Agile working

Our approach to agile working

The Council’s aim is to enable employees to have a greater choice about how and when they work. All decisions regarding agile working will start from what provides the best possible outcomes for residents, service users, customers, the council and stakeholders both now and in the future. Managers are required to identify and maximise the agile working of their employees. In support of the delivery of the service, employees will be encouraged to work in a number of ways. Typical examples include:

working from their contractual base of work
working from home
working from a council office desk anywhere in the county
working from the premises of customers or clients
working in a council library

Our approach to agile working links to the council’s vision to address the climate emergency, placing emphasis on the importance of sustainability and the health and wellbeing of both employees and the community. The benefits of improved work life balance, employee engagement and reduced travel make a direct contribution to this strategic priority.

Workstyles

The council has created 3 workstyles.

Fixed Location Worker

A workplace based employee who operates from an office, depot or DCC Building - for example, a receptionist, street scene operative or catering assistant. A fixed worker will typically remain at a workstation or place of work for most of the day. Employees will only be given a fixed workstation in limited circumstances due to the nature of the job or specific workstation requirements.

Agile Worker

An employee can carry out their activities from a mixture of appropriate locations, for example, working from home, from a council building or in the community visiting people and/or attending meetings where required. An agile worker could be an Admin Officer, Project Manager, Finance or HR Officer, for example.

Mobile Worker

An employee who works at different locations on a daily basis within the community, normally away from their contractual base for example, building maintenance operatives. Please refer to the Travel and Subsistence Policy for further details on travel and subsistence for Mobile workers.

In assessing whether a role is suitable for agile working, managers will need to consider the nature of the work being undertaken. There will be roles that are not suitable for agile working and business needs will take priority. For those who do not fit into the above categories, their circumstances will be considered on an individual basis.

Agile working policy (PDF, 1.95MB)

Guidance for employees - how to work in an agile way (PDF, 360KB)

Guidance for employees - meeting etiquette (PDF, 260KB)

Guidance for managers - how to engage an agile working team (PDF, 334KB)

Guidance for managers - how to induct an agile working employee (PDF, 370KB)

Guidance: the right to request flexible working (PDF, 245KB)

County Hall offices emergency plan (PDF, 273KB)

Russell House emergency plan (PDF, 332KB)

Frequently asked questions

Work base

Can my home be my base of work now?

Bases of work will not be changing; your base of work will remain as per your contract of employment.

A base of work is provided to you as per your contract of employment and all facilities are available at your work base. Working from home is a choice that you can make. The frequency of you working from home and working in the office will be based on agreed business needs first and secondly an employee’s personal choice and preference.

Any change to bases in the future will need to be consulted on with staff and trade unions in the normal process.

My base of work in my contract is County Hall, Ruthin but I live in Prestatyn. Am I able to go to Russell House, Rhyl to work as it is closer to home?

With approval from your manager, you can work from any appropriate council office. However, your base of work will remain as it states in your contract. When working from a different base, you will need to consider what equipment may be available for you to use and you may need to book appropriate meeting room to work from where applicable.

What if I want to work from my holiday home in the UK or from aboard?

Undertaking work from a second home / holiday home location in the UK will only be permitted with line manager approval. Employees who wish to work outside of the UK will need to seek authorisation from their Head of Service and the Head of ICT and this will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

Can I work at another location that isn’t my home?

If an employee is working from home, the expectation is that this will be the home address supplied to the council. If employees wish to work from another address or location, then the employee should seek authorisation via their line manager.

Will we be looking at reducing the number of offices / buildings?

A review of our office accommodation is being carried out to assess our current and future needs.

Travel

Meetings

Can my manager ask me to come into the office or attend a face-to-face meeting whenever they want to?

Employees may be required to attend work on a particular day, at the request of their line manager or Head of Service for meetings, training, customer appointments that the line manager and/or Head of Service have determined should be conducted in person. Similarly, there may be circumstances in which employees are asked to work remotely or from other work locations, when employees would otherwise expect the attend the workplace. In such cases, employees will be given as much notice as possible, however they will be expected to attend.

Do I have to travel to a face-to-face meeting, or can I attend online and make it hybrid?

You can request to attend a face-to-face meeting online; however, you may be required to attend work for certain meetings as determined by your manager.

