FAQs

The College is a UK-based institution and, in the majority of cases, requires staff to be located in the UK and work to be carried out in the UK. 

If, as a Line Manager, you believe that exceptional circumstances apply to permit an employee to work overseas, please follow the process for making a request to employ staff to work overseas outlined in the College’s  Overseas working guidance.

There are no changes to how members of staff should request leave, including annual leave, special leave, or family leave, e.g. maternity leave.  Staff should refer to their local department arrangements for information about booking annual leave and the relevant policy for special or family leave.  There are also no changes to how members of staff should notify absence due to sickness. 

If a member of staff is absent due to sickness or leave on a day when they would usually be expected to be onsite, they should not normally be expected to ‘make up’ that day the following week solely to meet the required percentage of time onsite.

One of the principles of hybrid working is that staff should be available and accessible whilst working remotely; this will include providing cover aligned with the requirements of the job. Staff may be required to come onsite on a day they planned to be at home and must comply with all reasonable requests to attend, e.g. for operational reasons, unplanned circumstances, sickness absence etc.  It is recommended that managers aim to give two days’ notice as far as is reasonably possible.

The balance of working remotely and onsite depends upon the operational requirements within your Faculty/Department/Team. 

How hybrid works for each area is agreed upon and implemented locally, so you will need to discuss the arrangements with your line manager.

This is something that should be discussed with your manager as the situation arises because it will depend on a number of factors at that time such as the operational requirements.

Hybrid working arrangements are a flexible and informal arrangement. It would be impossible to accommodate every individual's hybrid working arrangements when undertaking a timetabling exercise. As such, hybrid workers should not expect a specific hybrid arrangement to be considered when timetabling and will be required to work at the time and location they are timetabled to do so. This may mean an existing hybrid work pattern will change.

The amount of time to be spent onsite has purposefully been stated as a percentage of usual working time, whether that be full time hours or part-time hours. Local areas will determine how this will work for each member of staff in their teams.

The percentage of time you work onsite should be discussed with your manager. For many, the percentage is likely to reflect the amount of time spent onsite on a weekly basis, however it could be agreed for a different period, for example an average percentage over a month, term or a year depending on operational requirements and fluctuations in service needs.

A workplace adjustment is any adaptation made in the workplace to ensure equal access and opportunity for a disabled person.  Discussions about workplace adjustments may arise from the Work Location Framework, however the framework should not be used to determine whether or not the adjustment is reasonable.   All workplace adjustments must be considered on a case-by-case basis in discussion with the disabled member of staff.

There are a number of ways to request workplace adjustments.  Full information can be found on the Workplace Adjustments webpages, including the process and guidance for managers and staff.

No additional measures will be put in to monitor staff attendance.  Normal practice for managing attendance will continue to apply.

Some members of staff might feel they do not want to return to campus at all or feel unable to attend a College location for the percentage of time required by their Faculty/Department.  We aim to avoid this and will initially work with staff members to understand the reason(s) why before disciplinary proceedings are considered.

Where there is difficulty in reaching an agreement, managers should meet with the member of staff to discuss the situation.  Managers should listen to any concerns staff may have and if feasible, take any necessary steps to address concerns raised. In reaching a decision, managers will also need to consider the operational requirements, the impact on other members of teams or associated teams and where appropriate discuss this with their Head of

Department/nominee/faculty/leadership team.  

Managers should also seek advice and support from their HR Strategic Partner/HR Partner on the best approach to progress these conversations, as clear and regular communication, together with early intervention and feedback may address any concerns.  Where appropriate, a facilitated conversation may be suggested.

The Work Location Framework is a framework for determining ‘where’ an individual works, whether that be onsite or hybrid. The Work Location Framework should be referred to in the first instance when discussing work location arrangements. 

Imperial College London has a separate Flexible Working Policy which sets out the right to request flexible working.  

The Flexible Working Policy remains available to staff who wish to request permanent and structured adjustments to their contractual working arrangements which may include working part-time, remote working or changing their work pattern.

All flexible working requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and staff are reminded that making an application does not automatically mean that the change will be agreed.  Any decision not to approve a flexible working request will be made with reference to the eight fair business reasons as detailed in the Flexible Working Policy.

The University Management Board decided that in order to support the College mission and ensure the delivery of education and research, staff working in roles that are suitable for hybrid working should normally expect to be required to work 60% of their time onsite. 

Hybrid work patterns will vary across the College and there will always be the need for flexibility from individuals to ensure operational requirements continue to be met and the delivery of work is maintained. Hybrid workers may be required to work onsite for a greater or lesser number of days in any given week as operational requirements fluctuate and change.

The overall parameters of work location arrangements will be determined by the Head of Department/Senior manager and implemented by the line manager locally.  Hybrid working arrangements are considered a flexible and non-contractual arrangement and may be subject to change depending on operational requirements. 

If a specific work location arrangement is requested as a reasonable adjustment by a disabled member of staff, the request should be considered following the workplace adjustment process. 

Hybrid working arrangements are considered a flexible and non-contractual arrangement and may be subject to change depending on operational requirements.