UCL Office policies

Post date: Jan 28, 2014 12:0:23 PM

Today UCL-CEGE Staff received this email:

"Dear all

This is a reminder that you should be using the Outlook diary system to record your whereabouts. If there is no entry then it’s expected that you are on UCL premises

EVERYONE should give full access to their diary to at least the Line Managers ie beyond seeing busy or out of office. You can still lock personal appointments. You should also enter when you are on leave or away from UCL for anything else

This is also the way we monitor the whereabouts of overseas staff which is a requirement of UKBA (or whatever they are calling themselves this week). If they were to descend on us and ask to see someone we have to show that we know where they are and just seeing busy in their diary isn’t acceptable."

Now, it might seem something reasonable to a University outsider: where are you, worker? The email was directed to all the staff, which includes research and not-research staff.

Now, I believe this policy comes from somebody who doesn't have any idea of what a "creative" process is. I personally wrote my PhD thesis in the whereabouts of Berlin's bars. UCL treats researchers as any others, without really understanding what does it mean "doing research". I personally fear scared of asking to go to visit a colleague at the nearby Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Is this a University? We are 12 packed inside a room of ca. 7 sqm (which is due to the fact that office space in London is expensive).

CO2 is everyday at dangerous levels, although official reports show that only the temperature is dangerously high or low. Here a picture showing standard CO2 levels in a normal day. Promises of fixing this were given over several months. I feel sick, I have headaches everyday. I would like to work from home (which would be possible for every researcher in a normal university) when my duties are not requested in the office.

In September I wrote the following email:

"Dear XXX,

I hope this finds you well (I know you are coming back tomorrow for the first day).

I think to be speaking for everybody working on a daily basis in 202. I am not usually a picky person, indeed I usually do not care much about working conditions, unless I find myself playing cards with rats as big as me, or in the worst case if I am living in Oxford and working in the Mathematics department. I have to say, though, that working in 202 is becoming quite an experience. I cannot feel my toes, nor the toes can feel me. I didn't experience this since that time I have played Ultimate Frisbee on the frozen Victoria Lake for the Iroquois team in Canada at -30 Celsius against penguins. Also, it happens very often that the CO2 level of the room spikes up, with consequent headaches, bad mood, and eventually this email. And the headache is not due to an ambulance every 2 minutes, freshers coming in to print something, 2 months without bathroom, not even to the concerts of the main quad. Indeed.

Now, I know we have asked several times why this room is so cold (and, yes, ok in august it could be pleasant sometime, I give you that). The answer should be: because the computer room shares the same air with us. I would have to have a word with these people called "computers" and what they are actually computing the whole day to need such a refreshing atmosphere. I bet they don't have a fridge and want to keep their lunch meal at the right temperature, but it happens that in 202 we already have a fridge and don't need this temperatures anyway. Now, given all my efforts in trying to make this email as pleasant as possible, and indeed using prototypical British humour worthy of Monty Python, could something be done in order to have better working conditions? I definitely spend more time here than at home. I am even down asking asylum to the Math department! Sorry for the row to hoe.

Thanks a lot and welcome back,

Francesco"

The situation is not really nice.