How We Work Policy

This policy sets out our expectations on ways of working for all staff and governors at the University of Derby. It has the status of a university policy and is available on our Policy Hub.

At the University of Derby (UoD), we strive to deliver a culture of high performance and good governance, to ensure a world-class student experience and enhance our reputation locally, nationally, and internationally.

All staff and governors should understand and apply the highest standards of professional conduct and personal integrity so that we can:

• Deliver the best experience to our students;
• Support staff to deliver high performance including high-quality research, scholarship, and teaching;
• Meet our ongoing conditions of registration and regulatory requirements as a provider of further and higher education;
• Enhance our brand and reputation; and,
• Maintain the trust and confidence of staff, students, and the wider community of which we are an integral part.

1. Scope

1.1 The standards and expectations outlined in this document apply to all staff and governors including those who are not directly employed by us but carry out work or provide services for us or on our behalf e.g. contractors, volunteers, agency workers, visiting professors, emeritus professors, etc. (See also: Sanctions)

1.2 Section 2 applies to members of the Governing Council (GC) and to members of the University Executive Board (UEB). Section 3 onwards applies to all staff and governors.

1.3 While the principles and standards described apply to all staff and governors, we want our leaders to be role-models of the desired standards, to champion equality and diversity, and appropriately challenge where they witness or become aware of others (e.g. colleagues) acting in a way that does not reflect our values e.g. challenging behaviour, comments or assumptions that are unlawfully discriminatory against individuals or groups of individuals.

1.3 The University is committed to upholding the principles of freedom of speech and academic freedom as protected under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 and Article 10 of the ECHR. All members of the University community are expected to engage in respectful discourse and conduct themselves in a manner that supports the free exchange of ideas within the law. While robust debate and the expression of controversial or unpopular opinions are protected, such expression must not amount to unlawful harassment, bullying, or discrimination. HWW applies equally to all forms of communication, including verbal, written, and digital platforms.

1.4 This document does not form part of employees’ contracts of employment and the University may amend it at any time.

2. Members of the GC and UEB

2.1 Members of the GC (including members of sub-committees of the GC) and members of the UEB are expected to:

2.1.1 Adopt and role-model the highest standards of conduct and propriety and maintain good governance of the institution at all times (in accordance with the CUC HE Code of Governance [opens as PDF]), both to protect our reputation as well as to assure our students, partners, other stakeholders, and to society at large;

2.1.2 Apply alongside the standards outlined in this document, the 7 principles of public life (sometimes referred to as the ‘Nolan Principles’) which are shown in Appendix A;

2.1.3 Be accountable, taking personal as well as collective responsibility for decisions concerning the affairs of UoD, representing the collective interest of the institution transparently and with integrity, and not in pursuit of any personal agenda or undue pressures from external interest groups, including donors, alumni, corporate sponsors, and political interest groups.

2.1.4 Be professional in all dealings that impact directly or may impact indirectly on UoD, and treat all those with whom you come into contact with consideration and respect;

2.1.5 Be aware of, understand and comply with the Financial Regulations and our other key policies;

2.1.6 Intervene appropriately (seeking relevant guidance and/or support if necessary) where there is or may be any breach of the expected standards or regulations or any other act or omission that may create risk for UoD, including reputational risk. This includes ensuring under-representation and differences in outcomes are challenged and, where practicable, corrective action is taken to ensure fair outcomes for all;

2.2 Secure, maintain, promote and protect the principle of academic freedom, and take all reasonable steps to ensure that academic employees have the ability, within the law, to question and test received wisdom, and to put forward new ideas and controversial or unpopular opinions without placing themselves in jeopardy of losing their jobs or privileges;

2.3 Understand and further the university’s legal responsibility to secure freedom of speech within the law. See Freedom of Speech – Code of Practice.

