Short-term Working Abroad for Personal Reasons

Overview

UKRI is currently running a trial to facilitate short-term remote working abroad for compassionate reasons, which at present is limited to citizens of EU countries. We are keen to hear from staff—both those eligible and those not eligible for the trial—as your perspectives will help us to:

• learn from colleague experiences in order to support continuous improvement 
• provide data to help support organisational consideration of next steps (noting that no commitments have yet been discussed)

According to UKRI workforce statistics, 16.7% (1,389) of UK-based staff are non-UK nationals, with 0.3% (24) holding dual citizenship (as of 15 January 2024). This highlights the importance of ensuring that our policies are inclusive and responsive to the diverse circumstances of colleagues, many of whom have family and caring responsibilities overseas.

We are also aware that several government departments, arms-length bodies and other organisations have introduced approaches that allow for a broader range of international remote working circumstances. This provides useful examples of emerging practice that UKRI may wish to consider as it develops its own approach.

Your views are invaluable in helping us better support colleagues who may wish to apply. All responses will be treated as confidential unless you choose to opt in for your experience to be shared as a case study. If you prefer not to provide additional detail in free-text responses, please simply note “N/A.”

All information will be stored in accordance with UKRI’s data protection policy. The survey shouldn't take more than a few minutes to complete and we greatly appreciate you taking the time to contribute.