Home Working Guidance during Covid 19 - Version 1 June 2020 - Page - City of York Council
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Home Working Guidance during Covid 19
Version 1
June 2020
Page 1 of 14Contents Home Working Guidance during Covid 19 .................................................................. 1 HOME WORKING GUIDANCE DURING COVID-19 (June 2020) ........................... 3 FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS ............................................................................. 5 TRAVEL & SUBSISTENCE ..................................................................................... 6 TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS / EQUIPMENT NEEDS ...................................... 8 HEALTH & SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS ............................................................... 9 WORKING AWAY FROM HOME............................................................................12 CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY ....................................................................12 FURTHER SUPPORT ............................................................................................13 Page 2 of 14
HOME WORKING GUIDANCE DURING COVID-19 (June 2020) This guidance sets out our interim approach to homeworking during the coronavirus outbreak. The Government guidance has stated that to reduce the risk of infection, we must work from home if we are able to do so. We are therefore asking all staff to work from home unless this is not possible due to the nature of their role. We do not expect the majority of office based staff to return to office accommodation for some considerable time, unless there is a significant change in how we respond to the pandemic, or a change in government advice. However we would like to reassure you that your wellbeing is of the utmost importance to us, and we understand the continued pressure to balance the demands of working from home and family life. For some working from home will be a new experience, contained below is some guidance to help you manage working from home. Working hours / Workload Normal arrangements for working your contractual hours should continue to be followed when working from home. This includes arrangements in place to cover and meet service requirements e.g. in some areas fixed hours apply, or the option to work flexibly (as per the Council’s flexi time scheme). We recognise that there may be additional flexibility needed in the current circumstances, due to school and nursery closures. Where the age of children makes working from home difficult, employees are asked to explore with their line managers what work might be possible to undertake, fitting work around the needs of their children in terms of hours, patterns, work activities. See further guidance for Staff with dependants. Be mindful that you are not overworking due to the constant access to technology and Page 3 of 14
limited opportunity to leave the house. "Downtime" from work is essential.
Make use of tools such as shared calendars and out-of-office messaging to
help make colleagues aware of your availability.
To help maintain your health and wellbeing, please make sure that you take adequate
rest breaks, take time off for lunch each day and make sure you take regular
breaks of at least 30 minutes each working day that lasts more than six hours.
Break up long spells of work on the computer with rest breaks (ideally five
minutes every hour) or changes in activity. See Working Time Regulations
(WTR) see compliance note CYC/HS/CN39) for further guidance.
Liaising with your line manager
You should keep in regular contact with your manager, and ensure that you keep
them up to date with what you are working on. Equally, you should make sure you
notify your manager if you are unsure about what you are required to do.
Employees should consider all lines of communication, Skype video or calling is a
great way to keep in touch, rather than relying on emails.
Regular one to one calls should be diarised in between you and your line manager
Unplanned absence from work
Absence from work will continue to be managed in the same way. Employees who
are unable to attend work due to an unplanned reason for example illness must report
their absence by calling the CYC absence line on 01904 809584 in line with the
council’s attendance management policy and provide updates if absences are to be
extended.
When you know that you are able to return to work you must call the CYC Absence
Line again, to confirm, that you are returning to work and that the absence which has
been recorded is accurate.
Where your absence is sickness related your line manager should arrange a return to
work interview when you are fit to return to work. This is to identify whether any
support or adjustments need to be put in place to enable you to maintain your
attendance.