2.4 Also, the senior decision-making committee (1) (as determined in our fit and proper guidance), along with other individuals exercising control or significant influence:

2.4.1 Be 'fit and proper' persons and must notify us immediately of any change that might impact their ability to meet this requirement and/or on our ability to comply with our Conditions of Registration, including compliance with the Office for Students’ public interest governance principles;

2.4.2 Avoid any conflict of interest that might interfere or be perceived as interfering with the exercise of their independent judgement (for members of the GC see also the Articles of Association: “Governors Benefits and Conflicts of Interest”) available on the website;

2.4.3 Declare all pecuniary, business, family/close personal relationships or other potentially relevant interests under our Declaration of Interest process;

2.4.4 Not receive any gifts, hospitality, or benefits of any kind from a third party (including students) which might be seen to compromise their independence of judgement or integrity; and

2.4.5 Report any offer of such gifts, hospitality, or benefits to the Clerk to the Governing Council.

(1) As determined in our fit and proper guidance.

3. How we work – key principles and standards

3.1 When working for us or representing UoD, you should act in a way that reflects our values and priorities. Key to those values are:

Trust and support

You should carry out your role to the best of your ability and act in the best interests of your colleagues, our students, and UoD. We encourage you to raise concerns via the appropriate channel/procedure (e.g. with your line manager or under the whistleblowing or other relevant policy), where you have concerns about the conduct of others or how UoD is being run so that, as a learning organisation, we can continually improve how we work with and for staff, students and the wider community. You should support your colleagues, including those who are less senior than you and/or who report to you, including seeking guidance to help you manage staff effectively and lawfully.

Honesty and integrity

You should carry out your role with honesty and integrity and comply with our Financial Regulations and other policies, procedures and regulations, including our Code of Ethics and research ethics policies. You must not use your position for personal gain.

Inclusivity

In carrying out your role, you should adhere to the principles of equality and diversity (including accessibility), oppose unfair bias or unlawful discrimination, challenge harassment, bullying and intimidation, so that all staff and students, regardless of their sex, race, ethnic background, culture, disability, sexual orientation, gender-reassignment, age, religion/belief (or no religion/belief), socio-economic status, or other characteristics, are encouraged and enabled to perform to their full potential.

Dignity and respect

You should support and respect others, for example, colleagues and students, to maintain constructive interactions and effective working relationships acknowledging and respecting differences such as different views, cultures, perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. You are responsible for ensuring that your behaviour, whether intentional or unintentional, is not violating a person's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive working and/or learning environment.

Sustainability and value for money

You should consider financial and environmental sustainability, as well as value for money, in the course of your work e.g. printing/copying, use of resources, or when making travel arrangements for work-related travel.

Community

You should consider the wider public and community interest while carrying out your work and, where applicable, collaborate effectively both within the university and with our external stakeholders and partners to deliver the best outcomes for the university, staff, students, and our local community.

4. Rules and regulations

Policies and procedures

4.1.1 Our policies and procedures are intended to be supportive and informative and you should refer to them and understand how they apply to you. In some cases, a failure to comply with our policies or procedures may lead to disciplinary action (in serious cases, it can lead to dismissal). For governors, it may result in removal from office. (See Sanctions).

4.1.2 Some of the key policies and procedures you need to know about are referred to below, but all our policies and procedures can be found on our intranet on the Policy Hub.

Conflict of interest

4.1.3 When competing interests impair our ability to make objective, unbiased decisions, we have a conflict of interest. You may face a conflict of interest when your professional duties for UoD and your personal interests overlap or merge. A conflict of interest may take the form of financial interests in another company e.g. a UoD supplier, or non-financial e.g. recruiting a close family member, or working elsewhere while employed with UoD.

4.1.4 You should avoid being, or giving the appearance of being, in a position that may result in a conflict of interest (actual or perceived).

