Return to campus guidance for managers

Updated: 9 February 2022

This guidance is to help managers plan and carry out the tasks needed to support your staff to return well and safely to working on campus.

It's really important that no one comes to campus if they feel unwell, even if they don't think they have coronavirus. If any member of staff thinks that they have symptoms of coronavirus, refer to the guidance on our webpages.

Reviewing the risks

This may be a revision of your previous risk assessment where the activity has been completed previously under COVID regulations, or a new risk assessment where the activity is being returned to on campus working for the first time. Please reference any changes against the King’s COVID Safety Plan.

Everyone is required to complete a new Individual Risk Assessment.

• Office based activities (including locally owned meeting rooms and teaching spaces),
• Laboratory based activities (close working),
• Human focussed research (close working),
• Individual Risk Assessment forms,
• Power BI form access for Faculty leadership.

All completed Risk Assessments should be held locally.

Once the Individual Risk Assessment has been completed, it should be kept by the individual and any issues raised discussed with their manager to agree the best way to manage concerns in line with the university’s COVID policies.

Please note it is the responsibility of the risk assessment owner to let their teams know of any guidance they need to follow.

Once the risk assessments are completed 

Please use the Safety Management System Dashboard to find a First Aider and to help plan first aid coverage and Fire Marshall provisions within your areas. You may be able to share coverage with colleagues who share a floor or work on a floor above or below.

Discuss any changes to the management of space or local practices with staff and students as appropriate.  Following these conversations, you may need to order additional COVID equipment (including signage, wipepods and screens) via Campus Operations in line with the risk assessment you have completed.

Ensure Campus Operations are updated on your plans for space usage, including any cleaning requirements and any changes to working hours with regard to departmental space.

Preparing for staff to return

Equipment

Check your local spaces for IT equipment and order any replacement equipment needed via the normal route (please note that there are significant lead times for new equipment at this time).

Staff training and guidance

Everyone has to complete the necessary E-learning modules, these modules have been updated to reflect Return to Campus 2021 and can be accessed via Workrite:

• Fire Safety Awareness,
• Agile Working,
• Return to Campus.

Review any DSE assessments as reflected in the Agile Working module above. Staff should seek further support for any issues arising from the assessment when they return to campus with their local DSE assessor.  

Signpost the following resources to your staff and ask them to read these carefully:

• Returning Well web pages
• Keeping King’s Safe Together web pages
• COVID-19 testing page
• Campus A - Z

Ensure each staff member knows what to do if they develop symptoms of COVID-19, have been in close contact with someone who tests positive or a notified of a student testing positive. The guidance for this is available through the Managing the Virus web pages, with safety guidance available from Keeping King’s Safe Together. 

 Who to get in touch with if you need support