Can 121s be carried out online?

Yes, 121s can be carried out either online or in person, managers can discuss preferences with each employee. For further guidance, please see ‘how to engage an agile working team guidance’ document above.

Working from home

Can I claim for broadband and electricity?

Employees will be responsible for providing their own broadband for agile working purposes. The council will not reimburse any additional costs, i.e. electricity, broadband, phone lines etc.

Can I buy a desk, chair, printer etc and claim for these?

Employees working from home are required to provide suitable working conditions including a chair and desk. Employees will not be able to claim for any equipment in addition to the below ICT kit. Employees who require reasonable adjustments may need additional equipment and this will be arranged in consultation with occupational health and the line manager.
Employees will be provided with the necessary ICT equipment and technology in order to work in an agile manner. As a minimum you will be provided with:

a laptop
keyboard and mouse
laptop stand
headset

What if I don’t have the space at home to work?

You are able to work from your normal place of work or by arrangement, another appropriate council office.

What if I don’t want to work at home?

You are able to work from your normal place of work or by arrangement, another appropriate council office.

What if home isn’t safe space to be in and work from?

If an employee is unable to work safely at home, then they will be required to work from an appropriate council office.

What if I have a disability and need special equipment to work?

Employees working from home are required to provide suitable working conditions including a chair and desk, however, in line with the Equality Act 2010, the council will consider and support any reasonable adjustments. All requests for special equipment will be considered by Occupational Health.

Do I need to make sure my home insurance covers me to work from home?

Computers, laptops, phones and other items of equipment provided by the Council are covered by the council’s insurance policy. However, employees will still need to make sure the equipment and any information on it is safe and secure.

Employees are responsible for contacting anyone with an interest in their property (e.g. mortgage lenders, landlords, leaseholders, building and contents insurer) to make sure there is nothing they need to consider when working from home. The council will not be responsible for any additional costs as a result.

Employees working at home or from home will be covered by the council’s Employers Liability Policy. Any accidents must be reported immediately in accordance with the council’s reporting guidelines.

What if I have an accident at home, what do I do?

Accidents or incidents at home during work time are classed as work related accidents / incidents and must be reported immediately to the line manager and also be reported by the employee on the DCC online incident / accident form. Employees will only be required to report incidents if they are related to the work activity being done and the equipment DCC have provided to carry out that work.

What if I feel unwell and cannot attend the office but can work a few hours at home?

When working remotely, if an employee is not able to work due to being unwell, the council’s sickness absence reporting procedures apply as it would if the employee was attending the workplace. Please refer to the council’s Attendance at Work Procedure for further details.

My Child is unwell and is unable to go to their normal place of care / school. Can I work from home whilst caring for my child?

Employees must note that the ability to work from home is not a substitute for child care or similar carer responsibilities. It will be an employee’s responsibility to ensure that adequate childcare / caring facilities are in place. However if you feel that you are able to care for your child and still work whilst they are off ill, following a discussion with your manager, you are able to do so. If you are unable to work in those circumstances, there are other forms of leave (including flexi) which can be used subject to managers approval.

Health and safety

As a manager, what Health and Safety responsibilities do I have with regards to agile working?

You must develop and record an Agile Working Risk Assessment with employees and ensure that employees understand the findings of their risk assessments and follow them.

As an employee, what Health and Safety responsibilities do I have when working in an agile way?

Complete a Homeworking Checklist and share any significant issues with your line manager.
Carry out a Workstation Risk Assessment and feedback any significant findings to your manager e.g. requirement for additional resources or unsuitability of their home setup.
Follow the findings of any team risk assessments and report any concerns or lack of understanding to your line manager.

Team work

How can I integrate a new person to the team?

Please refer to the new guidance document ‘how to induct an agile working employee’ (above) which contains advice on guidance on integrating new employees into the team.

How can teamwork apply when everyone is at home?

Please refer to the new guidance document for managers ‘how to engage an agile working team’ (above).

Corporate image

My employee wants to wear trainers in the office, is this appropriate?

The Agile Working Policy now includes a section on dressing for your day, which allows employees to dress according to their day, i.e. when they have no meetings or contact with the public for example then they can choose to wear what is comfortable to them. Employees must ensure that any shoes or clothing is suitable and safe for the work being performed and good judgement is required.