4.1.5 This document does not define all situations or relationships which may create a conflict of interest, and each situation must be considered individually. Some of the more obvious conflicts are described below, but individuals are expected to use reasonable judgement and raise any potential conflicts of interest as early as possible, so they can be appropriately addressed.

i) Having an interest, dealings, or shareholdings in any business which either is a competitor, customer, supplier, or UoD partner or is seeking to become one.

ii) Commissioning/procuring a service or negotiating a contract between UoD and a third-party company/business where you have a financial or non-financial interest in that company e.g. a directorship, shareholding, or personal relationship. You should also refer to our procurement policies and procedures available on the intranet.

iii) A close family member/personal relationship (2) having an interest, dealings, or shareholdings in any business which either is a competitor, customer, supplier, or UoD partner or is seeking to become one.

(2) A ‘close personal relationship’ might include a relative e.g. current or former partner or spouse, child, sibling, parent, grandparent, grandchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, first cousin and guardian, by blood, marriage or adoption, cohabitee, business partner or associate, intimate friendship (as opposed to acquaintance), membership of associations pledged to render mutual assistance, and any other relationship where an impartial observer might reasonably conclude that a conflict of interest may exist.

iv) Recruiting a close family member/personal relationship into a role with UoD or providing paid services to UoD e.g. as a consultant.

v) Being in a position to significantly influence the career, pay/rewards, training, promotional, educational (e.g. marking, assessment, admissions, PhD progression/attainment, etc.), the award of a contract, or other such outcomes for another colleague, student or governor (positively or negatively) with whom you have a close personal relationship.

vi) Being in employment or taking up employment with a competitor organisation while in full-time or pro-rata employment with UoD. (See also Working elsewhere (UoD employees only)).

vii) Conflict of loyalties, such as where an individual is appointed by a local authority, or by one of UoD’s regulatory and funding bodies.

viii) Any interest or activity which might conflict with our policies (e.g. our Code of Ethics/ research ethics policies) or might otherwise cause conflict (e.g. where two governors are a professional advisor and client respectively).

ix) Potential conflicts of interest in the development and exploitation of university research and intellectual property (see the Intellectual Property Policy for Employees available on the intranet).

x) Being offered gifts or hospitality that could be interpreted as inducements, such as hospitality from a supplier tendering for work with UoD.

See also Relationships.

4.2 You must disclose or seek direction e.g. from your line manager on matters that might give rise to a conflict of interest with your responsibilities to UoD.

4.3 If you are a member of GC or UEB or an individual exercising control or significant influence over the affairs of UoD, you will be subject to additional responsibilities in this regard.

4.3.1 The university’s Conflict of Interest Policy should be followed where there is an actual or a perceived conflict of interest.

Bribery and corruption

4.3.2 We are committed to integrity and fairness across all our operations. We do not tolerate bribery or corruption and you should help prevent and detect bribery or corruption in our institution.

4.3.3 Bribery can be defined as a reward or inducement for acting improperly, illegally, or unethically to gain an advantage, whether personal, commercial, or regulatory. You do not need to have given or received the reward or inducement for this to amount to bribery.

4.3.4 A bribe does not need to involve money. Offering hospitality, entertainment or gifts can also be classed as bribery if the purpose is to exert influence.

4.3.5 Corruption is the abuse of power, authority, or position in return for some personal advantage.

4.3.6 You must report any conduct or activity that you believe or suspect amounts (or could in the future amount) to bribery or corruption to your manager or a PVC or director. Our Whistleblowing Policy has more information about raising these types of concerns.

See also the Anti-Bribery, Gifts & Hospitality Policy for more information.

Other relevant policies:

• Our Code of Ethics incorporates our policy for ethical fundraising and donations.
• University Research Ethics Policy
• Anti Money Laundering Policy
• Counter Fraud Policy
• Modern Slavery Statement Whistleblowing Policy
• Freedom of Speech – Code of Practice

Relationships

4.3.7 You may have close personal relationships with governors or students or with work colleagues. Such relationships can create a conflict of interest and/or can cause other difficulties in the workplace. On occasions, such relationships can be harmful to individuals.

