307. Flexible and Remote Work Arrangements for Staff
Statement
The University supports flexible work options when they can optimize the needs of the University and its staff. Flexible work options are intended to provide a work environment that fosters flexibility and work-life balance for employees while meeting the operations and business needs of the respective units and the University. Flexible Remote work, as described below, may take the form of 1) Full-time remote work schedule, 2) Hybrid work schedule, 3) Flexible work schedule or 4) Sporadic work schedule changes.
The availability of flexible work options varies by department or position based on business and operational needs. The supervisor and senior leadership within the division have the discretion to approve or deny a request for flexible work arrangements or rescind a flexible work arrangement with appropriate notice. Flexible work arrangement requests will be reviewed objectively and fairly.
Flexible work arrangements do not change the basic terms and conditions of employment with the University. All University employees, including those participating in flexible work arrangements, are subject to the University’s employment policies and procedures.
Eligibility
This policy applies to benefits-eligible staff employees in good standing and whose job duties and responsibilities are suitable for remote or flexible work arrangements as defined herein. This policy does not apply to employees covered under a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) as their work schedule options and limitations are covered by the CBA.
Employees eligible for a full-time remote or hybrid work schedule are those who:
- are in a role conducive to remote work that continues to meet the business needs of the team/unit/department while not disrupting the workflow or workload for other team members;
- have demonstrated the ability to be productive and meet specific outcomes with minimal supervision;
- consistently meet or exceed performance expectations;
- have the technical skills, proper space, and ability to maintain appropriate confidentiality, and equipment to accomplish their work off-campus;
- have duties and responsibilities that can be performed without in-person service or in-person collaboration; and
- have remote work hours or periods that are within or around the unit or department’s defined core business hours.
Guidelines
Full-time Remote Work Schedule
A full-time remote work schedule means working from home, or from an approved remote location, on a full-time basis. Full-time remote work is available for employees whose position, based on the supervisor’s assessment, is conducive to 100% remote work.
Remote work must be conducted in a state in which the University is registered to do business as an employer. The states in which the University is registered to do business may be subject to change.
It is the responsibility of the employee to contact the Benefits team in the Department of Human Resources, to discuss the potential impact of benefit coverage and limitations before submitting a request for a full-time remote work schedule.
Newly approved remote work schedules will be assessed by the supervisor with input from the employee on a continuous basis but no less than annually. The annual evaluation will coincide with the annual performance review process. Supervisors may choose to evaluate remote work schedules more frequently.
Employees who request and are approved to have a full-time remote work schedule forfeit their office space on campus. In that instance, “hoteling” or “touchdown” office space may be made available on an as-needed basis.
Geographic Pay Differential
Geographic pay differential refers to the pay adjustments made in certain cases to account for variations in the cost of labor and/or cost of living in the different approved locations.
In cases where the employee is working from home from a location where the cost of labor and/or cost of living is different from that of the cost of labor and/or cost of living in Santa Clara County (or Alameda County for JST employees), the employee’s annual salary may be adjusted using the available cost of living and/or cost of labor data.
How to request a full-time remote work schedule
To be considered for a full-time remote work schedule, the eligible employee shall first discuss the possibility of a remote work schedule arrangement with their supervisor. After discussing the possibility of remote work with their supervisor, the employee shall complete and submit the Full-time Remote Work Schedule and Agreement form to the supervisor for review. The supervisor together with the respective VP or senior leader will make a determination, in accordance with the guidelines set forth herein and respond to the employee accordingly.
Hybrid Work Schedule
A hybrid work schedule is defined as a combination of on-campus and remote work and is limited to employees who reside in the state of California. As with all flexible work arrangements, approval of hybrid work schedules are at the discretion of the supervisor and senior leader of the division. Additionally, hybrid roles require a regular presence at the employee’s primary Santa Clara University work location. Expectations for that regular presence are determined by the employee’s department/unit and are typically set as two, three, or four days per week (or an equivalent amount of time each month). Managers are expected to arrange for in-person work so there is adequate staffing on-site.
A hybrid work schedule is not available for employees who: 1) reside outside the state of California or 2) live at a distance that makes it impractical to commute or report to campus.