Annual leave
Page 4 of 14Taking annual leave is vitally important for your health and wellbeing and is still just, if not more important, during this current time so we want to emphasise that despite the restrictions on our normal life and activities you should still continue to book and take your annual leave wherever possible. For the vast majority of employee taking leave should be unaffected and the normal carry-over of annual leave applies (5 days or pro rata equivalent if you are part time). However for some in the most critical services there may be some restrictions on leave due to the coronavirus pandemic and new provisions are in place for the carry- over of leave. See additional annual leave guidance FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS Home Insurance Employees working from home are covered for personal accident insurance in the same way as their office based colleagues. Employer’s Liability Policy still operates provided that the employee is working within their job requirements. Most insurers are currently saying it is not necessary to inform them if you are working from home due to the Coronavirus, however we would recommend checking on your provider’s web site or calling to be sure it is the case for them. Equipment insurance Any equipment provided by the council that is used outside of an office will be insured under the Council’s insurance policy. However the employee will be responsible for any loss arising from misuse, abuse or wilful damage to the equipment. If employees use their own equipment for work, this should be insured through a personal insurance policy, and will not be covered by the council. Mortgage and tenancy agreements Page 5 of 14
Employees should check applicable mortgage or rental agreements to ensure
they are permitted to work from home, and obtain any permissions necessary
to work from home.
Homeworking expenses and taxation
The council does not pay for or reimburse any additional household costs incurred by
working from home, but, you can claim tax relief for this even if this is a temporary
situation due to Covid19. Tax relief isn’t allowed on household expenses you’d be
paying anyway, such as rent or mortgage payments or those that relate to both
business and private use, like broadband and telephone rental but you can claim for
costs relating to heating and electricity.
HMRC has acknowledged that it is difficult for people to separate out how much
additional cost may be incurred by working from home so has a scheme where a flat
sum figure can be claimed. You can claim up to £4 a week (£6 a week from 6 April
2020) either on an annual tax return if you already do one, or on the ‘Tax relief for
your employment expenses (P87) Form’. You can get more information on this here:
https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home.
There are no council tax implications when working from home.
TRAVEL & SUBSISTENCE
With the precautions and restrictions for social distancing on public transport other
ways of travelling for business purposes may be needed during this period. If you
are affected by this then you may need to consider using your own private vehicle or
a taxi but you should discuss and agree the best way of travelling for work purposes
with your manager.
Using your own vehicle for business travel
Motor Insurance
If you now need to use your own vehicle for work purposes then you need to inform
your insurance company or if your usage of your vehicle is likely to increase you
should also let them know this too to check your cover is still appropriate.
Page 6 of 14Road safety management register Managers are required to establish and maintain a ‘Road Safety Management Register’ for all their employees who use personal vehicles for work so you will need to provide evidence that your vehicle has appropriate insurance, a current MOT and that you have a valid driving license. Discuss with your manager the best way to provide the documentation for this, but you could send a photo of your insurance or an email from the company for example to confirm your cover. Confirmation of a current MOT can be obtained through the Government online MOT checker. You will need to provide the registration and make and model of your car to your manager for this. Vehicle Enquiry Service Information on what is required for your driving license and how to do this can be found here: Driving License Check information An annual check should be undertaken to ensure documents are still valid. Place of work and allowable car mileage You can claim a mileage allowance for travel for work purposes. For journeys that start and finish from your workplace you can claim all miles travelled; this may be one journey or multiple journeys between places where you are carrying out work. For journeys that start and finish from your home you can claim any miles over and above what your normal driven commute to work would be. This may be to your normal workplace or park and ride site if this is where you would normally drive to. Business mileage claims are for the shortest reasonable route. Claims for excessive mileage will be not be processed without sufficient explanation. Page 7 of 14