4.4 Where a close personal relationship exists, you are expected to disclose this via our 'How We Work' declaration form as a potential or actual conflict of interest. A failure to do so may be treated as a disciplinary matter, particularly where you have a position of responsibility (including pastoral) in respect of the person with whom you have a close personal relationship (staff or student). Within the Office for Students (OfS) such staff members are referred to as “relevant staff members”.

4.4.1 If you have a close personal relationship with a colleague, student, governor, contractor, client, customer, or supplier, you must not allow that relationship to influence your conduct or decisions while at work, or inappropriately seek to influence outcomes for yourself or others, or bypass normal channels for raising or responding to issues or concerns within UoD. This applies equally to individuals who are potential colleagues, students, governors or job applicants.

4.5 Where you have a close personal relationship with a student (current or prospective), the need for openness and transparency is particularly important to protect both you and the student from any inference of impropriety, bias, power imbalance or conflict of interest, particularly where there is a direct professional relationship. This could extend to situations where the student is known to you through close contact established in a context unrelated to UoD, for example in a previous role or outside of work, and where previous knowledge of the student might impact your behaviour, or the student's, or that of anyone else in the learning situation. Where appropriate, we reserve the right to transfer or change lecturer or PhD supervisor where there is a staff-student relationship. (See also our Academic Regulations.)

See also Staff/student relationships of a sexual nature.

4.6 You will be expected to disclose any student relationships as required by any professional body registration requirements, or professional code of conduct, practice and ethics, relevant to your particular area of practice. If you are unsure whether this applies to you, seek advice from your line manager or HR Partner.

4.6.1 To avoid the risk of unfair bias, you will not be permitted to make decisions that affect a relative or a person with whom you have a close relationship. Where it is a decision being made collectively, you will be required to withdraw from the decision-making process.

4.7 Where appropriate, we reserve the right to transfer one or, where applicable, both staff members involved in a relationship to an alternative position if this is necessary to effectively manage the situation. Before taking such steps, you will be consulted, and we will try to reach a satisfactory agreement regarding any such transfer. If a transfer is not possible, for example, because no suitable vacancies exist, or an individual refuses to transfer, we reserve the right to dismiss the staff member, or, where applicable, both staff members with notice in accordance with their contracts of employment, or make a payment in lieu of notice. Dismissal would be undertaken only as a last resort in circumstances where no other course of action was reasonably available to us.

Professional boundaries

4.8 We recognise that friendships will develop between colleagues (or potentially between PGR supervisors and PGR students) and this may be an important part of an individual’s social and support network, both in and outside of work. It helps to create a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for staff and students, and we welcome the development of social ties between colleagues. Friendships may extend to social contact outside of and unconnected with work. While in most cases this is not a problem, staff should be mindful of how such a friendship might be perceived by others, and the potential for a conflict of interest to arise, particularly where one colleague is more senior than the other and may be in a position to influence decisions. Where there is a power imbalance, staff are expected to exercise judgement in declaring any potential conflict of interest concerning colleagues (or students) who are also friends and who may frequently socialise outside of work.

4.9 You must maintain appropriate professional boundaries between you and your work colleagues and/or students. This is not restricted to in-person interactions but extends to the use of electronic or social media, including communications of a personal nature. Even where students are 18 or over, there is likely to be a power imbalance between staff and students or between colleagues at different levels that would make certain close personal relationships (including but not limited to those of a sexual nature) inappropriate and reputationally damaging. Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries both in and outside of work is important to protect you from allegations of wrongdoing or unethical conduct (actual or perceived) and to protect students from harm.

Staff/student relationships of a sexual nature

4.10 Given the power differentials and professional relationship between staff and students, the university operates a ban on relevant staff member (3) / student relationships of a sexual nature, and it is unprofessional for a member of staff to initiate, enter or pursue such a relationship with a student regardless of their age. Some pre-existing relationships between consenting adults – i.e. established before the existence of the staff/student dynamic – will be treated sympathetically, but any conflict of interest or other potential issues should be appropriately managed under this section: "Relationships". In all cases, it is mandatory to disclose such relationships immediately.

