Green Gown Awards 2021: Build Back Better - University of Oxford - Finalist

University of Oxford new ways of working

Following lessons learned during COVID-19 pandemic and working remotely, the University of Oxford has committed to making adjustments to accommodate a “new normal” for sustainability and wellbeing. The primary change encompasses introducing a framework to support opportunities for greater flexibility in future working arrangements, including hybrid forms of working, across the University’s professional services.

The pandemic has upended the traditional way of work for many colleagues at the University. The changes, although forced by the circumstances, shed light on the potential benefits for environmental sustainability, wellbeing, and equality. 

The University’s newly approved Environmental Sustainability Strategy targets, among other action areas, lessons learned from the pandemic. As one of ten priority areas to apply and monitor the environmental effects of these changes is one of the criteria for the success of the project. These include carbon reduction, resource use and local travel. Additional criteria for the project relate to efficiency, staff, and students’ wellbeing of and supporting equality in the workplace.  

The University assigned a New Ways of Working (NWW) taskforce to lead a planning process, consultation, pilot projects, and monitoring scheme. 

Top 3 learnings:

• There is a genuine desire for people to do the right thing environmentally. Having sustainability as a key pillar of NWW enables them to do that in an informed way.
• Behaviour change on large scale is achievable; addressing it empowers the community that is involved in the process.
• The experience from the pandemic shed light on the need for large scale engagement and having everyone on board.