UOC policy prioritizing e-working extended throughout the 2020/21 academic year

In light of how the pandemic is developing, and in exercise of our university's autonomy and social responsibility, the UOC Executive Board has decided to extend the policy of prioritizing e-working throughout the 2020/21 academic year. In doing so it aims for an institutional response providing stability and some degree of normality over this period. If social and health circumstances relating to the pandemic change or if the authorities introduce new regulations, the Board will review and update the decision.

At the same time, workspaces in our three main buildings will be available to staff who need to be on-site; for more details, read on. The safest option is not to organize face-to-face meetings of any whole team. If such meetings are organized, anyone unable to attend in person should be able to join the meeting online.

Availability during normal working hours

To facilitate coordination between staff in different departments we are establishing 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Barcelona time) as the normal working hours during which staff are expected to be available. This guideline should help make responding to requests, arranging and conducting meetings, and managing teams' and individuals' time easier and more efficient. The rest of the working day's hours can be worked flexibly, at whatever time suits each person best, subject to agreement with whoever is leading their team. If personal or family circumstances make it difficult for anyone to be available during these hours, they should talk to the person in charge of their team in order to study and agree upon alternatives and adaptations.

These working hours do not require that you be continually available. You should take any breaks necessary to attend to your personal needs or the needs of your family.

However, being a global university we have some teams who are based or sometimes work in different time zones, and who may require adaptations to the above guideline for their normal working hours.

Equipment loans

Because of the exceptional situation, there will be a continuation of the protocol implemented to loan staff ergonomic furniture and computer hardware. This is the same protocol that was introduced on 15 May to ensure work could continue as usual during this extraordinary period in which e-working is the norm.

In addition, another increase in the 2020 technology subsidies budget has been approved. It is hoped that it should cover any needs that may have arisen recently and others that may yet appear.

On a separate note, the Spanish Government is currently preparing a draft bill on teleworking. Once it has been passed, we will take whatever actions are required as a result to adapt to UOC's e-working policy.

More on-site workspaces

In this new scenario, for cases in which work on-site is necessary and brings added value, extra workspaces have been made available at the 22@ building and the Castelldefels centre; further spaces will also be ready soon at the Tibidabo 2 building. These spaces have been prepared in accordance with the guidelines given by the health authorities in order to protect our health and safety.

The buildings have three zones:

●      Concentration zones are areas for quiet work in which there should be no videoconferences or phone calls.

●      General work zones are spaces destined for a range of different types of work.

●      Meeting rooms are for face-to-face internal meetings, when these are necessary as a complement to the online coordination of teams.

As time goes on, more spaces should become available, with adaptations being made according to the ways in which our needs evolve.

If you're going to work on-site, what must you do?

Before working on-site, you must complete three steps:

1. Do the short online training on workplace health and safety relative to COVID-19 (just once).
2. Sign the form confirming your responsibility for providing relevant information regarding your health (just once).
3. Request assignation of a workspace using the app. You will need to specify the day (or days), building and zone that you want.

 

Regional offices, open with certain restrictions

UOC centres across the rest of Spain have been opening their doors to people with appointments since 1 July. They can go to the Barcelona centre to collect degree certificates or to present or collect enrolment documents. For other procedures and services, personalized help is still being provided over the phone and online. 

As of this September, people can make appointments at the other UOC centres across Spain to perform any other procedure or seek answers to queries.  

Our centres in Colombia (Bogotà) and Mexico (Mexico City) remain closed but help and support is still available via phone and email, as is the case for the rest of Latin America.

The UOC will continue to monitor the evolution of the pandemic in these countries, studying the decisions their governments are taking and whatever legislation comes to pass.

Preventative measures

Given the pandemic's ongoing nature, the need to protect ourselves and avoid potential coronavirus infections remains vitally important. People working at UOC buildings must follow the preventative measures recommended by the health authorities: frequent hand-washing, physical distancing of at least 1.5 metres, obligatory wearing of masks, and correct hygiene practices when coughing and sneezing.

You can get further information via the Government of Catalonia's official channels (Canal Salut) and the relevant sections in the websites of Spain's Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization.