Hybrid working – Frequently asked questions

In 2023, we fell short of our performance targets and with more stretching targets in 2024 and beyond, we need to work differently to achieve our goals. We need to forge stronger relationships and come together more consistently.

Successful hybrid working means striking the right balance between in person and remote working. Our business results, some of our engagement scores and employee wellbeing trends all point to the need to come together more to harness a sense of community and support each other better.

A designated day where we all come together helps us to build a sense of community and belonging. Being able to connect in person on the same day means we can easily plan discussions, meetings and learning opportunities that are more effective face to face.

It also increases the opportunities for us to connect more informally across the business, helping us to build stronger connections with each other – particularly with colleagues we don’t often work closely with.

We’re underperforming on several key performance indicators, including revenue numbers, and guest satisfaction scores. While there are many factors that influence these numbers, they suggest that we’re not working in an optimal way.

We also know from colleague feedback that we need to improve how we collaborate across departments. There are several ways we can improve collaboration, including clear lines of accountability and connected goals, and spending more time together in person, working through business priorities.

We also know that time together in person helps promotes positive mental health and a sense of belonging, which are both important aspects of our business and our purpose.

We’re striving to build a community that thinks and acts as one team. Where every colleague can benefit from on the job learning, knowledge sharing, and the contextual awareness that comes from spending time together in person. To create the cultural unity that is so important to who we are, we want to be fair and consistent in our approach.

In-person work promotes cross-departmental communication, knowledge sharing, a faster exchange of ideas, increased opportunities for development and strengthened relationships. Fundamentally this change is about being more productive, not less.

No, that’s not the intention. Flexibility around the shape of our working week is a key aspect of what’s we all value about working here. We want to protect and maintain this flexibility as well as be as productive as possible. We believe that this shift will be enough to strengthen our performance as a business.

For all jobs, there is often a cost associated with getting to and from work. With our city centre location, we have fantastic transport links and we’re also exploring greener and cost-effective ways for you to commute to work.

Each week we also provide everyone with the opportunity to apply to park in one of our three car parks for free.

With our flexible working framework, you’ll also be able to flex your working hours so you can plan your commute more easily.

We’re continuing to find and successfully implement initiatives within Carnival House to reduce our environmental impact. We hope to have more news to share in this space via The Insider in the future.

In trying to strengthen the sense of community at Carnival UK, it’s important we’re consistent and unified in our approach and that we each take accountability for spending enough time on site. We may occasionally monitor working patterns to make sure that teams are working in the same way and to help us identify if any further support is needed.

We’d actively encourage you to make use of the fantastic working environment and collaborative and community-building opportunities that Carnival House provides. Your local management team will share expectations with you about how much time you should spend in the office, including rationale.

We’d actively encourage you to make use of the fantastic working environment and collaborative and community-building opportunities that Carnival House provides. You and your manager should agree what makes sense for your contract and your circumstances.

No – our contact centres have already defined new optimised ways of working and the channels, shift patterns and rotations we need to enhance our performance and deliver an improved guest experience within our Carnival UK CCO.

Only management teams (CUK7 and above), are required to follow Carnival UK’s approach to hybrid working in line with the rest of the business.

Absolutely! If you’re in CCO, please check with your line manager beforehand so we can make sure we have desk availability for you.

We have no expectation for colleagues to change their formally agreed working pattern. However, in the spirit of flexible working, you may on the odd occasion and with notice, be asked to swap your non-working day to carry out your role effectively. If you or someone you manage would like to change their non-working day on an ongoing basis, this should be managed through the formal flexible working process. Please speak to Employee Relations if you’d like any support with these discussions.

No, Carnival UK believes in the importance of flexible working. As long as it works for business
needs you are still able to travel outside of peak times or get home earlier to be home for school
pick up, for example. We ask that you visit the office on three separate days (two days minimum for part time workers) for a meaningful amount of your day.

The purpose of this report is not to catch you out. If you’ve been working from other locations for
genuine reasons as agreed with your line manager, such as spending time working on a ship, at a
conference or visiting suppliers, then you have nothing to worry about as this is perfectly legitimate.
We also know that there are times when plans change because of domestic emergencies. In these
instances, we would expect that you would have made your line manager aware at the time and
they will be able to explain that. You shouldn’t worry about any instances that were agreed with
your line manager and were a result of actions in good faith.

We’re asking that you spend at least three days of your working week (two days minimum for part time workers) in the office or onsite at other location. Carnival House is your main place of work and therefore you should continue to work from the office for three days a week on shorter weeks.

We would like people to spend 60% of their time or a minimum of two days on site. We recommend
that you spend three days on site if that’s possible, as it’ll help you to stay connected to your
colleagues and feel included in activities taking part in Carnival House.

You and your line manager should agree what makes sense in terms of the requirements of your
role. Just as an individual who works full time may on occasion be asked to work on site for more
than the three-day minimum due to business needs, colleagues working part time also need to be
flexible in line with the needs of the business.