(3) ‘Relevant staff member’ means a member of staff who has direct academic responsibilities, or other direct professional responsibilities, in relation to that student.

4.11 Where relationships pre-exist, we reserve the right to remove the staff member from all responsibilities that may entail a perceived or actual conflict of interest and/or abuse of power. With the staff member’s consent, the student will also be advised of the disclosure, of any relevant changes being made and why they are necessary.

4.11.1 Any sexual relationship entered into by a staff member with a student under the age of 18 or with students who have particular care and support needs (4) will be considered gross misconduct and will be investigated under the staff disciplinary procedure. Such conduct may also be a criminal offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

(4) The student has needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs) and:

• is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect; and
• because of those care and support needs, is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of or the experience of abuse or neglect.

See also: Safeguarding, and our Sexual Misconduct Policy.

4.12 If you suspect or know that a colleague is in a non-declared relationship with a student where that relationship creates or may create a conflict of interest or otherwise contravenes the standards expected (e.g. professional boundaries, safeguarding, etc.), you should advise an appropriate senior manager (PVC, Director or Head of Department) in confidence so that the matter may be considered and, where necessary, appropriate action taken.

Working elsewhere (employees only)

4.12.1 Having another job while you are also an employee of ours is normally not a problem. However, you must not agree to work for anyone else (including self-employment) while you are an employee of ours unless we are aware of it and have had the opportunity to consider the impact in terms of your role for us. If you are unsure about whether any outside activities would count as ‘work’ for this purpose, you must discuss this with your line manager in the first instance.

4.12.2 All requests to work elsewhere will be given fair consideration taking into account individual factors such as your role for the university and the hours you work for us in total. For example, we recognise that some staff who work for us on a part-time or occasional basis are likely to be employed elsewhere or seek employment elsewhere (e.g. we recognise that Associate Lecturers might work for more than one institution in a similar capacity).

4.13 Some staff (e.g. academic staff) will have provisions in their contract of employment encouraging external work which is supportive of their professional responsibilities and will set out the types of external activity that do not require prior approval. 15.1 is therefore subject to any provisions within contracts of employment around external activity and exclusivity of service. See also External Income Policy.

Institutional independence/political neutrality

4.13.1 As a charity, we are required by law to be politically neutral and independent. Therefore, any political campaigning, or political activity undertaken by the institution or by staff in their professional capacity, must be undertaken only in the context of supporting the delivery of our charitable purposes and/or educational objectives. For example, the university might campaign or lobby the government for a change in the law, policy, or decisions (or to ensure existing laws are observed), where this is in support of our charitable purpose.

4.13.2 It would not be appropriate for individual staff members to use the university’s resources for the expression or furtherance of personal or party-political views, although such resources may legitimately be used to support students’ participation in political activity in line with our educational purpose and objectives or to support staff and students in response to government policy or legislative changes. The use of resources in support of these objectives should be deployed in a politically neutral manner.

4.13.3 In determining whether the university's resources (staffing, financial, etc.) are being used appropriately, we will have regard to the guidance document Campaigning and political activity guidance for charities (CC9), as published by the Charity Commission.

4.13.4 Nothing in this section prevents an employee from being a member of a trade union and taking part in its lawful activities.

Use of our property and resources

4.13.5 Our assets and resources are provided and should be used for appropriate and work-related purposes.

4.13.6 You are responsible for any property belonging to us that is in your possession or under your control and you should take all reasonable steps to protect our property from damage, theft, or misuse. You should not make or authorise any changes to our property e.g. upgrades to a laptop or phone, without prior written approval from the appropriate internal authority (seek advice from your line manager in the first instance). Our property must never be used for inappropriate or illegal activities e.g. drink driving in a UoD-provided car, using a UoD laptop or our network to visit inappropriate websites, etc.

