Resources for organisations to identify the potential for remote and mixed model working and practical tips for implementation
SOLT and UK Theatre have commissioned Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA) to research and write a suite of practical resources for organisations on remote and mixed model working.
The last eighteen months have been incredibly challenging for the theatre workforce. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic many people have lost their jobs, many have been prevented from working, and many have been working from home. As the theatre industry reopens, organisations are looking at developing constructive approaches to returning to the workplace for those workers who are able to do so. This is an important juncture for organisations to consider the benefits of remote working – and the practical steps needed to take to integrate new approaches – before simply returning to pre-pandemic working patterns.
In May 2021 PiPA conducted research with theatre sector workers that identified significant appetite and opportunity within managers and workforce for embedding a more robust and flexible infrastructure into daily working practice.
As we look to reopening there are many factors to consider and no singular approach to working in a post-Covid landscape. There is tension between wanting things to ‘get back to normal’ and ‘doing things differently.’ To assist leaders and managers as they explore new approaches to working for their workforce, based on market-tested strategies as part of the PiPA Charter Programme, PiPA have designed a practical toolkit to support managers to assess the potential opportunities and challenges for organisations identified through the research.
The Toolkit features the following guidance:
1. The Future of Work - Flexible, Remote and Mixed
- Making the business case for remote working – a summary of the benefits and challenges of developing new policies
- Types of remote working – definitions and explanations
- Common concerns – addressing frequently arising questions
2. Making Off Site Working Work
- PiPA Role Analysis tool
- Remote Working Checklist
3. Remote Working sample policy
Alongside the Toolkit, SOLT UK Theatre and PiPA hosted a free webinar on 30 September 2021, to offer theatre employers the chance to learn more. The webinar featured case studies from the Royal Shakespeare Company, Mercury Theatre Colchester and Costume in Theatre, Entertainment and Arts, who have successfully implemented remote or mixed model working policies. It's intended to provide employers with the opportunity to dissect these new resources in more detail with the authors and ask any questions. You can watch the recorded webinar here.
Download the Toolkit
