A message to colleagues from Lucy Everest, Chief Operating Officer; Nicola Davies, Chief Financial Officer; and Kevan Ryan, University Secretary and General Counsel.
As you may be aware, the University is working towards the implementation of an updated approach to hybrid working for professional services (PS) staff.
At a date to be confirmed, but by the beginning of the 2025/26 academic year at the latest (1 September 2025), PS colleagues who can work in a hybrid way will be required to spend 60% of their working time on campus, replacing the current 40% benchmark.
The change is aimed at enhancing the experience of campus for our students and our staff, and improving the impact we have in our roles by spending more time together, whilst retaining the benefits and positives which staff value about working remotely.
Many of our academic colleagues have worked in a flexible way governed by teaching and research commitments for some time and there are no changes proposed to those arrangements. Similarly, many PS and support colleagues work solely on campus to fulfil their roles and this will continue unchanged.
Trade union consultation, ballots and notification of intended action
After the period of formal trade union (TU) consultation across November and December, dialogue has been maintained to try to resolve the remaining areas of concern raised by the TUs. Whilst agreement with the TUs has not been reached, the process has been constructive and has led to several changes including a longer implementation timeframe to better support staff transitioning to the new approach, and input to a supporting policy document.
Nonetheless, the University and College Union (UCU) and Unite have both recently held selective ballots of relevant PS sub-sections of their membership, which have indicated support for industrial action and action short of a strike (ASOS). An initial ballot conducted by UCU of their full branch membership earlier in the spring did not reach the relevant threshold.
We have now received notification from both unions that they will ask relevant members of PS staff to take strike action on Friday, 20 June 2025, which is one of our main University Open Days for prospective students.
We have also been notified that both UCU and Unite intend to take ASOS beginning Friday, 20 June and ending no later than 8 October 2025 for relevant Unite PS members and 29 November 2025 for relevant UCU PS members, primarily consisting of working to contract – full details are available in our FAQs.
In addition, UCU have notified us of their intention to take strike action on five other dates across the summer: Thursday, 14 August which is national A-Level results day for UK students; and four days across Welcome Week in September from Tuesday, 16 to Friday, 19 September.
We will continue to engage with both unions over the coming weeks to try to resolve the dispute and further information will be shared locally where needed around specific mitigations which will be in place to ensure our important recruitment and new student welcome activities can continue smoothly and successfully in the event that the action goes ahead.
Further details about how to record participation in industrial action and other key information will be shared before Friday, 20 June and made available on an updated industrial action information webpage for staff.
Support
Support continues to be available to help PS staff who are able to work in a hybrid way make a smooth transition to the new arrangements and further details are available on our Hybrid Working Hub. The information here is being updated to respond to common queries but if you have remaining concerns or specific circumstances which need to be considered, please take the opportunity to speak with your manager as soon as practicable if you have not already done so, so that such circumstances can be fully understood and taken account of.
As is the case in all periods of transition, feedback from colleagues is extremely valuable so please do continue to share any questions and feedback with your line manager or PS Director.