Working at SLU after Covid

Working from home during the pandemic has taught us to work online and has changed our view of how and where work can be carried out.

“We’ve learnt a lot about how we can work together without being present at the place of work, and this new knowledge and experience will now be put to use when we plan ahead for after the pandemic”, says Anna-Karin Olofsdotter, SLU’s director of human resources. 

Flexible ways of working is not a new issue. Already before the pandemic, researchers and teachers could usually be quite flexible in where they chose to work. And there are several examples of employees and staff within e.g. the university administration who have turned to working online as a way of bridging geographical distances.

“This was brought to a head by the fact that we had to make a radical transition more or less overnight. The difference is that now, we’ve all gained a lot of new knowledge. For many of us, the pandemic has been an eye-opener.”

The instructions to work from home no longer apply. Will we return to the way we worked before the pandemic?

“I don’t think that’s possible, or something we want. Instead, we should make use of our experiences, positive and negative. However, when planning ahead, it’s important that we think carefully about what’s needed for the university to function optimally, and that we keep the health and safety perspective in mind. We’re each other’s work environment and need to plan together how and where we work. This planning must take into account the differences between different parts of the organisation, and between individuals.” 

Does that mean that working from home will be an option also after the pandemic?

“Absolutely. But the starting point must always be what’s needed for the organisation to work optimally, and this is something we need to figure out together. It’s a question of what type of work needs doing, and the line manager always has the last word. If this is to be manageable, employees also need to see what role they play and take responsibility. ”

If we can work from home to some extent, why do we need remote work agreements?

“If sporadic remote working becomes a regular thing, we may consider drawing up a remote work agreement. The purpose of such an agreement is to clarify conditions and responsibility; SLU as an employer must ensure that the needs of the university are prioritised and our workplace health and safety responsibilities are met. But it’s also about the employee knowing what the expectations are so they can take responsibility for how they carry out their work. This primarily affects employees who work office hours.”

During the pandemic, many of us could “move” our office from campus to our home, as that was our primary workplace. Will SLU be paying for a home office for those with remote work agreements?

“Agreement or not, your primary workplace is on SLU’s premises. As an employer, we’re obligated to provide a workplace where you can perform your tasks. But we cannot use the taxpayers’ money to pay for two workplaces.

We must remember that a working hours agreement is not the same thing as an agreement on how we work, although where we work also affects how we work. The pandemic has shown that for some of us, remote work is fine, and this is something we will take into account in our continued efforts to make SLU an attractive and flexible employer.”