Updated staff FAQs: Advice for disabled staff, PS probation, work placements
01 Apr 2020
Staff FAQs will be updated regularly
This advice is correct at the time of publication of this news article.
If you have health concerns then you should refer to the NHS website as recommended by Public Health England, however to make other queries regarding the current situation you can email coronavirus-info@manchester.ac.uk.
We will be updating the staff frequently asked questions on a regular basis.
The latest staff questions are:
I’m a disabled member of staff – where do I get help and advice during this period?
The University’s Disability Advisory Support Service (DASS) teams are currently working from home. They are continuing to carry out appointments via video link/phone, will be picking up and responding to voicemail messages and will continue to answer emails. However, they won’t be able to pick up post so if you need to send any paperwork please send a scan or photo to dass@manchester.ac.uk If you need to book an appointment, please call 0161 275 7512 and leave a voicemail request. The team will call you back as soon as they can. If you’re unable to use the phone for disability-related reasons, please send an email.
I’m a Professional Services member of staff who is currently on probation. How does the current situation affect my probation?
The probationary review processes for Professional Services staff remain unchanged and should be managed wherever possible in line with existing timetables, however, contact between members of staff and their line manager will have to take place by Zoom, Skype or similar, rather than face-to-face.
In cases where individual members of staff, at any stage of probation, are unable to work on their agreed objectives or are unable to undertake remote working on an effective basis during the period of campus closure, then the probation period will be paused until such time as it is possible for the colleague to work on objectives. Such arrangements should be confirmed in writing by the manager. The remaining period of probation will resume as soon as reasonably practicable. In some cases it may be possible to do this whilst working from home is in place, although in others it will not be feasible until there is a resumption of normal working arrangements following the full reopening of the University campus.
I have a student on work placement, should they still be working?
Government guidance is very clear that all work should be done from home unless it is absolutely essential. As such, we expect that students on work placement should now be working from home, unless identified as an essential worker in healthcare services. If a company is not adhering to this policy, students should request that they be permitted to work from home and inform their academic School if there are any issues.