AU’s guidelines for remote working have been updated
AU’s guidelines for remote working have been updated in the light of the experience gained during the Covid shutdowns. The new general guidelines emphasise the importance of on-site, in-person work with scope for flexibility – depending on local conditions and needs.
Covid-19 gave AU’s staff and managers a lot of experience with remote work. And now that the pandemic loosened its grip on our society and the university has resumed all on-site activities, the senior management team has reconsidered and revised AU’s guidelines for remote work in the light of this experience. The updated guidelines for remote work were discussed by the main liaison and OSHA committees, and have now been approved by the Main Liaison Committee.
The guidelines stress that AU is a campus-based university, and that the university’s campuses are the primary workplace; in-person, on-site work is important, for example in regard to internal and external collaboration, the student experience, knowledge-sharing and collegiality. At the same time, the guidelines acknowledge and accommodate the desire for flexibility. The guidelines green-light the integration of remote work into AU’s work processes, wherever remote work is compatible with high quality and efficiency in the performance of tasks, collaboration and well-being – both for the individual and for the university community.
University Director Arnold Boon stresses the importance of having guidelines that encompass the entire university.
“Aarhus University is comprised of many workplaces and many different job functions. Working remotely is a viable option for some, but not for all. In light of this, the guidelines should be understood as a general framework that can be adapted to local conditions and needs,” he said, adding:
“With this framework, our aim is to ensure that there’s life and collegiality on campus, while at the same time offering scope for flexibility where this is possible and makes sense.”
Staff can agree on the terms and scope of remote work with their line managers; as a general rule, such agreements should not be permanent and highly formalised. Rather, remote working arrangements should be made on an ongoing basis to reflect the needs and circumstances of the individual and the unit.
The guidelines will be evaluated by the Main Liaison Committee a year from now.
Read the updated guidelines on staff service. Please contact your manager if you have questions about the guidelines.