It has been A Day (237/365)

[white_hart]

I am on holiday after tomorrow until 13 September.

The university announced today that we would be removing most COVID restrictions from 6 September, including planning for all teaching to be in-person and staff to return to working on-site rather than from home. (I had been aware that this was coming, and got an advance view of the guidance yesterday afternoon.) This meant that most of today was spent in meetings about how we go about implementing this, writing emails explaining how we've agreed to implement this, and updating risk assessments and building guidance.

I had also arranged a team meeting to talk about the proposals for increased flexible working, post-pandemic, which ended up taking place half an hour after the all-staff email about the changes went out. This turned out not to be entirely a bad thing, but it made a slightly nerve-wracking meeting rather more nerve-wracking.

It has definitely been A Day.

(As for how I feel about the changed guidance? Resigned to the fact that it had to happen, attracted by the possibility of not being in pandemic mode any more, but also really quite worried about how it's actually going to pan out.)

Comments

[angelofthenorth]

Commiserations...

[white_hart]

Thank you!

[muninnhuginn]

Sounds tough. I do not envy anyone who has the task of assessing and implementing the move back to in-office working. (Meanwhile, the "we'll think about what to do in September" email at my place of work has moved to not doing anything until end of September. I don't see us "properly" back in the office at all before 2022. And there's less than 50 of us in our offices and not all coming back.)

[white_hart]

We basically have to go back, because the government has made it very clear that universities are expected to provide face-to-face teaching :-(

[mrs_redboots]

My daughter starts working in-office from 1 September, but I think only 3 days/week. I think she's only been to the office once since she started her job back in April!

[white_hart]

Some of my team are similar. And C was in last week for her first day working in the office since she went on sick leave in November 2019!

[mrs_redboots]

I hope she will settle back down in the office! My daughter found it hard to get to know her new role when she couldn't just go and perch on someone's desk to ask a question, but had to deliberately contact them via Zoom or similar.

Have a wonderful holiday!

[cmcmck]

Hope all goes well.

Have a good break.

[white_hart]

Thank you!

[nineveh_uk]

I imagine you're not done yet, but hope you are before too long. Have a great break!

[white_hart]

I have in fact just got home and am now stuffing crisps into my mouth. Today has also been A Day, rounded off with having to send out an email with some utterly grim news about an academic colleague (though at one point I was worried I would have to log in and do that tomorrow, so at least there's that).

[nineveh_uk]

I'm glad you've made it home, and crisps sound just the thing. Those kind of emails are always awful, even if you having to get up and do it tomorrow.