether a quick phone call or call on Zooms or Teams would be a more effective way of getting a response. Contact Information Services for further information.

Don’t hit ‘reply all’ or CC everyone

Think carefully about who needs to be copied into an email and avoid using ‘reply all’ when a simple ‘reply’ to the sender would suffice.

Don’t E-mail Impulsively

Emails are a quick and effective communication tool but their informality can be a danger. Never send an email in anger or reply to a rude email with a rude response. If you are annoyed at something, pick up the phone to the colleague instead and have a polite, courteous exchange. If you want to email, save your response as a draft and read it over in a few hours when you feel calmer. You may decide not to send it or to change it.

If someone sends you a rude email, don’t react by sending a rude email back, however tempting that might be. Think about calling or meeting the person to clarify their message and think about sharing the email with your manager for advice. If you choose to send an email response, acknowledge that they appear troubled, try to provide a solution to their issue and keep your tone polite but appropriately assertive.

Think about where your email could end up

Never use inappropriate language in a work email. Whilst emails are informal, they can have significant consequences. For example, if you name an individual in an email, that individual can have the right to read your email under data protection/freedom of information legislation. Emails can even become evidence in a court of law.

When emailing a large number of individuals (especially externals) or when using a mailing list, put the email addresses/mailing list in BCC rather than CC. Email addresses are personal data and names can easily be derived from them. Organisations have been fined for emailing out sensitive information where the individuals involved can be determined from the email addresses.

The Outlook client in Office 365 allows you to encrypt emails (so only the recipient can read them) or to stop forwarding and/or printing. However, this should never be relied upon for privacy as the recipient can still take screenshots or photos and encryption does not remove any legal requirement to disclose the information. Again, contact colleagues in Information Services if you are unsure about this.

Acknowledge when you can’t respond

If you can’t reply quickly, try to let colleagues know you have received their email and when they might expect to receive a response. If there’s an action in the email with a response time which you will find difficult given competing priorities, ask what flexibility there is in that response time, indicating what timeline might be possible for you.

Email Signature

Always use an email signature that shows clearly your name, title and contact details. Use up-to-date University logos to show external stakeholders more about our organisation. However, never include a scan of your actual physical signature as this could be used by fraudsters. If you require to guarantee the authenticity of your emails using a digital certificate, contact Information Services.

 Practical-considerations

The physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of our staff and our students is key. As members of the Strathclyde family, we must all recognise that everyone’s personal circumstances are different, and we must all do what we can to be flexible and respectful of the competing demands on our colleagues’ time both at work and at home.

Getting the right balance between home and work life can be challenging, particularly when working at home when the boundaries between home and work life can become blurred. As we return to campus for 3 days per week (pro-rated for part-time staff) many of us will need to adjust to the transition of being based both at home and in the office throughout the week. It is also still important that when we are based at home that we keep a degree of separation between work and home life where possible.

Health & safety considerations

Working from home, in some capacity, is now an established way of working for many staff. However colleagues should be mindful of some of the practical considerations involved when working at home.

Display screen equipment

Staff who use DSE on campus are required to complete the Display Screen Equipment online training, which includes DSE self-Assessment for their workstation on campus. If you also work at home, as part of Agile Working, then you do not need to redo the DSE self-assessment your workstation at home. Instead, the principles of the training can be applied at home and a Home Working Checklist should be completed which incorporates a section about your workstation at home.  If an issue is identified with regards to the DSE set up at home, this should be recorded and raised with your manager if you are unable to resolve this yourself.  For staff working at home a general risk assessment for homeworking must also be completed.

Helpful information on setting up your workstation and reducing the risk of neck and shoulder pain can be found by watching the HSE’s Temporary Working at Home video and in the links provided in the Home Working Checklist

There are some simple steps that staff can take to reduce the risks from display screen work whilst working from home:

  • make sure the display screen is raised so that the top of the screen is at eye level. If a riser or laptop stand isn’t available, this can be done using a box or some books if necessary.
  • if possible, use a separate keyboard and mouse when using a laptop. This enables the display screen to be positioned correctly.
  • adjust your chair height if possible. Arms should be at right angles, with forearms lightly supported by the work surface. Try using a cushion on the chair seat if the work surface is too high.
  • rest your feet firmly on the floor. Try using a box or some books if you need to adjust your position.
  • use a folded towel to provide more back support if needed.
  • try standing to work if required and appropriate and use a kitchen bench as a workspace.
  • break up long spells of display screen work by building in rest breaks (for example, 10 minutes every hour) or incorporate changes in activity.
  • avoid awkward, static postures by regularly changing your position
  • get up and move or try doing stretching exercises regularly.
  • avoid eye fatigue by looking away from your screen, changing focus and blinking from time to time
  • avoid using mobile phones or tablets for too long whilst sitting on a sofa or bed in a static position

In discussion with your line manager, your department/school will endeavour to supply some small items of equipment (e.g. computer peripherals) for use whilst working from home where the requirement has been identified. Alternatively, where feasible it may be decided by your manager that you can take certain small pieces of equipment from your workspace on campus.

If you require additional IT equipment for home working (monitors, laptops, etc.) you should discuss this with your line manager. If authorisation is given, there are processes in place for the purchase and distribution of such kit, imaged and ready for use. Contact the ISD helpdesk for more information by email at cas-help@strath.ac.uk (for professional services staff) or help@strath.ac.uk (for academic staff and students).

On-campus IT equipment

If your line manager has authorised you to take your on-campus IT equipment home you should discuss this either with the ISD helpdesk or your local IT staff. Points you would need to consider are:

  • if you have a desktop PC it is unlikely to be able to connect to a home Wi-Fi network. You will need a cable to attach it to your home broadband router or you will have to purchase a Wi-Fi Dongle. You may also require to have your network interface re-configured
  • does your desktop PC have suitable speakers/headphones and webcam?
  • it may be necessary to re-image the device to work correctly off campus
  • you will also need to:
    • remember to update your department asset register
    • think about the situation where you may be working in a blended way partly on campus and partly working from home Find out more about accessing University IT systems at home

Insurance

You should check if there are any personal implications of home working on your home insurance or leasing / rental arrangements. University equipment is covered by the University’s own arrangements.

The University holds liability insurance that provides cover for the legal liabilities of the University and its employees whenever they are engaged in University business. This cover applies irrespective of where the activity is taking place.

IT Systems

There are lots of IT resources available to allow you to work remotely from home, keep in touch and access your work online. You can download software to support working at home (including Microsoft Office at no cost to yourself), access your emails online, keep in touch using Skype for Business or Zoom, and access your University network drives remotely.

More information on how to access all of these services is available on the working off-campus webpages. Our IT Services colleagues will be able to provide support to colleagues as required.

Data protection & security of information

The University must still comply with its obligations in relation to data protection and confidentiality. It is important if you are working with personal data and other confidential information at home, that you ensure this is kept secure. This applies to both paper and electronic materials.

You should ensure that all personal and confidential data is stored on University-provided secure storage e.g. Sharefile, Onedrive, H or I drive, rather than locally on your own devices. You should only use your University email for official University business. Personal data should never be transferred via personal email addresses.

It is important to make sure that confidential or personal information is not left unattended and/or visible to others, either hardcopy or on a computer screen – this will be particularly important if, for example, you have a flatshare arrangement. More information on data protection and guidance relating to data protection can be found on our Sharepoint pages. Please also see University guidance on Cyber Security.