Skip to main content

Definitions

The University is committed to moving to a more virtual workforce where outputs are the measurement of success and not time worked. This will be a cultural shift from the University’s previous ways of working.

Some roles within the University necessitate working on campus and can not be carried out in a hybrid or remote location. These are roles where activities or duties need to be performed 100% on campus.  

A campus worker will have the appropriate equipment, space, and facilities, to undertake their role on campus.  Your normal hours of work will be those set out in your contract of employment or as agreed with your line manager.   

The University is however committed to offering flexibility to these roles at the same time as ensuring that student or customer needs are met. 

There are a number of areas where the option for flexibility may be available.  For example, you may be able to work different hours using: 

  • flexitime 

  • part time working,  

  • teaching restrictions,  

  • shifts 

  • compressed hours or  

  • job sharing. 

These working arrangements are all outlined within the Flexible working policy and the associated guidance and advice. 

Hybrid working, which is sometimes referred to as “blended working”, is a form of flexible working that allows staff to split their time between attending the workplace and working remotely (typically from home).  

Hybrid working is available to roles where part of the role can be carried out off campus.  The time spent off campus will be encouraged on a part time basis.  Staff suitable for hybrid working have been identified by their line manager based on the level of activity currently within their role. The type of working pattern will be dependent on service needs, role, flexibility requirements, and the suitability of the individual’s remote working environment. 

Home is defined as a home address in the UK only.  Overseas working needs to be agreed under a separate process due to additional in country costs for social security, payroll and taxes (refer to HR Global Employment team). This is a separate process to business travel such as conferences and fieldwork.  

The University has defined remote working as when an employee works entirely from home or another space and does not have an allocated desk or office space on any of the University’s campuses.  

This covers staff who are working entirely remotely in the UK on a permanent, contractual basis. For any remote work being carried out overseas, the Global Employment policy and guidance should be followed. 

Permanent remote work employees should indicate their primary working address in a remote working agreement. This contract will also outline their responsibilities as remote employees. 

Staff will be provided with the necessary equipment and technology that enables them to perform their job remotely. On campus working will be by agreement and on an ad hoc basis only. 

Not all work performed by the University of Exeter lends itself to remote or hybrid working.  

Remote working roles are usually designed from the outset as such and it is unusual to change a role that is currently based at the University to a wholly remote role. However, there may be certain reasons such as attracting high calibre candidates that remote working may be suitable. 

The University’s standard terms and conditions of employment are subject to English law and as such, all our employees are expected to work in the UK.  

This means that working overseas (i.e. outside the UK) is not permitted unless expressly agreed otherwise in the employment contract and planned accordingly. 

Staff identified as remote or hybrid workers can only work in the UK due to the immigration, tax (personal and corporate), insurance, and employment legislation implications of working abroad, unless instructed to do so for university business, i.e. attending a conference or after following the global mobility processes for overseas working. 

Each overseas project represents an investment in both internal and external resources in order to ensure the same level of compliance as when we employ people overseas as in the UK. We want to ensure that our investment in global mobility delivers a strategic benefit to the University which supports our Global Strategy.  

To achieve this, the University will assess each overseas project against a business case bringing evidence of the strategic value of the overseas-based role against our Global Strategy objectives. 

Please see the Global Mobility Webpages. 

Flexible working is different to hybrid working.  Flexible working takes into consideration the way work is organised, to see whether it is possible to agree to a different arrangement for any particular role, whilst ensuring that the University achieves its core business purpose efficiently. To request to work flexibly is a statutory right that employees can make and there is a formal application process to follow.  

The law on the right to request flexible working has not changed because of the coronavirus pandemic:  

  • Employees who have at least 26 weeks’ continuous service have the right to request flexible working.  

  • Employers should deal with requests for flexible working in a “reasonable manner”.  

  • Employers must deal with a valid request for flexible working within three months of the date on which the application is made.  

If you have 26 weeks’ service with us, you retain the right to make a formal request for flexible working, whether or not hybrid working is available [for your role/in your team]. 

Examples of other types of flexible working that can be requested are:  

  • reducing the number of hours that you are working;  

  • changing your start and finish times;  

  • compressing your working hours into fewer days (for example moving to a nine-day fortnight); and  

  • working flexitime. 

If you would like to request another form of flexible working, or if we do not currently offer you hybrid working but you would like to request it, you can make a formal request under our policy on employees requesting flexible working.  

Please see Flexible working webpages for more information.