Archiv

Online survey: home office and higher education institutions

18 May 2020

CHE Consult saw the opportunity offered by the pandemic to investigate, via an online survey, whether and how higher education institutions (HEI) enable their academic staff and their technical and administrative personnel to work from home or out of office. The study looks at different types of out of office work and focuses on home office in particular. As a result, we differentiate various procedures and regulations depending on the type and size of the higher education institution. The results of the study will be available to download on our website www.che-consult.de in the course of the summer.

The survey is aimed primarily at HR managers and pays particular attention to the procedures that were already in place before Corona. The subject matters dealt with in specific are,

•     how to deal with overtime, clocking or communication routines,
•     whether employment contracts already contain home office regulations,
•     how quickly members of the higher education institution may switch to home office and
•     whether they can determine their working times in home office flexibly and spontaneously.

The study also examines HEI-specific factors that can make it difficult or impossible to work from home and whether it is more personal or institutional reasons that lead to home office either not being offered by an institution or not being taken up by staff.

Against the backdrop of the corona pandemic, we also examine the challenges higher education institutions experience with regard to home office, to a greater or lesser extent and aim to ascertain which existing arrangements for home office the institutions might consider establishing on a permanent basis.

The study was launched on 4 May 2020 and will be open to participation until mid-June 2020. So far, around 70 relevant persons from all types of higher education institutions have filled out the online survey.

If you or your institution would like to participate or if you have further remarks, please contact elisa.himbert(at)che-consult.de

Online-Dialogue “Home Office”

13 May 2020

“Home Office and Higher Education Institutions – more risk than reward?” This question was discussed by 59 people from 39 HEIs in an online dialogue organised by CHE Consult on 6th May 2020. This discussion was the first in a series initiated by CHE Consult. At present, the topic “home office” is more relevant than ever for HEI members. While working from home was previously an exception, this form of work has become common practice, owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

The following questions were discussed by the participants during the online dialogue:

•     What are the risks associated with home office?
•     What are the advantages?
•     What experiences will you take with you for your HEI for the time after Corona?

At the beginning, Ms. John-Redeker (Head of Human Resources Development and Recruitment, TH Köln) and Prof. Dr. Salomo (Head of Department for Technology and Innovation Management, TU Berlin) each presented three theses on the topic. Afterwards, the participants had the opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas together. Three short surveys were also conducted.

Many of the participants shared the assumption that attitudes towards home office at their HEI will change for the better after corona and that it will be easier to work from home. However, some also had reservations about the impact of corona on home office practices at their HEIs. According to the respondents, the biggest challenges for university staff working from home are the compatibility of childcare and home office, the availability of technical equipment and the level of interaction with colleagues. However, most participants also saw opportunities for the time after Corona. A large number of them believed that it will become the norm for employees to be able to work from home and about half of them assume that their university will invest in additional technical equipment for this purpose.

Julia Klingemann, initiator and moderator of the online dialogue, is pleased about the great interest that was on display: “We are pleased about the large number of participants and the intensive exchange of experiences in this online format. This encourages us to continue along this path and to continue the dialogue as a series”.

The first online dialogue dealt directly with the topic of HR development. Based on four themes, which according to our consulting experience play an essential role in HR development concepts, namely

•     Strategic HR planning
•     Application Management & Onboarding
•     Personal development for employees
•     Leaving Experts

we would like to prepare another online dialogue that deals with the field of “Strategic HR Planning” or “Application Management & Onboarding”.

If you are interested in participating in upcoming exchange formats or have any further comments on the topic, please contact us and send an e-mail to laura.wallor(at)che-consult.de