Many employees over the past year have already taken home an office chair or monitor from the campus. “This was organized by the health and safety advisor of their own service or department,” tells Monique Kuyck, head of Operational Services & Location Management. “These items came mainly from floors 10 and 11 of Atlas, but some people have borrowed items from their department's own buildings.” As to the exact numbers of items involved, she cannot say. “No total overview has been centrally maintained.”

The corona pandemic permitting, the university is keen to offer employees the opportunity to return to work on the campus this coming spring. Naturally, this means first ensuring that work stations in Atlas are properly furnished and equipped. “And so we have been working via the management units (services and departments, ed.) to establish what our homeworkers still need in the way of chairs and monitors, before leasing these items externally,” explains Kuyck. After nearly a year, the figures stand at about five hundred office chairs and a similar number of monitors. “Spread over nearly all the management units.”

Delivered

In view of the level of demand and the fact that the terms of any long-term homeworking arrangement that may be introduced are as yet unknown, Kuyck says it was decided to lease the items. “In March the items will be delivered to the homes of those employees who expressed a need for them. This raises the cost for us a little, but means that during the lockdown we won't have to ask a large number of people to come to the campus.”

Employees will be able to use the items until mid-September. Only office chairs and monitors are involved; no office desks are available. Similarly, smaller office supplies such as keyboards, docking stations, mice and headsets are not involved in the scheme. “Your manager can request these accessories and peripherals for you from IMS.”