4.13.7 Any facilities, equipment, tools, or other resources provided by us for your use should be used for work purposes. Limited personal use of our property is permitted where such use is urgent and essential (e.g. you need to make an urgent call and your personal phone is unavailable), the proposed use does not conflict with any of our policies or rules and does not incur additional costs for UoD. You may be required to reimburse us for the costs associated with approved or non-approved use of our resources for personal purposes.

4.13.8 We may at any time require you to return our property to us (including social media account details, or any computer or online passwords), and you must do so straight away. In any event, all UoD property that is in your possession or under your control must be returned to us before your employment or engagement ends.

4.14 We reserve the right to monitor the use of UoD property and resources including carrying out spot checks.

Use of IT, telephones, internet, email, and social media

4.14.1 You should be aware of and comply with our IT acceptable use policy and associated policies and procedures including policies on acceptable use of email, internet, social media, and telephones (including portable and mobile devices provided by us for you to use for work purposes).

4.14.2 We may monitor the use of our IT resources to ensure our policies are being complied with. Any monitoring will comply with data protection or other relevant legislation.

Conduct outside of work/working hours

You must remain aware that how you act outside of work can have either a positive or a negative impact on colleagues, students, or the reputation of UoD, particularly where there is a close connection between your outside of work activities and your known status as our employee/governor. Because of this, you should not conduct yourself in a way that is detrimental to us or your colleagues/students (including prospective students), our partners, and customers, even where the conduct takes place outside of working hours and away from work premises, including where the conduct is 'online' e.g. social media activity. For this reason, there may be occasions where conduct outside of work is relevant for consideration under our internal policies and procedures e.g. our disciplinary, grievance, or bullying and harassment procedures, including where it impacts on any professional accreditation requirements or professional body codes of conduct relevant to your employment.

4.14.3 If you join in with work-related events and social activities (including activities organised by the Union of Students’ societies) the connection between work and personal life is even more closely connected, and the expected standards set out in this document and our other policies/procedures apply to such events. You should also be mindful that events which are not run by us but are primarily attended by our colleagues or students e.g. informal work gatherings/meet-ups, nights out, Christmas parties, ‘leaving do’s’ etc., are still work-related and therefore the same principles apply as to work events organised by us.

Disclosure of criminal convictions, offences, or other misconduct

4.15 If you are arrested, are facing criminal charges, conviction, or other allegations regardless of your role, as soon as you can, you must inform your PVC, Director, Head of Department, or your HR Business Partner. The information will be treated in the strictest confidence and may not require any further action but is an opportunity for the university to consider any potential impact on your work for us, any risk to staff or students, or impact on our reputation as an institution.

4.15.1 Examples of information that must be disclosed include: being arrested, convictions (this includes road traffic offences but not fixed penalty notices such as speeding or parking tickets unless they are given in court); changes or likely changes to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) status; cautions; warnings; reprimands; criminal fines; or awaiting sentence or during any criminal allegations made against you that are being investigated. It also includes any allegations of misconduct or impropriety made against you including allegations made in any role or employment you hold outside of your employment with us, or investigations undertaken by professional bodies. This obligation applies whether or not you believe the matter to be trivial or irrelevant to your role, and whether or not you know or believe the allegations to be true.

4.15.2 In all cases, information must be disclosed as soon as practically possible to allow us to assess the risks and implications (if any). If in doubt about whether there is a duty to disclose, you should discuss the matter with the appropriate person (see 23). Where necessary, you may be required to undergo a further DBS check.

4.15.3 If you fail to disclose information, disciplinary action may be taken against you if it is later discovered that information was withheld or was not disclosed.

Safeguarding

4.15.4 Everyone has a responsibility to report concerns about a child or adult being at risk of harm. A person may abuse or neglect a child or adult by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm.