While 60% of your time should be on site, this should never be less than the two-day minimum.

Life happens and we know that sometimes things happen that will force you to work remotely.
Changes to your plans could impact others, so be open with your manager, your team and keep
others informed. Ideally, as Carnival House is your main place of work, we encourage you to make
up that day by visiting the office more on another week.

Working remotely isn’t an alternative to sick leave. If you’re not feeling well enough to come into
work and carry out your usual activities, then you need to take time out to rest and recover. You
should speak to your line manager to confirm that you’re unwell and unable to work and your line
manager will log your absence using myHR portal. If you’re well enough to work but could be
infectious, for example after having had symptoms of sickness and diarrhoea or covid then you
should work from home. Please take a look at The Bridge for more information on sickness and absence. If you’re a line manager then click here.

We’re retaining the ability to flex your working hours on any given day, to enable you to plan your
commute around caring commitments, peak travel hours and the need to collaborate with other
brands in the Corporation. Both formal and informal flexible working options are open for you to
explore with your line manager.

What if I was planning to work from Carnival House but my child is unwell? Can I work from home?

In this scenario, as with any other domestic emergency, you’ll need to speak to your Line Manager
and agree how best to manage the day; whether that’s working from home (if you’ve an older child
and feel this is manageable), or whether you should take the day as leave.

As a minimum, we would like people to spend 3 days a week on site (two days for part time
workers). We recommend you spend three days on site, if days allow, as it’ll help you to stay
connected to your colleagues. We ask that you consider Carnival House to be your main place of
work and continue to be onsite for three days on shorter weeks.

Unless you were recruited as a homeworker, Carnival House is your contractual place of work. Any
requests to do fewer than three days in the office will need to be clearly linked to a business
outcome and formally agreed in line with guide, a policy, and a decision tree available in
the Flexible Working section of Ask HR. People Support can help you if you have any policy related
questions.

You’ll need to submit a formal flexible working request. Any requests must be clearly linked to a business outcome and be in line with the flexible working policy.

If you have an informal agreement, then you’ll now need to move to the new ways of working. If you have a formal agreement in place, then we have no expectation for you to change this. We do recommend that you and your line manager review this agreement periodically to make sure that it’s right for you and the business.

Unless you were recruited as a homeworker, Carnival House is your contractual place of work. Any requests to do fewer than three days in the office will need to be clearly linked to a business outcome and agreed in line with the formal flexible working policy.

We have plenty of room in Carnival House to be able to accommodate everyone. As well as desks, we also have meeting spaces, informal working spaces, collaboration spaces, pods and more. If we fully utilise the space available, then there’s room for everyone – as we’ve found out on business update days.

We encourage you to make the most of the different types of workspace available, and adjust your location throughout the day to best suit the work you’re doing. This means that desks should be available for colleagues when they need them.

We have plenty of room and different types of workspaces throughout Carnival House to be able to accommodate everyone. We encourage you to make the most of the different types of formal and informal spaces available. Overtime, we’ll learn as we go and make any cost-effective adjustments to the office if needed.

Desk booking is available and it’s your choice if you’d like to do this. Click here to find out more. Booking in advance means you’ll know that you have a desk on the days that you’re in Carnival House. We encourage you to make the most of the different types of workspaces available, and adjust your location throughout the day to best suit the work you’re doing.

It’s important that we’re fair and consistent with our approach and because it’s a critical enabler for performance, the three days on site isn’t optional. We all need to take individual accountability for making sure we spend enough time on site and line managers should be aware of where their team members are working. You should agree your working location with your line manager on an ongoing basis so that they can support you – not just in terms of performance but from a wellbeing, health and safety perspective too.

There is plenty of common and shared storage (for example, white cupboards) around Carnival House.  If you need personal storage, please contact Facilities here who will allocate a locker to you.

Please use the key request form on the Facilities page on The Insider here.

We have the following measures in place at Carnival House to protect you:

• Ventilation allowing a circulation of fresh air.
• Cleaning of Carnival House throughout the day to make sure all surfaces are regularly cleaned.
• You’ll find hand sanitiser on entry in Reception and on all balconies throughout the building.
• You’ll also find anti-bacterial wipes located around the building for your use.

If you notice an area of the building that needs cleaning, please get in touch with Reception so they can notify our cleaning team.

We have fewer desks in Carnival House and so there isn’t enough space for everyone to have a dedicated desk. In some circumstances, eg if you need specialist equipment, then you may be able to have a permanent desk. Please speak to your line manager if this is the case.

As a line manager, you should already be keeping in touch with team members to keep them up to date.

We believe that being together in person is important for our collaboration and for feeling like we all belong as part of the Carnival UK community. Our working patterns are designed to be fair and consistent and so future colleagues will need to work on site three days a week with Wednesday being a fixed day. This should be made clear to any candidates.