Medical and other benefit coverage options may be limited to employees residing outside Santa Clara County.
Newly approved hybrid work schedules will be assessed by the supervisor and with input from the employee on a continuous basis but no less than annually. The annual evaluation will coincide with the annual performance review process.
If the request for a hybrid work schedule is denied, the employee and the supervisor can consult with HR and discuss other options such as:
- Ability to work on-campus, with a change to the working schedule (Flexible Work Schedule option)
- Consideration of reducing work hours on a temporary/short-term basis
- Leave of absence with reduced or no pay
- Ability to perform other work that can be accomplished via hybrid/remote (other work within job classification)
The hybrid work schedule can be used, when approved, in conjunction with the flexible work schedule (see below).
How to request a hybrid work schedule
To be considered for the hybrid work schedule, the eligible employee shall first discuss the possibility of a hybrid work schedule arrangement with their supervisor. After discussing the possibility of a hybrid work schedule with their supervisor, the employee shall complete and submit the Hybrid Work Schedule Arrangement and Agreement form via the Workday system. The supervisor together with the respective VP or senior leader will make a determination, in accordance with the guidelines set forth herein and approve or deny the request and respond to the employee accordingly.
Flexible Work Schedule
A flexible work schedule arrangement is a work schedule that differs from the standard workweek of 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday - Friday schedule, or a work schedule that is different from the department’s normal business hours or hours of operations. For example, a department with normal business hours (8 am - 5 pm, M-F) may allow, based on business needs, staff employees to have a 7 am - 4 pm, 9 am - 6 pm, etc. work schedule.
For hourly employees, the weekly average number of hours worked should not exceed the employee’s FTE weekly hours (for example: 1.0 FTE = 40 hours per week, 0.50 FTE = 20 hours per week, etc.) The flexible work schedule can be any of the following scenarios or a combination of:
- Consistent number of hours each workday with the same start and end times, i.e. M-F 7 am - 4 pm
- Consistent number of hours each workday with varying start and end times, i.e. Monday and Tuesday, 8 am - 5 pm and Wednesday through Friday 9 am - 6 pm
- Different number of hours each workday with the same start and end times, i.e. Mondays, 7 am - 4 pm, Tuesday, 8 am - 5 pm, Wednesday, 9 am - 6 pm, etc.
- Different number of hours each workday with different start and end times, i.e. Mondays, 7 am - 3 pm, Tuesday, 8 am - 4 pm, Wednesday, 9 am - 6 pm, etc
The start and end times of the approved flexible work schedule must be within the specified range, around the fixed set of core hours for the department or unit.
Supervisors should consider potential overtime and double-time pay implications when reviewing and approving flexible work schedules for hourly employees.
How to request a flexible work schedule
To submit a request for a flexible work arrangement, the eligible employee shall complete the Flexible Work Arrangement and Agreement form and submit it to their supervisor for review. The supervisor will make a determination, in accordance with the guidelines set forth herein, and respond to the employee accordingly.
Sporadic Work Schedule Changes
Sporadic work schedule changes are defined as infrequent and not regularly scheduled changes to staff employee’s work schedule. These can be changes to work hours or work location, (i.e. working remotely). The sporadic work schedule changes are reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis by the supervisor.
Sporadic work schedule changes are to be used for specific short-term instances, including and not limited to being home for isolated household or personal appointment needs (i.e. plumber, internet service, etc.) Sporadic work schedule change does not require a formal agreement or assignment. However, the employee must submit an informal request in writing (email suffices) to their supervisor for consideration and approval.
Responsibility
It is the responsibility of the employee to conform with the requirements outlined in this policy, in order to remain eligible for any of the flexible work options. The Department of Human Resources is responsible for the interpretation and administration of this policy.
Resources
Contact Human Resources if you have questions or would like more information on this policy. Human Resources will refer technical and/or non-Human Resource related issues to the appropriate department(s).
Policy Approved: October 23, 1998
Last Updated: May 31, 2022
Last Reviewed: May 31, 2022
Maintainer: Human Resources