4.15.5 You must follow our safeguarding procedures and notify the appropriate person (normally the Safeguarding Coordinator) without delay if you have any concerns about suspected or actual abuse or neglect of individuals (even if you turn out to be mistaken). This includes potential safeguarding concerns you witness online e.g. on social media platforms or outside of hours emergency wellbeing checks on students.

For more information, see our Safeguarding Policy.

4.16 If you work in 'regulated activity' (as defined by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012), you are obliged to report any change in your circumstances that impacts or might impact your suitability to work in that role, either to your PVC, or Director or Head of Department. See also.

Health, safety, and welfare

4.16.1 We have a legal duty to protect the health and safety of our workforce and any external individuals who visit our sites.

4.16.2 You are expected to familiarise yourself and comply with our health and safety policies and procedures. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 all staff, at whatever level, are responsible for taking care of themselves and other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work.

4.16. If your role necessitates the wearing of safety equipment or protective clothing, you must strictly comply with these rules for health and safety reasons. (See also 28.3).

Smoking

4.16.4 It is illegal to smoke in the workplace and we do not allow smoking of any kind (including e-cigarettes) in or within 10 metres of any UoD-owned or controlled buildings or vehicles. Smoking is only permitted within the designated smoking shelters available on site.

Drugs and alcohol

4.16.5 It is very important that those working for us can carry out their duties safely and free from the influence of drugs (5) or alcohol.

(5) This means illegal drugs, psychoactive substances (‘legal highs’), and prescription or non-prescription drugs which may affect your ability to carry out your duties fully and safely.

4.16.6 Work-related events like awards dinners or staff parties that involve alcohol are an exception. We may allow moderate drinking on those occasions, but we will still expect you to behave professionally, with integrity, and in line with our reasonable standards. We expect staff to exercise good judgement and in the knowledge of their limits and reaction to alcohol.

4.16.7 It is critically important that you do not drive or operate machinery if your performance or judgment might be impaired through the use or misuse of drugs or alcohol. This includes any drugs prescribed for you.

4.16.8 You must not possess illegal drugs or psychoactive substances (except for legitimate substances including food, tobacco, nicotine, caffeine, and medical products) at any time while working for or representing us.

4.16.9 Medication can have side-effects that affect performance. If this applies to you, please raise it with your manager so that we can take medical advice if necessary (e.g. via occupational health) and consider any reasonable adjustments that we might need to make. It is your responsibility to seek advice from a doctor or pharmacist about the possible effects of your medication on your fitness to do your job.

4.16.10 If you know or suspect that a colleague is or has been misusing drugs or alcohol, you should raise this in confidence with your manager or your HR Business Partner. It’s important that we find out about any issues so that we can help as best we can. We will also want to make sure we’re meeting our health and safety responsibilities, and protecting all colleagues, students, and visitors.

Security

4.16.11 You must be security conscious for the safety and wellbeing of all staff, governors, and students.

4.16.12 You should wear, or have about your person, at all times your UoD identity badge when on our premises.

See also 4.28.3.

Keeping things confidential

4.16.13 We prefer to conduct our business openly and transparently; however, there will be times when in the course of your work e.g. due to the nature of your role, as a member of a committee, as a line manager, etc., you have access to or become aware of personal, sensitive, 'special category data’ or confidential information and data, either about other people or in connection with our commercial/academic activities. You should be aware of the need, and take all necessary steps, to keep such matters confidential and to respect the proper/authorised channels of communication for such information.

4.16.14 Subject to our policies on Intellectual Property, you must not use any information obtained in the course of your work with us for personal gain or benefit. Nor should you pass it on to others who might use it in this way.

4.16.15 Where you have access to and are entrusted with confidential information, you must not divulge it except where:

• we have authorised you to do so (in writing);
• the law says you must;
• you are required to as part of your job e.g. as a Personal Tutor acting appropriately under our policies in response to confidential information shared with you by a student; or
• you are making a protected disclosure under the Employment Rights Act 1996. This is known as ‘whistleblowing’, and you should refer to our Whistleblowing Policy.

