Information for Staff

Do I need to work from home?

During the past few months, facilities have been made available to allow employees to work from home where possible. The Dutch Government has strongly advised everyone in the Netherlands to work from home if possible for 50% after having consulted your manager.

Design Academy Eindhoven is an educational institution and the student is paramount. Teaching staff and educational support work together to provide this education.

During summer 2020, support staff moved to the second floor, where we are able to observe the 1.5-metre RIVM guideline more comfortably. Together we will monitor the 1.5-metre distancing guideline and remind each other if we observe that it is not being followed.

There is a hand out on how to work with Office 365 and other tools below:

Handout Nederlands
Handout Engels

If you have a cold and/or a fever, inform your manager as soon as possible. Send a notification from home to reduce the risk of transmission.

What if I do not feel well?

Anyone with minor complaints will be asked to continue to work from home as much as possible. If you are too unwell to work, please use the regular procedure to report yourself as sick.

People are sick in my home environment. They are not tested. What should I do?

Please stay at home, read the RIVM guidelines and inform your manager of your situation. The following link provides you with the relevant information, please note: it is in Dutch, use www.deepl.cpm to translate:
https://lci.rivm.nl/covid-19-huisgenoten

Communication Flowchart Staff
Communication Flowchart Education

Will I have to make up for hours I could not work because of the Coronavirus?

In this case, being unable to work is force majeure and you need not make up for the hours. It is important for us to ensure that education can continue as much as possible, which means education may continue remotely. This calls for flexibility.

I find it difficult to work from home.

This is difficult for most of us! Perhaps you are working too many hours or the very opposite – you cannot perform your work from a remote location and still match your previous contribution. Many people miss the social contact of being at work together. It can help to discuss this with your manager and colleagues, because you are not alone in this. If you would like support from a mentor or a coach, please discuss this with your manager.

People are sick with Covid-19 in my immediate circle. This has a huge impact on me. What can I do?

The impact of Covid-19 can be difficult to manage when you cannot rely on friends and family for support – at least not in the way you are used to. Not everyone feels comfortable talking about this, certainly not with colleagues, but in this situation communication is very important. We want to offer you support during this difficult period. If you feel you need this, don’t hesitate to discuss this with your manager.

Can I be asked to accept and perform tasks that fall outside the scope of my position?

This is certainly a possibility during specific periods. It is important to ensure that as many students as possible can graduate halfway through or at the end of the academic year. This requires everyone to put in extra effort and be more flexible than ever. We can only do this together.

What should I do if I cannot do my work at home because I have to look after my children?

We assume that you can continue your work remotely and that you are available and employable for the number of hours you are normally available for each week. If this is not the case, you will have to take annual leave. If you need a few days to organise matters, you can consult your manager about requesting an exceptional leave of absence. If you cannot comply with the requested availability for a longer period, you will have to use annual leave hours.

Does the Academy permit me to travel abroad?

Employees and students are strongly discouraged from travelling abroad. DAE adheres to the travel advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 
Please consider that you have to go in quarantine for 10 days when you return from your trip/holiday.

Travelers from countries outside the EU are subject to an entry ban, but a number of exceptions are being reintroduced from 16 March. This means that the following groups may again enter the Netherlands: business travellers, students, professionals from the cultural and creative sector.

I am currently (on partial) sick leave, how can I work towards my normal hours?

Illness supervision and your re-integration obligations are still running, whether or not you work from home. Building up hours remotely is more difficult for some than others – the meetings that you are used to holding face-to-face are now done via telephone or video calling. This means you must reach clear agreements with your manager. Please make sure you contact them directly to arrange this.

Working from home for longer: equipment and supplies

If you are working from home for an extended period, you might want to collect some things from your workplace or require equipment or materials to organise your workplace at home as ergonomically as possible. If this is the case, please discuss with your manager.

I am following a coaching/mentoring trajectory or training. Will this still take place?

Yes, this will still take place. Elements of your coaching or mentoring may now take place remotely, preferably using Teams or via the telephone.

What is happening to the chair massages?

These will be reintroduced as soon as the government advice permits it. We will inform the employees who have registered for this as soon as there is more information. Of course, we will also inform them about agreements regarding the contribution paid towards the chair massage.

Conditions of employment matters: reimbursement of travel costs

The regular travel cost reimbursement has been on hold since 1 May 2020. This has been replaced with a declaration scheme.
If you come into the Academy or undertake a journey related to Academy business, you must request permission in advance from your manager. You can declare your expenses in the usual manner via AFAS Insite and your manager can approve them.
This will be the approach until 31 March 2021. The government and the Association of Higher Education of Applied Science has announced news relating to a permanent scheme of declaration of expenses and DAE is considering the appropriate approach in response.

Will your annual interview with your manager take place?

Yes, this will take place this year. But as is the case with most interviews, these too will (in part) take place via Teams.

Can I volunteer outside of DAE?

In addition to your work at DAE, you may also wish to volunteer and contribute to society in other ways. If you want to set up or contribute to a social project in your neighbourhood focused on supporting the elderly and vulnerable groups during this difficult period, share it with us!

If you have any questions, please contact HR HRM@designacademy.nl