The current mileage rate for cars is 45 pence per mile reducing to 25 pence per mile after 10,000 miles. The motorcycle mileage rate is 24 pence per mile. There will be further guidance and examples available soon. Using a taxi for business travel Managers can set up a team account with Streamline taxis which staff can use for travel. They can book directly with Streamline and the costs will be billed directly to the Council. TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS / EQUIPMENT NEEDS Provision of IT equipment If you need any IT equipment, you should notify your manager immediately. We will do our best to ensure that you have all the equipment and materials you need to enable you to work effectively. However, as you will understand, the requirement for homeworking came about quickly, so it may not be possible to provide all equipment immediately or at all. We are aware that a lot of employees are using their own equipment for work, and we would ask you to continue to do so where you can. New equipment in stock is low and the current supply chain disrupted, it can currently take at least12 weeks to obtain and build limited IT stock. Where equipment is needed ICT can provide advice and support on the different IT equipment choices and the cost implications. The IT equipment supplied to employees will be subject to stock availability, prioritised lists of services to allocate new or existing kit, job requirements and management approval. The cost of purchasing, equipment will be met by the departments, unless corporate funding has been made available. Equipment should be ordered in the normal way via the ICT service desk either by calling: (01904) 55 2222, emailing: ICT Service Desk Mailbox or using: ICT Self Service ICT support Employees are able to access our ICT services when working away from the office. The links below provides information on how to be able to work when at home. Page 8 of 14
• How to access our systems remotely • Phones and voicemail - including mobile devices • Voice and video calling (Skype for business) • www.york.gov.uk/ICTPortal - for remote working guides Employees should let their managers know if they are unable to work because of an IT problem, whilst at home. You can report a technical issue or make a request for ICT services (such as access problems, faults or consumable requests) by contacting the ICT Service Desk team contact our service desk directly or by using our ICT Self Service site. Ownership and recovery of equipment Equipment (and any documents and material, written or otherwise) supplied by the Council shall remain the property of the Council and must be returned immediately when requested in good working order. HEALTH & SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS You should liaise with your manager to make sure that your workstation is appropriate and that you are working in a safe manner. However, you must also take responsibility for your own health and safety and that of anyone else in the home who is affected by your work. Display Screen Equipment (DSE) You must notify your line manager at the earliest opportunity if you feel any discomfort due to working from home (such as back pain), or if you feel that there are any work- related health and safety hazards / equipment problems. Working at home does not require you to have a full office set up but you must be able to adapt your own equipment or CYC mobile equipment as necessary to enable safe and healthy working. There are steps you can take to make sure you achieve a comfortable posture while working from home on display screen equipment (DSE). If you use a computer/laptop for continuous or near continuous spells of an hour or more at a time then you must Page 9 of 14
work through the training package DSE PowerPoint Training SAP1 (CYC/HS/SAP1)
and carry out or review a DSE Self-Assessment form F9A.
Taking a digital photograph of your work station can be a useful tool when discussing
potential issues. Your manager must ensure any requirements from the DSE self-
assessment are actioned. For further guidance see CYC/HS/CN9 DSE
It also includes short video clips and further information resources about how to
effectively work from home.
Employees should observe these guidelines when working with DSE:
• Break up long spells of DSE work with rest breaks (at least five minutes every
hour) or changes in activity.
• Avoid awkward, static postures by regularly changing position.
• Get up and move around or do stretching exercises.
• Avoid eye fatigue by changing focus or blinking from time to time.
Health & Safety Support
If you have any queries following a DSE assessment, and you have discussed this
with your manager, then contact the H&S Team by email
healthandsafetyteam@york.gov.uk.
How to order equipment following a DSE assessment
Employees who were using DSE equipment in a council office prior to Covid 19
should speak to their manager about collecting the equipment so it can be used at
home, rather than ordering duplicate equipment. Staff can arrange to pick this up by
contacting Security cyc.security@york.gov.uk who will arrange a date and collection
time from goods in.