4.16.16 This applies during your employment/engagement and after it has ended.

Monitoring

4.16.17 You are not permitted to covertly record or monitor your colleagues, managers, students, or others in the workplace. Covert recording/monitoring is where the person or people being recorded/monitored is/are unaware that it is taking place and have not consented to be recorded/monitored. This means that you must not secretly record workplace interactions with or between colleagues, managers, or students using audio/video/digital recording devices or otherwise regardless of whether the interaction being recorded takes place during times and in rooms/locations where you are also present. This includes but is not limited to 1:1s and appraisal meetings, team meetings, consultation meetings, investigation meetings, or grievance and disciplinary meetings.

4.16.18 All staff should be aware of the nature, extent, and reasons for any monitoring unless, exceptionally, covert monitoring is justified. For these reasons, we may treat any breach of this rule as potential gross misconduct irrespective of the motive for making the recording. Covert monitoring can only be authorised by a member of UEB in circumstances where there are grounds for suspecting criminal activity or equivalent malpractice. You should not assume that you are permitted to make a covert recording at work.

4.16.19 Subject to 26.2 and 4.26.4, you will be notified of any video/audio/digital recording that is to take place. This rule does not inhibit normal and accepted social behaviour between work colleagues e.g. where work colleagues might wish to take photos of each other on work social occasions.

4.16.20 We will have regard to our legal obligations under the relevant legislation including data protection legislation.

Information security and data protection

4.16.21 You must familiarise yourself and comply with our data protection and information security policies and processes.

Dress and appearance

4.16.22 You should present a professional image in how you dress (appropriate to the work you do for us) while working for us or on our behalf. This includes maintaining good personal hygiene.

1.16.23 While working for us overseas, you should dress in a way that respects the local culture and any religious sensitivities of the host country.

4.16.24 The wearing of lawful items arising from cultural/religious norms (including, for example, sari, turbans, hats, skullcaps, hijab, kippah, mangal sutra, crucifix, crosses, and clerical collars) while on campus is seen as a positive illustration of our commitment to diversity. The only limitations are that:

• For security reasons, the temporary removal of veils and clothing that cover the head and face may be necessary to authenticate identity; and/or
• For health and safety reasons (see 23.3), certain tasks may require the wearing of specific items such as overalls, protective clothing/headwear/gloves/masks, uniforms, etc. Where practicable, these may be adapted to enable you to wear religious dress so long as they do not endanger your health and safety or that of others.

4.16.25 Transgender, non-binary, gender-fluid, or gender non-conforming individuals may dress in a way that they feel matches their identity. This also applies to hairstyles, jewellery and makeup.

4.16.26 Reasonable adjustments will be made for employees with disabilities where any requirements around dress/appearance are more difficult for them to apply because of their disability.

5. Sanctions

5.1 If an employee breaches the standards outlined in this document it may lead to action under the disciplinary procedure and in serious cases, it may result in dismissal.

5.2 If you are working for us but are not directly employed e.g. contractors, agency workers, volunteers, etc. you are also expected to comply with the standards when working for us. A failure to do so may result in the termination of your contract or engagement and render you unsuitable for consideration for future work opportunities with us.

5.3 For members of the GC, including members of sub-committees of the GC, you are also expected to comply with the standards (in particular section 2) when carrying out your duties as a member of the GC or when representing UoD, whether that is in an official or a personal capacity. Any breach of the standards may lead to removal from office under our Instrument and Articles and the Ordinances. In some cases, we may need to report allegations of improper behaviour to the Office for Students (OfS) or other relevant bodies in line with our regulatory duties as an FE and HE provider and our conditions of registration.

Appendix A: The Seven Principles of Public Life

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder. This includes all those who are elected or appointed to public office, nationally and locally, and all people appointed to work in the Civil Service, local government, the police, courts and probation services, non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), and in the health, education, social and care services. All public office-holders are both servants of the public and stewards of public resources. The principles also apply to all those in other sectors delivering public services.

Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.