Staying Well on Furlough – line manager support

This is a document to advise line managers and signpost to resources to support staff during the furlough process.

We recognise that furlough will affect people differently:

Some people may welcome it as it may help with their caring responsibilities and/or other personal circumstances

Some may be worried about the implications it will have on their job when they return

People may feel guilty that other colleagues are picking up their work

Staff may worry about feeling isolated, particularly if they live on their own

How is The University of Sheffield supporting staff during the process?

We will be clear and transparent, explaining the decision-making processo See our FAQ document here to understand the University's positioning on furlough and the furlough process

We will signpost to support tools and communicate how we are supporting furloughed staff’s wellbeingo See the Staff Health & Wellbeing webpages for resources and informationo Furloughed staff will be informed of organisational updates via the all staff email,

What is furlough? Furlough is temporary leave of absence. The purpose of the government scheme is to incentivise employers to retain employees on paid temporary leave. To be furloughed has no negative implications on you, your role, or the importance of your work. Whilst on furlough, the member of staff will not be able to undertake any work for the University and it is trusted that individuals will not log on or check emails during this time. However, there will be regular check-ins between managers and furloughed staff to discuss their wellbeing, receive organisational updates and any further information about the furlough process.

This document will:

Outline manager and employee responsibilities during furlough

Provide a template to support the initial furlough conversation

Provide a Routine Action Plan for you to share with your line report to help them plan their time on furlough

Advise how best to conduct wellbeing check-ins* during furlough

Signpost to all available wellbeing support available to furloughed staff

Provide a template to support the return to work conversation post furlough

Provide a Return to Work Action Plan for you to share with your line report to help them return to work

Roles and Responsibilities during furlough

There may be a situation where you as a manager are furloughed but your team is still working. In this instance, you will need to handover any activities or projects to your manager as they will be managing / assigning a manager for your team. Your manager will be expected to hold wellbeing check-ins with you during furlough.

Your line report is furloughed You and your team are furloughed Part of your team is furloughed

Manager responsibilities

Have a conversation with staff before theygo on furlough / as soon as possible usingthe conversation template below

Hold regular wellbeing check-ins withfurloughed staff at least once a week

Agree preferred communication channelfor check-ins e.g. WhatsApp, FaceTime,Google hangouts

Signpost furloughed staff to wellbeingsupport available to them

Invite furloughed staff to social team catch-ups

Escalate challenges or queries to your HRcontact

You can still conduct regular wellbeing

check-ins with your team members to find

out how they’re doing

You will receive organisational updates; you

can share these with your furloughed staff

during wellbeing check-ins

You may want to organise group wellbeing

check-ins if your whole team is furloughed

to connect with each other informally

Agree as a group how you would like to

communicate with each other e.g.

WhatsApp, FaceTime, Google hangouts

Escalate challenges or queries to the HRcontact for your area

Keep working staff in the loop about whycertain staff have been furloughed andwhen they will be returning

Review workload and objectives withworking staff if they have picked upadditional responsibilities of thosefurloughed and be clear about what is beingdropped to accommodate this

Signpost to wellbeing support

Ensure wellbeing / temperature check is anagenda item at every meeting

Set and review weekly objectives

Show appreciation and recognition for workcompleted

Individual responsibilities

Remain in contact with line managerthrough wellbeing check-ins

Set your routine and clearly communicatewith manager about what support isneeded

Review the Routine Action Plan and sharereflections with manager

Make the most of the support toolsavailable during this period

Ensure your contact details are up to dateon myJob

Connect with your team

Engage with wellbeing check-ins

Share your Routine Action Plan with yourteam if comfortable

Share best practice and resources withyour team

Continue engaging in open communicationwith your line manager about tasks andtimelines

Informally check in on your colleagues onfurlough

You should have this conversation with your staff member at the start of furlough. Here is a template to support you:

General check-in A lot has changed over the past weeks, take some time to ask how they are getting on and coping with the changes. Be clear this is a time to talk through furlough and create a plan together during this time. Remind the member of staff that furlough will not impact their role in the

future, accepting furlough is helping the university through this challenging period.

Clarify furlough process Confirm the initial furlough period that has been decided

Reassure the employee that they will receive 100% of pay and will be paid as normal

Reiterate that they are not to do any work related to their role but can receive organisational updates and stay in contact withcolleagues

Explain that furloughed staff will be able to access Muse and will receive all staff briefings for organisational updates

Agree with the employee how often you will be in contactWhat needs to be done to round off/put on hold

existing work?

Consider if you need to put out of offices on shared mailboxes or reassess project timelines. The individual will also need to put an out of office on (click here for templates), consider who their work will be directed to and whether a handover needs to take place.