Page 10 of 14Where a home DSE assessment has identified equipment needs for example, Mouse, Risers, headsets, wrist rests, key boards this should be ordered via the ICT service desks with an appropriate cost code. (See provision of IT equipment section) Employees who need to be loan a chair should contact the Total Facilities Manager Jane Armstrong jane.armstrong@york.gov.uk or West Offices FM Team, who will consider requests and assess availability. Incident Reporting Employees should follow the usual reporting procedures for any work-related accidents that occur whilst working from home via the Incident Portal. Portable Appliance Testing All workstation electrical equipment provided by CYC must be Portable Appliance Tested (PAT) every two –five years (see last test label). Before you use any equipment check for frayed wires, broken plugs or sockets, and scorch marks, hot plugs or overloaded sockets. If you spot any hazards make arrangements for repair or replacement. If you need to arrange a PAT test email emailing West Offices FM team inbox. Stress & Mental Health Whilst you are temporarily working from home, you may find it harder to look after your mental health and wellbeing. For example, you may be working longer hours, have childcare responsibilities or find it difficult to cope with reduced social contact. There is no right or wrong way to feel in your situation. But some common feelings may include stress or anxiety. If you think you are suffering from stress inform your manager so they can work with you to carry out an individual stress risk assessment (using form F22B), to address the possible causes and help find solutions. The Stress section of the CYC Safety Management System has further information and assessment tools. The Wellness Society have produced a Coronavirus anxiety workbook that can be downloaded here. With a range of practical tips to help make some small changes so Page 11 of 14
you are better able to respond to pressures. The CYC website also has a large resource available and links on Mental Health and Wellbeing WORKING AWAY FROM HOME Whilst we are asking all staff to work from home where possible there may be limited occasions when staff are required to travel, attend a council building or other sites / premises. If this occurs employees should discuss the requirement with their manager, areas that need to be considered include; • How to travel safely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) • Existing office, site risk assessments, CYC risk assessment • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements • Revised office protocols and building inductions Access to the West Offices or Hazel Court You may need to ‘pop into’ your office building, for example to collect printing or something from your locker. This has to be requested via Security/FM for Hazel Court EcoDepot, emailing HC.security@york.gov.uk and West Offices, emailing CYC.Security@york.gov.uk to request access. These requests, will be approved if there is space to safely accommodate additional people in the office. Other smaller offices are managed by premise managers within the service and contact should be made with them direct. This is often a service manager. Meetings We are aware that in some services whilst staff can work from home there may be a requirement for face to face meetings, such meetings can be accommodated there and should be arranged through Jane Armstrong and her team FMMeetingRoomBookings@york.gov.uk i.e. meeting room bookings. Managers and staff should consider meeting in open spaces as well, if face to face meetings are required and not always defer to coming into an office. CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY Page 12 of 14
Employees working away from a council office are responsible for the security of the data they keep on paper and electronically and should comply with all relevant legislation, just as if they were working in a council office. See information governance section on the intranet for detailed guidance. The Information Commissioners Offices ICOs have also produced guidance on the top 10 tips on how to work securely from home. https://ico.org.uk/for- organisations/working-from-home/how-do-i-work-from-home-securely/ Postal Service Arrangements Where people are working from home we would ask that they do not send post if you can avoid doing so, and instead use email. For guidance on what postal services are available refer to postal service arrangements guidance on the intranet. If you have specific service needs or questions please email CCS Scan and Mail Business Support. FURTHER SUPPORT Employee Assistance Programme The council's Employee Assistance Programme - is a free telephone and face to face counselling service to give you both practical and emotional support whether for personal or work related concerns. You can contact the service on 0800 111 6387 or visit the website (the access code you require to enter the site is CYC). Employee Wellbeing Line Our Employee Wellbeing Line service is available for queries relating to working hours, pay, health or wellbeing available from 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. The HR team will assist with queries and direct you to the best place for support or further help if required. Please leave a message if you're not able to call during the day, and a member of the team will call you back. Telephone: 01904 551800 or email: employeewellbeing@york.gov.uk General HR Queries Page 13 of 14
For general payroll, recruitment or HR administration enquiries email: Hrbusinesscentre@york.gov.uk Coronavirus Guidance for Employees and Managers For current coronavirus guidance for manager and employee refer to the following CYC and intranet pages Coronavirus guidance for staff and Coronavirus guidance for managers HR and Homeworking Covid-19 Queries If you have any specific Covid 19 HR queries or questions in relation to this guidance email Covid19-HRqueries@york.gov.uk. Page 14 of 14
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