Another building open on campus during the holidays. Photo Resource. WUR decided to close most of its buildings during the holidays to save energy and costs. Only Forum and the labs were to remain open. Actio is now being added to this following a letter from the WUR Council.
Jelle Behagel, WUR Council chair, responded from Canada where he is attending the COP15 UN Biodiversity Conference. ‘We sent a letter last week in which the main message to the Executive Board was that we think closing so many buildings during the holidays is disproportionate. Closing the buildings except Forum in the second week of the holiday period in particular – the first week in January – is far from ideal for lecturers, for example, who want to prepare their teaching and have to do so at home. After all, Forum does not have standard office facilities. The communication could also have been better, for example on how people can now book a workstation and the nature of that workstation.’
Executive Board member Rens Buchwaldt and Harold Swartjes (Director of Facilities and Services) held a meeting with the WUR Council after learning of the letter. At the meeting, they promised to improve communication and deal with the objection to closing the buildings. A building with proper office facilities will also be open in the second week of January. Behagel: ‘Actio will have a flex work format. That is one good outcome. In addition, better arrangements will be made for next year, and the opening hours of the buildings during the Christmas period should be clear to everyone earlier in the year. So, how things went this year is a one-off, we have been promised.’