Ask about current home situation

Is the person living by themselves or with others? Are they parents/careers? Do they have a good relationship with the people they’re living

with? If you have safeguarding concerns, contact your HR Team.

Establishing routines What wellbeing routines could they put in place to support them staying at home and how could you support if possible/appropriate? E.g. interests / hobbies / healthy eating / staying active / time out amidst caring responsibilities.

Exploring potential learning opportunities

What professional / personal development might they want to partake in? Be clear that this is not an expectation but may be of interest to some staff. E.g. Open University free courses, EDX online courses or the new Skills Toolkit initiative. Be mindful that this may not be a priority / feasible for people with caring responsibilities.

Are they interested in volunteering?

Being able to support their local community may provide purpose and fulfilment. See volunteering opportunities in Sheffield, sign up to be anNHS responder, or see NCVO advice on volunteering during Covid-19. Be mindful that this may not be a priority / feasible for people with caring responsibilities.

Establish your relationship moving forward

Though the individual will not be working during furlough, it’s important to agree your relationship moving forward. As line manager, it’s your responsibility to check-in on wellbeing and share organisational updates. Be clear they are not to do any work during this period which relates to their role.

Establish your communication plan together

You can ask the individual to share their Routine Action Plan. Come up with a plan together for how / how often you will stay in touch with each other.

Signpost to wellbeing support

EAP (also available to immediate family): www.healthassuredeap.co.uk Username: Sheffield, Password: University or call 0800 030

5182

Wellbeing Resources - see the list here Wellbeing Activities at Home - see the list here

See the Staff Health & Wellbeing webpages for other wellbeing information and supportIs there any additional support you can give them during this time?

Type up the notes of the conversation and send them to the member of staff as a reminder of what has been discussed. Use this to inform future wellbeing check ins.

HR are here to support you, if you need additional support/guidance please contact your HR Team with any questions or to schedule a 121 call

Share this template with your member of staff to help them set a routine during furlough:

Routine Action Plan Furlough period:

What can you do to support your own wellbeing during this period of change?

What can your manager proactively do to support your wellbeing during furlough?

Are there any warning signs that your manager should be aware of if you are starting to experience poor mental/physical health?

If your manager notices any early warning signs, what should they do?

Here is a list of ways to support you in setting your routine:

Use your existing personal calendar to plan your week, scheduling in time to talk with friends, family and colleagues

Engage in volunteering opportunities. See volunteering opportunities in Sheffield, sign up to be an NHS responder, or see NCVO advice on volunteering duringCovid-19.

Explore online courses such as those offered by Open University or EDX or the new Skills Toolkit initiative.

Try to stay well by exercising regularly and eating well. See Mind’s website for top tips and support.

Explore peer support groups e.g. informal staff networks

Gov.uk have collated a list of free educational resources for children and Audible have made hundreds of stories free for children to listen to during lockdown

Here is a list of the support tools available to you during furlough and how to access them:

EAP (also available to immediate family): www.healthassuredeap.co.uk Username: Sheffield, Password: University or call 0800 0305182

Wellbeing Resources - see the list here Wellbeing Activities at Home - see the list here

See the Staff Health & Wellbeing webpages for other wellbeing information and support

HR are here to support you - if you have any questions please contact a member of your HR Team

You should maintain regular contact with your staff member to see how they are getting on, share organisational updates and give them information about the furlough process.

*This time should be used as a wellbeing check-in to ask how the individual is feeling and whether any additional support is

needed. Here are some questions you could ask during wellbeing check-ins:

How are you getting on?

How are you adapting to the change?

What have you been up to?

Is there any additional support you need from me?

Would you like to review the frequency of these check-ins?

Out of Offices

Before going on furlough, ensure that your member of staff has put an out of office on. Below are the out of office templates:

If individual is furloughed:

Hello, thank you for your email. I am out of the office on furlough leave until XXX. For anything urgent email XXX but please be mindful that it may take longer than usual for a response. Best wishes, XXX.

If whole team is furloughed:

Hello, thank you for your email. I, and the rest of the XXX team, are out of office on furlough leave until XXX. In the team’s absence, you can find resources on the University's website at XXX. For anything urgent email XXX but please be mindful that it may take longer thanusual for a response. Best wishes, XXX.

Temporary pause of shared mailbox:

Hello, thank you for your email. This shared mailbox has been temporarily paused as the team are on furlough leave. For anything urgent please email XXX otherwise we will respond on our return. Best wishes, the XXX team.

