Earlier this week I provided a comprehensive update on the latest government advice and its impact on our approach to delivering our services. While I will share with you an equally comprehensive update early next week following reflection on this evolving situation and the questions you have been asking as a result, I thought it was important to email you today regarding the specific issue of widespread school closures.
On a personal level I have a son in school and can appreciate that school closures for all except key workers, will cause inconvenience and concern for many of you. I know you will be keen to understand the impact of this and our policy on how we manage this as a business.
Our focus is to support those colleagues who are affected, to manage issues in local delivery teams to ensure we balance the need for increased flexibility with service continuity. In the event that parents or carers are unable to make alternative arrangements, there are some considerations that should be applied such as continuing to maximise the use of agile working where possible and practicable to do so.
To support this, we are abandoning any restrictions on when you can work agile to give you a greater degree of flexibility to work whenever suits you. Other options include the use of annual leave and using unpaid parental or carers leave. Each situation will be different so we are recommending that decisions are made locally, on a case-by-case basis to reflect what will best work for you and the business.