College is considering setting up a working group to develop a strategy for “smart working”, which could lead to online and remote teaching becoming a permanent feature for some staff, according to a confidential discussion paper brought to University Council.
The working group would look at which groups of staff could move to full-time remote working. Others would work in an off-campus Trinity Hub or work remotely part-time.
These changes, the paper argues, would reduce time spent commuting, give people choice over where and when they work and reduce the costs and environmental impacts of work as “space is shared and used more intensively”.
The paper – seen by The University Times – was drafted by the Trinity Futures Group, consisting of some of the most senior people in College, and made a number of other suggestions about how changes brought about by the coronavirus could be made permanent.
In the preamble of the paper, the group states that “change that is introduced in adversity can also be sustainable for the future. In that context, it is timely to consider the medium- to long-term opportunities, as well as constraints and other issues, for Trinity’s future”.
Under smart working, the paper states, “space is allocated to activities, not individuals and not on the basis of seniority”, and “work takes place at the most effective locations and at the most effective times”.
The paper also flags a number of challenges that College faces with regards to smart working, including safeguarding collegiality, social networks and inclusion, as well as providing the technology, equipment, wellbeing support, management and digital skills development necessary to introduce smart working.
It also states that “flexible working policies should address not only legal requirements but actively promote Smart Working to address work-life balance and organisational performance”, adding that “health, safety and security policies need to reflect the more diverse working environments”.
As a result of the coronavirus, staff and students were forced to embrace remote learning, as government restrictions limited the amount of in-person teaching that could take place on campus.
The paper states that a staff survey conducted over the summer found that there was “significant interest in moving to a permanent Smart Working model to enable more flexibility as to where, how and when staff do their jobs”.
The discussion paper is set to be brought to College Board in December.
