Postdocs' COVID-19 worry box

We understand that the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak is disturbing your work and is raising a lot of questions and worries.

Please all know that the University, Faculty and Directorates (Research and Enterprise, Research Finance, People and Culture etc.) are curently working and developing contingencies to cover many aspects of the CIVID-19 situation and the impact it has on us all. This includes liaising with funders with regards to matters related to research funding.

The aim of this worry box is to gather your concerns regarding the effect of the outbreak on your postdoc, for example difficulties to complete your project, status of salary provision, end of contract/grant, ability to work from home etc.

The PDC will regularly review your queries and direct them to the appropriate directorates so that answers can be provided on the relevant FAQ page or even on this page or other media as appropriate.

With work being under way, it is possible that answers to some of your question may not be available yet and that you will experience some delays in getting clarification; we thank you for your understanding.

Write in the worry box

Answers are provided on this page, alongside other FAQ pages (scroll down to "Post-doctoral Researchers"). Note that the questions are amalgamated, rephrased and generalised so that they do not describe a personal situation but represent general worries likely to be shared by multiple postdocs.

Depending on your research, in the next few months you are likely to either remain working at home full-time (or almost) or re-gain some level of access to laboratories and facilities essential to your work.

It will be a transition phase, not "back to normal" and you won't be able nor be expected to resume a productivity similar to before the lockdown. Arrangements will be made to protect you and may involve staggered hours, shifts (morning/afternoon; selected days on site/at home; alternate full weeks on site/at home...), PPE etc.

These arrangements are decided at Centre and School levels and will be different in different parts of the Faculty.

These working arrangements are temporary and constantly reviewed. They will be adapted based on what works and what doesn't so it is essential that you voice your concerns.

Ideally, raise your concerns with the relevant team in your School or Research Centre (if you don't know who is part of the team, contact your School/Centre manager).

If you are uncomfortable doing so, use the button below or contact the PDC. The PDC will forward the information to the relevant people anonymously.

Concerns about your working arrangements

Please especially report aspects that you feel:

• Put your health at risk
• Impact on your mental health
• Impact on your work/life balance
• Impact on your ability to carry out work (e.g. access to equipment, especially at home)
• Disadvantage you to carry out your work compared to colleagues because of your personal situation (caring duties, transport requirements etc.)
• Impact on the quality of your research (requirement for experiments to involve multiple experimenters etc.)
• Pressure you feel from your PI, senior management or colleagues

Working from home can be challenging, especially when it is not your choice, but it can also be very flexible and a great occasion to try out a different way of working and get done some of the work that usually gets deprioritised.

Productivity and workload

We are experiencing an unprecedented situation and it is well recognised, as indicated by our President and Vice-Chancellor in is communication from the 25 March, that you are most likely not going to be as productive as usual. It will take some time to settle into a new routine and work arrangement, you may not have access to all the equipment some of your work requires (e.g. a lab!), you may have to spend time caring for others in your household, home schooling your children etc.

This is normal so give yourself a break! Re-think your priorities based on what you can reasonably do considering your project and your personal circumstances, to make the best out of the situation. Organise a meeting with your PI to discuss this and agree on your priorities.

A few tips to organise working from home

• If possible, set aside a dedicated space for work
• Follow a routine (start / end times, breaks etc. and don't overlook week-ends and holidays)
• Share / discuss your new routine with other members of your household to minimise disruption
• Identify your priorities and schedule them
• Keep in touch with your team (PI, students you supervise and collaborators)
• Don't forget to take breaks, move and go outside (respecting all applicable rules of social distancing of course)
• Avoid checking the news and social media too often as it can be linked to stress

What to focus on?

Some of you may be able to do all your usual work from home, only moving meetings from face-to-face to online. For others, especially those involved in experimental work, you will switch your focus to other tasks and may initially not know what to do...

Here are a few suggestions:

• In depth literature catch-up (and how about validating all that hard work by writing a review?)
• Getting your papers written or as advanced as possible (deciding on the paper's backbone, writing the introduction, making figures with available results, identifying experimental gaps to fill later etc.)
• Look at fellowship calls you could apply for, think about the project you would like to propose, look at training and get started!
• Offer to help your PI with grants they are writing
• Update your LinkedIn profile, CV and professional developmet documents (e.g. list your recent achievements)
• Engage with online professional development (there are a lot of resources available via the PDC, LinkedIn learning etc.)
• Search for potential careers you would be interested in and develop a career plan
• Think. We often focus on "doing" and forget about the "bigger picture" and the importance of planning

Tools and resources for remote working

Microsoft Teams... If you've never heard of it, you surely will in the upcoming weeks!

Teams is your essential tool to communicate; enabling text chat, calls, visio calls, group meetings, sharing files in a group etc. All staff and students have access to it for free via Office365, either in their browser or via Apps (for desktop, tablets and phones).

IT Services are providing help on how to use Office365, including tutored online training on Teams

Office365 support

Accessing your files from home

Remote working collection on LinkedIn learning

 COVID-19 Staff Health and Wellbeing Guidance While Working from Home (pdf)