Roles and Responsibilities

Your line report is returning from furlough

You and your team are returning from furlough

Part of your team is returning from furlough

Manager responsibilities

Have a conversation before they return towork to gauge how they are feeling

Within the first few days of their return,setaside time for a return to workconversation– see template below

Continue to hold regular wellbeing check-ins as adjusting to work again may bechallenging

Remind staff of wellbeing support available to them

Forward any team meetings / socials that they may not have received while on furlough

Escalate challenges or queries to your HRteam

If it feels comfortable, you might want to

organise a wellbeing check-in with yourteam

before you all return to work to gaugehow

people are feeling

Schedule returning to work conversationswith

your team within the first week ofreturning

to work

Organise a team meeting for everyone to

reconnect in a work context. Hold a

temperature check at the beginning, resetwork

priorities and establish new ways ofworking

as a team.

Escalate challenges or queries to your HRteam

Keep working staff in the loop about theircolleagues’ return dates

Hold 121s with team before furloughedcolleagues return to work to both reviewexisting objectives and set new ones

Ask team to create a handover document for returning staff if necessary

Signpost to wellbeing support

Ensure wellbeing check is an agenda item atevery meeting; colleagues will again beadjusting to a change

Continue to set and review weekly objectiveswith your team

Show appreciation and recognition for workcompleted despite less resource

Escalate challenges or queries to your HRteam

Individual responsibilities

Remain in contact with line manager

Engage in returning to work

conversation

Review the Return to Work Action Plan and share reflections with manager

Make the most of the support toolsavailable

Connect with your team

Engage with wellbeing check-ins

Share your return to work reflections withyour team if comfortable

Share best practice and resources withyour team

Make the most of the support tools available

Continue engaging in open communicationwith your line manager about tasks andtimelines

Be mindful that people may have differentexperiences returning from furlough

Share any updates on work you haveabsorbed while colleagues have been away

Make the most of the support tools available

Returning from furlough

You should have this conversation with your staff member when they return from furlough. Here is a template to support you:

General check-in A lot has changed over the past month(s), take some time to ask how they are doing and how they found the period on furlough. Explain this is a time to discuss returning to work and a chance to voice what they are looking forward to and any concerns they may have.

Give general update Share work updates from past few weeks

Update on any progress / change to projects the individual had been working on before furlough

Share any new ways of working that have been adopted (e.g. virtual weekly check-ins / socials)

If other members of the team had also been furloughed, share their return dates

Share reflections The furlough period may have prompted reflections you would like to share with each other.

Set new objectives Spend time setting new objectives together. Making the objectives as clear and robust as possible will help manage the return to work. It may be helpful to break the objectives down into weekly objectives that can be reviewed at the beginning / end of the week.

Ways of working Decide how often you will check-in with each other. Continue with wellbeing check-ins for the first few weeks and you may want to review the frequency of 121s. Remind them that they can make the most of flexible working. Note that some people returning to work may still have caring responsibilities, discuss what challenges this may pose and additional support they may need such as use of carers / annual leave.

Team dynamics Consider that some people may not have had contact with other colleagues during furlough and that they may need to re-establish working relationships. Make sure team socials are scheduled and ask if there’s anything particular they’d like from their colleagues.

Review Return to Work Plan together

Ask if they would like to review their Return to Work Plan with you and if there’s anything you can do to support them. You should encourage

they revisit their WAP and share it with you if they’re comfortable. NB: If they have been unwell, review the Sickness Absence Management Procedure and follow the return to work guidance.

Signpost to wellbeing support

EAP (also available to immediate family): www.healthassuredeap.co.uk Username: Sheffield, Password: University or call 0800 030 5182 Wellbeing Resources - see the list here Wellbeing Activities at Home - see the list here See the Staff Health & Wellbeing webpages for other wellbeing information and support

Is there any additional support you can give to

support their return to work?

Type up the notes of the conversation and send them to the member of staff as a reminder of what has been discussed. Use this to inform future check-ins / 121s.

HR are here to support you, if you need additional support/guidance please contact your HR team with any questions

Share this template with your member of staff to help them think about returning to work; you can review this in the return to

work conversation.

Return to Work Action Plan Return to work date:

How are you feeling about returning to work? What are you looking forward to / concerned about?

Do you have any thoughts about your daily work routine? You can make the most of flexi-time to support your return to work.

What can you do to support your own wellbeing during this period of change?

What can your manager proactively do to support your wellbeing in the first few weeks?

Are there any warning signs that your manager should be

aware of if you are starting to experience poor mental/physical health?

If your manager notices any early warning signs, what should they do?

Here is a list of the support tools available to you and how to access them:

EAP (also available to immediate family): www.healthassuredeap.co.uk Username: Sheffield, Password: University or call 0800 030 5182 Wellbeing Resources - see the list here Wellbeing Activities at Home - see the list here See the Staff Health & Wellbeing webpages for other wellbeing information and support

HR are here to support you, please contact your relevant HR team if you have any questions or concerns